New York: More Than Just A City

Although New York City is the most populated city in the United States, most of New York State is made up of farms, forests, lakes, mountains, and rivers. The state is an agricultural leader in the United States in the production of apples, dairy, cherries, potatoes, onions and cabbage. It also leads in wine production, second behind California.

It may be hard to believe that a state with the third largest population in the U.S. is home to 6 million federally protected acres that will never be developed. Adirondack Park covers more area than Yellowstone, Everglades, Glacier and Grand Canyon National Parks combined. However, more than 8 million of the state’s 19.5 million residents live in New York City. Buffalo is the state’s second largest city, with a much smaller population of less than 300,000.

The most famous park in New York may be Niagara Falls, which was established as the first state park in the United States in 1885. Other outdoor destinations include the Catskill and Adirondack Mountains. Many famous New York attractions such as the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building, Rockefeller Center, Times Square and Central Park can be found in New York City.

Tourism is an important industry to the state, as reflected in the fact that New York City’s JFK International Airport is one of the busiest airports in the world. Manufacturing is also important to the city and state, particularly printing and publishing. Harper Collins, Random House, and Simon & Schuster are just a few of the publishers based in New York City, and 350 magazines are published in the city as well.

The state is not lacking in team spirit either. Professional sports fans have a number of teams to choose from. Three National Football League teams, the Buffalo Bills, New York Giants and New York Jets call New York their home. Major League Baseball teams the New York Mets and the New York Yankees are based in New York City, as is the NBA’s New York Knicks. The city’s two professional hockey teams are the New York Rangers in Manhattan and the New York Islanders on Long Island.

While most people hear “New York” and think of the city, there is clearly more to the state. From wide open spaces to one of the most populated cities in the world, the state of New York is a very diverse place.