New York Facts For Kids
New York is a northeastern state with the 4th largest population in the United States.
It’s also home to some of the country’s most popular tourist destinations, including the Statue of Liberty and Niagara Falls.
Upstate New York is known for its scenic mountains and lakes, but the state is of course best known for bustling New York City, which is considered one of the greatest cities in the world and a very popular tourist destination.
Quick Facts
Capital: Albany
Population: 20 million
Nickname: The Empire State
Key Cities: New York City, Rochester, Albany, Buffalo, Syracuse, Yonkers
Postal Abbreviation: NY
Major Industries: Financial services, health care, professional and technical services, manufacturing, educational services, mass media
History
How did New York get its name: New York was named in honor of the English Duke of York and Albany when the region, then called New Amsterdam, was taken from the Dutch in 1664.
Date admitted to the Union: Saturday, July 26, 1788
Related: New York State History
Geography
Size: 54,556 sq. miles
Lowest point: Atlantic Ocean at sea level
Highest point: Marcy at 5,344 ft.
Counties: 62
Famous locations: Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building, Central Park, Times Square, Broadway, Wall Street, Niagara Falls, Finger Lakes, the Hamptons
Famous New Yorkers
Alicia Keys- singer
Madonna- singer
Michael Jordan- basketball player
Anne Hathaway- actress
50 Cent- rap artist
Sean “Diddy” Combs- rap artist/business mogul
Donald Trump- president
Theodore Roosevelt – 26th President
Fun Facts
New York has over 70,000 miles of rivers and streams. It also has 722 miles of subway tracks!
New York City was the first capital of the United States. In 1789, George Washington took his presidential oath on the balcony of the city’s Federal Hall.
With 8.5 million residents, New York City (NYC) is the most populated city in the United States. 1 in every 38 people in the United States lives in NYC, and more people live in NYC than in Australia and Switzerland combined.
The state of New York is the third most populous in the United States, following behind California and Texas.
There are over 800 languages spoken in New York City. Almost half of all families in New York City speak a language other than English at home.
In 1885, Niagara Falls State Park became the first state park in the country. The three falls attract 12 million visitors every year.
About 40% of Americans can trace at least one ancestor to New York’s Ellis Island. Between 1886 and 1924, over 14 million immigrants entered the United States through New York Harbor.
