The origin of New York State’s nickname “Empire State” is unknown, but it may have come from George Washington’s reference to the state as “the seat of the Empire.” The state’s wealth of natural resources, central location, and independence during the American Revolution contributed to its nickname. The Empire State Building, Empire State Games, and Empire State Plaza are all named after the state. New York played a crucial role in the American Revolution and became the eleventh state to ratify the US Constitution. Its central location made it a gateway to the West, and the completion of the Erie Canal boosted business and industry.
The “Empire State” is emblazoned on New York’s vehicle plates and is the namesake of the former tallest building in the world, but the origin of the state’s nickname seems shrouded in mystery. Unlike many other state emblems and symbols, no historian knows exactly where the nickname “Empire State” came from. Some have speculated that the name derives from George Washington, who in a 1784 letter referred to New York as “presently the seat of the Empire.” Others believe the nickname denotes the wealth, natural resources, and freedom-loving citizens of New York State.
George Washington rightly envisioned New York State as the “seat of empire.” Geographically, the state was the stepping stone from which independence and westward expansion began. Politically, New York stood firm in the cause of independence and stood as an example of recklessness under attack. New York’s wealth of natural resources, such as abundant water, fertile soil, and rich woodlands, enriched other U.S. states as they grew. Wise and talented statesmen transformed New York into the “Empire State,” including Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and Theodore Roosevelt.
The name “Empire State” has infiltrated the New York vernacular, producing an abundance of namesakes. The Empire State Building was once the tallest building in the world and a New York Olympic sporting event is known as the Empire State Games. The Capitol buildings in the capital of New York are surrounded by the Empire State Plaza. Although George Washington could not see the future of New York, he rightly viewed the state’s central location and abundant resources as a unifying blessing for the United States.
New York State was one of the original 13 colonies of the new world. Centrally located in the center of the colonies along the East Coast, the invading British targeted New York State in a “divide and conquer” strategy during the American Revolutionary War. The Americans fought bitterly to keep control of the state, because losing it would cut off New England irretrievably from the southern states. The tough New Yorkers subsequently held the land and were lauded as fiercely independent and freedom-loving people. The 1777 battle at Saratoga, New York is considered the “turning point” of the American Revolution which demonstrated American resolve and won international support for the cause of independence.
As one of the original colonies, New York became the eleventh state to ratify the US Constitution after the Revolutionary War. New York’s central location in the United States epitomized its experiential importance. At a time when the only means of transportation were by horse, oxen or water, downtown New York was considered the “gateway to the West.” The Mohawk Valley, a steep valley nestled between the Adirondack Mountains to the north and the Appalachian Mountains to the south, was the lowest geographic point and the only passable overland route from Canada to the Carolinas. The completion of New York’s Erie Canal in 11 made travel even faster, and business and industry boomed.
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