[Profile] - Section 1: The Facts
♦The Basics♦
State Name: New York
Name: Michael Verrazano-Campbell
Nickname: The Empire State
Capital: Albany
Residence: New York, New York
Motto: Excelsior (Latin, “Ever Upwards”)
Slogan: ‘I Love New York’
Date of Birth: July 26th, 1788 (Date when US Constitution was ratified to officially become the 11th state)
Age: 222 years
Apparent Age: Early twenties
♦State Insignias and Symbols♦
Flag:
Colors: Blue and Gold
Dance: Lindy Hop
Song: ‘I Love New York’ by Steve Karmen
Fruit: Apple
Beverage: Milk
Muffin: Apple Muffin
Bird: Eastern Bluebird
Mammal: Beaver
Reptile: Snapping turtle
Fish (freshwater): Brook Trout
Fish (salt water): Striped Bass
Insect: Ladybug
Shell: Bay scallop
Flower: Rose
Tree: Sugar Maple
Bush: Lilac Bush
Gemstone: Garnet
Fossil: Eurypterus Remipes
♦Personal Facts♦
Occupations other than normal Government Duties (held now, or have held in the past): Stock broker, club owner, bartender, waiter, soldier, engineer/architect (Specifically when dealing with the Erie Canal), mafioso (loosely involved), musician, drug dealer/alcohol provider (mostly during Prohibition), fur trader, chef
Political Ideology: Liberal
Religion: Roman Catholic (not practicing, more Secular)
Sexual Orientation: Bisexual
Favorite Sport: Baseball
Languages: English, Spanish, Dutch, Italian, some Chinese (Cantonese and Mandarin), some Russian, some French.
Favorite Foods: Italian cuisine, apples, anything with apples in it
Favorite Drinks: Apple Martini, Long Island Iced Tea, Vodka Martini
Favorite Music Types: R&B, Hip Hop, Rap, Pop, Classical, Jazz
Instruments: Violin, some piano, vocal
Areas of Expertise: Business/Economics, Culinary Science, International Relations, the Arts (most notably the performing arts)
Zodiac Sign: Leo
Financial Situation: Personally wealthy // state in severe deficit
Favorite Season: Winter
Favorite Holiday: Christmas/New Years
♦State Facts♦
Including Geography, Some Laws, And General Trivia
◘ New York is the third most populous state in America, with a population of slightly less than 20 million, and seventh in terms of population density.
◘ Contains the largest and most populous city in America, New York City, which comprises two-fifths of his population at around 8.5 million.
◘ New York City was the first capital of the United States under the Constitution, before the capital was moved to Washington D.C.
◘ New York’s largest cities, respectively, are New York City, Buffalo, Rochester, and Yonkers.
◘ Around 90% or more of New York’s population resides in urban/metropolitan areas.
◘ Is ranked 27th in the United States in terms of geographical area.
◘ Highest point of elevation is Mount Marcy in the Adirondacks, at 5,344 feet, and the lowest is the Atlantic Ocean (0 feet).
◘ New York’s borders touch Lakes Erie and Ontario, the provinces of Quebec and Ontario in Canada, Lake Champlain, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, the Atlantic Ocean, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. Also, he shares a water border with Rhode Island.
◘ The Erie Canal was built in the 1820s, and its construction is due in large part to New York’s sixth governor: DeWitt Clinton. The Canal helped make New York City a huge worldwide trading center, and also opened up the Midwest for development.
◘ New York’s Adirondack Park is the largest state park in the United States, being larger than Yellowstone, Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Glacier, and Olympic National Parks combined.
◘ New York has the most visited tourist area in the nation in the form of Times Square.
◘ Contrary to popular belief, New York’s geography is dominated by farms, mountains, forests, lakes, and rivers.
◘ ‘Upstate’ refers to the entire region above the metropolitan ‘Downstate,’ which refers to New York City, Long Island, and the northern New York City suburbs.
◘ Montauk Point State Park, located in East Hampton, Long Island, was commissioned by George Washington, and contains the famous Montauk Lighthouse.
◘ Ellis Island has acted as a gateway for immigrants all across the world. (And yes, Ellis Island is totally New York's, Jersey can suck it.) Thus, New York has one of the highest immigrant populations in the country.
◘ Home to the largest African American, Italian American, Puerto Rican, Dominican, and Jamaican American populations in the United States, as well as the second largest Asian American population in the United States.
◘ New York’s gross state product is the third largest behind California and Texas.
◘ Contains the leading center of banking, finance, and communication in the United States, and the largest stock exchange in the world by dollar volume (New York Stock Exchange) centered in New York City.
◘ New York is a major agricultural producer; he is a top producer of cabbage in America, and ranks in the top five for many other agricultural products such as apples, dairy, cherries, potatoes, onions, and maple syrup.
◘ One of the top producers in wine along with California, Washington, and Oregon.
◘ New York is 42nd in terms of federal spending per tax dollar.
◘ New York is the only state to contain more than one Ivy League university, housing both Columbia University and Cornell University.
◘ The public university system, SUNY (State University of New York), is the largest public university system in the United States.
◘ New York has two major league baseball teams: The New York Yankees and the New York Mets. The Yankees are the most successful sports franchise in the world with 27 world championship titles and 37 American League Pennants.
◘ Three National Hockey League teams: The New York Islanders, New York Rangers, and Buffalo Sabres.
◘ One National Basketball Association team: the New York Knicks.
◘ Houses one National Football League team: the Buffalo Bills, though stakes claim over the New York Giants and the New York Jets (both of whom actually play in New Jersey though represent the New York metropolitan area).
◘ Hosted the Olympics twice at Lake Placid, in winter of 1932, and winter 1980, making it one of three places to host the winter Olympics twice.
◘ New York was the place hit the hardest in the crack epidemic of the 1980s. At one point, he was considered the “cocaine capital of the world,” consuming more cocaine than any other place.
◘ Birthplace of the American mafia (La Cosa Nostra) in New York City.
◘ Horse racing was the first great sport in New York, and the first racetracks were built here, including the first major racetrack in Saratoga Springs.
◘ New York-born Presidents include Martin Van Buren (8th), Millard Fillmore (13th), Theodore Roosevelt (28th), and Franklin Delano Roosevelt (32nd). (And yes, he does brag forever about those last two.)
◘ The Seneca Falls Convention was the first women’s rights convention in the United States, held in 1848.
◘ New York has the most extensive public libraries in the United States - the New York Public Library is one of the nation’s largest.
◘ The “New York Post” is the oldest running newspaper in the United States, established in 1803 by Alexander Hamilton.
◘ Was the first state to require license plates on cars.
◘ New York is the only state in America which allows women to be legally topless in public.
◘ In 2009, New York had the highest labor union membership rate amongst the states.
♦Current Government Officials♦
Also known as "New York's Bosses", or "People he Hates the Most (With Exceptions)"
As of February 20th, 2011:
Governor: Andrew Cuomo (D ♥)
Lieutenant Governor: Robert Duffy (D)
Comptroller: Thomas DiNapoli (D)
Attorney General: Eric Schneiderman (D)
Majority Leader of the Senate: Dean Skelos (R)
Minority Leader of the Senate: John Sampson (D)
Senate Affiliation: 32 Republicans, 26 Democrats, 4 Independent Conference
Speaker of the Assembly: Sheldon Silver (D)
Majority Leader: Ronald Canestrari (D)
Minority Leader: Brian Kolb (R)
Assembly Affiliation: 98 Democrats, 51 Republicans, 1 Independent
Chief Justice of the Court of Appeals: Jonathan Lippman
United States Senators from New York: Chuck Schumer (D), Kirsten Gillibrand (D)
♦Profile: Continued...♦
Section 2 - Appearance
Section 3 - Personality
Section 4a - History Part a: Discovery - Civil War
Section 4b - History Part b: Gilded Age - Present