Syracuse, New York

Syracuse is an American city in Central New York. As of the 2000 U.S. Census, the city had a total population of 147,306, and its metropolitan area had a population of 732,117. It is the county seat of Onondaga County and the economical and educational hub of Central New York, a region with over a million inhabitants. Syracuse is also a relatively large convention city, with a downtown convention complex and the Empire Expo Center directly west of the city, which hosts the annual Great New York State Fair. Syracuse was named after the original Syracuse, a city on the eastern coast of Sicily, Italy, which shares some similarities with this one, including a formerly-important salt industry and a neighboring town of Salina.

Geography

Syracuse is located at 43°2'49" North, 76°8'40" West (43.046899, -76.144423){{GR|1}}.

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According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 66.4 km² (25.6 mi²). 65.0 km² (25.1 mi²) of it is land and 1.4 km² (0.6 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 2.15% water, with the major water body being Onondaga Lake.

Related Topics:
United States Census Bureau - Km² - Mi² - Onondaga Lake

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The city is seen as the northeast gateway to the Finger Lakes Region. The city has many vibrant neighborhoods which were originally various villages that joined the city over the years. Although the central part of Syracuse is flat, many of its neighborhoods are located on small hills such as University Hill and Tipperary Hill. Land to the north of Syracuse is generally flat while land to the south is hilly.

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Major parks in the area include Burnet Park on Tipperary Hill, Onondaga Lake Park and Kirk Park (connected) in Strathmore, and Thornden Park between the University Hill and Westcott neighborhoods. Burnet Park is home to the Rosamond Gifford Zoo. Also worth mentioning is Schiller Park in the Near Northeast neighborhood, and Sunnycrest Park in Eastwood.

Related Topics:
Burnet Park - Tipperary Hill - Onondaga Lake Park - Kirk Park - Strathmore - Thornden Park - University Hill - Westcott - Rosamond Gifford Zoo - Schiller Park - Near Northeast - Sunnycrest Park - Eastwood

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About 27 percent of Syracuse's land area is covered by 890,000 trees - a higher percentage than Albany, Rochester or Buffalo. This is despite the Labor Day Storm of 1998, which destroyed approximately 3,000 trees. The sugar maple accounts for 14.2 percent of Syracuse's trees, followed by the Northern white cedar (9.8 percent) and the European buckthorn (6.8 percent).

Related Topics:
Sugar maple - Northern white cedar - European buckthorn

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The most common street tree is the Norway maple (24.3 percent) followed by the honeylocust (9.3 percent).

Related Topics:
Norway maple - Honeylocust

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The densest tree cover in Syracuse is in the two Valley neighborhoods, with 46.6 percent of their land covered by trees. The lowest tree cover percentage is found downtown, which consists of only 4.6 percent trees.

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