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107-583: This is a list of state parks in the U.S. state of New York . Also listed are state golf courses , seasonal hunting areas, and former state parks. In New York, state parks are managed by the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP), with the exception of the Adirondack and Catskill Parks which are managed by the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). Outside of

214-665: A chateau on Castle Island , within present-day Albany; it was abandoned the following year due to flooding. In 1614, the Dutch, under the command of Hendrick Corstiaensen, rebuilt the French chateau, which they called Fort Nassau . Fort Nassau was the first Dutch settlement in North America, and was located along the Hudson River, also within present-day Albany. The small fort served as a trading post and warehouse. Located on

321-628: A humid subtropical climate . Weather in New York is heavily influenced by two continental air masses: a warm, humid one from the southwest and a cold, dry one from the northwest. Downstate New York (comprising New York City, Long Island, and lower portions of the Hudson Valley) have rather hot summers with some periods of high humidity and cold, damp winters which are relatively mild compared to temperatures in Upstate New York, due to

428-425: A deep delta in which every kind of ship could pass" and he adds: "that it extends inland for a league and opens up to form a beautiful lake. This vast sheet of water swarmed with native boats." He landed on the tip of Manhattan and possibly on the furthest point of Long Island. Verrazzano's stay was interrupted by a storm which pushed him north towards Martha's Vineyard . In 1540, French traders from New France built

535-641: A joint effort of many New England tribes to push Europeans off their land. After the death of their leader, Chief Philip Metacomet , most of those peoples fled inland, splitting into the Abenaki and the Schaghticoke . Many of the Mohicans remained in the region until the 1800s, however, a small group known as the Ouabano migrated southwest into West Virginia at an earlier time. They may have merged with

642-635: A large section of the Catskill Mountains , the Mohawk Valley proper, and a section of the southern Adirondack Mountains . All three regions have distinct bedrock geology, and the underlying rocks become progressively younger to the south. Overall, this part of New York is represented by lower Paleozoic sedimentary rocks that unconformably overlie the Grenville -aged ( Proterozoic , here about 1.1 billion years old) metamorphic rocks of

749-453: A long record of significant and damaging floods along the entire length of the river. Because the river and its tributaries typically freeze in the winter, the spring melt is commonly accompanied by ice floes that get stuck and jammed along the main trunk of the river. This annual spring breakup typically occurs in the last few weeks of March, although there are numerous floods that have occurred before or after this time, such as in 2018 when

856-711: A mountain" (or Yeionontatátie , "going round a mountain"). The first recorded European exploration of the Mohawk was a trip by the Dutchman Harman Meyndertsz van den Bogaert in 1634. He followed the river upstream from Albany for a distance of 100 miles, including all the territory of the Mohawks. In 1661 Dutch colonists founded the city of Schenectady on the Mohawk River approximately 19 miles (31 km) from Albany. "For fifty years Schenectady

963-408: A portion of the state's economy in the second half of the 20th century, New York in the 21st century continues to be considered as a global node of creativity and entrepreneurship , social tolerance , and environmental sustainability . The state attracts visitors from all over the globe, with the highest count of any U.S. state in 2022. Many of its landmarks are well known, including four of

1070-579: A project to improve the flood walls on South Chuctanunda Creek and Mohawk River. The floodwalls and river banks were repaired at a cost of $ 164,248. Historically, the Mohawk watershed has lacked a watershed management plan typical in many adjacent basins. In 2010, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation released the Mohawk River Basin Action Agenda, which is the first framework for

1177-659: A temperature of −13 °F (−25 °C) or lower can be expected in the northern highlands (Northern Plateau) and 5 °F (−15 °C) or colder in the southwestern and east-central highlands of the Southern Tier. New York had a record-high temperature of 108   °F (42.2   °C) on July 22, 1926, in the Albany area. Its record-lowest temperature during the winter was −52   °F (−46.7   °C) in 1979. Governors Island, Manhattan , in New York Harbor ,

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1284-676: A total area of 54,555 square miles (141,297 km ) and ranks as the 27th-largest state by size . The highest elevation in New York is Mount Marcy in the Adirondack High Peaks in Northern New York , at 5,344 feet (1,629 meters) above sea level ; while the state's lowest point is at sea level, on the Atlantic Ocean in Downstate New York . In contrast with New York City's urban landscape,

1391-611: A water border with Rhode Island , while Connecticut has land and sea borders. Except for areas near the New York Harbor and the Upper Delaware River , New York has a mostly land border with two Mid-Atlantic states , New Jersey and Pennsylvania . New York is the only state that borders both the Great Lakes and the Atlantic Ocean . The Hudson River begins near Lake Tear of the Clouds and flows south through

1498-635: A watershed management plan in this basin. This plan identifies five priority goals for the Mohawk River Basin that are designed to enhance ecosystem health and the vitality of the region. The Action Agenda, developed by the NYS DEC in collaboration with a number of stakeholders in the basin with public input, advocates an ecosystem-based approach to watershed management. In October 2014, Riverkeeper, an environmental advocacy and clean water watchdog organization, announced that they will be expanding

1605-407: A week. There was considerable damage everywhere, especially Mohawk and Fort Plain. On July 3, 1985, Congress approved a project at Amsterdam for work to be done on the Mohawk River and South Chuctanunda Creek. South Chuctanunda Creek was cleared at the upstream end of the project for approximately 950 feet (290 m). New flood walls were installed along the right bank of South Chuctanunda Creek and

1712-530: Is covered by ice. The summer climate is cool in the Adirondacks, Catskills, and at higher elevations of the Southern Tier. Buffalo and its metropolitan area are described as climate change havens for their weather pattern in Western New York. Summer daytime temperatures range from the high 70s to low 80s   °F (25 to 28   °C), over most of the state. In the majority of winter seasons,

1819-587: Is home to the headquarters of the United Nations , and it is sometimes described as the world's most important city, the cultural , financial , and media epicenter, and the capital of the world. The Native American tribes in what is now New York were predominantly Iroquois and Algonquian . Long Island was divided roughly in half between the Algonquian Wampanoag and Lenape peoples. The Lenape also controlled most of

1926-639: Is permitted on a seasonal basis are listed below. A state license appropriate for that type of hunting is required; some sites also require park permits to hunt. New York (state) New York , also called New York State , is a state in the Northeastern United States . One of the Mid-Atlantic states, it borders the Atlantic Ocean , New England , Canada, and the Great Lakes . With almost 19.6 million residents, it

2033-536: Is planned to host a US$ 1 billion research and education center poised to make New York the global leader in addressing the climate crisis . Due to New York's relatively large land area and unique geography compared to other eastern states, there are several distinct ecoregions present in the state, many of them reduced heavily due to urbanization and other human activities: Southern Great Lakes forests in Western New York , New England–Acadian forests on

2140-658: Is shared between New York and Ontario as it flows on the Niagara River from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario. The Delaware River Basin Compact, signed in 1961 by New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania , Delaware , and the federal government, regulates the utilization of water of the Delaware system. Under the Köppen climate classification , most of New York has a humid continental climate , though New York City and Long Island have

2247-469: Is the fourth-most populous state in the United States , and the 27th-largest state by area , with a total area of 54,556 square miles (141,300 km ). New York has a varied geography . The southeastern part of the state, known as Downstate , encompasses New York City , the United States's largest city; Long Island , the nation's most populous island; and the suburbs and wealthy enclaves of

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2354-527: Is true for New York City: four of its five boroughs are situated on three islands at the mouth of the Hudson River : Manhattan Island ; Staten Island ; and Long Island , which contains Brooklyn and Queens at its western end. The state's borders include a water boundary in (clockwise from the west) two Great Lakes ( Lake Erie and Lake Ontario , which are connected by the Niagara River );

2461-531: The American Civil War , in terms of finances, volunteer soldiers, and supplies. The state provided more than 370,000 soldiers to the Union armies. Over 53,000 New Yorkers died in service, roughly one of every seven who served. However, Irish draft riots in 1862 were a significant embarrassment. Since the early 19th century, New York City has been the largest port of entry for legal immigration into

2568-651: The Capital Region entered Phase   1 of reopening. On May 26, the Hudson Valley began Phase   1, and New York City partially reopened on June 8. During July 2020, a federal judge ruled Governor Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio exceeded authority by limiting religious gatherings to 25% when others operated at 50% capacity. On Thanksgiving Eve, the U.S. Supreme Court blocked additional religious restrictions imposed by Cuomo for areas with high infection rates. The state of New York covers

2675-521: The Catskill Delta , which is also Devonian in age. During the Pleistocene (c. 1.8 to 0.01 mya ), the watershed was extensively modified by continental glaciation . As a result of glacial scour and deposition, the surficial deposits in much of the watershed are poorly sorted boulder- and clay-rich glacial till . During deglaciation , several glacial lakes left varved clay deposits. In

2782-620: The Continental Army at the Battle of Saratoga in 1777, a success that influenced France to ally with the revolutionaries; the state constitution was enacted in 1777. New York became the 11th state to ratify the United States Constitution , on July 26, 1788. In an attempt to retain their sovereignty and remain an independent nation positioned between the new United States and British North America , four of

2889-465: The Declaration of Independence on July 9, 1776. The New York State Constitution was framed by a convention which assembled at White Plains on July 10, 1776, and after repeated adjournments and changes of location, finished its work at Kingston on Sunday evening, April 20, 1777, when the new constitution drafted by John Jay was adopted with but one dissenting vote. It was not submitted to

2996-656: The Finger Lakes , a popular tourist destination. To the south, along the state border with Pennsylvania , the Southern Tier sits atop the Allegheny Plateau , representing some of the northernmost reaches of Appalachia . New York was one of the original Thirteen Colonies that went on to form the United States. The area of present-day New York had been inhabited by tribes of the Algonquians and

3103-721: The French and Indian War . Most of these other groups assimilated and eventually ceased to exist as separate tribes. Then, after the American Revolution , a large group of Seneca split off and returned to Ohio, becoming known as the Mingo Seneca. The current Six Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy include the Seneca, Cayuga, Onondaga, Oneida, Tuscarora and Mohawk. The Iroquois fought for both sides during

3210-631: The French crown , explored the Atlantic coast of North America between the Carolinas and Newfoundland , including New York Harbor and Narragansett Bay . On April 17, 1524, Verrazzano entered New York Bay , by way of the strait now called the Narrows into the northern bay which he named Santa Margherita, in honor of the King of France's sister . Verrazzano described it as "a vast coastline with

3317-681: The Great Lakes , with the port of New York City. Improving transportation, it enabled additional population migration to territories west of New York. After 1850, railroads largely replaced the canal. The connectivity offered by the canal, and subsequently the railroads, led to an economic boom across the entire state through the 1950s. Major corporations that got their start in New York during this time include American Express , AT&T , Bristol Myers Squibb , Carrier , Chase , General Electric , Goldman Sachs , IBM , Kodak , Macy's , NBC , Pfizer , Random House , RCA , Tiffany & Co. , Wells Fargo , Western Union , and Xerox . New York City

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3424-717: The Green Mountains of Vermont ; and westward to the border with the Iroquoian Oneida Nation 's traditional homeland territory. The river has long been important to transportation and migration to the west as a passage through the Appalachian Mountains , between the Catskill Mountains and Allegheny Plateau to the south and the Adirondack Mountains to the north. The Mohawk Valley allowed easier passage than going over

3531-734: The Iroquois Confederacy Native Americans for several thousand years by the time the earliest Europeans arrived. Stemming from Henry Hudson 's expedition in 1609, the Dutch established the multiethnic colony of New Netherland in 1621. England seized the colony from the Dutch in 1664, renaming it the Province of New York . During the American Revolutionary War , a group of colonists eventually succeeded in establishing independence, and

3638-777: The Iroquois Nations fought on the side of the British; only the Oneida and their dependents, the Tuscarora, allied themselves with the Americans. In retaliation for attacks on the frontier led by Joseph Brant and Loyalist Mohawk forces , the Sullivan Expedition of 1779 destroyed nearly 50 Iroquois villages, adjacent croplands and winter stores, forcing many refugees to British-held Niagara. As allies of

3745-744: The Lake Champlain Valley . The Great Appalachian Valley dominates eastern New York and contains Lake Champlain Valley as its northern half and the Hudson Valley as its southern half within the state. The Tug Hill region arises as a cuesta east of Lake Ontario . The state of New York contains a part of the Marcellus shale , which extends into Ohio and Pennsylvania. Upstate and Downstate are often used informally to distinguish New York City or its greater metropolitan area from

3852-534: The New England border, Northeastern coastal forests in the lower Hudson Valley and western Long Island , Atlantic coastal pine barrens in southern Long Island, Northeastern interior dry–mesic oak forest in the eastern Southern Tier and upper Hudson Valley, Appalachian–Blue Ridge forests in the Hudson Valley), Central Appalachian dry oak–pine forest around the Hudson Valley, Eastern Great Lakes and Hudson Lowlands , Eastern forest–boreal transition in

3959-1004: The New York Constitution . Both parks are managed by DEC; the Adirondack Park is managed by the Adirondack Park Agency , as well. OPRHP manages lands designated as state parks in New York, with the aims of providing public space for outdoor recreation while conserving natural and cultural resources. The agency offers the "Empire Passport", which provides unlimited day use vehicle entry to most of New York's state parks and recreational facilities. As of 2017, New York has 215 state parks and historic sites encompassing 350,000 acres. The agency's portfolio also includes 28 golf courses, 35 swimming pools, 67 beaches, and 18 museums and nature centers. The following sortable tables list current and former New York state parks , respectively, all 'owned' or managed by

4066-654: The New York State Legislature created the Board of Commissioners of Immigration to regulate immigration. The first permanent immigration depot in New York was established in 1855 at Castle Garden , a converted War of 1812 era fort located within what is now Battery Park , at the tip of Lower Manhattan. The first immigrants to arrive at the new depot were aboard three ships that had just been released from quarantine . Castle Garden served as New York's immigrant depot until it closed on April 18, 1890, when

4173-641: The Philadelphia Convention , which drafted the United States Constitution, in which he also took part. The new government was to be a strong federal national government to replace the relatively weaker confederation of individual states. Following heated debate, which included the publication of The Federalist Papers as a series of installments in New York City newspapers, New York was the 11th state to ratify

4280-456: The Revolutionary War ; afterwards many pro-British Iroquois migrated to Canada. Today, the Iroquois still live in several enclaves across New York and Ontario. Meanwhile, the Lenape formed a close relationship with William Penn . However, upon Penn's death, his sons managed to take over much of their lands and banish them to Ohio. When the U.S. drafted the Indian Removal Act , the Lenape were further moved to Missouri, whereas their cousins,

4387-411: The Shawnee . The Mohawk and Susquehannock were the most militaristic . Trying to corner trade with the Europeans, they targeted other tribes. The Mohawk were also known for refusing white settlement on their land and discriminating against any of their people who converted to Christianity . They posed a major threat to the Abenaki and Mohicans, while the Susquehannock briefly conquered the Lenape in

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4494-476: The United States Constitution , on July 26, 1788. New York City remained the national capital under the new constitution until 1790 when it was moved to Philadelphia until 1800, when it was relocated to its current location in Washington, D.C. and was the site of the inauguration of President George Washington, In the first session of the Supreme Court of the United States , the United States Bill of Rights were drafted. Transportation in Western New York

4601-471: The World Trade Center site . On October 29 and 30, 2012, Hurricane Sandy caused extensive destruction of the state's shorelines, ravaging portions of New York City, Long Island , and southern Westchester with record-high storm surge , with severe flooding and high winds causing power outages for hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers, and leading to gasoline shortages and disruption of mass transit systems. The storm and its profound effects have prompted

4708-517: The ring-necked pheasant , northern bobwhite , ruffed grouse , spruce grouse , Canada jay , wild turkey , blue jay , eastern bluebird (the state bird ), American robin , and black-capped chickadee . Birds of prey that are present in the state are great horned owls , bald eagles , red-tailed hawks , American kestrels , and northern harriers . Waterfowl like mallards , wood ducks , canvasbacks , American black ducks , trumpeter swans , Canada geese , and blue-winged teals can be found in

4815-539: The white-footed mouse , North American least shrew , little brown bat , muskrat , eastern gray squirrel , eastern cottontail , American ermine , groundhog , striped skunk , fisher , North American river otter , raccoon , bobcat , eastern coyote , red fox , gray fox white-tailed deer , moose , and American black bear ; extirpated mammals include Canada lynx , American bison , wolverine , Allegheny woodrat , caribou , eastern elk , eastern cougar , and eastern wolf . Some species of birds in New York are

4922-423: The 1600s. The most devastating event of the century, however, was the Beaver Wars . From approximately 1640–1680, the Iroquois peoples waged campaigns which extended from modern-day Michigan to Virginia against Algonquian and Siouan tribes, as well as each other. The aim was to control more land for animal trapping , a career most natives had turned to in hopes of trading with whites first. This completely changed

5029-427: The Adirondacks and the Catskills, the state parks department is organized into eleven regions: The largest parks in New York are the Adirondack Park , at six million acres (24,000 km; 9,400 sq mi); and the Catskill Park , at 700,000 acres (2,800 km; 1,100 sq mi). Together they comprise the New York Forest Preserve, properties that must be kept "Forever Wild" according to Article 14 of

5136-548: The Adirondacks, Eastern Great Lakes lowland forests around the Adirondacks, and Allegheny Highlands forests , most of which are in the western Southern Tier. Some species that can be found in this state are American ginseng , starry stonewort , waterthyme , water chestnut, eastern poison ivy , poison sumac , giant hogweed , cow parsnip and common nettle . There are more than 70 mammal species, more than 20 bird species, some species of amphibians, and several reptile species. Species of mammals that are found in New York are

5243-429: The Adirondacks. In the watershed, these rocks are only significant in the headwaters of the West Canada Creek. Much of the main trunk of the Mohawk River sits in Cambro - Ordovician carbonates ( limestone ) and Middle Ordovician sandstones and shales . The southern tributaries (Catskill Mountains) are underlain by a thin sequence of Devonian limestones that are overlain by a thick sequence of sandstones and shale of

5350-438: The British, the Iroquois were forced out of New York, although they had not been part of treaty negotiations. They resettled in Canada after the war and were given land grants by the Crown. In the treaty settlement, the British ceded most Indian lands to the new United States. Because New York made a treaty with the Iroquois without getting Congressional approval, some of the land purchases have been subject to land claim suits since

5457-427: The Hamlet of Westernville receiving Deans Gulf along the way. In Westernville it enters Delta Reservoir . After exiting the reservoir it heads south toward the City of Rome receiving Hurlbut Glen Brook and passing the Rome Fish Hatchery along the way. On the south side of the City it enters the Erie Canal and begins to flow east. After Rome the river flows generally east through the Mohawk Valley , passing by

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5564-402: The Hamlet of Hillside, first receiving Blue Brook then McMullen Brook and Haynes Brook . In Hillside is the confluence of Lansing Kill , after which it flows towards the Hamlet of North Western receiving Stringer Brook along the way. After North Western it receives Tannery Brook then Wells Creek in the Hamlet of Frenchville . At Frenchville it curves to the southwest and heads toward

5671-466: The Hudson River flood plain, the rudimentary fort was washed away by flooding in 1617, and abandoned for good after Fort Orange (New Netherland) was built nearby in 1623. Henry Hudson's 1609 voyage marked the beginning of European involvement in the area. Sailing for the Dutch East India Company and looking for a passage to Asia, he entered the Upper New York Bay on September 11 of that year. Word of his findings encouraged Dutch merchants to explore

5778-421: The Mohawk Barge Canal locks sustained major damage, especially near Waterford and Rotterdam Junction. Another major flood was on June 28, 2013. It was caused by heavy rain that had fallen in the region for weeks. On the night of June 27, 2013, the Jordanville area reported that 4 inches of rain fell in one hour. The next day, the Mohawk River flooded the valley, residents were stranded and without power for about

5885-410: The Mohawk River. A new wing wall was installed on the left bank of South Chuctanunda Creek at the upstream end of the New York Central Railroad Bridge. The South Chuctanunda was realigned and reshaped for approximately 1,056 feet (322 m) and riprap was added where needed. The existing channel of the South Chuctanunda was slightly reshaped downstream of the Florida Avenue bridge. Construction plans for

5992-435: The Mohawk, Delaware , and Susquehanna watersheds. Across the state, this event caused over $ 227 million in damage and resulted in the loss of four lives. This flooding was acute in the upper parts of the Mohawk watershed. The Mohawk River also saw significant flooding during the weeks between August 21, 2011, and September 5, 2011, due to torrential rains experienced from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee . Many of

6099-413: The Mohicans, were sent to Wisconsin. Also, in 1778, the United States relocated the Nanticoke from the Delmarva Peninsula to the former Iroquois lands south of Lake Ontario, though they did not stay long. Mostly, they chose to migrate into Canada and merge with the Iroquois, although some moved west and merged with the Lenape. In 1524, Giovanni da Verrazzano , an Italian explorer in the service of

6206-428: The NY State Legislature in 1997 to improve historic preservation along the river. The Mohawk River has a relatively long record of flooding that has been documented back to settlement in the 17th century. The average volume of water that flows through the Mohawk is about 184 billion cubic feet (5.21 km ) every year. Much of the water flows through the watershed in the spring as snow melts rapidly and enters

6313-409: The OPRHP, as of 2015. Some OPRHP-'owned' parks are managed primarily or in part by other agencies, through lease or partnership agreements. The second table lists three former New York state parks that have been transferred to other entities. The NYS OPRHP maintains two state golf courses in addition to the courses noted above: New York state parks and historic sites where some type of hunting

6420-465: The Scotia Delta, which is also known as the Great Flats Aquifer. The river is named for the Mohawk Nation of the Iroquois Confederacy . In the 1700s and before, the Mohawk people, a section of Iroquois Confederacy , were based in the Mohawk Valley , which included the area around the creek. Their territory ranged north to the St. Lawrence River , southern Quebec and eastern Ontario ; south to greater New Jersey and into Pennsylvania; eastward to

6527-401: The Twin Towers of the original World Trade Center in Lower Manhattan , and the towers collapsed . 7 World Trade Center also collapsed due to damage from fires. The other buildings of the World Trade Center complex were damaged beyond repair and demolished soon thereafter. The collapse of the Twin Towers caused extensive damage and resulted in the deaths of 2,753 victims, including 147 aboard

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6634-418: The United States . In the United States, the federal government did not assume direct jurisdiction for immigration until 1890. Prior to this time, the matter was delegated to the individual states, then via contract between the states and the federal government. Most immigrants to New York would disembark at the bustling docks along the Hudson and East Rivers , in the eventual Lower Manhattan . On May 4, 1847,

6741-408: The United States can trace their ancestry to these immigrants. Ellis Island was the subject of a contentious and long-running border and jurisdictional dispute between the State of New York and the State of New Jersey, as both claimed it. The issue was officially settled in 1998 by the U.S. Supreme Court which ruled that the original 3.3-acre (1.3 ha) island was New York state territory and that

6848-435: The balance of the 27.5 acres (11 ha) added after 1834 by landfill was in New Jersey. In May 1964, Ellis Island was added to the National Park Service by President Lyndon B. Johnson and is still owned by the federal government as part of the Statue of Liberty National Monument . In 1990, Ellis Island was opened to the public as a museum of immigration. On September 11, 2001, two of four hijacked planes were flown into

6955-403: The canal carrying passengers and freight. Farm products came in from the Midwest , and finished manufactured goods moved west. It was an engineering marvel which opened up vast areas of New York to commerce and settlement. It enabled Great Lakes port cities such as Buffalo and Rochester to grow and prosper. It also connected the burgeoning agricultural production of the Midwest and shipping on

7062-482: The cities of Utica , Little Falls , Canajoharie , Amsterdam , and Schenectady before entering the Hudson River at Cohoes , just north of Albany. The river and its supporting canal, the Erie Canal , connect the Hudson River and port of New York with the Great Lakes at Buffalo, New York . The lower part of the Mohawk River has five permanent dams , nine movable dams (seasonal), and five active hydropower plants . Schoharie Creek and West Canada Creek are

7169-433: The city on October 19 of that year, composed of representatives from across the Thirteen Colonies who set the stage for the Continental Congress to follow. The Stamp Act Congress resulted in the Declaration of Rights and Grievances , which was the first written expression by representatives of the Americans of many of the rights and complaints later expressed in the United States Declaration of Independence . This included

7276-578: The coast in search of profitable fur trading with local Native American tribes. During the 17th century, Dutch trading posts established for the trade of pelts from the Lenape, Iroquois, and other tribes were founded in the colony of New Netherland . The first of these trading posts were Fort Nassau (1614, near present-day Albany ); Fort Orange (1624, on the Hudson River just south of the current city of Albany and created to replace Fort Nassau), developing into settlement Beverwijck (1647), and into what became Albany; Fort Amsterdam (1625, to develop into

7383-407: The difficulties of European westward settler migration . The Mohawk Valley still plays an important role in transportation. Railroads followed the Water Level Route , as did major east–west roads such as Route 5 and Interstate 90 . The Mohawk River Heritage Corridor Commission was created to preserve and promote the natural and historic assets of the Mohawk River. This commission was created by

7490-427: The discussion of constructing seawalls and other coastal barriers around the shorelines of New York City and Long Island to minimize the risk from another such future event. Such risk is considered highly probable due to global warming and rising sea levels . On March 1, 2020, New York had its first confirmed case of COVID-19 after Washington (state) , two months prior. From May 19–20, Western New York and

7597-425: The downstate region's lower elevation, proximity to the Atlantic Ocean, and relatively lower latitude . Upstate New York experiences warm summers, marred by only occasional, brief intervals of sultry conditions, with long and cold winters. Western New York, particularly the Tug Hill region, receives heavy lake-effect snows , especially during the earlier portions of winter, before the surface of Lake Ontario itself

7704-402: The duration of the conflict, and consequently the focus of General George Washington 's intelligence network . On the notorious British prison ships of Wallabout Bay , more American combatants died than were killed in combat in every battle of the war combined. Both sides of combatants lost more soldiers to disease than to outright wounds. The first of two major British armies were captured by

7811-671: The eastern part of the state, without draining Lakes George or Champlain . Lake George empties at its north end into Lake Champlain, whose northern end extends into Canada, where it drains into the Richelieu River and then ultimately the Saint Lawrence River . The western section of the state is drained by the Allegheny River and rivers of the Susquehanna and Delaware River systems. Niagara Falls

7918-553: The ethnography of the region, and most large game was hunted out before whites ever fully explored the land. Still, afterward, the Iroquois Confederacy offered shelter to refugees of the Mascouten , Erie, Chonnonton , Tutelo , Saponi , and Tuscarora nations. The Tuscarora became the sixth nation of the Iroquois. In the 1700s, Iroquoian peoples would take in the remaining Susquehannock of Pennsylvania after they were decimated in

8025-565: The federal government assumed control over immigration. During that period, more than eight million immigrants passed through its doors (two of every three U.S. immigrants). When the federal government assumed control, it established the Bureau of Immigration , which chose the three-acre (1.2 ha) Ellis Island in Upper New York Harbor for an entry depot. Already federally controlled, the island had served as an ammunition depot. It

8132-486: The final stages of deglaciation, approximately 13,350 years ago, the catastrophic draining of Glacial Lake Iroquois , a pro-glacial lake, was through what would become the modern Mohawk Valley. In this final phase, the enormous discharge of water caused local deep scour features (e.g. the Potholes at Little Falls ), and extensive sand and gravel deposition, which is one of the key sources of municipal groundwater including

8239-410: The ice jam breakup happened in late February after record warm weather in the region. These ice jams can cause considerable damage to structures along the riverbanks and on the floodplain. The most severe flood of record on the main trunk of the Mohawk River was the spring breakup flood that occurred from 27 to 28 March 1914. This flood caused a tremendous amount of damage to the infrastructure because it

8346-594: The late 20th century by the federally recognized tribes. New York put up more than 5 million acres (20,000 km ) of former Iroquois territory for sale in the years after the Revolutionary War, leading to rapid development in Upstate New York. As per the Treaty of Paris , the last vestige of British authority in the former Thirteen Colonies —their troops in New York City—departed in 1783, which

8453-404: The lower Hudson Valley . These areas are the center of the expansive New York metropolitan area and account for approximately two-thirds of the state's population. The larger Upstate area spreads from the Great Lakes to Lake Champlain and includes the Adirondack Mountains and the Catskill Mountains (part of the wider Appalachian Mountains ). The east–west Mohawk River Valley bisects

8560-414: The more mountainous regions of Upstate and flows into the north–south Hudson River valley near the state capital of Albany . Western New York , home to the cities of Buffalo and Rochester , is part of the Great Lakes region and borders Lake Ontario and Lake Erie . Central New York is anchored by the city of Syracuse ; between the central and western parts of the state, New York is dominated by

8667-414: The mountains to the north or south of the valley. As a result, it was strategically important during the French and Indian War and the American Revolutionary War , and a number of important battles were fought here. The fertile Mohawk Valley also attracted early settlers. The river was the highway of the native Mohawk people . The Mohawk name for the river is Teionontatátie , "a river flowing through

8774-619: The people for ratification. On July 30, 1777, George Clinton was inaugurated as the first Governor of New York at Kingston. Approximately a third of the battles of the American Revolutionary War took place in New York; the first major one and largest of the entire war was the Battle of Long Island , also known as the Battle of Brooklyn, in August 1776. After their victory, the British occupied present-day New York City, making it their military and political base of operations in North America for

8881-647: The principal tributaries of the Mohawk River. Both of these tributaries have several significant dams including the Hinckley Dam on the West Canada and the Gilboa Dam on the upper reaches of Schoharie Creek. The Gilboa Dam, which was completed in 1926 as part of the New York City water supply system , is the subject of an active and aggressive rehabilitation project. The Mohawk watershed drains

8988-493: The project were issued on November 15, 1962. Construction work began on February 25, 1963, with construction being completed on June 4, 1965. The flood walls protect the city of Amsterdam from floods of 122,500 cu ft/s (3,470 m /s) from the Mohawk River and floods of 3,400 cu ft/s (96 m /s) from South Chuctanunda Creek. The floodwalls were able to prevent $ 13.6 million in damages from tropical storms Lee and Irene . In July 2012, governor Cuomo announced

9095-667: The provinces of Ontario and Quebec in Canada, with New York and Ontario sharing the Thousand Islands archipelago within the Saint Lawrence River, while most of its border with Quebec is on land; it shares Lake Champlain with the New England state of Vermont ; the New England state of Massachusetts has mostly a land border; New York extends into Long Island Sound and the Atlantic Ocean , sharing

9202-872: The region surrounding New York Harbor . North of the Lenape was a third Algonquian nation, the Mohicans . Starting north of them, from east to west, were two Iroquoian nations: the Mohawk —part of the original Iroquois Five Nations, and the Petun . South of them, divided roughly along Appalachia , were the Susquehannock and the Erie . Many of the Wampanoag and Mohican peoples were caught up in King Philip's War ,

9309-400: The region. Maritime or shore birds of New York are great blue heron , killdeers , northern cardinals , American herring gulls , and common terns . Reptile and amphibian species in land areas of New York include queen snakes , hellbenders , diamondback terrapins , timber rattlesnakes , eastern fence lizards , spotted turtles , and Blanding's turtles . Sea turtles that can be found in

9416-657: The rest of the State of New York. The placement of a boundary between the two is a matter of great contention. Unofficial and loosely defined regions of Upstate New York include from the Southern Tier, which includes many of the counties along the border with Pennsylvania, to the North Country region, above or sometimes including parts of the Adirondack region. Among the total area of New York state, 13.6% consists of water. Much of New York's boundaries are in water, as

9523-452: The right to representative government . At the same time, given strong commercial, personal and sentimental links to Britain , many New York residents were Loyalists . The Capture of Fort Ticonderoga provided the cannon and gunpowder necessary to force a British withdrawal from the siege of Boston in 1775. New York was the only colony not to vote for independence , as the delegates were not authorized to do so. New York then endorsed

9630-552: The river in the mid-18th century where he encountered some of the indigenous peoples belonging to the Iroquois confederacy, and has left a record for posterity of some of their customs in his journal. In the early nineteenth century water transport was a vital means of transporting both people and goods. A corporation was formed to build the Erie Canal off the Mohawk River to Lake Erie . Its construction simplified and reduced

9737-723: The site on March 21, 2014. Upon its completion in 2014, the new One World Trade Center became the tallest skyscraper in the Western Hemisphere, at 1,776 feet (541 m), meant to symbolize the year America gained its independence , 1776. From 2006 to 2018, 3 World Trade Center , 4 World Trade Center , 7   World Trade Center, the World Trade Center Transportation Hub , Liberty Park , and Fiterman Hall were completed. St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church and Ronald O. Perelman Performing Arts Center are under construction at

9844-463: The state are the green sea turtle , loggerhead sea turtle , leatherback sea turtle and Kemp's ridley sea turtle . New York Harbor and the Hudson River constitute an estuary , making the state of New York home to a rich array of marine life including shellfish—such as oysters and clams —as well as fish, microorganisms, and sea-birds. Due to its long history, New York has several overlapping and often conflicting definitions of regions within

9951-440: The state ratified the then new United States Constitution in 1788. From the early 19th century, New York's development of its interior, beginning with the construction of the Erie Canal , gave it incomparable advantages over other regions of the United States. The state built its political, cultural, and economic ascendancy over the next century, earning it the nickname of the " Empire State ". Although deindustrialization eroded

10058-608: The state. The regions are also not fully definable due to the colloquial use of regional labels. The New York State Department of Economic Development provides two distinct definitions of these regions. It divides the state into ten economic regions, which approximately correspond to terminology used by residents: Mohawk River The river's source is at the confluence of the West Branch Mohawk River and East Branch Mohawk River in north-central Oneida County . It begins flowing generally southeastward towards

10165-490: The town New Amsterdam , which is present-day New York City); and Esopus (1653, now Kingston ). The success of the patroonship of Rensselaerswyck (1630), which surrounded Albany and lasted until the mid-19th century, was also a key factor in the early success of the colony. The English captured the colony during the Second Anglo-Dutch War and governed it as the Province of New York . The city of New York

10272-454: The tributaries and the main trunk of the river. The maximum average daily flow on the river occurs between late March and early April. For the period between 1917 and 2000, the highest mean daily flow is c. 18,000 cu ft (510 m ) as measured at Cohoes, near the confluence with the Hudson. The lowest mean daily flow of 1,400 cu ft (40 m ) occurs in late August. There is

10379-477: The two planes. Since September   11, most of Lower Manhattan has been restored. In the years since, over 7,000 rescue workers and residents of the area have developed several life-threatening illnesses, and some have died. A memorial at the site, the National September ;11 Memorial & Museum , was opened to the public on September   11, 2011. A permanent museum later opened at

10486-426: The vast majority of the state's geographic area is dominated by meadows , forests , rivers, farms, mountains, and lakes. Most of the southern part of the state rests on the Allegheny Plateau , which extends from the southeastern United States to the Catskill Mountains ; the section in the State of New York is known as the Southern Tier . The rugged Adirondack Mountains , with vast tracts of wilderness, lie west of

10593-412: The world's ten most-visited tourist attractions in 2013: Times Square , Central Park , Niagara Falls , and Grand Central Terminal . New York is home to approximately 200 colleges and universities , including Ivy League members Columbia University and Cornell University , and the expansive State University of New York , which is among the largest university systems in the nation. New York City

10700-582: Was a major ocean port and had extensive traffic importing cotton from the South and exporting manufacturing goods. Nearly half of the state's exports were related to cotton. Southern cotton factors, planters and bankers visited so often that they had favorite hotels. At the same time, activism for abolitionism was strong upstate, where some communities provided stops on the Underground Railroad . Upstate, and New York City, gave strong support for

10807-485: Was a spring breakup flood with enormous amounts of ice. Ice jams of some significance occur about every other year. One major flood on the Mohawk was on 26–29 June 2006, during the Mid-Atlantic United States flood of 2006 . Flooding was caused by a stalled frontal system that resulted in 50 to 330 millimeters (2.0 to 13.0 in) of rain across central New York and widespread flooding occurred in

10914-423: Was by expensive wagons on muddy roads before canals opened up the rich farmlands to long-distance traffic. Governor DeWitt Clinton promoted the Erie Canal , which connected New York City to the Great Lakes by the Hudson River , the new canal, and the rivers and lakes. Work commenced in 1817, and the Erie Canal opened eight years later, in 1825. Packet boats pulled by horses on tow paths traveled slowly over

11021-609: Was chosen due its relative isolation with proximity to New York City and the rail lines of Jersey City, New Jersey , via a short ferry ride. While the island was being developed and expanded via land reclamation , the federal government operated a temporary depot at the Barge Office at the Battery. Ellis Island opened on January 1, 1892, and operated as a central immigration center until the National Origins Act

11128-566: Was long afterward celebrated as Evacuation Day . New York City was the national capital under the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union , the first national government. That organization was found to be inadequate, and prominent New Yorker Alexander Hamilton advocated for a new government that would include an executive, national courts, and the power to tax. Hamilton led the Annapolis Convention (1786) that called for

11235-536: Was passed in 1924, reducing immigration. After that date, the only immigrants to pass through were displaced persons or war refugees . The island ceased all immigration processing on November 12, 1954, when the last person detained on the island, Norwegian seaman Arne Peterssen, was released. He had overstayed his shore leave and left on the 10:15   a.m. Manhattan-bound ferry to return to his ship. More than 12 million immigrants passed through Ellis Island between 1892 and 1954. More than 100 million Americans across

11342-597: Was recaptured by the Dutch in 1673 during the Third Anglo-Dutch War (1672–1674) and renamed New Orange. It was returned to the English under the terms of the Treaty of Westminster a year later. The Sons of Liberty were organized in New York City during the 1760s, largely in response to the oppressive Stamp Act passed by the British Parliament in 1765. The Stamp Act Congress met in

11449-474: Was the outpost of civilization and Dutch-English rule in the Mohawk valley." In 1712 the British, now in control of New York, built Fort Hunter at the confluence of the Mohawk and the Schoharie Creek , about 22 miles (35 km) upriver from Schenectady. Around 600 Palatine Germans were settled along the Mohawk and Schoharie Creek. Swedish explorer and botanist, Pehr Kalm , visited the area along

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