Alexander Flick 's '' History of New York State '' claims that the title was used as early as 1819 , coinciding with New York surpassing Virginia in population . He does not provide any source for this claim . Further , Flick adds that the term was " universally acknowledged and accepted " by the time that the Erie Canal was completed in 1825 . In a later work , Flick and coauthor John Jacob Anderson claim that " New York is well called the Empire State ... not only because of the vastness of its resources , but because it so conspicuously illustrates the imperial power of law-abiding liberty among the people . " Milton M. Klein proposes in '' The Empire State : A History of New York '' that the name may have accompanied the success of the Black Ball Line in 1818 " because of the signal advantage the regularity of shipping gave to New York 's merchants over those in other coastal cities . " He claims that , by 1820 , it was clear that " Empire State " was in wide use , though he is doubtful that a clear origin of the term will ever be determined . The 1940 '' Guide to the Empire State '' included the following quotation : " ... it would gratify the people of New York if they could discover who first dared that spacious adjective . " New York is widely known by the nickname " Empire State " , and its effects can be seen throughout the state . Manhattan 's Empire State Building opened in 1931 and was the world 's tallest building until the completion of the north tower of the World Trade Center in 1970 . Following the September 11 attacks , the Empire State Building once again became the tallest building in Manhattan until One World Trade Center claimed the title in April 2012 . 1939 New York World 's Fair dubbed the span between the Trylon and N.Y. State Exhibit as The Empire State Bridge . The main offices of state government are located at the Empire State Plaza ( ESP ) in Albany , the state capital . Its most iconic structure is the Erastus Corning Tower , the tallest building in New York outside of New York City . The nickname also led to the state of Georgia becoming known as the " Empire State of the South " during the antebellum period before the American Civil War . During this time , Georgia had the second-largest land area of any state east of the Mississippi River , and it was rapidly industrializing
September 11 attacks
September 11 attacks
Empire State