New York Facts for Kids

Our New York Facts for Kids provide interesting and fun facts about the second state of the United States of America, its people, attractions and geographical superlatives and all other important facts about New York you really should know.

30 Top Facts about New York State

New York Facts: State Sign and Empire State Building

New York Facts for Kids | USA

1. New York is one of the thirteen original colonies that formed the United States of America. New York State was admitted to the Union as the eleventh state on 26 July 1788.

2. New York is located in the north eastern United States and borders the five U.S. states of Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, as well as neighbouring country Canada.

3. New York borders Lake Ontario and Lake Erie to the west of the state and the Atlantic Ocean to the east.

4. New York is the 27th largest U.S. state, slightly smaller than Iowa and a bit larger than North Carolina. The state about twice the size of West Virginia.

The U.S. state of New York is also roughly comparable in area to he European country of Greece.

Map of New York

5. The capital of New York is Albany. About 50,000 people live in this city. The state capitol and parliament building of New York State are located in Albany.

New York State Capitol in Albany

6. New York State has a population of 20 million people people. From the early 1800 to 1962, New York was the most populous state of the USA. Today it is the fourth most populous state of the country.

7. The majority of the people in the state live in and around the metropolitan city of New York and Upstate New York, the region to the north and west of the metropole. Buffalo and Rochester are major cities housing each just more than 200,000 inhabitants.

New York city is not only the state's largest and most populous city but the country's largest city. New York City is home to almost 10 million people, which is about half of the state's population.

Skyline of New York City

8. New York State houses some famous ivy league universities such as Columbia University and Cornell University as well as several prestigious liberal arts colleges.

The headquarters of many huge U.S. companies such as IBM, JPMorgan Chase, and PepsiCo. are located in this state.

New York Facts for Kids
New York Geography

9. New York State has a diverse topography and five geographical regions. Although this state is home to the largest city of the country, much of the state's landscape is covered by mountains and forests, meadows, rivers and lakes.

10. Adirondack Park is the largest state park or publicly protected area in the contiguous United States. This forest preserve or National Historic Landmark was created in 1892 and is about the same size as the entire state of Vermont!

Adirondack Park covers an area that is larger than Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Yosemite, Glacier, and the Great Smokies National Parks combined. There are over 3,000 lakes and ponds in the Adirondacks.

Adirondacks mountainscape

11. The highest mountain of New York State is located in the northern parts of the state in the Adirondack mountains. The highest mountain is called Mount Marcy and has an elevation of 1,629 m/ 5,344 ft above sea level.

12. New York generally has a humid continental climate in most regions with cold winters and warm summers. The warmest parts of the state are Long Island and New York City where even palm trees can survive in more sheltered coastal areas.

Syracuse is known as the snowiest large city of the USA. This city receives about 3 m/ 10 ft of snow per year!

New York Facts for Kids
Geography Superlatives

13. New York's major rivers are the Hudson River, the Mohawk River, a tributary of the Hudson River, and the St. Lawrence River which forms part of the border between New York State and Canada. The longest river entirely within the state is the Hudson River with 507 km/ 315 miles.

Hudson River

14. The Niagara Falls are the waterfalls with the highest flow rate in North America. This most powerful waterfall includes three falls that are shared by the state of New York as well as the province of Ontario in Canada.

The largest of the three waterfalls is the Horseshoe Falls and is mainly located in Ontario. Only about 10% of these falls are located in New York, thus the Horseshoe waterfalls are often referred to as the Canadian Falls. The other two are the American Falls and the Bridal Veil Falls, both lie on the American side.

The Horseshoe Falls is the most powerful waterfall of the North American continent!

Ship in front of the mighty Horseshoe Falls

Niagara Falls State Park is the oldest state park of the USA and was established already in 1885.

15. New York borders two of the Great Lakes: Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. The largest natural lake that is entirely situated in New York state is Oneida Lake, whereas Seneca Lake is the deepest lake of the state.

16. The tallest skyscraper in the United States of America is One World Trade Centre. The building in New York City is also the tallest building on the North American continent and in the Western Hemisphere.

One World Trade Centre has a hight of 546.2 m/ 1,792 ft up to the tip including the spire and is the seventh tallest building in the world. The skyscraper has observation decks on the floors 100, 101 and 102.

One World Trade Centre

17. The state of New York houses the largest city of the USA: New York City. The city as well as the state house the largest number of legal immigrants in the USA and this is the most diverse city in the world with more than 800 languages spoken by its people from all backgrounds

New York Facts | Name and State Symbols

18. The state has the nickname: "The Empire State" referring to its important role during the American Revolution. New York was always an economic centre and played an important role and had a major influence on culture and politics.

The Empire State Building pays tribute to the nickname "Empire State". Until 1970, this was the highest building in New York City as well as between 2001 and 2012, after the terrorist attack that downed the World Trade towers.

Empire State Building

The Empire State Building was completed in 1931 and consists of 102 floors. Still the tenth highest building in the USA, the hight of the building including the antenna measures 443.2 m/ 1,454 ft.

19. The motto of the state is: "Excelsior", which is Latin and means "always upwards"; the popular slogan of the state is "I love New York"

One of the most famous symbols of the USA is the Statue of Liberty, which was designed by French artist Frederic Bartholdi and gifted by France to the city in 1886.

The New York state colours are blue and gold.

The rose is the state flower. Amongst other state symbols are the state animal, the beaver, and the eastern bluebird which is the state bird.

New York State History

20. The region was first settled by the native Lenape people. Italian explorer Giovanni da Verrazzano was the first European to travel to the region in 1524.

When the first Dutch colonists arrived in the area, they chose the name "New Amsterdam" for their settlement in 1626. The name "New York" comes from the Duke of York, who was granted the land by his brother King Charles II of England, when the English took control of the region. The city was renamed from New Amsterdam to New York in 1664.

21. New York is the eleventh state of the USA and was admitted to the Union on 12 December 1787.

New York State Facts | Animals

22. Many different animals live in New York State. You can often see white-tailed deer, squirrels, raccoons and foxes in forests and parks. In the mountains, there are bobcats, porcupines, and sometimes even black bears. Around rivers and lakes, you might spot beavers, frogs, or great blue herons. Along the coast of Long Island, harbour seals and ospreys can sometimes be seen.

The state bird of New York is the Eastern bluebird. It has bright blue feathers and a reddish chest.

Eastern Bluebird

New York Facts for Kids | People

23. Native American people have moved about and settled in the region of today's state of New York for at least 13,000 years.

The most prominent native nations are the Seneca, who call themselves the "Great Hill People". They were historically also the largest of six Native American nations. Other Native American nations that have been recognised including the Cayuga, the Oneida, the Onondaga, the Saint Regis Mohawks, the Shinnecock and the Tuscarora.

About 300,000 Native Americans live in the state while about 180,000 Native Americans at home in New York City.

24. Among the most famous people from New York State are former president Franklin D. Roosevelt, social activist Harriet Tubman, singer Lady Gaga, actor Robert De Niro and Donald R. Trump, the current president of the USA who was born in 1946 in New York City.

25. Most of the people (57%) in New York say they are Christians, of whom 30% are protestants. However, the state is very diverse regarding religious beliefs. About 6% are Jews and 3% Muslims.

26. The most famous food of New York is New York Cheese Cake - and of course New York-style pizza, which is has an extra thick crust.

New York Style pizza

Facts about New York State | Economy

27. New York has the third largest economy of all the US states, after California and Texas, and the fourteenth largest economy of the world! New York's economy is mainly based on financial and other professional services, healthcare, retail, manufacturing and education.

The New York Stock Exchange was founded in New York City in 1817 and is one of the most influential stock (or securities) exchanges in the world.

New York Stock Exchange - image by Steve Sanchez Photos

New York is the leading producer of dairy products especially milk in the USA. Apples are among the states leading crops and are grown foremost in the Finger Lakes Region.

28. Among famous inventions that were made in the state of New York are a prototype of the modern dentist chair invented in 1840; potato chips, first called "Saratoga chips", in 1853; the air conditioner invented in 1902; chicken nuggets in the 1950s and toilet paper in 1857!

Did your know that the first modern Santa Claus figure was created by merchant Richard H. Pease in Albany in 1841? This figure was later used by the Coca Cola company.

More Facts about New York for kids

29. New York State Facts | Time Zones: All regions of the large state apply one time zone: Eastern Time. The Central Time Zone (UTC-5:00) is shared also with many US states in the eastern parts of the country and eastern Canada.

New York also adheres to daylight saving time during the warmer summer months from second Sunday in March to first Sunday in November.

30. New York State Facts | Famous Landmarks: Among the most visited tourist sites and landmarks in New York State are:

Statue of Liberty in New York City - one of the world's most famous landmarks. Read more here.

Times Square in New York - image by Mulevich/ shutterstock

Times Square in New York City - the most fascinating intersection in Manhattan with bright lights and huge billboards as well as theatres which hosts one of the largest outdoor New Year's Eve party in the world
Adirondack Park - amazing for exploring the outdoors, especially in autumn for experiencing the colourful foliage during scenic drives or boat trips
Niagara Falls State Park - oldest state park in the USA with great hiking and biking trails
Long Island - numerous outlets for shopping, one of the best water parks in the USA, famous aquarium and fascinating historic mansions
Finger Lakes region - stunning waterfalls, historic sites and a fascinating Corning Museum of Glass as well as Auburn and Seneca, known as birthplace of the women's rights movement

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Useful Resources for New York Facts for Kids:

This page 'New York State Facts' was created on 7 November 2025

Visit Adirondacks. "Scenic Drives and Byways". VisitAdirondacks. Last accessed 7 November 2025
Pew Research Center. "People in New York." PewResearch. Last accessed 7 November 2025
I love New York. "State Symbols." Ilove NewYork. Last modified 29 June 2021. Last accessed 7 November 2025
Seneca Nation of Indians. "Seneca - History." sni.org. Last accessed 7 November 2025