While it is home to the most well-known city in the world, New York City, New York as a state contains much more than just one city. Once you get out of the urban canyons and metropolitan sprawls you will find such beauty as the world famous Finger Lakes wine region with its hundreds of New York wineries, or the beauty of the Catskills, Niagara Falls, and the Adriandach Mountains, encompassed by a massive state park that takes up nearly a third of the state. From Rochester to Syracuse to Albany and Ithaca, New York is an extremely diverse section of the United States, and takes more than just a visit to New York City to experience.

The history of the state dates back to well before Europeans are settled here. The Iroquois Native Americans were a major tribe in the area long before the Europeans even knew that the continent existed. Even so, the main history of the state dates back to its importance over the years as a major gateway for immigration into the U.S. and the subsequent importance of the state as a major financial, cultural, transportation, and manufacturing hub due to all of the immigrant workers who have helped shaped the history of the state over the years.

New York State is considered to have some of the most breathtaking beauty in the entire nation outside of the urban sprawl. From the mountains and forests that make up the northern section of the state, to the rivers and valleys of the North Country and Central New York, and the 11 lakes of the Finger Lakes region, your experience in the state will largely depend on which section you go to, which time of year you happen to visit, and what your main agenda is. If you prefer the busy hustle and bustle of big-city living, then New York City cannot be missed, but if simple and natural elegance is what you are after, the outer regions of the state are an absolute treasure.