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ORIGIN OF STATE NAME: Named for the Duke of York (later King James II) in 1664. NICKNAME: The Empire State. CAPITAL: Albany. ENTERED UNION: 26 July 1788 (11th). SONG: "I Love New York" (unofficial). MOTTO: Excelsior (Ever upward). COAT OF ARMS: Liberty and Justice stand on either side of a shield showing a mountain sunrise; surmounted on the shield is an eagle on a globe. In the foreground are a three-masted ship and a Hudson River sloop, both representing commerce. Liberty's left foot has kicked aside a royal crown. Beneath the shield is the state motto. FLAG: Dark blue with the coat of arms in the center. OFFICIAL SEAL: The coat of arms surrounded by the words "The Great Seal of the State of New York." ANIMAL: Beaver. BIRD: Bluebird. FISH: Brook or speckled trout. FLOWER: Rose. TREE: Sugar maple. FRUIT: Apple. BEVERAGE: Milk. GEM: Garnet. FOSSIL: Sea scorpion (Eurypterus remipes). LEGAL HOLIDAYS: New Year's Day, 1 January; Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr., 3rd Monday in January; Lincoln's Birthday, 12 February; Washington's Birthday, 3rd Monday in February; Memorial Day, last Monday in May; Flag Day, 2nd Sunday in June; Independence Day, 4 July; Labor Day, 1st Monday in September; Columbus Day, 2nd Monday in October; General Election Day, 1st Tuesday after the 1st Monday in November; Veterans Day, 11 November; Thanksgiving Day, 4th Thursday in November; Christmas Day, 25 December. TIME: 7 AM EST = noon GMT.

Two upland regions—the Adirondack Mountains and the Appalachian Highlands—dominate the topography of New York State.

The growth of New York City has been remarkable. In 1790, when the first national census was taken, the city had 49,401 residents. By 1850, its population had boomed to 696,115; by 1900, to 3,437,202, double that of Chicago, the city's closest rival. Manhattan alone housed more people in 1900 than any city outside New York. In 1990, if Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, and the Bronx had each been a separate city, they would still have ranked 3rd, 4th, 6th, and 7th in the nation, respectively.

According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, in 2001, New York had a per capita personal income (PCPI) of $35,878 which ranked 5th in the United States (including the District of Columbia) and was 118% of the national average, $30,413. The 2001 PCPI reflected an increase of 2.4% from 2000 compared to the national change of 2.2%. In 2001, New York had a total personal income (TPI) of $684,703,928,000 which ranked 2nd in the United States and accounted for 7.9% of the national total. The 2001 TPI reflected an increase of 2.8% from 2000 compared to the national change of 3.3%.

About 61% of New York's surface area is forestland. The most densely forested counties are Hamilton, Essex, and Warren in the Adirondacks, and Delaware, Greene, and Ulster in the Catskills. The total forested area was about 18,432,000 acres (7,459,000 hectares) in 2002, of which 15,389,000 acres (6,228,000 hectares) were classified as commercial forest, meaning they were available for the harvest of wood products such as sawlogs, veneer, and pulpwood or firewood. In 2002, lumber production totaled 464 million board feet.

Finger Lakes National Forest, the only national forest within the state, covered 16,175 acres (6,546 hectares) in 2001. The state Department of Environmental Conservation manages about 3,000,000 acres (1,200,000 hectares) in the Catskills and Adirondacks as Forest Preserves, and an additional 800,000 acres in State Forests and Wildlife Management Areas (where timber harvesting is allowed as part of their management plans).

In 2002, 49,149 new privately owned housing units were authorized for construction. The median home value for the state was $176,438, 9th in the country. The median home value in NYC was $277,237. The median monthly cost for mortgage owners statewide was $1,411; renters paid a median of $727 per month. In NYC, the median monthly cost for mortgage owners was $1,695; renters paid a median of $771 per month.

New York has eleven major league professional sports teams: the New York Yankees and the New York Mets of Major League Baseball; the New York Giants, the New York Jets (although the Giants' and Jets' stadiums are located in New Jersey), and the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League; the New York Knickerbockers (usually called the Knicks) of the National Basketball Association; the New York Islanders, the New York Rangers, and the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League; the New York Liberty of the Women's National Basketball Association, and the New York–New Jersey Metro Stars of Major League Soccer.