New York

New York is one of the 50 states of the United States and was one of the original Thirteen Colonies, which were the first thirteen states to make up the US. New York is in the northeastern United States, bordered by Lake Ontario and Canada on the north, Lake Erie and Canada on the west, Pennsylvania on the west and south, Vermont, Massachusetts, and Connecticut on the east, and New Jersey on the south and west.

New York was originally New Netherland, started by the Dutch Empire in the early 17th century. Late in the century, it surrendered to an English fleet during the Anglo-Dutch Wars and became part of the British Empire. About half the Dutch colony was given to neighboring English colonies. The Battle of Long Island, Battle of Saratoga, and other important battles of the American Revolution were fought in New York and it joined the new United States.

The United States Census Bureau says that, as of 2005, New York had the third most people (population) in the United States, after California and Texas. New York's estimated population is 19,297,729.

Cities
The biggest city in New York is also called New York, located in the south-eastern part of the state and built on the Hudson River; it is by far the biggest city in the U.S.. Part of New York City is on Long Island, a large island in the Atlantic Ocean, and another part of it is on Staten Island, which is to the southwest of Manhattan, the central business district. Most people living in New York state live in the New York metropolitan area, one of the world's biggest metropolitan areas, which also includes part of eastern New Jersey.

The larger part of New York, north and northwest of the metropolitan area, is called "Upstate New York". Cities in this part of New York include Buffalo, the state's second largest city, Rochester, Syracuse, and the state capital of Albany. These places became cities because of the Erie Canal. Between 1788 and 1797, the Legislature moved the state capital around between Albany, Kingston, Poughkeepsie, and New York City. Albany became the permanent capital from 1797.

Related pages

 * List of counties in New York
 * List of places in New York