Fast facts – New York State

An area the size of France with 11 regions, each one unique, there is much more to New York than the Big Apple.

Did you know that New York State has...

•More than 133 million tourists visit New York each year.

•More than 500 public and private campgrounds.

•More than 400 golf courses. The 2006 U.S. Open Championship will be played at Winged Foot Country Club in Mamaroneck and the 2009 U.S. Open will be held on the legendary Black Course at Bethpage State Park.

•More than 150 wineries.

•More than 199 State Parks and Historic Sites.

•More than 4,000 lakes, ponds and streams, creating 1,745 square miles of inland water.

•More than 1,300 museums and galleries, 64 performing arts centers and 230 theatres.

•More than 400 fall festivals and events.

•More than 100 cross country ski centers.

•More than 45 downhill ski resorts and centers.

•More than 1,100 bed and breakfasts and historic country inns.

Famous New Yorkers include:

Abolitionist Harriet Tubman is buried in Auburn, New York, near a stop on the Underground Railroad, which she helped form.

In 1858, Frederic Church kept the tour boat, Maid of the Mist, headed into the current for 40 minutes to sketch Niagara Falls. The drawing became the model for his painting Under Niagara, and is on display at the Olana State Historic Site in Hudson.

Dr. Mary E. Walker was the first and only woman to be awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for her bravery in the Civil War. She is buried in Oswego.

Chittenango is the home of L. Frank Baum, author of the “Wizard of Oz.” The town features yellow brick inlaid sidewalks leading to Aunti Em’s and an annual Munchkins parade.

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt conceived and built the first Presidential Library in Hyde Park, New York, on land donated by the President and his mother.

Famous comedienne Lucille Ball was born in Jamestown, now home to the Lucy and Desi Museum.

For the Record Books:

New York State’s Adirondack Park is larger than Yellowstone, Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Glacier and Olympic National Park combined.

The longest game in baseball history was played between the Rochester Redwings and the Pawtucket Red Socks. Wade Boggs and Cal Ripken Jr. played in the minor-league game — which lasted a total of 33 innings.

The lighthouse at Montauk, Long Island is New York State’s first coastal beacon. It was commissioned by George Washington and built in 1796.

While considered the engineering marvel of its time, not one professional engineer was involved in the eight year construction of the Erie Canal, connecting the Hudson and Niagara rivers.

Frederick Law Olmsted designed the first state park in the United States at Niagara Falls in 1885.

New York State is the first state to declare land “Forever Wild” (the Adirondack and Catskill Forest Preserves).

Broadway, originating from Lower Manhattan at Bowling Green and ending in Albany, is one of the world's longest streets, measuring 150 miles.

New York State’s Genesee River is one of the few rivers in the world that flows south to north.

For more information, log on to iloveny.com.