New York State is part of the Mid-Atlantic States along with Pennsylvania and New Jersey. To distinguish it from the city of New York City, the state of New York is mainly spoken of. Both the state and city of New York take their names from the 17th-century living James Stuart, Duke of York, later Kings James II and VII of England and Scotland. New York City, the largest city in the United States, is world-renowned as a financial, transportation and cultural center and for its history as the gateway to the United States for immigrants. Ellis Island, the island in the mouth of the Hudson River, served as an immigration station from 1892 to 1954. In the early 17th century, when the first Dutch and English arrived in New York, the Algonquin, Iroquois (Iroquois) and Lenape (Delaware) peoples lived there. The region was first claimed by Henry Hudson, an English navigator who was exploring the area around what is now New York City and sailing up the Hudson River in search of a passage to China on behalf of the Dutch East India Company. He laid the foundations for the colonization of the country by the Dutch in 1609, who established fortified military settlements (forts) first at Fort Orange and then later, in 1624, near the present-day capital of Albany and near Manhattan established colonies. In 1664 the territory was annexed by the British. New York gained its independence on July 9, 1776 and joined the Union on July 26, 1788 as the 11th state. Check topschoolsoflaw.com for brief history of the state of New York.