WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.640 Welcome back to the Deep Dive. Today, we're unpacking 00:00:02.640 --> 00:00:07.320 a state that is so vast, so influential and just 00:00:07.320 --> 00:00:11.000 so layered that saying its name, it brings up 00:00:11.000 --> 00:00:13.439 these immediate images, you know, global finance, 00:00:13.640 --> 00:00:16.100 huge buildings, this like relentless energy. 00:00:16.280 --> 00:00:18.859 Right. We are, of course, talking about. New 00:00:18.859 --> 00:00:21.120 York, the Empire State. And if you're like most 00:00:21.120 --> 00:00:22.980 people, when you hear New York, your mind just 00:00:22.980 --> 00:00:25.460 immediately goes to Manhattan, the skyline Times 00:00:25.460 --> 00:00:27.359 Square. Of course. But the real subject of our 00:00:27.359 --> 00:00:30.460 deep dive today is the entire state, which is, 00:00:30.500 --> 00:00:33.240 well, it's a powerful study and just profound 00:00:33.240 --> 00:00:35.719 contradiction. A hundred percent. You have this. 00:00:36.350 --> 00:00:40.170 This global financial media and cultural epicenter 00:00:40.170 --> 00:00:41.829 running right up against some of the largest 00:00:41.829 --> 00:00:44.289 tracks of protected wilderness in the entire 00:00:44.289 --> 00:00:46.409 country. And that duality, that contradiction 00:00:46.409 --> 00:00:49.070 is exactly why we need to do this. Our mission 00:00:49.070 --> 00:00:51.590 today is to move far beyond that obvious New 00:00:51.590 --> 00:00:54.789 York City skyline and quickly but thoroughly 00:00:54.789 --> 00:00:57.409 understand the physical, the historical and the 00:00:57.409 --> 00:01:00.549 economic forces that really shaped this powerhouse 00:01:00.549 --> 00:01:02.869 state. Yeah. And we're going to focus on some 00:01:02.869 --> 00:01:04.810 surprising facts and its enduring influence. 00:01:05.680 --> 00:01:08.659 truly is an empire built on advantage. I mean, 00:01:08.659 --> 00:01:10.540 think about the raw numbers for a second. New 00:01:10.540 --> 00:01:12.980 York is the fourth most populous state in the 00:01:12.980 --> 00:01:15.980 nation. We're talking nearly 20 million residents. 00:01:16.079 --> 00:01:20.060 Right. Yet by sheer land area, it's only 27th 00:01:20.060 --> 00:01:23.359 largest. So that spatial and population imbalance, 00:01:23.700 --> 00:01:27.019 that's the master key to understanding its politics, 00:01:27.140 --> 00:01:29.680 its economy. And that enduring cultural schism 00:01:29.680 --> 00:01:31.680 you mentioned. Exactly. And that nickname, the 00:01:31.680 --> 00:01:34.989 Empire State. It wasn't just earned through population 00:01:34.989 --> 00:01:37.829 density. The sources really emphasize it was 00:01:37.829 --> 00:01:40.069 earned through, well, early economic dominance 00:01:40.069 --> 00:01:43.489 and these truly incomparable advantages in transport 00:01:43.489 --> 00:01:46.030 and trade. Advantages that were literally carved 00:01:46.030 --> 00:01:49.090 into the landscape centuries ago. And the sources 00:01:49.090 --> 00:01:51.150 confirm that concentration is everything here. 00:01:51.349 --> 00:01:53.390 Roughly two thirds of those 20 million people 00:01:53.390 --> 00:01:55.989 live within the New York metropolitan area. OK, 00:01:56.049 --> 00:01:57.989 so define that for us. That's New York City, 00:01:58.170 --> 00:02:00.780 Long Island and the lower Hudson Valley. We need 00:02:00.780 --> 00:02:03.099 to explore how this high density core interacts 00:02:03.099 --> 00:02:06.040 with and sometimes clashes with the enormous 00:02:06.040 --> 00:02:08.759 geographic remainder of the state. OK, let's 00:02:08.759 --> 00:02:11.360 do it. Let's untack this monumental state, starting 00:02:11.360 --> 00:02:13.680 with the very physical ground that creates these 00:02:13.680 --> 00:02:16.780 two vastly different worlds. We have to start 00:02:16.780 --> 00:02:19.300 with a great divide that really defines New York 00:02:19.300 --> 00:02:22.560 identity. Upstate versus downstate. I mean, this 00:02:22.560 --> 00:02:26.879 informal, often contentious separation, it drives 00:02:26.879 --> 00:02:29.219 almost. all of the state's internal politics. 00:02:29.439 --> 00:02:31.740 It's so much more than a geographic line. It's 00:02:31.740 --> 00:02:34.919 a cultural chasm. So downstate, that's the high 00:02:34.919 --> 00:02:37.219 -density economic engine. It includes New York 00:02:37.219 --> 00:02:39.479 City, the lower Hudson Valley, stretching up 00:02:39.479 --> 00:02:41.759 to about Poughkeepsie. Okay. And crucially, it 00:02:41.759 --> 00:02:44.280 also includes Long Island. Now, the sources highlight 00:02:44.280 --> 00:02:46.819 this, and it's an amazing fact. Long Island, 00:02:47.020 --> 00:02:50.659 an area only 118 miles long, is the single most 00:02:50.659 --> 00:02:53.199 populous island in the entire United States. 00:02:53.340 --> 00:02:56.099 Wow. It holds nearly 40 % of the state's total 00:02:56.099 --> 00:02:58.659 population. 40 percent on that one island. That's 00:02:58.659 --> 00:03:01.960 a concentration that's it's hard to even picture. 00:03:02.039 --> 00:03:03.879 So if you combine New York City and Long Island, 00:03:03.979 --> 00:03:05.699 you've got way over half the state's population. 00:03:05.979 --> 00:03:08.300 Well, over half. You're talking over 11 million 00:03:08.300 --> 00:03:11.460 people living in a relatively small coastal zone. 00:03:11.860 --> 00:03:14.939 And this means upstate, which is, you know, everything 00:03:14.939 --> 00:03:18.919 else, all of that vast 27th largest area is a 00:03:18.919 --> 00:03:20.840 fundamentally different place. A completely different 00:03:20.840 --> 00:03:23.449 world. Precisely. Upstate New York is everything 00:03:23.449 --> 00:03:25.689 else, stretching hundreds of miles from the Great 00:03:25.689 --> 00:03:28.389 Lakes in the west, bordering Pennsylvania, all 00:03:28.389 --> 00:03:30.270 the way across to Lake Champlain and the Vermont 00:03:30.270 --> 00:03:35.129 border. And this area, it presents this spectacular 00:03:35.129 --> 00:03:38.490 tapestry of terrain that few states can match. 00:03:38.650 --> 00:03:39.990 So walk us through that. We're not just talking 00:03:39.990 --> 00:03:41.810 about rolling hills here. We are certainly not. 00:03:42.110 --> 00:03:44.009 The terrain starts with the Allegheny Plateau, 00:03:44.009 --> 00:03:46.169 which dominates what they call the Southern Tier. 00:03:46.349 --> 00:03:48.590 That's basically the northern reach of Appalachia. 00:03:48.849 --> 00:03:50.990 Then moving east, you hit the Catskill Mountains, 00:03:51.210 --> 00:03:53.229 another ancient part of that wider Appalachian 00:03:53.229 --> 00:03:55.069 chain, in the south -central part of the state, 00:03:55.189 --> 00:03:57.629 famous, of course, for its old resort towns and 00:03:57.629 --> 00:04:00.129 natural beauty. But the really rugged, defining 00:04:00.129 --> 00:04:03.110 geography is further north, isn't it? The land 00:04:03.110 --> 00:04:05.250 that most New York City residents, well, they 00:04:05.250 --> 00:04:08.439 probably never even see. Yes. The vast, truly 00:04:08.439 --> 00:04:11.199 wild region is defined by the mighty Adirondack 00:04:11.199 --> 00:04:14.460 Mountains. But, and this is key to understanding 00:04:14.460 --> 00:04:17.019 the state's early economic history, you have 00:04:17.019 --> 00:04:20.759 two vital waterways. The Mohawk River Valley, 00:04:20.939 --> 00:04:23.860 which provides this stunningly rare natural east 00:04:23.860 --> 00:04:26.420 -west corridor. Ah, okay. And it flows directly 00:04:26.420 --> 00:04:28.360 into the north -south artery, the Hudson River 00:04:28.360 --> 00:04:30.139 Valley right near Albany, the state capital. 00:04:30.860 --> 00:04:34.240 That confluence, that bottleneck, was historically... 00:04:34.540 --> 00:04:37.740 economically and militarily crucial. It linked 00:04:37.740 --> 00:04:40.500 the entire interior to the sea. Before we get 00:04:40.500 --> 00:04:42.160 into the history, let's stay on that wilderness 00:04:42.160 --> 00:04:44.240 for a minute. The whole forever wild area. This 00:04:44.240 --> 00:04:46.980 is where New York earns its empire state reputation, 00:04:47.160 --> 00:04:49.639 not just in finance, but in conservation. It 00:04:49.639 --> 00:04:51.899 really set a national precedent. The commitment 00:04:51.899 --> 00:04:53.879 of the Adirondacks is stunning and the sheer 00:04:53.879 --> 00:04:56.339 scale of it, it often surprises people. Yeah. 00:04:56.399 --> 00:04:58.319 The Adirondack Park was established early back 00:04:58.319 --> 00:05:01.540 in 1892. And critically, it was granted state 00:05:01.540 --> 00:05:05.180 constitutional protection in 1894 to remain forever 00:05:05.180 --> 00:05:07.740 wild. And what does forever wild actually mean 00:05:07.740 --> 00:05:10.480 in legal terms? It means it cannot be sold, leased, 00:05:10.500 --> 00:05:12.980 or converted. It's protected at the highest level 00:05:12.980 --> 00:05:14.939 of state law. And here's where the comparison 00:05:14.939 --> 00:05:18.000 really puts its size in context. That constitutional 00:05:18.000 --> 00:05:21.060 protection applies to an area that is actually 00:05:21.060 --> 00:05:23.839 larger than Yellowstone, Everglades, Glacier, 00:05:23.839 --> 00:05:26.699 and Grand Canyon National Parks. Combined. Combined. 00:05:26.699 --> 00:05:29.610 Think about that for a moment. That is a massive, 00:05:29.689 --> 00:05:33.029 roughly six million acre tract of protected land 00:05:33.029 --> 00:05:36.329 defining the entire northern half of the state. 00:05:36.629 --> 00:05:39.790 You have these vast tracts of wilderness and 00:05:39.790 --> 00:05:42.230 small pounds that exist, you know, less than 00:05:42.230 --> 00:05:44.709 a five hour drive from midtown Manhattan. It's 00:05:44.709 --> 00:05:47.009 a fundamental tension, isn't it? The human made 00:05:47.009 --> 00:05:49.949 urban marvel and the natural wild empire. It 00:05:49.949 --> 00:05:52.269 is. And while the Adirondacks steal the headlines, 00:05:52.529 --> 00:05:54.810 this commitment to preservation extends to other 00:05:54.810 --> 00:05:57.209 areas, too. It shows a really holistic approach 00:05:57.209 --> 00:05:59.389 to conservation. Right. We can't overlook the 00:05:59.389 --> 00:06:01.949 Catskill Park. It's a still massive 700 ,000 00:06:01.949 --> 00:06:04.769 acres, and it was also protected in 1885 legislation. 00:06:05.230 --> 00:06:08.490 It's a crucial ecosystem, home to about 400 black 00:06:08.490 --> 00:06:11.750 bears, deer, minks, fishers. It functions as 00:06:11.750 --> 00:06:14.670 this vital buffer and natural resource for that 00:06:14.670 --> 00:06:17.170 upstate -downstate transition zone. And we also 00:06:17.170 --> 00:06:19.350 have to recognize the deep history of preserving 00:06:19.350 --> 00:06:22.310 the state's most famous natural feature, Niagara 00:06:22.310 --> 00:06:25.589 Falls. Niagara Falls State Park is the oldest 00:06:25.589 --> 00:06:28.089 state park in the U .S. It was established in 00:06:28.089 --> 00:06:32.790 1885 via eminent domain. And that fact... That 00:06:32.790 --> 00:06:35.629 use of eminent domain for preservation. It speaks 00:06:35.629 --> 00:06:38.750 to this deep, longstanding commitment to state 00:06:38.750 --> 00:06:41.449 -led conservation, often overriding private interests. 00:06:41.790 --> 00:06:44.250 That's a very early defining characteristic of 00:06:44.250 --> 00:06:46.329 New York governance. It really is. Structurally, 00:06:46.410 --> 00:06:49.189 New York has another geographic claim that reinforces 00:06:49.189 --> 00:06:51.329 this duality. It's the only state that borders 00:06:51.329 --> 00:06:53.670 both the Great Lakes Erie and Ontario and the 00:06:53.670 --> 00:06:56.230 Atlantic Ocean. And that water adjacency shapes 00:06:56.230 --> 00:06:58.529 its climate dramatically. The variations are 00:06:58.529 --> 00:07:01.290 just stark. Downstate New York, so NYC and Long 00:07:01.290 --> 00:07:04.439 Island. It falls under a humid subtropical climate. 00:07:04.560 --> 00:07:07.180 OK. Why is that? It's thanks to its lower elevation, 00:07:07.279 --> 00:07:09.180 its proximity to the Atlantic Ocean and relatively 00:07:09.180 --> 00:07:11.660 lower latitude compared to points further north. 00:07:11.860 --> 00:07:14.439 They get those hot, humid summers and relatively 00:07:14.439 --> 00:07:17.139 mild but cold, damp winters. Now compare that 00:07:17.139 --> 00:07:19.180 immediately with the rest of the state. Upstate 00:07:19.180 --> 00:07:21.420 New York is a more classic, humid continental 00:07:21.420 --> 00:07:24.000 climate. You get warm summers, often really comfortable 00:07:24.000 --> 00:07:27.199 temperatures, but long, genuinely cold and often 00:07:27.199 --> 00:07:29.959 brutal winters. And the lake affects snow. Oh, 00:07:29.959 --> 00:07:32.500 absolutely. Western New York, near the Great 00:07:32.500 --> 00:07:35.420 Lakes, is infamous for the dramatic effects of 00:07:35.420 --> 00:07:37.920 lake -effect snow, especially in a place called 00:07:37.920 --> 00:07:40.839 the Tug Hill region. It can accumulate staggering 00:07:40.839 --> 00:07:43.399 amounts of snowfall when that cold air passes 00:07:43.399 --> 00:07:46.550 over the warmer, unfrozen Lake Ontario. This 00:07:46.550 --> 00:07:49.209 contrast creates a fascinating modern paradox 00:07:49.209 --> 00:07:52.430 that the sources emphasize, one that relates 00:07:52.430 --> 00:07:55.569 directly to climate change. It's a profound contradiction. 00:07:55.910 --> 00:07:57.990 So downstate New York is acutely vulnerable. 00:07:58.209 --> 00:07:59.730 We saw that with the destruction from Hurricane 00:07:59.730 --> 00:08:03.209 Sandy in 2012. It brought record high storm surge 00:08:03.209 --> 00:08:06.129 and it forced these major discussions about building 00:08:06.129 --> 00:08:08.589 coastal seawalls and barriers. At the same time. 00:08:08.709 --> 00:08:11.110 At the same time, the Buffalo and western New 00:08:11.110 --> 00:08:13.389 York area is being described in the source material 00:08:13.389 --> 00:08:17.370 as a potential. climate change haven a climate 00:08:17.370 --> 00:08:20.250 change haven that phrase suggests a future where 00:08:20.250 --> 00:08:22.410 this region with abundant fresh water from the 00:08:22.410 --> 00:08:24.769 great lakes moderate summers and existing infrastructure 00:08:24.769 --> 00:08:27.410 becomes uniquely attractive for climate migration 00:08:27.410 --> 00:08:30.430 exactly so the state is dealing with this existential 00:08:30.430 --> 00:08:33.929 threat of rising sea levels downstate even commissioning 00:08:33.929 --> 00:08:36.429 a billion dollar research center on governor's 00:08:36.429 --> 00:08:40.070 island to address the crisis right and yet a 00:08:40.070 --> 00:08:42.750 huge portion of the state simultaneously offers 00:08:42.750 --> 00:08:45.279 relative climate stability This geographical 00:08:45.279 --> 00:08:48.539 split vulnerability versus stability is only 00:08:48.539 --> 00:08:50.740 going to intensify that upstate -downstate tension 00:08:50.740 --> 00:08:53.059 moving forward. So the geography provided the 00:08:53.059 --> 00:08:55.740 raw materials and the location, but the history 00:08:55.740 --> 00:08:59.120 is what truly forged the Empire State. Let's 00:08:59.120 --> 00:09:01.340 trace that journey, starting with the original 00:09:01.340 --> 00:09:03.799 inhabitants who shaped the land before any Europeans 00:09:03.799 --> 00:09:06.899 arrived. Well, prior to European contact, the 00:09:06.899 --> 00:09:09.200 land was sophisticatedly managed by major tribal 00:09:09.200 --> 00:09:12.259 nations. You had the Algonquian tribes, like 00:09:12.259 --> 00:09:14.419 the Lenape and Mohicans who occupied the coast 00:09:14.419 --> 00:09:16.799 and the Hudson Valley. Okay. And further inland 00:09:16.799 --> 00:09:19.440 were the Iroquoian tribes that formed the powerful 00:09:19.440 --> 00:09:21.799 Haudenosaunee or the Iroquois Confederacy. You 00:09:21.799 --> 00:09:23.980 had the six nations. Exactly. Comprising the 00:09:23.980 --> 00:09:27.100 Mohawk, Seneca, Cayuga, Onondaga, Oneida, and 00:09:27.100 --> 00:09:30.809 later the Tuscarora. These six nations held immense 00:09:30.809 --> 00:09:33.250 political and military dominance across the region. 00:09:33.509 --> 00:09:35.690 And it's important to recognize that the earliest 00:09:35.690 --> 00:09:37.990 conflicts weren't just European versus indigenous. 00:09:38.190 --> 00:09:41.029 There were also these really complex trade wars 00:09:41.029 --> 00:09:43.509 that redefined the region's demography. That's 00:09:43.509 --> 00:09:45.210 where the Beaver Wars come in. They ran from 00:09:45.210 --> 00:09:49.330 about 1640 to 1680. The Iroquois waged these 00:09:49.330 --> 00:09:51.570 extensive campaigns across the Northeast and 00:09:51.570 --> 00:09:55.110 Midwest, often against Algonquian tribes. And 00:09:55.110 --> 00:09:58.330 their goal was simple economic control. securing 00:09:58.330 --> 00:10:01.009 more land for trapping to dominate the lucrative 00:10:01.009 --> 00:10:03.529 fur trade. That economic motivation completely 00:10:03.529 --> 00:10:06.320 changed the landscape itself, didn't it? It did. 00:10:06.440 --> 00:10:08.960 I mean, the intensity of the trapping during 00:10:08.960 --> 00:10:12.379 the Beaver Wars resulted in most large game animals, 00:10:12.519 --> 00:10:14.580 especially the beaver, being hunted out of the 00:10:14.580 --> 00:10:16.940 region entirely. Before full European settlement 00:10:16.940 --> 00:10:19.899 had even really begun. Exactly. This desperate 00:10:19.899 --> 00:10:22.500 fight for resource control defined the geopolitical 00:10:22.500 --> 00:10:24.899 landscape when the European powers arrived. Speaking 00:10:24.899 --> 00:10:27.419 of Arable, the initial recorded exploration came 00:10:27.419 --> 00:10:30.740 in 1524. Yes. Giovanni di Verrazzano, sailing 00:10:30.740 --> 00:10:33.600 for France, he entered New York Bay, and he described 00:10:33.600 --> 00:10:36.429 the area as a deep... Delta that could accommodate 00:10:36.429 --> 00:10:38.769 every kind of ship. But the Dutch were the ones 00:10:38.769 --> 00:10:42.690 who stayed. They were. Henry Hudson's 1609 voyage 00:10:42.690 --> 00:10:45.690 for the Dutch East India Company led to the colony 00:10:45.690 --> 00:10:48.809 of New Netherland in 1621. And they set up posts 00:10:48.809 --> 00:10:51.269 that are still crucial cities today. Absolutely. 00:10:51.799 --> 00:10:54.879 The key posts included Fort Nassau in 1614 near 00:10:54.879 --> 00:10:57.940 Albany, later replaced by Fort Orange, and of 00:10:57.940 --> 00:11:00.360 course New Amsterdam, established in 1625, which, 00:11:00.440 --> 00:11:01.980 you know, became New York City. But that Dutch 00:11:01.980 --> 00:11:03.919 identity was erased when the English took over, 00:11:04.000 --> 00:11:06.220 right? Not entirely erased, but the controls 00:11:06.220 --> 00:11:08.799 certainly shifted. The English seized the colony 00:11:08.799 --> 00:11:12.039 in 1664, renaming it the Province of New York. 00:11:12.179 --> 00:11:14.419 And there was that brief period where the Dutch 00:11:14.419 --> 00:11:17.080 got it back. A very brief interlude in 1673. 00:11:17.629 --> 00:11:20.169 They recaptured the city, renamed it New Orange, 00:11:20.370 --> 00:11:22.789 but it was definitively returned to the English 00:11:22.789 --> 00:11:26.590 in 1674. The English rule was final, but that 00:11:26.590 --> 00:11:29.309 multi -ethnic, trade -focused, tolerant legacy 00:11:29.309 --> 00:11:31.610 of New Netherland that profoundly shaved the 00:11:31.610 --> 00:11:33.610 colony's character. Okay, so let's fast forward 00:11:33.610 --> 00:11:35.750 to the American Revolution. New York becomes 00:11:35.750 --> 00:11:38.389 this crucial stage for conflict. It was a true 00:11:38.389 --> 00:11:40.470 hotbed of rebellion. The Sons of Liberty organized 00:11:40.470 --> 00:11:43.370 right there in New York City in the 1760s, driven 00:11:43.370 --> 00:11:45.990 by opposition to the Stamp Act. But it was also 00:11:45.990 --> 00:11:49.309 full of loyalists. A substantial number. Because 00:11:49.309 --> 00:11:51.870 it was such a central commercial hub with strong 00:11:51.870 --> 00:11:55.409 trade links to Britain, it housed many wealthy, 00:11:55.450 --> 00:11:58.129 influential loyalists who wanted to remain under 00:11:58.129 --> 00:12:00.850 the crown. That split identity shows up clearly 00:12:00.850 --> 00:12:03.029 in the vote for independence, which is a detail 00:12:03.029 --> 00:12:04.830 I think a lot of people miss. It's a crucial 00:12:04.830 --> 00:12:08.460 fact. New York was the only colony that did not 00:12:08.460 --> 00:12:10.419 initially vote for independence. The only one. 00:12:10.519 --> 00:12:12.879 Though its delegates, you know, recognizing the 00:12:12.879 --> 00:12:15.440 inevitable tide, they quickly endorsed the declaration 00:12:15.440 --> 00:12:19.980 on July 9, 1776. But this internal division made 00:12:19.980 --> 00:12:22.980 the war uniquely brutal on New York soil. And 00:12:22.980 --> 00:12:25.740 the state paid a heavy price. Approximately one 00:12:25.740 --> 00:12:27.820 -third of all Revolutionary War battles took 00:12:27.820 --> 00:12:30.600 place in New York. The war started badly for 00:12:30.600 --> 00:12:32.700 the revolutionaries here. The Battle of Long 00:12:32.700 --> 00:12:35.549 Island was a devastating loss. And the British 00:12:35.549 --> 00:12:37.950 occupied New York City for the entire war. And 00:12:37.950 --> 00:12:41.049 this occupation led to one of the most sobering 00:12:41.049 --> 00:12:43.529 and just shocking statistics of the entire war. 00:12:43.769 --> 00:12:46.789 This. This needs to be understood clearly. More 00:12:46.789 --> 00:12:49.450 American combatants died on the notorious British 00:12:49.450 --> 00:12:52.289 prison ships anchored in Wallabout Bay, mostly 00:12:52.289 --> 00:12:54.750 from disease and neglect, than were killed in 00:12:54.750 --> 00:12:57.649 combat in every single battle of the war combined. 00:12:57.970 --> 00:13:00.700 That's... That's unbelievable. It just underscores 00:13:00.700 --> 00:13:03.279 the brutal toll the war took on New York specifically. 00:13:03.620 --> 00:13:07.259 It really does. But despite those early losses, 00:13:07.500 --> 00:13:10.480 New York hosted the crucial turning point. The 00:13:10.480 --> 00:13:12.840 Battle of Saratoga. The Battle of Saratoga in 00:13:12.840 --> 00:13:16.480 1777. The capture of a major British army there 00:13:16.480 --> 00:13:19.700 was the decisive victory. That success is what 00:13:19.700 --> 00:13:22.759 convinced France to formally ally with the revolutionaries, 00:13:22.840 --> 00:13:25.419 securing the money and military support that 00:13:25.419 --> 00:13:28.250 made victory possible. Let's talk about the immediate 00:13:28.250 --> 00:13:30.850 post -war consequences, especially for the original 00:13:30.850 --> 00:13:33.509 inhabitants. The Iroquois Confederacy, having 00:13:33.509 --> 00:13:35.850 largely sided with the British, they suffered 00:13:35.850 --> 00:13:38.250 a terrible fate. The post -war retaliation was 00:13:38.250 --> 00:13:40.970 swift and devastating. Four of the six Iroquois 00:13:40.970 --> 00:13:43.870 nations had fought for the crown. In 1779, the 00:13:43.870 --> 00:13:45.610 Sullivan Expedition was ordered. And what was 00:13:45.610 --> 00:13:47.850 that? It was an intentional action to break their 00:13:47.850 --> 00:13:50.730 power. It destroyed nearly 50 Iroquois villages, 00:13:51.049 --> 00:13:54.070 their croplands, their winter food stores. After 00:13:54.070 --> 00:13:57.049 the war, these pro -British Iroquois were largely 00:13:57.049 --> 00:13:59.549 forced out of New York and resettled in Canada. 00:13:59.919 --> 00:14:02.139 And this leads directly to the next phase of 00:14:02.139 --> 00:14:04.720 the Empire State's rise. The sources state that 00:14:04.720 --> 00:14:07.519 five million acres of former Iroquois territory 00:14:07.519 --> 00:14:09.980 were then put up for sale by New York State. 00:14:10.200 --> 00:14:12.799 This is the critical, often overlooked, historical 00:14:12.799 --> 00:14:15.879 link. The mass seizure and sale of this immense 00:14:15.879 --> 00:14:18.639 tract of land immediately fueled the settlement 00:14:18.639 --> 00:14:20.919 boom in upstate New York. So it provided the 00:14:20.919 --> 00:14:23.720 state with both the land and the initial capital 00:14:23.720 --> 00:14:25.799 for everything that came next. It was the foundational 00:14:25.799 --> 00:14:28.899 wealth that would later allow New York to contemplate 00:14:29.100 --> 00:14:31.840 and then execute the colossal engineering project 00:14:31.840 --> 00:14:34.759 that defined its destiny, the Erie Canal. Right. 00:14:34.879 --> 00:14:37.340 And that momentum of ascendancy continued. New 00:14:37.340 --> 00:14:39.159 York City even served briefly as the political 00:14:39.159 --> 00:14:42.220 capital. Indeed. NYC was the first national capital 00:14:42.220 --> 00:14:45.460 until 1790. George Washington was inaugurated 00:14:45.460 --> 00:14:47.379 there. The Bill of Rights was drafted there. 00:14:47.600 --> 00:14:50.019 But the real engine, the permanent source of 00:14:50.019 --> 00:14:52.440 the nickname, was the Erie Canal. Let's unpack 00:14:52.440 --> 00:14:55.179 the scale of this. It wasn't just a ditch. It 00:14:55.179 --> 00:14:58.000 was a total engineering revolution. It truly 00:14:58.000 --> 00:15:01.029 was. It was championed by Governor DeWitt Clinton, 00:15:01.210 --> 00:15:04.549 which led to its early derisive nickname, Clinton's 00:15:04.549 --> 00:15:08.210 Ditch. Ha, right. Construction started in 1817, 00:15:08.250 --> 00:15:14.039 and it opened in 1825. Imagine a 363 -mile waterway 00:15:14.039 --> 00:15:16.539 connecting the Hudson River near Albany directly 00:15:16.539 --> 00:15:19.139 to the Great Lakes at Buffalo. It had to navigate 00:15:19.139 --> 00:15:22.139 an elevation change of over 500 feet using a 00:15:22.139 --> 00:15:25.440 complex system of 83 locks. So what was the immediate 00:15:25.440 --> 00:15:28.879 economic impact? Transformative. Before the canal... 00:15:29.039 --> 00:15:32.139 Shipping goods overland from Buffalo to NYC was 00:15:32.139 --> 00:15:34.519 incredibly slow and prohibitively expensive. 00:15:34.919 --> 00:15:37.460 The canal immediately slashed the cost of moving 00:15:37.460 --> 00:15:40.740 freight by up to 90%. 90%. And travel time was 00:15:40.740 --> 00:15:43.320 reduced from weeks to mere days. It gave New 00:15:43.320 --> 00:15:45.399 York an incomparable advantage over competing 00:15:45.399 --> 00:15:47.320 ports like Boston, Philadelphia, and Baltimore. 00:15:47.539 --> 00:15:49.899 So it effectively gave New York City control 00:15:49.899 --> 00:15:52.399 over all the commerce pouring in from the growing 00:15:52.399 --> 00:15:55.120 Midwest, solidifying it as the nation's primary 00:15:55.120 --> 00:15:58.570 economic artery. Precisely. It allowed cities 00:15:58.570 --> 00:16:01.690 like Buffalo and Rochester to just explode in 00:16:01.690 --> 00:16:04.750 size and prosperity, linking the entire continental 00:16:04.750 --> 00:16:07.850 interior to the deepwater port of New York. This 00:16:07.850 --> 00:16:10.850 unparalleled connectivity fueled a massive economic 00:16:10.850 --> 00:16:13.070 boom. And we can still see the corporate legacy 00:16:13.070 --> 00:16:15.470 of that today. The sources list this incredible 00:16:15.470 --> 00:16:17.870 roster of companies founded during that period. 00:16:18.070 --> 00:16:20.659 We can. I mean, take American Express. It was 00:16:20.659 --> 00:16:23.360 founded in 1850 in Buffalo as an express mail 00:16:23.360 --> 00:16:25.659 business, capitalizing directly on the rapid 00:16:25.659 --> 00:16:28.100 transport system the canal enabled. And then 00:16:28.100 --> 00:16:30.139 it grew into a financial powerhouse. Or look 00:16:30.139 --> 00:16:32.480 at Rochester, where companies like Kodak were 00:16:32.480 --> 00:16:35.100 founded. Rochester flourished specifically because 00:16:35.100 --> 00:16:37.519 the canal provided cheap, reliable transport 00:16:37.519 --> 00:16:40.639 for raw materials and finished goods. This integrated 00:16:40.639 --> 00:16:44.379 economic geography, manufacturing upstate, finance, 00:16:44.600 --> 00:16:47.730 and shipping downstate. That is the literal definition 00:16:47.730 --> 00:16:49.909 of the Empire State. So if the history is the 00:16:49.909 --> 00:16:52.009 engine, the people who poured through its ports 00:16:52.009 --> 00:16:54.470 are the fuel. New York has served as the greatest 00:16:54.470 --> 00:16:56.570 gateway for human migration in U .S. history. 00:16:56.750 --> 00:17:00.070 The scale is immense, and it began long before 00:17:00.070 --> 00:17:02.789 the federal government even took over. Since 00:17:02.789 --> 00:17:05.190 the early 19th century, New York City has been 00:17:05.190 --> 00:17:08.509 the largest port of entry. The state managed 00:17:08.509 --> 00:17:11.430 its own intake through its first permanent depot, 00:17:11.529 --> 00:17:14.259 Castle Garden. Castle Garden, a lot of people 00:17:14.259 --> 00:17:17.119 forget about that one. Operational from 1855 00:17:17.119 --> 00:17:20.779 to 1890, and it processed an astounding number 00:17:20.779 --> 00:17:23.319 of people. Over 8 million immigrants passed through 00:17:23.319 --> 00:17:25.759 Castle Garden. That was two out of every three 00:17:25.759 --> 00:17:27.619 U .S. immigrants during that time. Two out of 00:17:27.619 --> 00:17:29.819 three. When the federal government assumed control, 00:17:30.099 --> 00:17:32.640 they moved the operation to the site we all know, 00:17:33.299 --> 00:17:36.630 Ellis Island. which opened in 1892 and is, you 00:17:36.630 --> 00:17:38.710 know, the more famous symbol of the American 00:17:38.710 --> 00:17:41.329 dream. It processed over 12 million immigrants 00:17:41.329 --> 00:17:45.309 until it closed in 1954. To put that in context, 00:17:45.430 --> 00:17:48.049 more than 100 million Americans today can trace 00:17:48.049 --> 00:17:50.670 their ancestry to immigrants who passed through 00:17:50.670 --> 00:17:53.650 that single inspection station. It's arguably 00:17:53.650 --> 00:17:55.750 the single most important piece of real estate 00:17:55.750 --> 00:17:58.029 in American demographic history. You could absolutely 00:17:58.029 --> 00:18:00.529 make that case. It also has that bizarre, slightly 00:18:00.529 --> 00:18:03.329 comical legal dispute over which state it's actually 00:18:03.329 --> 00:18:06.769 in. The fight between New York and New Jersey 00:18:06.769 --> 00:18:09.349 over the island is legendary. The Supreme Court 00:18:09.349 --> 00:18:12.730 finally settled it in 1998. The ruling determined 00:18:12.730 --> 00:18:15.390 that the original 3 .3 acres of the island where 00:18:15.390 --> 00:18:18.150 the main hall sits are in New York. OK. But the 00:18:18.150 --> 00:18:21.200 rest of the island. The 27 .5 acres added later 00:18:21.200 --> 00:18:24.099 by landfill, that was ruled to be in New Jersey. 00:18:24.240 --> 00:18:26.359 So most of Ellis Island is actually New Jersey. 00:18:26.500 --> 00:18:28.740 The vast majority. It's a perfect geographic 00:18:28.740 --> 00:18:31.480 illustration of how complex and layered this 00:18:31.480 --> 00:18:35.380 area is. That bizarre detail really sets the 00:18:35.380 --> 00:18:38.000 stage for the complexity of its modern demography. 00:18:38.220 --> 00:18:40.380 Let's look at the sheer numbers this gateway 00:18:40.380 --> 00:18:43.440 produced. New York is still a leading recipient 00:18:43.440 --> 00:18:46.019 of global migrants. It has the second largest 00:18:46.019 --> 00:18:48.140 international immigrant population in the country, 00:18:48.259 --> 00:18:51.460 4 .2 million as of 2008. And the population is 00:18:51.460 --> 00:18:55.079 overwhelmingly urbanized. 92 % of residents live 00:18:55.079 --> 00:18:57.400 in an urban area. Which creates unique challenges 00:18:57.400 --> 00:19:00.079 and the resulting diversity is just exceptional. 00:19:00.279 --> 00:19:02.180 It's unparalleled. New York is home to the largest 00:19:02.180 --> 00:19:04.940 Jewish population outside Israel. It also has 00:19:04.940 --> 00:19:06.980 the second largest Asian American and the fourth 00:19:06.980 --> 00:19:09.200 largest black or African American populations 00:19:09.200 --> 00:19:11.960 in the U .S. Let's shine a spotlight on the neighborhoods 00:19:11.960 --> 00:19:14.940 because the statistics there really illustrate 00:19:14.940 --> 00:19:18.339 the density of global cultures. Queens is consistently 00:19:18.339 --> 00:19:20.799 recognized as the most ethnically diverse county 00:19:20.799 --> 00:19:22.940 in the United States and the most ethnically 00:19:22.940 --> 00:19:25.809 diverse urban area in the world. It's a hub for 00:19:25.809 --> 00:19:29.730 South Asian, East Asian and huge Indian populations. 00:19:30.210 --> 00:19:33.250 And Brooklyn. Brooklyn is just as vital. It houses 00:19:33.250 --> 00:19:36.130 the largest Jamaican American population. And 00:19:36.130 --> 00:19:38.609 Bedford -Stuyvesant has the largest black population 00:19:38.609 --> 00:19:41.009 of sub -Saharan descent in the U .S. I find the 00:19:41.009 --> 00:19:42.789 trend of the Chinese population particularly 00:19:42.789 --> 00:19:45.450 interesting because it shows how economic growth 00:19:45.450 --> 00:19:48.430 pushes demographic change. The Chinese population 00:19:48.430 --> 00:19:51.269 is the fastest growing nationality group. And 00:19:51.269 --> 00:19:54.809 New York is their top destination. And this growth, 00:19:54.890 --> 00:19:57.569 it isn't just confined to the traditional Chinatowns. 00:19:57.670 --> 00:20:00.630 It's rapidly expanding eastward into the suburbs 00:20:00.630 --> 00:20:03.089 of Nassau County on Long Island. A huge sign 00:20:03.089 --> 00:20:05.769 of economic integration. A massive sign. Meanwhile, 00:20:06.390 --> 00:20:08.029 Mexican -Americans have established themselves 00:20:08.029 --> 00:20:10.150 as one of the largest Latino groups across the 00:20:10.150 --> 00:20:12.349 state, particularly upstate in agriculture and 00:20:12.349 --> 00:20:15.150 industry. Given this staggering convergence of 00:20:15.150 --> 00:20:18.190 cultures, the linguistic depth must be a challenge, 00:20:18.329 --> 00:20:21.349 but also a tremendous asset. It is the ultimate 00:20:21.349 --> 00:20:24.059 expression of the melting pot idea. I mean, while 00:20:24.059 --> 00:20:26.700 about 70 % of residents speak only English at 00:20:26.700 --> 00:20:29.660 home, over 30%, that's nearly 6 million people, 00:20:29.900 --> 00:20:32.359 speak another language. Spanish being the most 00:20:32.359 --> 00:20:34.759 common, I assume? By a wide margin, but that 00:20:34.759 --> 00:20:36.619 only scratches the surface. Okay, here's the 00:20:36.619 --> 00:20:39.779 aha moment that connects back to the sheer scale 00:20:39.779 --> 00:20:42.920 of global migration we discussed. The estimated 00:20:42.920 --> 00:20:45.519 number of languages spoken in the city. New York 00:20:45.519 --> 00:20:48.140 City is estimated to host as many as 800 languages. 00:20:48.480 --> 00:20:52.240 800? 800. This fact solidifies its status as 00:20:52.240 --> 00:20:54.420 the single most linguistically diverse city in 00:20:54.420 --> 00:20:56.660 the world. Imagine the infrastructure required 00:20:56.660 --> 00:20:58.559 for the public school system for the courts. 00:20:58.880 --> 00:21:01.380 It's a challenge, but it also makes the city 00:21:01.380 --> 00:21:04.700 this unique, indispensable hub for global commerce. 00:21:04.980 --> 00:21:07.680 It truly is a microcosm of the entire globe. 00:21:07.880 --> 00:21:10.579 And moving to social dynamism, New York has also 00:21:10.579 --> 00:21:13.079 been the cradle for massive social change, particularly 00:21:13.079 --> 00:21:16.630 for LGBTQ plus rights. Absolutely. The state 00:21:16.630 --> 00:21:18.849 legalized same -sex marriage relatively early 00:21:18.849 --> 00:21:21.569 in 2011. And New York City is often described 00:21:21.569 --> 00:21:24.690 as the gay capital of the world because of its 00:21:24.690 --> 00:21:28.750 sustained importance to the LGBTQ plus sociopolitical 00:21:28.750 --> 00:21:32.259 ecosystem. The history here is pivotal. the Stonewall 00:21:32.259 --> 00:21:34.920 riots. The sources call it the gay capital of 00:21:34.920 --> 00:21:37.759 the world. Why New York? Why not say San Francisco? 00:21:37.920 --> 00:21:40.339 What made it stick? New York's enduring role 00:21:40.339 --> 00:21:42.480 stems from the cultural moment of the Stonewall 00:21:42.480 --> 00:21:46.279 riots in June 1969 in Greenwich Village. The 00:21:46.279 --> 00:21:48.279 sources emphasize that while other cities had 00:21:48.279 --> 00:21:51.279 LGBTQ plus activity, Stonewall was the watershed 00:21:51.279 --> 00:21:53.930 event. It fundamentally shifted the goal from 00:21:53.930 --> 00:21:56.470 assimilation to liberation, and it really started 00:21:56.470 --> 00:21:58.809 the modern political gay rights movement. And 00:21:58.809 --> 00:22:00.849 New York had the infrastructure to support that. 00:22:00.950 --> 00:22:03.390 Exactly. Because of New York's density and its 00:22:03.390 --> 00:22:05.710 media and financial centers, it provided the 00:22:05.710 --> 00:22:07.950 necessary scale and infrastructure for that movement 00:22:07.950 --> 00:22:11.009 to take root, organize, and quickly gain national 00:22:11.009 --> 00:22:13.329 visibility. And the location is now the Stonewall 00:22:13.329 --> 00:22:16.029 National Monument. The activism continues on 00:22:16.029 --> 00:22:19.500 a massive scale. Immense. World Pride NYC 2019, 00:22:19.920 --> 00:22:22.579 commemorating the 50th anniversary of Stonewall, 00:22:22.700 --> 00:22:25.960 attracted 4 million attendees. And the Brooklyn 00:22:25.960 --> 00:22:28.859 Liberation March in 2020, drawing up to 20 ,000 00:22:28.859 --> 00:22:31.759 participants supporting Black transgender lives, 00:22:31.980 --> 00:22:34.779 just highlights the continued evolving importance 00:22:34.779 --> 00:22:37.299 of New York as a place for social and political 00:22:37.299 --> 00:22:40.279 protest. So the people and the history have culminated 00:22:40.279 --> 00:22:43.210 in this economic engine of just unbelievable 00:22:43.210 --> 00:22:46.109 power. The most effective way to grasp the scale 00:22:46.109 --> 00:22:48.329 of the economy is to compare New York State, 00:22:48.509 --> 00:22:50.690 not to other U .S. states, but to independent 00:22:50.690 --> 00:22:53.190 nations. That's the necessary frame of reference. 00:22:53.410 --> 00:22:56.049 New York State's GDP was two trillion U .S. dollars 00:22:56.049 --> 00:22:58.990 in 2022. If the state of New York were its own 00:22:58.990 --> 00:23:01.289 country, it would rank as the 11th largest economy 00:23:01.289 --> 00:23:03.930 worldwide. Alongside nations like Canada or Russia. 00:23:04.170 --> 00:23:05.910 Exactly. And when you drill down to just a New 00:23:05.910 --> 00:23:08.529 York City metro area, the concentration of wealth 00:23:08.529 --> 00:23:10.789 is even more staggering. What are those numbers? 00:23:11.029 --> 00:23:23.769 The NYC metro This brings us to the core of the 00:23:23.769 --> 00:23:26.890 Empire State designation, Wall Street and finance. 00:23:36.380 --> 00:23:38.319 are the world's largest and second largest stock 00:23:38.319 --> 00:23:40.980 exchanges, respectively. The twin pillars of 00:23:40.980 --> 00:23:43.420 global capitalism. They are. But there's an important 00:23:43.420 --> 00:23:46.019 distinction to make. While Lower Manhattan is 00:23:46.019 --> 00:23:48.880 the financial core, Midtown Manhattan is technically 00:23:48.880 --> 00:23:51.140 the largest central business district in the 00:23:51.140 --> 00:23:54.759 world by sheer physical size. So finance is supreme, 00:23:55.039 --> 00:23:58.160 but the sources also detail a major shift toward 00:23:58.160 --> 00:24:00.400 high -tech industries. New York has been rapidly 00:24:00.400 --> 00:24:03.500 evolving. Silicon Alley is the term for the tech 00:24:03.500 --> 00:24:05.700 and entrepreneurship ecosystem in the metro area. 00:24:06.109 --> 00:24:09.109 And this growth is bolstered by a key geographic 00:24:09.109 --> 00:24:12.029 advantage. New York City sits at the terminus 00:24:12.029 --> 00:24:14.430 of several transatlantic fiber optic trunk lines. 00:24:14.630 --> 00:24:16.990 Crucial high -speed connectivity. But the tech 00:24:16.990 --> 00:24:19.309 growth is another area of that great contradiction. 00:24:19.650 --> 00:24:21.990 They're making a deliberate, massive investment 00:24:21.990 --> 00:24:24.829 to foster a major high -tech manufacturing sector 00:24:24.829 --> 00:24:27.420 upstate. This is the rise of what's called Tech 00:24:27.420 --> 00:24:29.920 Valley. It's a significant development area, 00:24:30.059 --> 00:24:33.640 Albany, Saratoga County, and it focuses on nanotechnology, 00:24:34.220 --> 00:24:36.559 digital electronics, and microchip manufacturing. 00:24:36.880 --> 00:24:39.079 Things that need space and resources you can't 00:24:39.079 --> 00:24:41.839 get in the city. Precisely. They require massive 00:24:41.839 --> 00:24:45.039 infrastructure, specifically access to vast amounts 00:24:45.039 --> 00:24:47.359 of water and electricity, which upstate provides 00:24:47.359 --> 00:24:50.279 more readily than downstate. And the case of 00:24:50.279 --> 00:24:52.519 Global Foundries provides a perfect illustration 00:24:52.519 --> 00:24:56.309 of this strategy working. It does. Global Foundries, 00:24:56.309 --> 00:24:59.069 a major semiconductor company, physically moved 00:24:59.069 --> 00:25:02.069 its corporate headquarters in 2021 from Silicon 00:25:02.069 --> 00:25:04.890 Valley, California, to its most advanced manufacturing 00:25:04.890 --> 00:25:07.890 facility in Malta, New York. Wow. So they're 00:25:07.890 --> 00:25:10.509 really building two different but complementary 00:25:10.509 --> 00:25:13.670 tech economies. That's the strategy. High tech 00:25:13.670 --> 00:25:16.490 manufacturing upstate and intellectual and software 00:25:16.490 --> 00:25:19.269 capital downstate. You know, the $2 billion Cornell 00:25:19.269 --> 00:25:21.369 and Technion Applied Sciences Graduate School 00:25:21.369 --> 00:25:23.529 on Roosevelt Island was built with a specific 00:25:23.529 --> 00:25:26.170 mission to turn NYC into a premier technology 00:25:26.170 --> 00:25:28.990 capital. Now, let's address the state's role 00:25:28.990 --> 00:25:31.349 as a financial engine for the nation, because 00:25:31.349 --> 00:25:34.029 this sets up our final question. These sources 00:25:34.029 --> 00:25:37.130 contain important data on New York's fiscal relationship 00:25:37.130 --> 00:25:39.549 with the federal government. This is a critical 00:25:39.549 --> 00:25:42.309 point. Because New York is such a prodigious 00:25:42.309 --> 00:25:44.990 engine of wealth generation, especially through 00:25:44.990 --> 00:25:47.849 taxes tied to Wall Street. It acts as a massive 00:25:47.849 --> 00:25:50.349 net contributor to the national treasury. So 00:25:50.349 --> 00:25:52.109 what do the numbers look like for that imbalance? 00:25:52.529 --> 00:25:55.710 As of 2013, the state received only 91 cents 00:25:55.710 --> 00:25:58.670 in services for every dollar it sent in federal 00:25:58.670 --> 00:26:01.609 taxes. That ranked it 46th in the nation. New 00:26:01.609 --> 00:26:03.930 York generates enormous national wealth, and 00:26:03.930 --> 00:26:05.730 much of it is redistributed to other states. 00:26:05.910 --> 00:26:08.730 A defining characteristic of its empire status. 00:26:09.069 --> 00:26:11.589 It is. And that diversified economy also relies 00:26:11.589 --> 00:26:13.730 heavily on non -finance sectors, particularly 00:26:13.730 --> 00:26:16.150 creative industries and agriculture. Creative 00:26:16.150 --> 00:26:18.069 industries are a growing share of employment. 00:26:18.589 --> 00:26:21.049 New York offers generous tax incentives, up to 00:26:21.049 --> 00:26:24.390 $420 million annually for filmmaking. And the 00:26:24.390 --> 00:26:26.250 filmed entertainment industry contributed nearly 00:26:26.250 --> 00:26:30.509 $9 billion to the NYC economy as of 2015. And 00:26:30.509 --> 00:26:32.849 the success of the I Love New York campaign has 00:26:32.849 --> 00:26:35.369 meant tourism is now a dominant sector. It's 00:26:35.369 --> 00:26:38.490 projected that by 2025, tourism will be the state's 00:26:38.490 --> 00:26:42.599 second largest industry. And as of 2013, four 00:26:42.599 --> 00:26:45.480 of the world's top 10 most visited tourist attractions 00:26:45.480 --> 00:26:48.019 were located in New York. Times Square, Central 00:26:48.019 --> 00:26:51.220 Park, Niagara Falls, and Grand Central Terminal. 00:26:51.339 --> 00:26:54.279 That density is unmatched. But the strength of 00:26:54.279 --> 00:26:56.339 the agricultural sector, particularly upstate, 00:26:56.400 --> 00:26:59.140 often surprises people. It does. New York agriculture 00:26:59.140 --> 00:27:02.160 is robust and vital. The state is a top five 00:27:02.160 --> 00:27:04.220 national producer for things like maple syrup, 00:27:04.420 --> 00:27:07.220 apples, cherries, and dairy products. And cabbage. 00:27:07.480 --> 00:27:09.799 And cabbage. It is in fact the largest producer 00:27:09.799 --> 00:27:12.259 of cabbage in the entire U .S. I did not know 00:27:12.259 --> 00:27:14.700 that. Plus, New York is the third largest wine 00:27:14.700 --> 00:27:16.759 producer by volume in the country, supported 00:27:16.759 --> 00:27:19.880 by 320 wineries. It just reinforces this idea 00:27:19.880 --> 00:27:21.819 of New York as a state of profound contrast. 00:27:22.299 --> 00:27:24.299 Finally, we must acknowledge the modern shocks 00:27:24.299 --> 00:27:26.140 that have tested New York's resilience in the 00:27:26.140 --> 00:27:29.220 21st century. The September 11th attacks in 2001 00:27:29.220 --> 00:27:32.029 were an inflection point. Two hijacked planes 00:27:32.029 --> 00:27:34.210 hit the Twin Towers, leading to the collapse 00:27:34.210 --> 00:27:37.430 of three buildings and the deaths of 2 ,753 people. 00:27:37.650 --> 00:27:40.329 The rebuilding, especially One World Trade Center 00:27:40.329 --> 00:27:44.430 at the symbolic height of 1 ,776 feet, really 00:27:44.430 --> 00:27:46.950 symbolizes that resilience. And then the environmental 00:27:46.950 --> 00:27:49.529 shock that forced the state to confront its coastal 00:27:49.529 --> 00:27:52.849 vulnerability. Hurricane Sandy in 2012 was a 00:27:52.849 --> 00:27:55.650 major catastrophe for the downstate region. It 00:27:55.650 --> 00:27:57.769 brought record high storm surge and extensive 00:27:57.769 --> 00:28:00.210 destruction. This event immediately prompted 00:28:00.210 --> 00:28:02.509 extensive discussions about large -scale coastal 00:28:02.509 --> 00:28:05.690 defenses like seawalls, forcing New York to rapidly 00:28:05.690 --> 00:28:08.329 adapt to the undeniable reality of climate change. 00:28:08.589 --> 00:28:11.230 This immense economy and complicated geography 00:28:11.230 --> 00:28:13.789 require an equally complex governmental structure. 00:28:14.089 --> 00:28:16.329 Let's look at how the Empire State governs itself, 00:28:16.589 --> 00:28:18.750 starting with the basic foundation. Well, the 00:28:18.750 --> 00:28:21.220 structure follows the standard U .S. model. executive, 00:28:21.359 --> 00:28:24.039 a bicameral legislature, and a judiciary. The 00:28:24.039 --> 00:28:26.079 state is divided into 62 counties, which are 00:28:26.079 --> 00:28:28.380 then split into cities and towns. But despite 00:28:28.380 --> 00:28:30.980 this unified structure, the sources make it clear 00:28:30.980 --> 00:28:33.480 that those geographical and cultural schisms 00:28:33.480 --> 00:28:36.559 create these persistent movements to physically 00:28:36.559 --> 00:28:39.440 break away. Secession is an enduring political 00:28:39.440 --> 00:28:42.690 fantasy in New York. It reflects the deep tensions 00:28:42.690 --> 00:28:45.769 between the highly liberal, dense downstate and 00:28:45.769 --> 00:28:48.109 the conservative, sparsely populated upstate 00:28:48.109 --> 00:28:50.670 areas. Proposals have ranged from creating a 00:28:50.670 --> 00:28:52.930 separate state of Long Island or a state called 00:28:52.930 --> 00:28:56.009 Niagara in the West to even having Staten Island 00:28:56.009 --> 00:28:58.400 secede from New York City. And it's all fueled 00:28:58.400 --> 00:29:00.579 by frustration over taxes and representation. 00:29:01.160 --> 00:29:03.519 Always. A unique legal status that separates 00:29:03.519 --> 00:29:05.859 New York from many other states is its stance 00:29:05.859 --> 00:29:08.519 on capital punishment. New York reintroduced 00:29:08.519 --> 00:29:11.319 it in 1995, but it was declared unconstitutional 00:29:11.319 --> 00:29:14.400 by the state's highest court in 2004. The state 00:29:14.400 --> 00:29:17.500 formally disestablished death row in 2008. So 00:29:17.500 --> 00:29:19.440 no execution has taken place in New York since 00:29:19.440 --> 00:29:22.880 1963. Moving to politics, New York is generally 00:29:22.880 --> 00:29:25.619 a Democratic plurality state, but the internal 00:29:25.619 --> 00:29:28.000 reality is far more nuanced. It's very nuanced. 00:29:28.279 --> 00:29:30.980 While the urban centers are Democratic stronghold, 00:29:31.220 --> 00:29:33.859 upstate rural areas remain generally conservative 00:29:33.859 --> 00:29:37.039 and favor Republicans. But the critical insight 00:29:37.039 --> 00:29:40.440 here is not internal politics. It's New York's 00:29:40.440 --> 00:29:43.079 national political influence, which is derived 00:29:43.079 --> 00:29:45.440 purely from its financial power. This is the 00:29:45.440 --> 00:29:48.309 ultimate expression of that duality. It funds 00:29:48.309 --> 00:29:50.730 the apparatus of political conflict across the 00:29:50.730 --> 00:29:53.650 nation. Exactly. New York City is year after 00:29:53.650 --> 00:29:55.849 year the single most important source of political 00:29:55.849 --> 00:29:58.849 fundraising in the U .S. for both major parties. 00:29:59.009 --> 00:30:01.349 For both parties. For both. The sources demonstrate 00:30:01.349 --> 00:30:04.849 this perfectly. Four of the top five ZIP codes 00:30:04.849 --> 00:30:06.950 in the entire nation for political contributions 00:30:06.950 --> 00:30:09.359 are in Manhattan. And the most stunning example 00:30:09.359 --> 00:30:13.859 is that Upper East Side ZIP Code 1021. That ZIP 00:30:13.859 --> 00:30:17.579 Code 1021 generated the most money for both George 00:30:17.579 --> 00:30:20.619 W. Bush and Al Gore in the 2000 presidential 00:30:20.619 --> 00:30:23.240 campaign. So the money is basically agnostic. 00:30:23.299 --> 00:30:25.880 It perfectly encapsulates how New York City serves 00:30:25.880 --> 00:30:27.660 as the financial engine for both sides of the 00:30:27.660 --> 00:30:30.160 aisle. Capital transcends local politics. It 00:30:30.160 --> 00:30:32.279 positions New York as the national funding hub. 00:30:32.460 --> 00:30:35.200 Speaking of presidential politics, New York also 00:30:35.200 --> 00:30:37.460 has this highly unusual history of producing 00:30:37.460 --> 00:30:39.740 national candidates. New York has been the home 00:30:39.740 --> 00:30:42.019 state for both major party nominees in three 00:30:42.019 --> 00:30:44.319 separate presidential elections. Yeah. 1904, 00:30:44.599 --> 00:30:48.200 1944 and 2016. That's highly unusual for any 00:30:48.200 --> 00:30:50.420 single state. And of course, the U .N. headquarters 00:30:50.420 --> 00:30:54.400 has been in midtown Manhattan since 1952, which 00:30:54.400 --> 00:30:56.759 further cements the city's role as a global diplomatic 00:30:56.759 --> 00:30:58.940 center. Let's transition to the intellectual 00:30:58.940 --> 00:31:01.720 capital of the state. It's higher education system. 00:31:01.839 --> 00:31:04.799 It's absolutely massive. It is. New York hosts 00:31:04.799 --> 00:31:06.640 approximately 200 colleges and universities. 00:31:07.059 --> 00:31:09.319 The public systems are enormous. You have the 00:31:09.319 --> 00:31:11.940 State University of New York, or SUNY, which 00:31:11.940 --> 00:31:14.940 is a network of 64 campuses, including flagships 00:31:14.940 --> 00:31:16.799 like Buffalo and Stony Brook. And then there's 00:31:16.799 --> 00:31:19.799 the equally vital CUNY system. The City University 00:31:19.799 --> 00:31:22.960 of New York, CUNY, is the largest urban university 00:31:22.960 --> 00:31:25.299 system in the United States. This dual system, 00:31:25.400 --> 00:31:27.880 SUNY for the state. C -U -N -Y for the hyper 00:31:27.880 --> 00:31:30.420 -density. It just underscores the dual nature 00:31:30.420 --> 00:31:32.380 of New York's governance. And the private institutions 00:31:32.380 --> 00:31:34.220 are among the most prestigious in the world. 00:31:34.359 --> 00:31:37.480 It has two Ivy League universities, Columbia 00:31:37.480 --> 00:31:40.500 Cornell, plus other world -renowned schools like 00:31:40.500 --> 00:31:44.440 NYU and Syracuse. And for the arts, it boasts 00:31:44.440 --> 00:31:46.900 Juilliard in Manhattan and the Eastman School 00:31:46.900 --> 00:31:50.059 of Music in Rochester. And we have to mention 00:31:50.059 --> 00:31:52.420 the U .S. Military Academy at West Point. This 00:31:52.420 --> 00:31:54.920 investment in education shows up in the raw data, 00:31:54.980 --> 00:31:58.519 too. In 2013, New York spent more on public education 00:31:58.519 --> 00:32:00.539 per pupil than any other state in the nation. 00:32:00.819 --> 00:32:03.759 It demonstrates a deep, continuous commitment 00:32:03.759 --> 00:32:07.180 to maintaining a high skilled workforce. Finally, 00:32:07.180 --> 00:32:09.940 we turn to the rich sports heritage. There are 00:32:09.940 --> 00:32:11.779 few places with this density of professional 00:32:11.779 --> 00:32:14.980 teams, but even here we find a classic New York 00:32:14.980 --> 00:32:17.900 contradiction. It is a powerhouse, but the geography 00:32:17.900 --> 00:32:20.460 of sports logistics creates one of the state's 00:32:20.460 --> 00:32:22.920 most famous ironies for football fans. Right. 00:32:23.019 --> 00:32:25.640 New York is represented by three NFL teams, but 00:32:25.640 --> 00:32:27.900 only the Buffalo Bills actually play their games 00:32:27.900 --> 00:32:30.079 within the state. The Giants and the Jets play 00:32:30.079 --> 00:32:32.430 in New Jersey. They do. representing the metropolitan 00:32:32.430 --> 00:32:34.869 area. It's another example of the poorest boundaries 00:32:34.869 --> 00:32:36.990 of the downstate economy. And beyond the NFL. 00:32:37.289 --> 00:32:39.829 Two Major League Baseball teams, Yankees and 00:32:39.829 --> 00:32:44.069 Mets, three NHL franchises, two NBA teams, and 00:32:44.069 --> 00:32:46.670 the U .S. Open Tennis Championships is held annually 00:32:46.670 --> 00:32:49.210 in Queens. And the state's Olympic history is 00:32:49.210 --> 00:32:51.450 perhaps its most unique claim to sports fame. 00:32:51.990 --> 00:32:55.130 Lake Placid, nestled upstate in the Adirondacks, 00:32:55.349 --> 00:32:58.569 hosted the Winter Olympics twice. in 1932 and 00:32:58.569 --> 00:33:01.170 1980. This makes it one of only three cities 00:33:01.170 --> 00:33:03.589 globally to have done so. And 1980, of course, 00:33:03.609 --> 00:33:06.650 is immortalized by the miracle on ice. Where 00:33:06.650 --> 00:33:08.750 the American amateur hockey team defeated the 00:33:08.750 --> 00:33:11.710 heavily favored Soviet team. A moment of profound 00:33:11.710 --> 00:33:14.869 national pride, hosted right in the Empire State's 00:33:14.869 --> 00:33:17.490 wild northern reaches. We've traveled across 00:33:17.490 --> 00:33:20.109 the immense geographic divides, detailed the 00:33:20.109 --> 00:33:22.430 impact of the Erie Canal, watched the endless 00:33:22.430 --> 00:33:24.650 stream of global talent pass through Ellis Island, 00:33:24.789 --> 00:33:27.589 and analyzed the immense economic density of 00:33:27.589 --> 00:33:29.750 Wall Street, right up to the modern rise of Tech 00:33:29.750 --> 00:33:32.250 Valley. The core takeaway here is that New York 00:33:32.250 --> 00:33:34.710 State is defined by its extremes, geographical, 00:33:35.190 --> 00:33:38.890 cultural, and financial. Its history, fueled 00:33:38.890 --> 00:33:40.710 by that crucial infrastructure like the Erie 00:33:40.710 --> 00:33:43.829 Canal, created a definitive blueprint for American 00:33:43.829 --> 00:33:47.559 economic expansion. And that head start was sustained 00:33:47.559 --> 00:33:50.619 by its enduring, continuous role as a gateway 00:33:50.619 --> 00:33:53.319 for global talent and capital. It constantly 00:33:53.319 --> 00:33:55.799 exports its capital, its talent, and its culture 00:33:55.799 --> 00:33:58.039 across the world and across the nation, making 00:33:58.039 --> 00:34:01.319 it the undisputed empire state. And that leads 00:34:01.319 --> 00:34:03.039 us to a final provocative thought for you to 00:34:03.039 --> 00:34:05.359 consider, tying back to that contradiction we 00:34:05.359 --> 00:34:07.619 established in the economic section. We noted 00:34:07.619 --> 00:34:09.900 that New York runs a massive fiscal imbalance 00:34:09.900 --> 00:34:12.500 with the federal government, receiving only 91 00:34:12.500 --> 00:34:14.880 cents for every dollar it sends in federal taxes. 00:34:15.389 --> 00:34:18.110 So given its immense local GDP and its overwhelming 00:34:18.110 --> 00:34:20.750 global influence, serving as the funding apparatus 00:34:20.750 --> 00:34:23.230 for both political parties nationally, how much 00:34:23.230 --> 00:34:25.710 of the empire state's identity relies on generating 00:34:25.710 --> 00:34:28.210 and sending national wealth, often to regions 00:34:28.210 --> 00:34:30.750 with which it politically clashes? What is the 00:34:30.750 --> 00:34:33.869 true cost and responsibility of maintaining its 00:34:33.869 --> 00:34:36.030 position as the world's financial and cultural 00:34:36.030 --> 00:34:38.710 capital while simultaneously navigating these 00:34:38.710 --> 00:34:40.969 acute internal struggles between upstate and 00:34:40.969 --> 00:34:43.150 downstate? A question that is the state itself. 00:34:43.820 --> 00:34:46.059 The Empire State of Contradictions. That's all 00:34:46.059 --> 00:34:47.739 for this deep dive. We'll see you next time.