New York

E

Electricity

Except for its minimal production of natural gas, New York state lacks mineral fuels. However, its hydroelectric power resources are extensive. Two of the largest hydroelectric developments in the western world are at Niagara Falls and on the St. Lawrence River. The St. Lawrence Power Project was developed jointly by New York state and the province of Ontario, Canada, at the same time that the St. Lawrence Seaway was under construction. Hydroelectric plants generate 18 percent of the electricity produced in the state. Another 52 percent of it comes from steam plants burning fossil fuels, and the remainder comes from nuclear plants. In 2006 New York had 6 nuclear power plants in operation. Three nuclear plants were at Scriba, two were at Indian Point, and one was at Oswego.

F

Transportation

The transportation industry is of major economic importance to the state. In 2004 New York had 182,405 km (113,341 mi) of public highways, of which 2,694 km (1,674 mi) were part of the national system of interstate highways. The Governor Thomas E. Dewey Thruway, which has become part of the interstate system, was one of the first limited-access routes.

The fact that New York City lies mostly on islands has created the need for many transwater connections, including numerous bridges and tunnels to connect the various boroughs with one another and with New Jersey. Some interstate bridges link New Jersey with Staten Island. Tunnels under the lower Hudson River and the George Washington Bridge across it are also interstate facilities. Ontario, Canada, is linked with New York state by a number of bridges across the Niagara River and by three highway bridges across the St. Lawrence River.

The railroads of New York were long its economic lifelines. In 2004 there were 5,718 km (3,553 mi) of track. The railroads play an especially important role in transporting commuters between New York City and neighboring suburban areas. New York City is honeycombed underground with the world’s most extensive subway system.

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Some 23 airports serve New York state. They vary from small single landing strips to New York City’s giant Kennedy International Airport and La Guardia Airport, in 1996 the nation’s 19th and 20th busiest, respectively.

The Hudson River is an important traffic artery between Albany and New York City. A channel is maintained by the United States Corps of Engineers as far north as Waterford, north of the mouth of the Mohawk River. The New York State Canal System joins the Hudson at Albany. This canal was completed in 1918 to replace the historic Erie Canal. Today the canal system carries minor tonnages of mostly bulk commodities. The barge canal consists of 800 km (500 mi) of waterways that follow the course of the old Erie Canal. Spurs connect the canal with Lake Ontario, Lake Champlain, and the larger Finger Lakes. Having in 1994 assumed responsibility for the canal system, the New York State Thruway Authority is working with private financial assistance to redevelop the canal system. When completed the system is envisioned as being primarily for recreational use and a historical attraction.

The state has gained a northern “coast” as a result of the construction of the St. Lawrence Seaway, although its overall economic impact has been minimal. The seaway was built along the St. Lawrence River in order to provide a channel for oceangoing vessels.

The port of New York City has one of the world’s largest and best natural harbors. Buffalo is New York’s second most important port, even though it lost most of its port functions following the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway in 1959. Other port facilities are located at Albany, Port Jefferson Harbor, and Hempstead Harbor.

IV

The People of New York

A

Population Patterns

New York is the third most populous state in the Union. New York led all the states in population from 1820 until 1963, when it was surpassed by California and then by Texas in 1994. If trends continue, New York will rank fourth in population after California, Texas, and Florida by the year 2020. The population of New York in 2000 was 18,976,457, an increase of 5.5 percent over the 1990 census figure of 17,990,455. New York remains one of the most densely populated states, with 158 persons per sq km (409 per sq mi) in 2006.

In 1990 nearly 16 percent of the state’s total population had been born abroad, and many of them resided in New York City. Whites constituted 67.9 percent of the population in 2000, blacks 15.9 percent, Asians 5.5 percent, and Native Americans 0.4 percent. Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders numbered 8,818. Those of mixed heritage or not reporting race were 10.2 percent. Hispanics, who may be of any race, were 15.1 percent of the people.

B

Principal Cities

The New York City-Northeastern New Jersey urbanized area, extending east on Long Island and north up the Hudson Valley, had 21.2 million people in 2000. Other big urbanized areas were Buffalo, Rochester, Albany-Schenectady-Troy, and Syracuse. In 2000, 87 percent of the total population was urban.

New York City, one of the world’s leading commercial, financial, and cultural centers, is the largest city in the United States, with a population (2005) of 8,143,197. It is subdivided into five boroughs: Queens, Brooklyn, Staten Island, the Bronx, and Manhattan. A center for finance and commerce for the United States and much of the world, the city is also remarkable for its fusion of many cultures. Much of the nation’s domestic and international trade is arranged in New York City’s offices. Wall Street, home to the New York Stock Exchange, is synonymous with business. The city is at the heart of the nation’s cultural life. Broadway is world renowned for its theaters, and museums such as the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art are among the best in the world. As a manufacturing center, New York is a national leader in such sectors as printed materials, processed food, and the production of clothing.

Buffalo, a major port and important commercial and industrial center in western New York state, is New York’s second largest city, with a population of 279,745 in 2005. The city, which has extensive harbor facilities, is one of the country’s largest rail junctions. Rochester, a major manufacturing center for photographic equipment, optical parts, hospital supplies, and scientific instruments, and a processing and distributing point for an extensive fruit-growing region, had a population of 211,091. Yonkers, with 196,425 inhabitants, is a manufacturing and commercial center, principally producing plastics and chemicals. Syracuse, a distribution and manufacturing center for electrical and transportation equipment, had a population of 141,683. Albany, the capital of New York, had a population of 93,523. Utica (59,336), New Rochelle (72,967), Mount Vernon (67,924), and Schenectady (61,280) all are small manufacturing centers.

C

Religion

By membership, New York’s chief religion is Roman Catholicism, claiming about 45 percent of religious adherents. Protestants are the second largest group, followed by Jews. More than one-quarter of the Jews in the United States live in New York. Baptists and Methodists are the largest Protestant groups.

V

Education and Cultural Institutions

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