The Original Name Of Empire State

The source of the term "Empire State" is not definitively known. It is often attributed to the state's wealth and resources,^[2] but this is probably not the case. Two possible stories involve America's first president, George Washington.

The first refers to an April 10, 1785, letter to New York City Mayor James Duane. In it, Washington called New York "the Seat of the Empire". Washington is also said to have used the phrase "Pathway to Empire" once, when referring to the state in conversation withGovernor George Clinton in the 1790s; no documentation of this exchange exists however.^[1]

Alexander Flick, in his History of New York State, claims the title was used as early as 1819, coinciding with New York surpassingVirginia in population. He did not provide any source for this claim. Further in his book, Flick adds that the term was "universally acknowledged and accepted" by the time the Erie Canal was completed in 1825.^[1] In a later work, Flick and coauthor John Jacob Anderson claim "New York is well called the Empire State ... not only because of the vastness of its resources, but because it so conspicuously illustrates the imperial power of law-abiding liberty among the people."^[3]

Milton Klein, in The Empire State: A History of New York, proposes that the name may have accompanied the success of the Black Ball Line in 1818 "because of the signal advantage the regularity of shipping gave to New York's merchants over those in other coastal cities." He claims that by 1820, it was clear that "Empire State" was in wide use, though he is doubtful that a clear origin of the term will ever be determined. The 1940 Guide to the Empire State included the following quotation: "...it would gratify the people of New York if they could discover who first dared that spacious adjective."^[1

Namesakes

New York is widely known by the nickname "Empire State", and its effects can be seen throughout the state.^[1]Manhattan's Empire State Building, which opened in 1931, was the world's tallest building until the completion of the north tower of the World Trade Center in 1970. Following the September 11 attacks, the Empire State Building once again became the tallest building in Manhattan until One World Trade Center claimed the title in April 2012.^[5][6] The main offices of state government are located at the Empire State Plaza (ESP) in Albany, the state capital. Its most iconic structure, the Erastus Corning Tower, is the tallest building in New York outside of New York City.^[7]

The nickname has also been used for train routes: theEmpire State Express, of the New York Central Railroad, was established in 1891, and Amtrak currently offers its Empire Service from New York City to Buffalo via Albany.^[1] SUNY Empire State College, established in 1971 in Saratoga Springs, also makes use of the name.^[8] The Empire State Games, established in 1978, is an Olympic-style competition for amateur athletes from New York.^[9] Additionally, the term "Empire State" has been included on New York State license plates since 2001.^[10]