The State of New York joined the union on July 26, 1788, making it the 11th U.S. state. It is located in the Northeastern region of the country.
With a population of as 20,201,249, New York is the 4th most populous state in the U.S. Almost half of the population live in New York City, with the next most populous cities being Buffalo, Rochester, Yonkers, and Syracuse. The 5 most populous counties are Kings County, Queens County, New York County, Suffolk County, and Bronx County.
Vital records for New York City are stored by the NYC Health Department in the Office of Vital Records. The Office has birth and death records for events that occurred in the 5 boroughs of the city: Brooklyn, the Bronx, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island. Birth records issued before 1910 and death records issued before 1949 must be ordered through the Municipal Archives.
Records for the rest of the State of New York are kept in Menands at the Certification Unit, in the Vital Records Section. The State office has birth records since 1880 and death records since 1881. For records before 1914 in Albany, Buffalo, and Yonkers, or before 1880 in any other city, you will need to write to the Registrar of Vital Statistics in the relevant city. For the rest of the State (minus New York City) write to the State office.