Which Came First: New York City or New York State?

New York City predates New York State by over 160 years.

• 1624: Dutch colonists founded New Amsterdam on the southern tip of Manhattan Island.
• 1664: The English captured the settlement and renamed it New York in honor of the Duke of York (later James II).
• July 26, 1788: New York ratified the U.S. Constitution, becoming the 11th state.

So the city existed as a colonial outpost long before the state was a political entity. The state took its name from the city, not the other way around.