New York State

Interesting facts that you probably didn't know

New York harbour was visited by Verrazano in 1524, and the Hudson River was first explored by Henry Hudson in 1609. The Dutch settled here permanently in 1624 and for 40 years they ruled over the colony of New Netherland.

It was conquered by the English in 1664 and was then named New York in honour of the existing as a colony of Great Britain for over a century. New York State declared its independence on July 9, 1776, becoming one of the original 13 states of the Federal Union. The following year, on April 20, 1777, New York State's first constitution was adopted.

New York State facts

Here are some more interesting facts about New York State:

• New York was the first state to require licene plates on automobiles 
• Kingston was the first capital of New York State 
• The first Saranac Lake Winter Festival, still popular today, was held in 1897. 
• It took 31 years, from 1867 to 1898, to build the State Capitol Building. 
• New York State has 1,300 museums and galleries, 64 performing arts centres, and 230 theatres. 
• There are more than 400 golf course and 55 downhill ski areas in New York State. 
• The New York State Canal System is 524 miles long and has 57 locks. 
• The Hudson River was named an American Heritage River by the U.S. government in 1998. 

AUTHOR INFO

The above text about New York State is an extract from the New York State Department of State web site.

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