This year's tree came from East Greenbush, a suburb of Albany, the capital of New York State.

The 75-foot-tall (23 meters) Norway Spruce covered a journey of roughly 240 kilometers (150 miles) south on a flatbed truck, piquing onlookers' curiosity along the way.

The tree was donated by homeowner Judy Russ and her family. She said it was planted by her husband's great-grandparents in the 1920s.

"For this to now become the center of New York City Christmas is incredible," Russ told 1010 WINS radio station.

Tree installed at iconic Rockefeller Center skating rink 
 

The towering, 11-ton (9,9980 kg) tree was hoisted at the famous ice skating rink at 30 Rockefeller Plaza using a crane while crowds looked on.

The tree will soon be adorned with more than 50,000 multicolored, energy-efficient LED lights and crowned with a Swarovski star weighing 900 pounds (408 kilograms).

The Christmas tree's lighting will be held on December 3, in a ceremony hosted by country music star Reba McEntire which will be broadcast live on television.

The tree will remain on display until mid-January.

Once it is removed from the skating rink, the tree will be milled into lumber for use by the affordable housing nonprofit Habitat for Humanity.