New York
Capital:
Albany
Date of Entry:
July 26, 1788
Maps:
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| Map of USA. New York outlined in dark ink, shaded & with name written on it. |
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| A close up of New York & its neighbors. |
Neighbors:
Canada, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania
Water Borders:
Lake Ontario, Saint Lawrence River, Lake Champlain, Long Island Sound, Atlantic Ocean, Lake Erie
Total Area:
54,555 square miles
Five Largest Cities:
New York City, Buffalo, Rochester, Yonkers, Syracuse
Famous Geographical Point:
Niagra Falls
State Nickname:
The Empire State. Legend says that the nickname dates all the way back to George Washington, who referred to the state as being "at present the seat of the Empire."
Famous Person:
Jay Z, rap artist, music mogul & entrepreneur
Book Set In/About:
The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker
Two mythical creatures meet, and become unlikely companions, in turn-of-the-century NYC. It's the standard immigrant tale with a twist. I absolutely loved this book.
Movie Set In/About:
"Taxi Driver" (1976), directed by Martin Scorsese
An unstable Vietnam Vet, who works as a taxi driver, descends into madness. There were about a billion movies to choose from, many of them set in NYC. I chose this one because it's a very good film, and because it's a great time capsule of the 1970s. If I hadn't chosen The Golem and the Jinni for my book, I likely would've put "Brooklyn" here, another great film (it's an NYC immigrant tale, but without the twist).
Headline of the Day:
"NYS Fair Attendance 26,151 Ahead of Last Year's Attendance" on newyorkupstate.com.
2 comments:
How did you settle on Jay-Z as the famous person from New York?
I always think of this state as the dividing state that cuts New England off from the rest of the country. Before I lived in New England, I hadn't really reconciled that New York was South of those states. Now I know that when driving North along the East Coast, New York is the last chance for non-New England until you hit Canada.
I find the whole geography of the Northeast/New England relatively confusing (or I did up until I started this project). Perhaps because I've never been there.
Re: Jay-Z. I've been trying to overcome my automatic response to always choose well-known white guys to post as the famous person. I think I've done a decent job of including women, but I realized that I haven't been so good about including people of color. So when I saw that he was from New York, I went with him. I think his accomplishments are pretty impressive.
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