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Batavia has never been the capital of New York State. Batavia is the county seat of Genesee County in western New York State [half way between Rochester and Buffalo on I-90 (NYS Thruway, exit 48).]
However, a reason that someone may have believed that Batavia once was the capital of New York State is a as follows.
Robert Morris, Jr., a Declaration of Independence signer from the state of Pennsylvania, owned a 3.25 million acre territory in western New York State. In 1792--1793, a group of Dutch bankers, known as the Holland Land Company bought that land. The territory was named the "The Holland Purchase" was also called "The Genesee County." Its eastern border is just west of the Genesee River (empties into Lake Ontario at Rochester, NY). Its western boarder is the Niagara River, the present western border and boundary of the New York State. Its norther border is Lake Ontario and Lake Erie and Pennsylvania is its southern border.
Joseph Ellicott, a famous surveyor was hired by The Holland Land Company in 1798. It took him two years of living outdoors to complete the survey of The Holland Purchase. And it took him another year to lay out townships and establish sites for communities and mills in The Genesee County. Ellicott was named the land agent for the The Holland Land Company.
In 1801, Ellicott established "The Holland Land Office" in Batavia, which was the county seat for Genesee County. At that time, Genesee County was the entire Holland Purchase! Batavia was the core from which the rest of western New York was opened for settlement and development. The phrase "doing a land office business", which denotes an extremely prosperous business, comes from this Holland Land Office.
Batavia is still the county seat of Genesee County. However, the modern Genesee County is just one of the many counties formed from the from the original Genesee County. The Holland Land Office still stands in Batavia. It is now a museum and a National Historic Landmark.
Batavia was the core from which the rest of western New York was opened for settlement and development. I suppose that might have been the reason that someone believed that Batavia was at one time the capital of New York State.
LexAnn Cooper, formerly of Batavia, NY
Wiki User
∙ 11y ago
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What is the capital of Albany?
Albany is the capital city in the State of New York.
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Albany is the capital city in the State of New York.
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No, the capital of New York State is Albany, not New York City.
What is the capital of New York in the US?
Cities do not have capitals. Countries and states have capital cities; a city cannot have a capital city. It makes no sense. The capital of New York State is Albany. New York City is the largest city in New York State, but it is not the capital.
What is the capital for New York and what is the president?
Albany is the capital of the state of New York.
Is the dirty of New York the capital of New York?
Albany is the capital city in the State of New York.
Why is New York City a capital of New York?
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Is New York City the capital of New York state?
No. Currently the capital of New York State is Albany. From 1789-1797, during most of George Washington's presidency, New York City was the capital of the United States. That's why a statue of George Washington is still in downtown New York near the New York Stock Exchange. After 1795, Philadelphia became the capital of the United States during a part of Benjamin Franklin's time.
What city has New York as its capital?
Cities do not have capitals. Furthermore, New York City is not the capital of anything. New York City is the largest city in New York State, but Albany is the state capital.
What city sits on the Hudson River and is also the capital of New York?
Albany is the state capital in New York State.
