Difference between revisions of "New York City" - New World Encyclopedia

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[[Category:cities]]
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{{Ebapproved}}{{Copyedited}}{{Paid}}{{Approved}}{{Images OK}}{{Submitted}}
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[[category:Geography and demographics]]
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{{Infobox Settlement
 +
<!-- See Template:Infobox settlement for additional fields and descriptions —>
 +
| name                    = New York City
 +
| official_name          = The City of New York
 +
| settlement_type        = [[Administrative divisions of New York#City|City]]
 +
| image_skyline          = New-York-Jan2005.jpg
 +
| imagesize              = 250px
 +
| image_caption          = Midtown Manhattan, looking north from the [[Empire State Building]], 2005
 +
| image_flag              = Flag of New York City.svg
 +
| image_seal              = Us-nycsl.png
 +
| nickname                = [[Big Apple|The Big Apple]], Gotham, Center of the Universe, The City That Never Sleeps,<ref>[https://www.dictionary.com/e/big-apple-gotham/ Why is New York City known as "the Big Apple" and "Gotham?"] ''Dictionary.com''. Retrieved January 6, 2022.</ref> and others
 +
| image_map              = Map of New York highlighting NYC.jpg
 +
| map_caption            = Location in the state of [[New York]]
 +
| pushpin_map            =
 +
| pushpin_label_position  = left
 +
| pushpin_map_caption    = Location in the [[United States]]
  
 +
| coordinates_display    = inline,title
 +
| coordinates_footnotes  = {{GR|1|dateform=mdy}}
 +
| subdivision_type        = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
 +
| subdivision_name        = [[United States]]
 +
| subdivision_type1      = [[Political divisions of the United States|State]]
 +
| subdivision_name1      = [[New York]]
 +
| subdivision_type2      = [[County (United States)|Counties]]
 +
| subdivision_name2      = [[The Bronx|Bronx]], [[Brooklyn|Kings]], [[Manhattan|New York]], [[Queens]], [[Staten Island|Richmond]]
 +
| established_title      = Settled
 +
| established_date        = 1624
 +
| established_title1      = [[Municipal corporation|Incorporated]]
 +
| established_date1      = 1898
 +
| government_footnotes    =
 +
| government_type        = [[Mayor–council government|Mayor–Council]]
 +
| leader_party            =
 +
| governing_body          = [[New York City Council]]
 +
| leader_title            = [[Mayor of New York City|Mayor]]
 +
| leader_name            = [[Eric Adams]]
 +
| unit_pref              = US<!-- or UK or Metric —>
 +
| area_footnotes          = <ref>[https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2021_Gazetteer/2021_gaz_place_36.txt 2021 U.S. Gazetteer Files] ''U.S. Census Bureau''. Retrieved January 6, 2022.</ref>
 +
| area_total_sq_mi        = 472.43
 +
| area_total_km2          = 1223.59
 +
| area_land_sq_mi          = 300.46
 +
| area_land_km2            = 778.19
 +
| area_water_sq_mi        = 171.97
 +
| area_water_km2          = 445.40
 +
| elevation_footnotes    =
 +
| elevation_ft            = 33
 +
| elevation_m            = 10
 +
| population_rank          = 1st in the United States<br />1st in New York
 +
| population_density_sq_mi = 29302.37
 +
| population_density_km2  = 11313.68
 +
| population_as_of        = 2020
 +
| population_total        = 8804190
 +
| population_footnotes    = <ref>[https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/newyorkcitynewyork/POP010220 QuickFacts: New York city, New York] ''U.S. Census Bureau''. Retrieved January 6, 2022.</ref>
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| population_est          =
 +
| pop_est_as_of            =
 +
| timezone1_DST            = [[Eastern Time Zone|EDT]]
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| population_metro_footnotes =
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| population_metro        = 20,140,470<ref>[https://www.citypopulation.de/en/usa/metro/35620__new_york_newark_jerse/ NEW YORK - NEWARK - JERSEY CITY Metropolitan Statistical Area in USA] ''U.S. Census Bureau'' Retrieved January 6, 2022.</ref> (1st)
 +
| population_demonym      = New Yorker
 +
| timezone1              = [[Eastern Time Zone (North America)|EST]]
 +
| utc_offset1            = -5
 +
| timezone1_DST          = [[Eastern Time Zone (North America)|EDT]]
 +
| utc_offset1_DST        = -4
 +
| postal_code_type        = [[ZIP code|ZIP code(s)]]
 +
| postal_code            = 100xx–104xx, 11004–05, 111xx–114xx, 116xx
 +
| area_code              = 212, 646, 332, 718, 347, 929, 917
 +
| blank_name              = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
 +
| blank_info              = 36-51000
 +
| blank1_name            = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
 +
| blank1_info            = 975772
 +
| website                = [http://www.nyc.gov www.nyc.gov]
 +
| footnotes              =
 +
}}
  
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'''New York City''', officially named the '''City of New York''', is the [[List_of_United_States_metropolitan_statistical_areas_by_population|most populous city]] in the [[United States]], and the most densely populated major city in [[North America]].[[image:New-York-Jan2005.jpg|thumb|right|290px|[[Midtown Manhattan]], looking north from the [[Empire State Building]], 2005]]The city is at the center of international finance, politics, entertainment, and culture, and is one of the world's major [[global city|global cities]] (along with [[London]], [[Tokyo]] and [[Paris]]) with a virtually unrivaled collection of museums, galleries, performance venues, media outlets, international corporations, and stock exchanges. The city is also home to the [[United Nations]], along with all of the international missions associated with it.  
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'''New York City,''' officially named the '''City of New York,''' is the most populous city in the [[United States]], and the most densely populated major city in [[North America]].
  
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Located in the state of [[New York]], New York City has a population of 8.1 million within an area of 309 square miles (800 km&sup2;). It is at the heart of the [[New York Metropolitan Area]], which is one of the largest urban conglomerations in the world with a population of over 22 million. New York City proper comprises five boroughs: [[Brooklyn]], the [[The Bronx|Bronx]], [[Manhattan]], [[Queens]], and [[Staten Island]], with all but the last having populations exceeding one million.  
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The city is at the center of international finance, politics, entertainment, and [[culture]], and is one of the world's major global cities (along with [[London]], [[Tokyo]] and [[Paris]]) with a virtually unrivaled collection of [[museum]]s, galleries, performance venues, media outlets, international [[corporation]]s, and [[stock exchange]]s. The city is also home to the [[United Nations]], along with all of the international missions associated with it.  
  
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The city includes large populations of immigrants from over 180 countries who help make it one of the most [[Cosmopolitanism | cosmopolitan]] places on earth.  Many people from all over the United States are also attracted to New York City for its culture, energy, and cosmopolitanism, and by their own hope of making it big in the "[[Big Apple]]."
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Located in the state of [[New York]], New York City has a population of over 8 million within an area of 309 square miles (800 km²). It is at the heart of the New York Metropolitan Area, which is one of the largest urban conglomerations in the world with a population of over 22 million. New York City proper comprises five boroughs: [[Brooklyn]], the [[The Bronx|Bronx]], [[Manhattan]], [[Queens]], and [[Staten Island]], with all but the last having populations exceeding one million.  
  
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The city serves as an enormous engine for the global economy, with an estimated Gross Metropolitan Product of nearly $500 billion, and is home to more [[Fortune 500]] companies than any other place in the United States. If it were a nation, the city would have the 17th highest [[gross domestic product]] in the world, far exceeding that of [[Switzerland]] ($377 billion) and nearly equaling that of [[Russia]] ($586 billion).
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The city includes large populations of immigrants from over 180 countries who help make it one of the most [[Cosmopolitanism|cosmopolitan]] places on earth. Many people from all over the United States are also attracted to New York City for its culture, energy, and diversity, and by their own hope of making it big in the "Big Apple."
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{{toc}}
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{{Infobox City |
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The city serves as an enormous engine for the global economy, with an estimated gross metropolitan product of $1.28 trillion in 2010, and is home to more [[Fortune 500]] companies than any other place in the United States.  
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official_name = City of New York, New York |
 
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nickname = [[The Big Apple]] |
 
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image_flag = Us-nyc.png |
 
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image_seal = Us-nycsl.png |
 
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image_map = Map of New York highlighting NYC.jpg |
 
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map_caption = Location in the state of [[New York]] |
 
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subdivision_type = [[Political subdivisions of New York State#County|Counties]]<br>[[Political subdivisions of New York State#Borough|(Boroughs)]]|
 
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subdivision_name = [[The Bronx|Bronx]] (The Bronx)<br>[[Manhattan|New York]] (Manhattan)<br>[[Queens]] (Queens)<br>[[Brooklyn|Kings]] (Brooklyn)<br>[[Staten Island|Richmond]] (Staten Island)|
 
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leader_title = [[Mayor]] |
 
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leader_name = [[Michael Bloomberg]] (R)|
 
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area_note = |
 
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area_magnitude = 1 E9 |
 
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area_total = 1,214.4 |
 
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area_land = 800.31 |
 
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area_water = 414.09 |
 
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population_as_of = 2004  |
 
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population_note = 21,923,089 ([[New York Metropolitan Area|metropolitan area]]) |
 
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population_total = 8,104,079 (city proper) |
 
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population_density = 10,292 (land) |
 
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timezone = [[Eastern Standard Time|EST]] |
 
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utc_offset = &minus;5 |
 
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timezone_DST = [[Eastern Daylight Time|EDT]] |
 
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utc_offset_DST = &minus;4 |
 
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latitude = 40&deg;47' N |
 
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longitude = 73&deg;58' W |
 
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website = [http://www.nyc.gov City of New York] |
 
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footnotes = |
 
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}}
 
  
 
== History of New York City ==
 
== History of New York City ==
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Long before the arrival of European settlers, the New York City area was inhabited by the [[Lenape]] people, including such tribes as the Manahattoes, Canarsies and [[Raritan (tribe)|Raritan]]; Lenape in canoes met [[Giovanni da Verrazzano]], the first European explorer to enter [[New York Harbor]], in [[1524]]. Following the [[1609]] voyage of [[Henry Hudson]], European settlement began with the founding of the [[United Provinces|Dutch]] [[fur trade|fur trading]] settlement in [[Lower Manhattan]] in [[1613]] later called [[New Amsterdam]] (''Nieuw Amsterdam'') in the southern tip of Manhattan in [[1624]]. Later in [[1626]], [[Peter Minuit]] established a long tradition of shrewd real estate investing when he purchased Manhattan Island and Staten Island from [[Algonquian_peoples|Algonquin]] tribesmen in exchange for trade goods (legend, now long disproved, has it that the island was purchased for $24 worth of glass beads). Minuit's settlement was also a haven for [[Huguenot]]s seeking religious freedom.
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Long before the arrival of [[Europe]]an settlers, the New York City area was inhabited by the Lenape people, including such tribes as the Manahattoes, Canarsies, and Raritan; Lenape in canoes met [[Giovanni da Verrazzano]], the first European explorer to enter New York Harbor, in 1524. Following the 1609 voyage of [[Henry Hudson]], European settlement began with the founding of the [[United Provinces|Dutch]] [[fur trade|fur trading]] settlement in Lower Manhattan in 1613, later called New Amsterdam ''(Nieuw Amsterdam)'' in the southern tip of Manhattan in 1624. In 1626, [[Peter Minuit]] purchased Manhattan Island and Staten Island from [[Algonquian_peoples|Algonquin]] tribesmen in exchange for trade goods. Minuit's settlement was a haven for [[Huguenot]]s seeking religious freedom. New York has ever since been a haven for immigrants seeking freedom from oppression.  
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[[Image:NYC_1848.jpg|thumb|right|280px|New York City and the [[East River]], [[1848]]]]
 
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[[Image:LOC Lower Manhattan New York City World Trade Center August 2001.jpg|right|thumb|280px|The skyline of [[Lower Manhattan]], with the Twin Towers of the [[World Trade Center]] (1973 &ndash; 2001).]]
 
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In [[1664]], [[England|English]] ships captured the city without struggle, and the Dutch formally ceded it to the English in the [[Treaty of Breda]] at the conclusion of the [[Second Anglo-Dutch War]] in [[1667]].  The city was renamed New York, after [[James II of England|James, Duke of York]], and became a royal colony in [[1685]] when James succeeded his [[Charles II of England|brother]] as King of England.
 
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New York was greatly damaged by fire during the [[Battle of Brooklyn]] at the start of the [[American Revolutionary War]], and was occupied by the [[Great Britain|British]] until [[November 25]], [[1783]].  On this date, marked annually thereafter as "Evacuation Day", [[George Washington]] returned to the city and the last British forces left the United States. The [[Continental Congress]] met in New York City under the [[Articles of Confederation]].
 
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On [[September 13]], [[1788]] the [[Philadelphia Convention|United States Constitutional Convention]] temporarily set New York City as the first capital of the U.S, and on [[April 30]], [[1789]] the first [[President of the United States]], George Washington, was inaugurated at [[Federal Hall]] on [[Wall Street]]. [[Philadelphia]] became the next U.S. capital in [[1790]].
 
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During the [[19th century]], the city was transformed by immigration, a visionary development proposal called the [[Commissioners' Plan of 1811]], which expanded the city street grid to encompass all of Manhattan, and the opening of the [[Erie Canal]], which connected the Atlantic port to the vast agricultural markets of the [[Mid-west|Mid-western]] United States and [[Canada]] in [[1819]].  By [[1835]], New York City had surpassed [[Philadelphia]] as the largest city in the United States.  Local politics became dominated by [[Tammany Hall]], a [[United States Democratic Party|Democratic Party]] [[political machine]]. Public-minded members of the old merchant aristocracy pressed for a [[Central Park]], which was opened to a design competition in 1857: it was the first landscape park in an American city.
 
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During the [[American Civil War]] ([[1861]]&ndash;[[1865]]), the city's strong commercial ties to the [[American South|South]], its growing immigrant population, and anger about [[conscription]] led to divided sympathy for both the Union and [[Confederate States of America|Confederacy]], culminating in the [[New York Draft Riot|Draft Riots]] of [[1863]], the worst civil unrest in American history.  After the Civil War, the rate of [[immigration]] from [[Europe]] grew steeply, and New York became the first stop for millions seeking a new and better life in the United States, a role acknowledged by the dedication of the [[Statue of Liberty]] in [[1886]].
 
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In two separate actions in [[1874]] and [[1895]], New York City (and New York County) [[annex]]ed sections of southern [[Westchester County]] known as [[the Bronx]].
 
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In [[1898]], New York City took the political form in which it exists to this day.  Manhattan and the Bronx, though still one county, were established as two separate [[borough]]s and joined together with three other boroughs created from parts of adjacent counties to form the new municipal government originally called "Greater New York". The Borough of [[Brooklyn]] incorporated the independent City of Brooklyn, recently joined to Manhattan by the [[Brooklyn Bridge]], and several municipalities in eastern [[Kings County, New York]]; the Borough of [[Queens]] was created from western Queens County (with the remnant established as [[Nassau County, New York|Nassau County]] in [[1899]]); and The Borough of Staten Island contained all of [[Richmond County, New York|Richmond County]]. All municipal (county, town and city) governments contained within the boroughs were abolished.  In [[1914]], the New York State Legislature created Bronx county, making five counties coterminous with the five boroughs.
 
  
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On [[June 15]], [[1904]] over 1,000 people, mostly German Immigrants, were killed when the steamship [[General Slocum]] caught fire and burned on [[North Brother Island]], in the [[East River]]; and on [[March 25]], [[1911]] the [[Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire]] in [[Greenwich Village]] took the lives of 145 female garment workers, which would eventually lead to great advancements in the city's fire department, building codes, and workplace regulations.
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[[Image:NYC_1848.jpg|thumb|right|400px|New York City and the [[East River]], 1848]]
  
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Throughout the first half of the [[20th century]], the city became a world center for industry, commerce, and communication.  [[Interborough Rapid Transit Company|Interborough Rapid Transit]] (the first New York subway company) began operating in [[1904]], and the railroads operating out of [[Grand Central Terminal]] thrived. New York City became the most populous city in the world in [[1925]], overtaking [[London]], which had reigned for a century. Despite the effects of the [[Great Depression]], the [[1930s]] saw the building of some of the world's tallest skyscrapers, including numerous [[Art-Deco]] masterpieces that are still part of the city's skyline today. Both before and after World War II, vast areas of the city were also reshaped by the rise of the bridges, parks and parkways of coordinator [[Robert Moses]], the greatest proponent of automobile-centered modernist urbanism in America.
+
In 1664, [[England|English]] ships captured the city without struggle, and the Dutch formally ceded it to the English in the Treaty of Breda at the conclusion of the [[Second Anglo-Dutch War]] in 1667. The city was renamed New York, after [[James II of England|James, Duke of York]], and became a royal colony in 1685 when James succeeded his [[Charles II of England|brother]] as King of England.
  
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A post-[[World War II]] economic and residential boom was associated with returning veterans and immigration from Europe, and huge tracts of new housing were constructed in eastern Queens. In [[1951]], the [[United Nations]] relocated from its first headquarters in [[Flushing Meadows Park]], Queens, to the East Side of Manhattan.  Like many U.S. cities, New York suffered population decline, an erosion of its industrial base, and race riots in the [[1960s]], and by the [[1970s]], the city had gained a reputation for being a crime-ridden relic of history. In [[1975]], the city government was on the brink of financial collapse and had to restructure its debt through the Municipal Assistance Corporation, headed by [[Felix Rohatyn]]. The city was also forced to accept increased scrutiny of its finances by an agency of [[New York State]] called the Financial Control Board.
+
New York was greatly damaged by fire during the [[Battle of Brooklyn]] at the start of the [[American Revolutionary War]], and was occupied by the [[Great Britain|British]] until November 25, 1783. On this date, marked annually thereafter as "Evacuation Day," [[George Washington]] returned to the city and the last British forces left the [[United States]]. The [[Continental Congress]] met in New York City under the [[Articles of Confederation]].  
  
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The [[1980s]] saw a rebirth of [[Wall Street]], and the city reclaimed its role at the center of the world-wide financial industry. In the [[1990s]], crime rates dropped drastically and the outflow of population turned around, as the city once again became the destination not only of immigrants from around the world, but of many U.S. citizens seeking to live a cosmopolitan lifestyle that only New York City can offer. In the late [[1990s]], the city benefited disproportionately from the success of the financial services industry during the [[dot com boom]], one of the factors in a decade of booming residential and commercial real estate value increases.
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On September 13, 1788, the [[Philadelphia Convention|United States Constitutional Convention]] temporarily set New York City as the first capital of the U.S., and on April 30, 1789, the first [[President of the United States]], George Washington, was inaugurated at [[Federal Hall]] on [[Wall Street]]. [[Philadelphia]] became the next U.S. capital in 1790.
  
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New York City was the site of a [[September 11, 2001 attacks|terrorist attack]] on [[September 11]], [[2001]], when nearly 3,000 people were killed by an [[al-Qaeda]] terrorist strike on the [[World Trade Center]], including New Yorkers employed in the buildings, passengers and crew on two commercial [[jetliners]], and hundreds of [[New York City Fire Department|firemen]], policemen, and rescue workers who came to the aid of the disaster.  Thick, acrid smoke continued to pour out of its ruins for months following the Twin Towers' fiery collapse.  The city has since rebounded and the physical cleanup of [[Ground Zero]] was completed ahead of schedule. The [[Freedom Tower]], intended to be exactly 1,776 feet tall (a number symbolic of the year the [[United States Declaration of Independence|Declaration of Independence]] was written), is to be built on the site and is slated for construction between [[2006]] and [[2010]].
+
During the nineteenth century, the city was transformed by [[immigration]], a visionary development proposal called the [[Commissioners' Plan of 1811]], which expanded the city street grid to encompass all of Manhattan, and the opening of the [[Erie Canal]], which connected the Atlantic port to the vast [[agriculture|agricultural]] markets of the [[Midwest|Midwestern]] United States and [[Canada]] in 1819. By 1835, New York City had surpassed [[Philadelphia]] as the largest city in the United States. Local politics became dominated by [[Tammany Hall]], a [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]] [[political machine]]. Public-minded members of the old merchant aristocracy pressed for a [[Central Park]], which was opened to a design competition in 1857—it was the first landscaped park in an American city.
  
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Over the next ten years, the city expects a wave of public and private-sector building projects to reshape large sections of the city, and a residential construction boom has resulted in permits being issued for over 25,000 new residential units every year.
+
During the [[American Civil War]] (1861–1865), the city's strong commercial ties to the [[American South|South]], its growing immigrant population, and anger about [[conscription]] led to divided sympathy for both the Union and [[Confederate States of America|Confederacy]], culminating in the [[New York Draft Riot|Draft Riots]] of 1863, one of the worst events of civil unrest in American history. After the Civil War, the rate of immigration from [[Europe]] grew steeply, and New York became the first stop for millions seeking a new and better life in the United States, a role acknowledged by the dedication of the [[Statue of Liberty]] in 1886.
  
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==Boroughs and neighborhoods==
+
In 1898, New York City took the political form in which it exists to this day. Manhattan and the Bronx, though still one county, were established as two separate [[borough]]s and joined together with three other boroughs created from parts of adjacent counties to form the new municipal government originally called "Greater New York." The Borough of Brooklyn, incorporated the independent city of Brooklyn and several municipalities in eastern Kings County, New York; the Borough of Queens was created from western Queens County (with the remnant established as Nassau County in 1899); and The Borough of Staten Island contained all of Richmond County. All municipal (county, town, and city) governments contained within the boroughs were abolished. In 1914, the New York State Legislature created Bronx County, making five counties coterminous with the five boroughs.
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[[Image:300px-5 Boroughs Labels New York City Map Julius Schorzman.png|right|300px|The five boroughs: '''<font color="#2a3d94">1: Manhattan</font>''', '''<font color="#f4cc0b">2: Brooklyn</font>''', <br />'''<font color="ef7b2c">3: Queens</font>''', '''<font color="#dc382c">4: Bronx</font>''', '''<font color="#8a3687">5: Staten Island</font>''']]
 
  
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Residents of the city often refer to the city itself as "[[Five Boroughs|the Five Boroughs]]," reserving the phrase "the City" for Manhattan, and referring to the other boroughs as "the Outer Boroughs", a term that some find pejorative or condescending. However, as more [[Manhattanite|Manhattanites]] migrate outwards, fleeing sky-high rents, this usage is on the decline.  Nonetheless, those less familiar with the city often (incorrectly) think Manhattan is synonymous with New York City. Through the boroughs, there are hundreds of [[neighborhood]]s in the city, many with a definable history and character all their own.
+
On June 15, 1904, over 1,000 people, mostly [[Germany|German]] immigrants, were killed when the steamship ''[[General Slocum]]'' caught fire and burned on North Brother Island, in the [[East River]]; and on March 25, 1911, the [[Triangle Shirtwaist Company fire]] in [[Greenwich Village]] took the lives of 145 female garment workers. These events would eventually lead to advancements in the city's fire department, building codes, and workplace regulations.
  
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*[[Manhattan]] (New York County, pop. 1,564,798) is the business center of the city, and the most superlatively urban. It is the most densely populated, and the home of most of the city's [[skyscraper]]s. {{see|List of Manhattan neighborhoods}}
+
Throughout the first half of the twentieth century, the city became a world center for industry, commerce, and communication. Interborough Rapid Transit (the first New York [[subway]] company) began operating in 1904, and the [[railroad]]s operating out of [[Grand Central Terminal]] thrived. New York City became the most populous city in the world in 1925, overtaking [[London]]. Despite the effects of the [[Great Depression]], the 1930s saw the building of some of the world's tallest skyscrapers, including numerous [[Art Deco]] masterpieces that are still part of the city's skyline today. Both before and after [[World War II]], vast areas of the city were reshaped by the rise of the bridges, parks, and parkways of coordinator [[Robert Moses]], the greatest proponent of automobile-centered modernist urbanism in America.
  
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*[[The Bronx]] (Bronx County, pop. 1,363,198) is known as the purported birthplace of [[hip hop]] culture, as well as being the home of the [[New York Yankees]]. Excluding its minor islands, the Bronx is the only borough of the city that is on the mainland of the United States. {{see|List of Bronx neighborhoods}}
+
[[Image:LOC Lower Manhattan New York City World Trade Center August 2001.jpg|right|thumb|400px|The skyline of Lower Manhattan, with the Twin Towers of the [[World Trade Center]] (1973–2001).]]
 +
A post-World War II economic and residential boom was associated with returning veterans and immigration from Europe, and huge tracts of new housing were constructed in eastern Queens. In 1951, the [[United Nations]] relocated from its first headquarters in Flushing Meadows Park, Queens, to the East Side of Manhattan. Like many U.S. cities, New York suffered population decline, an erosion of its industrial base, and race riots in the 1960s, and by the 1970s, the city had gained a reputation for being a [[crime]]-ridden relic of history. In 1975, the city government was on the brink of financial collapse and had to restructure its debt through the Municipal Assistance Corporation, headed by [[Felix Rohatyn]]. The city was also forced to accept increased scrutiny of its finances by an agency of New York State called the Financial Control Board. The 1980s saw a rebirth of [[Wall Street]], and the city reclaimed its role at the center of the worldwide financial industry.  
  
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*[[Brooklyn]] (Kings County, pop. 2,472,523) is the most populous borough, with a strong native identity. It ranges from a business district downtown to large residential tracts in the central and south-eastern areas. {{see|List of Brooklyn neighborhoods}}
+
[[Organized crime]] has been associated with New York City since the early twentieth century, when legendary [[mobster]]s roamed and controlled certain areas of the city and many businesses. In the 1980s, prosecutors like [[Rudolph Giuliani]] became famous for successfully prosecuting notorious crime bosses, restoring faith in the American justice system.
  
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*[[Queens]] (Queens County, pop. 2,225,486) is the most diverse county in the U.S., with more [[immigrant]]s than anywhere else. Geographically it is the largest of the boroughs, and the legacy of its old constituent towns is still evident. It is also the borough that houses [[Shea Stadium]], home of the [[New York Mets]]; two of the three major airports; [[Flushing Meadows Corona Park]] home to the 1939 and 1964 World Fairs; and Arthur Ashe Stadium, site of the annual U.S. Open. {{see|List of Queens neighborhoods}}
+
In the 1990s, as crime rates dropped drastically and the outflow of population turned around, the city once again became the destination of immigrants and U.S. citizens seeking the lifestyle that only New York City could offer. Since 1991, New York City has seen a continuous trend of decreasing crime.  
  
−
*[[Staten Island]] (Richmond County, pop. 459,737) is somewhat isolated and the most [[suburban]] in character of the five boroughs, but has become gradually more integrated into city life in recent decades, particularly since the opening of the [[Verrazano Narrows Bridge]] in [[1964]], an event that bred controversy and even a recent attempt at secession. {{see|List of Staten Island neighborhoods}}
+
New York City was the site of a [[September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks|terrorist attack]] on September 11, 2001, when nearly 3,000 people were killed by an [[al-Qaeda]] terrorist strike on the World Trade Center, including New Yorkers employed in the buildings, passengers and crew on two commercial [[jetliners]], and hundreds of New York City firemen, policemen, and rescue workers who came to the aid of the disaster. Thick, acrid smoke continued to pour out of its ruins for months following the Twin Towers' fiery collapse. The city has since rebounded and the physical cleanup of [[Ground Zero]] was completed ahead of schedule. The [[Freedom Tower]], intended to be exactly 1,776 feet tall (a number symbolic of the year the United States [[Declaration of Independence (United States)|Declaration of Independence]] was written), was built on the site and opened on November 3, 2014.
  
 
==New York City government==
 
==New York City government==
  
−
New York City is governed pursuant to the New York City [[Charter]], as amended. The charter is enacted and amended by the New York State legislature, and occasionally through [[referendum]]. Though subservient to the State of New York, the city enjoys a high degree of legislative and executive autonomy. Like most governmental entities in the United States, the city government is divided into [[executive branch|executive]], [[legislative branch|legislative]] and [[Judicial branch|judicial]] branches.
+
New York City is governed by the New York City Charter. The charter is enacted and amended by the New York State Legislature, and occasionally through [[referendum]]. Though subservient to the state of New York, the city enjoys a high degree of legislative and executive autonomy. Like most governmental entities in the [[United States]], the city government is divided into [[executive branch|executive]], [[legislative branch|legislative]] and [[Judicial branch|judicial]] branches. In 1898, when New York City was consolidated into its present form, all previous town and county governments within it were abolished in favor of the present five boroughs and a unified, centralized city government.
−
 
 
−
The executive branch of New York City is headed by the [[Mayor of New York City|Mayor]], who is elected by direct popular vote. The Mayor of New York City appoints several Deputy Mayors to head major offices within the executive branch of the city government. Deputy Mayors report directly to the Mayor. They are:
 
−
* Deputy Mayor for Operations
 
−
* Deputy Mayor for Economic Development and Rebuilding
 
−
* Deputy Mayor for Policy
 
−
* Deputy Mayor for Administration
 
−
* Deputy Mayor for Legal Affairs
 
−
 
 
−
Legislative power in New York City is vested in a [[unicameral]] City Council, which contains 51 members, each representing a district of approximately 157,000 people. Council members are elected every four years, and the leader of the majority party is called the Speaker. Like most legislative bodies, the City Council is divided into committees which have oversight of various functions of the city government. Bills passed by a simple majority are sent to the mayor, who may sign it into law. If the mayor vetoes the bill, the Council has 30 days to override the veto by a two-thirds majority vote.
 
  
−
Unlike the rest of New York State, New York City does not have typical county courts. Instead, there is a single Civil Court, with a presence in each borough and city-wide jurisdiction, and a Criminal Court for each New York City county which handles lesser criminal offenses and
+
The executive branch of New York City is headed by the [[Mayor of New York City|mayor]], who is elected by direct popular vote. The mayor of New York City appoints several deputy mayors to head major offices within the executive branch of the city government. Deputy mayors report directly to the mayor.  
−
[[domestic violence]] cases, a responsibility shared with the Family Court. Unlike other counties in New York, judges for Family Courts in New York City are appointed for ten year terms by the mayor, instead of being elected.
 
  
−
New York City's [[political geography]] is rather unique among American [[city|cities]]. New York isn't considered an [[independent city]] ''per se'', because it's not independent of the local government unit that contains it. Rather, New York City is made up of five individual counties, each coterminous with a borough: Manhattan is [[New York County, New York|New York County]], Queens is [[Queens County, New York|Queens County]], Brooklyn is [[Kings County, New York|Kings County]], The Bronx is [[Bronx County, New York|Bronx County]] and Staten Island is [[Richmond County, New York|Richmond County]].  
+
Legislative power in New York City is vested in a [[unicameral]] city council, which contains 51 members, each representing a district of approximately 157,000 people. Council members are elected every four years, and the leader of the majority party is called the speaker. Like most legislative bodies, the city council is divided into committees which have oversight of various functions of the city government.
  
−
In the rest of New York State, [[Political_subdivisions_of_New_York_State|political subdivisions]] such as cities are contained within counties. Those living outside of cities in New York State automatically live inside towns. Towns, which are county subdivisions in New York State with governments of their own, can also contain villages, which are roughly comparable to what is thought of as a [[town]] in most of the United States; that is, villages are small incorporated muncipalities with limited taxation powers. Towns in New York State, on the other hand, are organizationally more like New England townships. In [[1898]], when New York City was consolidated into its present form, all previous town and county governments within it were abolished in favor of the present five boroughs and unified, centralized city government.
+
Unlike the rest of New York State, New York City does not have typical county courts. Instead, there is a single civil court, with a presence in each borough and city-wide jurisdiction, and a criminal court for each New York City county, which handles lesser criminal offenses and [[domestic violence]] cases, a responsibility shared with the family court.
  
 
==Geography and climate==
 
==Geography and climate==
 
===Geography===
 
===Geography===
−
[[Image:616px-Waterways_New_York_City_Map_Julius_Schorzman.png|right| New York City waterways: 1. [[Hudson River]], 2. [[East River]], 3. [[Long Island Sound]], 4. [[Newark Bay]], 5. [[Upper New York Bay]], 6. [[Lower New York Bay]], 7. [[Jamaica Bay]], 8. [[Atlantic Ocean]]]]
+
[[Image:CentralParkFromAboveCropped.jpg|400px|thumb|right|[[Central Park]] in Manhattan looking south, February 2005, when the [[Christo]] installation ''The Gates'' was on display in the park (orange "gates" visible in photo)]]  
−
[[Image:CentralParkFromAboveCropped.jpg|250px|thumb|rleft|[[Central Park]] in Manhattan looking south, February 2005, when the [[Christo]] installation [[The Gates]] was on display in the park (orange "gates" visible in photo)]]  
 
−
 
 
−
New York City is located in the middle of the [[Boswash|BosWash megalopolis]], 218 [[mile|mi]] (350 [[kilometre|km]]) driving distance from [[Boston, Massachusetts|Boston]] and 232 [[mile|mi]] (373 [[kilometre|km]]) from [[Washington, D.C.]]  The city is situated on the three major islands of Manhattan, Staten Island, and on western [[Long Island]] (Brooklyn and Queens), as well as on the [[mainland]] in the Bronx. There are also some smaller islands in the surrounding waters, including [[Ellis Island]], [[Governors Island]], [[Liberty Island]], [[Roosevelt Island]], and small islands located in [[Jamaica Bay]].
 
  
−
The [[Hudson River]] flows from the [[Hudson Valley]] into [[New York Bay]], becoming a [[tide|tidal]] [[estuary]] that separates the Bronx and Manhattan from [[New Jersey]].  The [[East River]], really a tidal [[strait]], stretches from the [[Long Island Sound]] to New York Bay, separating the Bronx and Manhattan from Long Island. The [[Harlem River]], another tidal [[strait]] between the East and Hudson Rivers, separates Manhattan from the Bronx.  
+
New York City is located in the middle of what is known as the [[BosWash|BosWash megalopolis]], 218 miles (350 km) driving distance from [[Boston, Massachusetts|Boston]] and 232 miles (373 km) from [[Washington, D.C.]] The city is situated on the three major islands of Manhattan, Staten Island, and on western Long Island (Brooklyn and Queens), as well as on the mainland in the Bronx. There are also some smaller islands in the surrounding waters, including [[Ellis Island]], Governors Island, Liberty Island, Roosevelt Island, and small islands located in Jamaica Bay.
  
−
[[Upper New York Bay]] is surrounded by Manhattan, Brooklyn, Staten Island, and the coast of New Jersey, and is connected by [[the Narrows]] between Brooklyn and Staten Island to [[Lower New York Bay]], which is partially surrounded by Brooklyn, Staten Island, and the coast of New
+
The [[Hudson River]] flows from the [[Hudson Valley]] into New York Bay, becoming a [[tide|tidal]] [[estuary]] that separates the Bronx and Manhattan from New Jersey. The East River, really a [[tidal strait]], stretches from the Long Island Sound to New York Bay, separating the Bronx and Manhattan from Long Island. The [[Harlem River]], another tidal strait between the East and Hudson rivers, separates Manhattan from the Bronx.  
−
Jersey, and opens to the Atlantic Ocean.
 
  
−
The shape of the land has been altered substantially by human intervention, with considerable [[land reclamation]] along the waterfronts since Dutch times, most dramatically in [[Lower Manhattan]], and continuing in modern developments like [[Battery Park City]]. Much of the natural variations in topography have been evened out, particularly in Manhattan (one possible meaning for Manhattan is "island of hills"; in fact, the island was quite hilly before European settlement). A number of smaller islands have been [[artificial island|artificially enlarged]], and the map of islands in [[Jamaica Bay]] has been completely transformed.
+
Upper New York Bay is surrounded by Manhattan, Brooklyn, Staten Island, and the coast of [[New Jersey]], and is connected by the Narrows between Brooklyn and Staten Island to Lower New York Bay, which is partially surrounded by Brooklyn, Staten Island, and the coast of New Jersey, and opens to the [[Atlantic Ocean]].
  
 
===Climate===
 
===Climate===
−
New York has a [[humid continental]] climate, though being adjacent to water it suffers less temperature fluctuation than inland areas. New York winters are typically cold (though not severely so; temperatures below 0 °F (-18 °C) only occur about once per decade on average) temperatures in the 10's and 20's are quite common at the height of winter, and New York winters sometimes feature snowstorms that can paralyze the city with over a foot (30 cm) of snow (such as the [[Blizzard of 1888]], which led to the city's telephone and telegraph lines moving underground and led to the building of the subway). Paralyzing blizzards also hit in December 1946, February 1969 (the so-called Lindsay snowstorm), February 1978, February 1983, January 1996, and February 2003. Springs are mild, averaging in the 50s °F (10 to 15 °C) in late March to the lower 80s °F (25 to 30 °C) in early June. Thunderstorms are common in spring and summer, although severe weather is more common west of the city in [[New Jersey]] because the city's proximity to the ocean usually kills severe thunderstorms before they hit the city. Hurricanes are considered to be a major threat to the area (and especially the Long Island suburbs); while relatively infrequent compared to areas south and east, a direct hit could cause large loss of life and billions of dollars in damage due to the high population in coastal areas. Summers in New York are hot and humid, with temperatures commonly exceeding 90 °F (32 °C), although high temperatures above 100 °F (38 °C) are about as rare as subzero (F) lows in winter, humidity levels are usually quite high in July and August. Autumns are comfortable in New York and similar to spring in temperature. However, the weather is notably unpredictable, with mild, almost snowless winters (such as in 1997-98) and relatively cool summers (such as in 1992) an occasional surprise, and huge snowstorms arriving as late as the second week in April (significant snow after mid-March is fairly rare though). Temperatures have been as high as 106 °F (41 °C) set on [[July 9]], [[1936]] or have dipped as low as -15 °F (-26 °C) set on [[February 9]], [[1934]]. These temperatures are not common and have not been matched or surpassed in more than six [[decades]]. Most recently, temperatures have hit 100 degrees as recently as July 2005 and dropped below zero as recently as January 2004. New York can have excessive days of rain or long streches of dry weather. Travelers are advised to check forecasts and bring several layers of clothing in late fall and in the early spring months (e.g., November, March, April) as temperatures are flucuate quickly at these times of year.
+
New York City has a [[humid continental]] climate, though being adjacent to water it suffers less temperature fluctuation than inland areas. New York winters are typically cold (though not severely so; temperatures below 0°F (-18°C) only occur about once per decade on average). Temperatures in the 10s and 20s (°F) are quite common at the height of winter and New York winters sometimes feature snowstorms that can paralyze the city with over a foot (30 cm) of snow (such as the Blizzard of 1888, which led to the city's telephone and telegraph lines moving underground, and led to the building of the subway). Summers in New York are hot and humid, with temperatures commonly exceeding 90°F (32°C), although high temperatures above 100°F (38°C) are about as rare as subzero (°F) lows in winter. Humidity levels are usually quite high in July and August. Autumns are comfortable in New York and similar to spring in temperature.
−
 
 
−
According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the city has a total area of 1,214.4 [[square kilometer|km&sup2;]] (468.9 [[square mile|mi&sup2;]]). 785.6 km&sup2; (303.3 mi&sup2;) of it is land and 428.8 km&sup2; (165.6 mi&sup2;) of it is water. The total area is 35.31% water. Although most of the city is adequately above sea level, parts of it could be threatened in the future if the current patterns of global warming continue.
 
  
 
==Demographics==
 
==Demographics==
−
[[image:Newyorkstreetscene.JPG|225px|thumb|left|A typically diverse group of New Yorkers on [[Fifth Avenue]] in [[Midtown Manhattan]].]]
+
New York City is the most populous city in the United States, and the nation's most densely populated of all municipalities (of more than 100,000).  
−
 
 
−
As of the [[census]]{{GR|2}} of [[2000]], there are 8,008,278 people, 3,021,588 households, and 1,852,233 families residing in the city. The [[population density]] is 10,194.2/km&sup2; (26,402.9/mi&sup2;). There are 3,200,912 housing units at an average density of 4,074.6/km&sup2; (10,553.2/mi&sup2;). The racial makeup of the city is 44.66% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 26.59% [[African American (U.S. Census)|Black]] or [[Race (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.52% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 9.83% [[Asian]], 0.07% [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], 13.42% from [[Race (U.S. Census)|other races]], and 4.92% from two or more races. 26.98% of the population are [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race. 35.9% of the population was born outside the United States of America (18.9% born in Latin America, 8.6% Asia, 7.0% Europe). The ethnic makeup is 11.5% [[African-American]], 9.8% [[Puerto Rican]], 8.7% [[Italian-American|Italian]], 5.3% [[Irish American|Irish]], 5.1% [[Dominican Republic|Dominican]], 4.5% [[Chinese-American|Chinese]], and 1.7% [[Filipino-American|Filipino]].
 
−
{| class="wikitable" style="float:right; margin-left:3px; text-size:80%; text-align:right"
 
−
|align=center colspan=2| '''City of New York <br>Population by year'''
 
−
|-
 
−
|[[1790]] || 33,131
 
−
|-
 
−
|[[1800]] ||60,515
 
−
|-
 
−
|[[1810]] ||96,373
 
−
|-
 
−
|[[1820]] ||123,706
 
−
|-
 
−
|[[1830]] || 202,589
 
−
|-
 
−
|[[1840]] ||312,710
 
−
|-
 
−
|[[1850]] ||515,547
 
−
|-
 
−
|[[1860]] ||813,669
 
−
|-
 
−
|[[1870]] || 942,292
 
−
|-
 
−
|[[1880]] || 1,206,299
 
−
|-
 
−
|[[1890]] || 1,515,301
 
−
|-
 
−
|[[1900]] || 3,437,202
 
−
|-
 
−
|[[1910]] || 4,766,883
 
−
|-
 
−
|[[1920]] || 5,620,048
 
−
|-
 
−
|[[1930]] || 6,930,446
 
−
|-
 
−
|[[1940]] || 7,454,995
 
−
|-
 
−
|[[1950]] || 7,891,957
 
−
|-
 
−
|[[1960]] || 7,781,984
 
−
|-
 
−
|[[1970]] || 7,894,862
 
−
|-
 
−
|[[1980]] || 7,071,639
 
−
|-
 
−
|[[1990]] || 7,322,564
 
−
|-
 
−
|[[2000]] || 8,008,278
 
−
|}
 
  
−
New York City is also home to the nation's largest community of [[American Jews]], with an estimate of 972,000 in 2002, and is the worldwide headquarters of the [[Hasidic]] [[Lubavitch]] sect and the [[Bobov]]er and [[Satmar]] branches of Hasidism.  
+
Throughout its history, New York has been a major port of entry for immigrants into the United States. More than 12 million European immigrants were received at Ellis Island between 1892 and 1924. The term "melting pot" was first coined to describe densely populated immigrant neighborhoods on the Lower East Side. By 1900, Germans constituted the largest immigrant group, followed by the Irish, Jews, and Italians. In 1940, Whites represented 92 percent of the city's population. Today, approximately 37 percent of the city's population is foreign-born. No single country or region of origin dominates.
 
   
 
   
−
There are 3,021,588 households with a median income of $38,293; 29.7% contain children under the age of 18 and 37.2% are [[Marriage|married couples]] living together.  19.1% have a single female householder, and 38.7% are non-families.  31.9% of all households are made up of individuals and 9.9% are single residents 65 years of age or older.  The average household size is 2.59 and the average family size is 3.32.
+
===Religion===
−
 
+
Largely a result of Western European missionary work and colonialism, [[Christianity]] is the largest religion in New York City, with large numbers of both [[Roman Catholics]] and [[Protestants]], with smaller numbers of other Christian denominations. The Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan contains the shrine and burial place of Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini (Mother Cabrini), the patron saint of immigrants.
−
[[Per capita income]] is $22,402; men and women have a median income of $37,435 and $32,949 respectively.  21.2% of the population and 18.5% of families are below the [[poverty line]], of whom 30.0% are under the age of 18 and 17.8% are 65 and older.
 
−
 
 
−
In the city the population is spread out with 24.2% under the age of 18, 10.0% from 18 to 24, 32.9% from 25 to 44, 21.2% from 45 to 64, and 11.7% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 34 years. For every 100 females there are 90.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 85.9 males.
 
−
 
 
−
New York City's [[unemployment]] rate in March of [[2005]] was 5.2%, identical to the nationwide rate.
 
−
 
 
−
According to the U.S. Census, New York City has the largest estimated daytime population, at more than 8.5 million persons. The increase of more than half a million people over the nighttime population is bigger than that found in any other area. However, the 7 percent increase puts New York in the middle of the pack on percentage change among cities with more than a million residents.
 
  
−
===Crime===
+
[[Judaism]], with over a million adherents, more than half of whom live in [[Brooklyn]], is the second largest religion and represents the largest metropolitan Jewish population outside [[Tel Aviv]], [[Israel]]. The largest Jewish denominations were Orthodox, Haredi, and Conservative Judaism. Reform Jewish communities are prevalent through the area. Congregation Emanu-El of New York in Manhattan is the largest Reform [[synagogue]] in the world.  
−
Since [[1991]], New York City has seen a continuous fifteen-year trend of decreasing crime and is now the safest large city in the United States. Neighborhoods that were once considered dangerous are now thriving with new businesses and housing, and many residents feel safe to walk the streets late at night.  Violent crime in the city has dropped by 75% in the last twelve years and the murder rate in [[2004]] was at its lowest level in over forty years: there were 572 murders that year, for a murder rate of 7 per 100,000 people, compared to 2,245 murders in [[1990]]. The murder rate is expected to drop even further at the end of [[2005]]. Some feel that the implementation of [[CompStat|COMPSTAT]] crime analysis by the [[New York Police Department]] in [[1994]] is responsible for the positive changes.
 
  
−
Overall, New York City had a rate of 2,801.6 crimes per 100,000 people in [[2004]], compared with 8,959.7 in [[Dallas, Texas|Dallas]]; 7,903.7 in [[Detroit, Michigan|Detroit]]; 7,402.3 in [[Phoenix, Arizona|Phoenix]]; 7,346.8 in [[San Antonio, Texas|San Antonio]]; 7,194.8 in [[Houston, Texas|Houston]]; 5,470.5 in [[Philadelphia, Pennsylvania|Philadelphia]]; 4,376.0 in [[Los Angeles, California|Los Angeles]]; and 4,102.7 in [[San Diego, California|San Diego]].
+
[[Islam]] ranks as the third largest religion in New York City, with over 600,000 observers, including 10 percent of the city's public school children. Powers Street Mosque in Brooklyn is one of the oldest continuously operating [[mosque]]s in the U.S., and the first Islamic organization in the city and state.
  
−
New Yorkers are famous for doing things "bigger and better," and this sometimes applies to criminal activity: [[Organized crime]] has been associated with New York City since the early 20th Century, when legendary [[mobster]]s [[Arnold Rothstein]], [[Meyer Lansky]], and [[Lucky Luciano]] transformed it, although later decades are more famous for Mafia prosecutions (and prosecutors like [[Rudolph Giuliani]]) than for the influence of the [[Italian_Mafia#Mafia_in_the_United_States|Five Families]]. Another notorious crime story is the serial killings by the "[[Son of Sam]]", who on [[July 29]], [[1976]] began a series of attacks that terrorized the city for the next year.
+
Following these three largest religious groups in New York City are [[Hinduism]], [[Buddhism]], [[Sikhism]], [[Zoroastrianism]], and a variety of other religions, as well as [[atheism]].
−
 
 
−
For New York City crime Statistics see the NYPD's [http://www.nyc.gov/html/nypd/html/pct/cspdf.html Precinct Crime Statistics page].
 
  
 
==Economy==
 
==Economy==
−
[[Image:New_York_Stock_Exchange_Flags.jpg|right|215px|thumb|[[New York Stock Exchange]] (June 2003)]]
+
[[Image:New_York_Stock_Exchange_Flags.jpg|right|300px|thumb|[[New York Stock Exchange]] (June 2003)]]
  
−
Historically, the city developed because of New York Harbor, widely considered one of the finest natural [[port]]s in the world. The value of this port was greatly expanded upon in 1819 with the opening of the [[Erie Canal]], which gave New York an enormous advantage over the competing ports of [[Boston]] and [[Philadelphia]]. The old port facility was at the [[South Street Seaport]] in Manhattan, but today there is still residual activity remaining at [[Red Hook, Brooklyn|Red Hook]] in Brooklyn, and the [[Howland Hook Marine Terminal]] in Staten Island. Red Hook, for instance, handles the majority of the cacao bean imports to the United States. Since the [[1950s]], most shipping activity in the area has shifted to [[Port Newark-Elizabeth Marine Terminal]] in [[New Jersey]]. But despite changes in international shipping, [[trade]] and the [[Tertiary sector of industry|tertiary sector]] have always remained the real basis of New York's economy.
+
Historically, the city developed because of New York Harbor, widely considered one of the finest natural ports in the world. The value of this port was greatly expanded in 1819 with the opening of the [[Erie Canal]], which gave New York an enormous advantage over the competing ports of [[Boston]] and [[Philadelphia]]. The old port facility was at the South Street Seaport in Manhattan, but today there is still residual activity remaining at Red Hook in Brooklyn, and the Howland Hook Marine Terminal in Staten Island. Red Hook handles the majority of the cacao bean imports to the United States. Since the 1950s, most shipping activity in the area has shifted to the Port Newark-Elizabeth Marine Terminal in New Jersey. Despite changes in international shipping, trade and the tertiary sector of industry have always remained the real basis of New York's economy.
  
−
Manufacturing first became a major economic base for New York City in the mid-nineteenth century with the advent of industrialization and the railroad. New York was formerly a national center for [[clothing]] manufacture, and some continues, sometimes in [[sweatshop]]s. There are still around 120,000 manufacturing jobs in the city compared to over a million in the middle of the 20th century. Like international shipping, though, manufacturing gradually declined in the late-twentieth century with rising land values. The city was also a first center of the [[Cinema of the United States|American film]] industry, along with [[Chicago, Illinois]], until it moved to [[Hollywood, California]], and still has some television and movie production.
+
[[Manufacturing]] first became a major economic base for New York City in the mid-nineteenth century with the advent of [[industrialization]] and the [[railroad]]. New York was formerly a national center for clothing manufacturing. There are still around 120,000 manufacturing jobs in the city compared to over a million in the middle of the twentieth century. Like international shipping, though, manufacturing gradually declined in the late-twentieth century with rising land values. The city was also a pioneering center for the [[Film industry (United States)|American film industry]]. Today, New York City is the chief center of finance in the world economy, with Wall Street in Lower Manhattan's Financial District. Financial markets based in the city include the [[New York Stock Exchange]], [[NASDAQ]], [[American Stock Exchange]], [[New York Mercantile Exchange]], and [[New York Board of Trade]]. Many [[corporation]]s also have their headquarters in New York.
  
−
Today, New York City is the chief center of [[finance]] in the [[world economy]], with [[Wall Street]] in [[Lower Manhattan]]'s [[The Financial District (Manhattan)|Financial District]]. [[Financial markets]] based in the city include the [[New York Stock Exchange]], [[NASDAQ]], [[American Stock Exchange]], [[New York Mercantile Exchange]], and [[New York Board of Trade]]. [[List of major corporations based in New York City|Many corporations]] also have their headquarters in New York.
+
New York is also the center of many service sector industries in the U.S., with more [[Fortune 500]] companies headquartered in the city than anywhere else in the country. The city is an important center for American [[mass media]], [[journalism]], and [[publishing]]. Manhattan's Madison Avenue is synonymous with the American [[advertising]] industry, while Seventh Avenue is nicknamed "Fashion Avenue" as it serves as an important center for the fashion industry. Ninety percent of the [[diamond]]s imported to the United States pass through New York, and most of these are handled and cut in the city's Diamond District on 47th Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. New York is also an important center for art, music, and theater in the U.S.
  
−
New York is also the center of many of the [[service sector]] industries in the U.S., with more [[Fortune 500]] companies headquartered in the city than anywhere else in the country (including companies as prominent and diverse as [[Altria Group]], [[Time Warner]], [[American International Group]], [[Pfizer]], [[Bristol-Myers Squibb]], [[JetBlue]], [[DC Comics]], [[Estée Lauder]], [[Sony Music Entertainment]], and many others). The city is by far the most important center for American [[mass media]], [[journalism]] and [[publishing]]. Manhattan's [[Madison Avenue]] is synonymous with the American [[advertising]] industry, while [[Seventh Avenue]] is nicknamed "fashion avenue" as it serves as an important center for the [[fashion]] industry. Ninety percent of the diamonds imported to the United States pass through New York, and most of these are handled and cut in the city's Diamond District on 47th Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. New York also has among the most important scenes for [[art]], [[music]], and [[theater]] in the U.S., with an increasingly active artists' community. The city also has a large [[tourism]] industry.
+
==Culture of New Yorkers==
−
 
+
[[Image:Arch in washington square park 02.jpg|right|thumb|300px|The Washington Square Arch in [[Greenwich Village]], Manhattan.]]
−
New York City's estimated gross metropolitan product of US$488.8 billion in [[2003]] was the largest of any city in the U.S. and the sixth largest if compared to any U.S. State. If it were a nation, the city would have the 16th highest [[gross domestic product]] in the world, exceeding that of [[Belgium]] ($387 billion), and the second highest [[List of countries by GDP (PPP) per capita|per capita GDP]] in the world, at about $59,000/head, about $7,000/head lower than [[Luxembourg]].
 
  
−
==Culture of New Yorkers==
+
New York City, sometimes called "The City That Never Sleeps," is famously fast-paced and active, and the American idiom "in a New York minute" means "immediately." New York City residents are called "New Yorkers." Residents of the metropolitan area generally refer to New York City (or sometimes just Manhattan) as "The City," or "New York," and the acronym "NYC," as opposed to just "NY," helps to avoid confusing references tothe state of New York. The nickname most used for New York City is the "Big Apple."
−
[[Image:Arch in washington square park 02.jpg|right|thumb|200px|The Washington Square Arch in [[Greenwich Village]], Manhattan.]]
 
  
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New York City, sometimes called "The City That Never Sleeps," is famously fast-paced and active, and the American [[idiom]] "in a New York minute" means "immediately."  The [[stereotype|stereotypical]] "hard-boiled New Yorker" has a reputation as self-centered, rude, and impatient, and takes pride in the crowds, noise, and hardships of city life and often writes-off other cities as "not real cities".  New York City residents are called "New Yorkers," although this term may also refer to [[suburb]]anites, and there is some use of borough-specific identifications, such as Manhattanites, [[Bronx]]ites, [[Brooklyn]]ites, Queensites and Staten Islanders.  Residents of the metropolitan area generally refer to New York City (or sometimes just Manhattan) as "The City," or "New York," and the acronym "NYC", as opposed to just "NY", helps to avoid confusing references to the [[State of New York]].  Other nicknames attributed to New York City include "[[the Big Apple]]", "[[Gotham]]", "the Naked City", "the Capital of the World", and the slogan introduced in 2005 by Mayor Bloomberg in an effort to win a bid for the 2012 Olympic Games, "the World's Second Home."
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Because of traffic congestion and the well-designed [[New York Subway]], six in ten residents, including many middle class professionals, commute to work via public transportation, making the everyday lifestyle and "pedestrian culture" of New Yorkers substantially different from the "car culture" that dominates most American cities. This pattern is strongest in Manhattan, where subway service is better and traffic is worse than in the outer boroughs.  
  
 
===Immigration and international flavor===
 
===Immigration and international flavor===
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[[Image:Jackson_Heights_2.jpg|thumb|right|400px|Jackson Heights, Queens, is among the world's most diverse communities. Regardless of ethnic origin, all groups share a common identity as New Yorkers.]]
  
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New York absorbs a greater diversity of immigrant groups than any other American city, and it absorbs a larger number of immigrants every day than all other U.S. city except [[Los Angeles]], giving New York an international flavor, and making it the archetype of the American ideal of a [[melting pot]] &ndash; a nation of immigrants. The city government employs translators in 180 languages.
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New York absorbs a greater diversity of immigrant groups than any other American city, and it absorbs a larger number of immigrants every day than all other U.S. cities except [[Los Angeles]]. Its international flavor makes it the archetype of the American ideal of a melting pot—a nation of blended cultures. The city government employs translators in 180 languages.
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[[Image:Liberty-statue-with-manhattan.jpg|thumb|200px|right|The [[Statue of Liberty]] in [[Upper New York Bay]] has welcomed many immigrants to the city.]]
 
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[[Image:Jackson_Heights_2.jpg|thumb|right|200px|[[Jackson Heights]], [[Queens, NY|Queens]] is among the world's most diverse communities.]]
 
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The five boroughs are home to many distinct [[ethnic enclave]]s of [[Ireland|Irish]], [[Italy|Italians]], [[Philippines|Filipinos]],  [[Greeks]], [[China|Chinese]], [[Romania|Romanians]], [[Korea]]ns, [[Nuyorican|Puerto Ricans]], [[Dominican Republic|Dominicans]], [[Jamaica|Jamaicans]], [[Harlem|African-Americans]],[[Haiti|Haitians]], [[Iran|Iranians]], [[Arab world|Arabs]], [[Judaism|Jews]], [[South Asia]]ns and many others, and there are also many multi-ethnic neighborhoods where people of different backgrounds coexist comfortably.  Regardless of ethnic origin, all groups share a common identity as New Yorkers.
 
  
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Some celebrated ethnic/racial neighborhoods include [[Harlem]], [[Little Italy, Manhattan|Little Italy]], [[Flushing, Queens, New York|Flushing]], [[Jackson Heights]], [[Chinatown]], [[Washington Heights]], [[Briarwood]], and the [[Lower East Side]].
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Some celebrated ethnic/racial neighborhoods include Harlem, Little Italy, Flushing, Jackson Heights, Chinatown, Washington Heights, Briarwood, and the Lower East Side.
  
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The [[Lower East Side]] and The [[East Village]] are where the term "The Melting Pot" came to be, referring to the droves of people from diverse European nations squeezing into this small, 100 block or so area of tenements, learning to live together for the first time.
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The Lower East Side and The East Village are where the term "melting pot" originated—referring to the droves of people from diverse European nations squeezing into this small, 100-block or so area of tenements, learning to live together for the first time.
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===Commuter culture===
 
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Because of traffic congestion and the well-designed [[New York Subway]], six in ten residents, including many middle class professionals, commute to work via public transportation, making the everyday lifestyle and "pedestrian culture" of New Yorkers substantially different from the "car culture" that dominates most American cities. This pattern is strongest in Manhattan, where subway service is better and traffic is worse than in the outer boroughs.  Even the city's billionaire mayor, [[Michael Bloomberg]], is a "[[straphanger]]" (subway commuter), and can be encountered on the train to [[New York City Hall|City Hall]] each morning. Outside of the city, hundreds of thousands of workers commute daily from throughout the [[Tri-State Area|Tri-State Region]] of New York, New Jersey, and [[Connecticut]] by commuter rail service, particularly [[Metro-North Railroad|Metro-North]], [[Long Island Rail Road|LIRR]], [[New Jersey Transit]], and [[Port Authority Trans-Hudson|PATH]]. A less favored alternative to commuting via rail is the region's outdated and congested highway network.
 
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The great majority of Manhattan residents live in apartments in what is usually seen as a very expensive and crowded housing market, although there are immense neighborhoods of suburban-style homes in the outer boroughs.  The median sale price of a Manhattan apartment in 2004 was $670,000, with prices in the outer boroughs lower but rising.  Many residents rent apartments, and some areas are under [[rent control]] and rent stabilization laws.  With space at a premium, lack of closet space is a common problem, and [[self-storage]] is a strong local industry.
 
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===Current issues===
 
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[[Image:Chinatown-manhattan-2004.jpg|thumb|200px|right|New York City is home to one of the largest [[Chinatown]]s in North America, which is centered around [[Canal Street, Manhattan|Canal Street]] in [[Manhattan]].]]
 
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No other American city has experienced the effects of [[gentrification]] to the same degree that New York City has. Beginning primarily in the [[1990s]], although in [[SoHo|some cases]] earlier, neighborhoods that had been seen as less desirable or unsafe became entirely transformed by the arrival of young professionals, often preceded by artists and "[[hipsters]]".  This process is exemplified by the cases of [[Williamsburg, Brooklyn|Williamsburg]] in Brooklyn and Manhattan's [[East Village]] and [[Lower East Side]].  Even such cultural landmarks such as [[CBGB]] have been forced to close because of the process.  Although gentrification generally has led to lower crime, more business activity, and higher land values, many of the native residents of these communities have been adversely affected by the skyrocketing housing costs associated with these rapid changes.
 
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After the [[September 11, 2001 attacks]], pride in the city and the New York way of life increased for many, though others may have shown signs of paranoia.  Nationally, Americans felt increased solidarity with New Yorkers.  Today, there is a palpable sense of optimism in New York, fear of terrorism has lessened dramatically, and a massive confluence of transportation infrastructure projects promises to greatly expand the city's economic potential.  Drastic reductions in crime have changed "the ungovernable city" of the past into a remarkably civilized place, and recent polls show that a vast majority of New Yorkers think the city "is moving in the right direction."
 
  
 
==Tourism and recreation==
 
==Tourism and recreation==
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[[Image:Manhattan_at_Dusk_by_slonecker.jpg|280px|right|thumb|The [[Empire State Building]], New York City's tallest building]]
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[[Image:Liberty-statue-with-manhattan.jpg|thumb|400px|right|The [[Statue of Liberty]] in Upper New York Bay has welcomed many immigrants to the city.]]
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Tourism is a major local industry, with hundreds of attractions and 39 million tourists visiting the city each year on average. Many visitors make it a point to visit the [[Empire State Building]], [[Times Square]], [[Radio City Music Hall]], the [[Statue of Liberty]], [[Ellis Island]], [[Wall Street]], [[United Nations Headquarters]], the [[American Museum of Natural History]], [[St. Patrick's Cathedral, New York|St. Patrick's Cathedral]] and the [[Brooklyn Bridge]], among other attractions.
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[[Tourism]] is a major local industry, with hundreds of attractions and an average of 39 million tourists visiting the city each year. Many visitors make it a point to visit the [[Empire State Building]], [[Times Square]], [[Radio City Music Hall]], the [[Statue of Liberty]], [[Ellis Island]], [[Wall Street]], [[United Nations Headquarters]], the [[American Museum of Natural History]], [[St. Patrick's Cathedral, New York|St. Patrick's Cathedral]], and the [[Brooklyn Bridge]], among other attractions.
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There are over 28,000 acres (113 km&sup2;) of parkland found throughout New York City, comprising over 1,700 separate parks and playgrounds. The best known of these is [[Central Park]], which is one of the finest examples of [[landscape architecture]] in the world, as well as a major source of recreation for New Yorkers and tourists alike. Other major parks in the city include [[Riverside Park (Manhattan)|Riverside Park]], [[Battery Park (New York) | Battery Park]], [[Bryant Park]], [[Prospect Park (Brooklyn)|Prospect Park]], [[Flushing Meadow-Corona Park]], [[Washington Square Park]], and [[Forest Park (Queens)|Forest Park]]. The city also has 578 miles (930 km) of waterfront and over 14 miles (22 km) of public beaches.
 
  
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Maritime attractions include the [[South Street Seaport]], site of a historic port, and the [[Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum]], housed in a [[World War II]] [[aircraft carrier]] docked on the [[Hudson River]].
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[[Image:Manhattan_at_Dusk_by_slonecker.jpg|300px|right|thumb|The [[Empire State Building]] with the [[Chrysler Building]] behind]]
  
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Shopping is popular with many visitors, with [[Fifth Avenue (Manhattan)|Fifth Avenue]] being a famous shopping corridor for luxury items.  [[Macy's]], the nation's largest department store, and the surrounding area of [[Herald Square]] are a major destination for more moderately-priced goods. In recent years [[23rd Street (Manhattan)|23rd Street]] has become a major location for "big-box" retailers.  In southern Manhattan, [[Greenwich Village]] is home to hundreds of independent music and book stores, while the [[East Village]] continues to prevail as purveyors of all things "strange" and unusual which you can't find anywhere else. The "[[diamond district]]" (located on [[47th Street (Manhattan)|47th Street]] between Fifth and [[Sixth Avenue (Manhattan)|Sixth Avenue]]s) is the city's main location for jewelry shopping, and [[SoHo]], formerly the center of the New York art scene, is now famous for high-priced clothing boutiques, and the art galleries are now concentrated in [[Chelsea, Manhattan|Chelsea]]. There are also large shopping districts found in [[Downtown Brooklyn]] and along [[Queens Boulevard]] in Queens.
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There are over 28,000 acres (113 km²) of parkland found throughout New York City, comprising over 1,700 separate parks and playgrounds. The best known of these is [[Central Park]], which is a great example of landscape architecture, as well as a major source of recreation for New Yorkers and tourists alike. The city also has 578 miles (930 km) of waterfront and over 14 miles (22 km) of public beaches.
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[[Image:Manh_.jpg|thumb|left|130px|[[St. Patrick's Cathedral, New York|St. Patrick's Cathedral]], Manhattan]]
 
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The first [[Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade]] was held in New York on [[November 27]], [[1924]]. Since then this has been an annual event drawing tens of thousands of spectators and in later years millions of [[television]] viewers. Annually on [[New Year's Eve]], hundreds of thousands of people congregate in Times Square to watch the [[New Year's Eve#United States|ball drop]] as millions watch on television.
 
  
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The [[World Trade Center]] was an important tourist destination before the [[September 11, 2001 attacks]], which devastated the city and its tourist industry. The city was nearly devoid of tourists for months, and it took two years for the numbers to fully rebound with fewer international, but more domestic visitors. Now the [[World Trade Center site]] has itself become an important place for visitors to see.
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The World Trade Center was an important tourist destination before the [[September 11, 2001 attacks]], which devastated the city and its tourist industry. The city was nearly devoid of tourists for months, and it took two years for the numbers to fully rebound with fewer international, but more domestic visitors. Now, the World Trade Center site has itself become an important place for visitors to see.<ref>[http://www.projectrebirth.org Project Rebirth] Retrieved January 6, 2022.</ref>
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Many tourists only think of New York in terms of Manhattan, but there are four other boroughs which, if they can't compete in skyscrapers, still offer other kinds of attractions. Brooklyn's old [[Coney Island]] is still a center of seaside recreation, with its [[beach]], [[boardwalk]], and [[amusement park]]s. Many enjoy the spectacular views available from the deck of the [[Staten Island Ferry]]. The [[Bronx Zoo]] is world-famous, and the [[New York Yankees|Bronx Bombers]] don't play in Manhattan. [[Flushing, New York|Flushing, Queens]] is home to the legacy of the [[1964 New York World's Fair]] (including the [[Unisphere]]), the [[U.S. Open (tennis)|U.S. Open in tennis]] and [[Shea Stadium]].
 
  
 
==Cultural institutions==
 
==Cultural institutions==
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New York is a city of great museums with the [[Metropolitan Museum of Art]]'s assemblage of historic art, the [[Museum of Modern Art]] and [[Guggenheim Museum]]'s 20th century collection, and the [[American Museum of Natural History]] and its [[Hayden Planetarium]] focusing on the sciences. There are also many smaller specialty museums, from [[El Museo del Barrio]] with a focus on Latin American cultures to the [[Cooper-Hewitt National Museum of Design]]. A number of the city's museums are located along the [[Museum Mile]] section of [[Fifth Avenue]].
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New York is a city of great [[museum]]s with the [[Metropolitan Museum of Art]]'s assemblage of historic art, the [[Museum of Modern Art]] and [[Guggenheim Museum]]'s twentieth-century collections, and the [[American Museum of Natural History]] and its [[Hayden Planetarium]] focusing on the sciences. A number of the city's museums are located along the Museum Mile section of Fifth Avenue.
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In addition to these museums, the city is also home to a vast array of spaces for [[opera]], [[symphony]], and [[dance]] performances. The largest of these is [[Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts]], which is actually a complex of buildings housing 12 separate companies, including the [[New York Philharmonic]], the [[Metropolitan Opera]], the [[New York City Opera]], the [[New York City Ballet]], and [[Jazz at Lincoln Center]]. Other notable performance halls include [[Carnegie Hall]], [[Radio City Music Hall]], and the [[Brooklyn Academy of Music]].
 
  
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In addition to these museums, the city is also home to a vast array of spaces for [[opera]], [[symphony]], and [[dance]] performances. The largest of these is Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, which is actually a complex of buildings housing 12 separate companies, including the [[New York Philharmonic]], the [[Metropolitan Opera]], the [[New York City Opera]], the [[New York City Ballet]], and [[Jazz at Lincoln Center]]. Other notable performance halls include [[Carnegie Hall]], [[Radio City Music Hall]], and the [[Brooklyn Academy of Music]].
  
 
==Media and entertainment==
 
==Media and entertainment==
  
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Because of its sheer size and cultural influence, New York City has been the subject of many different, and often contradictory, portrayals in mass media. From the sophisticated and worldly metropolis seen in many [[Woody Allen]] films, to the chaotic urban jungle depicted in such movies as [[Martin Scorsese]]'s ''[[Taxi Driver]]'', New York has served as the unwitting backdrop for virtually every conceivable viewpoint on big city life. New York’s portrayal on television is similarly varied, with a disproportionate number of crime dramas taking place in the city despite the fact that it is one of the safest cities in which to live in the United States. New York has also been the setting for countless works of literature, many of them produced by the city’s famously large population of writers (including [[Jonathan Franzen]], [[Don Delillo]], [[Jonathan Safran Foer]], [[Thomas Pynchon]], [[Susan Sontag]], and many others).
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New York City has been the subject of many different, often contradictory, portrayals in [[mass media]]. Because of its sheer size and cultural influence, New York has served as the unwitting backdrop for virtually every conceivable viewpoint on big city life. New York’s portrayal on [[television]] is similarly varied, with a disproportionate number of [[crime drama]]s taking place in the city despite the fact that it is one of the safest cities in which to live in the United States. New York City boasts over 40 daily newspapers in several different languages, including such national heavyweights as the ''[[The Wall Street Journal|Wall Street Journal]]'' (daily circulation of 2.1 million) and the ''[[The New York Times|New York Times]]'' (1.6 million), and America's oldest continuously-published newspaper, the ''[[The New York Post|New York Post]],'' founded in 1801 by [[Alexander Hamilton]].  
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New York City boasts over forty daily newspapers in several different languages, including such national heavyweights as ''[[The Wall Street Journal]]'' (daily circulation of 2.1 million) and ''[[The New York Times]]'' (1.6 million), and America's oldest continuously-published newspaper, ''[[The New York Post]]'', founded in 1801 by [[Alexander Hamilton]].  
 
  
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New York City also has studios, and is the home and broadcasting capital for the four major U.S. [[television network]]s, [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]], [[Columbia Broadcasting System|CBS]] the [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox Network]], and [[National Broadcasting Company|NBC]], as well as news organization [[CNN]], and while the local film industry is dwarfed by that of [[Hollywood]], its billions of dollars in revenue make it the second largest in the nation.  
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New York City also is the home and broadcasting capital for the four major U.S. television networks, [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]], [[Columbia Broadcasting System|CBS]], [[National Broadcasting Company|NBC]], and the [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox Network]], as well as the news network [[CNN]]. The New York City film industry is second in revenue only to that of [[Hollywood]].
  
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With its connection to media and communications and its mix of cultures and immigrants, New York City has had a long history of association with American music. The city has served as an important center for many different genres of music ranging from [[Big Band|Big Band Era]] and [[jazz]], from [[Punk Rock]] to [[Goth]] and [[Hip-hop]] (the latter of which is generally acknowledged as having originated in the [[Bronx]] around 1973).
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With its connection to media and communications and its mix of [[culture]]s and immigrants, New York City has had a long history of association with American [[music]]. The city has served as an important center for many different genres of music ranging from the [[Big Band|Big Band Era]] and [[jazz]], from [[punk rock]] to [[gothic rock|goth]] and [[hip-hop]] (the latter of which is generally acknowledged as having originated in the Bronx around 1973).
  
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The [[East Village]] and [[Lower East Side]] continue to shine as the city's premier destination for music (rock, blues, jazz, dance), art (mixed media) and indie theater (experimental, off-broadway.) From [[CBGB]]'s to LaMama Theater to the Amato Opera House, this area is famous for having a "venue on every block." New York is also home to the controversial talk show host [[Howard Stern]].
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The East Village and Lower East Side continue to shine as the city's premier destination for music ([[rock and roll|rock]], [[blues]], [[jazz]], [[dance music|dance]]), art (mixed media), and indie theater (experimental, off-Broadway). From CBGB's to LaMama Theater to the Amato Opera House, the area is famous for having a "venue on every block."
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[[image:Timessquarenyc1.jpg|thumb|right|230px|The lights of [[Times Square]]]]
 
  
 
==Theater==
 
==Theater==
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[[image:Timessquarenyc1.jpg|thumb|right|400px|The lights of Times Square]]
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New York City boasts a highly active and influential [[theater]] district, which is centered around Times Square in Manhattan. It serves both as the center of the American theater industry, and as a major attraction for visitors from around the world. The dozens of theaters in this district are responsible for tens of thousands of jobs, and help contribute billions of dollars every year to the city's economy. Along with those of London’s [[West End]] theater district, Broadway theaters are considered to be of the highest quality in the world. Despite the name, many "Broadway" theaters do not lie on [[Broadway (Manhattan)|Broadway]] the street, and the distinction with [[Off-Broadway]] and [[Off-Off-Broadway]] (which tend more toward [[experimental theater]]) is simply a reference to the seating capacity of the theater.
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New York City boasts a highly active and influential theater district, which is centered on Times Square in Manhattan. It serves both as the center of the American theater industry, and as a major attraction for visitors from around the world. Along with London’s West End theater district, Broadway theaters are considered to be of the highest quality in the world. Despite the name, many "Broadway" theaters are not located on Broadway Street and the distinction with off-Broadway and off-off-Broadway (which tends to mean experimental theater) is simply a reference to the seating capacity of the theater.
  
 
==Professional sports==
 
==Professional sports==
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[[Image:Yankee stadium.jpg|thumb|left|275px|"The House that [[Babe Ruth|Ruth]] Built": [[Yankee Stadium]] in the Bronx]]
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[[Image:Yankee stadium.jpg|thumb|right|4005px|"The House that [[Babe Ruth|Ruth]] Built": [[Yankee Stadium]] in the Bronx]]
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Although in much of the rest of the country [[American football]] has become the most popular professional sport, in New York City [[baseball]] arguably still stirs the most passion and interest. A "[[Subway Series]]" between city teams is a time of great excitement, and any [[World Series]] championship by either the [[New York Yankees]] or the [[New York Mets]] is considered to be worthy of the highest celebration, including a [[ticker-tape parade]] for the victorious team.  For most American baseball fans, the most intense rivalry is between the Yankees and the [[Boston Red Sox]], but in the city the rivalry between the Yankees and the Mets is just as fierce. Outsiders are frequently unaware that few baseball fans in New York are fans of both teams at once.
 
  
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The [[New York metropolitan area]] is the only one in the United States with [[U.S. cities with teams from four major sports|more than one team]] in each of the four major sports, with nine such franchises.  At [[Madison Square Garden]], 'the world's most famous arena,' New Yorkers can see the [[New York Knicks]] play [[NBA]] basketball, the [[New York Rangers]] play [[National Hockey League|hockey]], and the [[New York Liberty]] of the [[WNBA]]. New York's [[NFL]] teams, the [[New York Giants]] and [[New York Jets]], play at [[Giants Stadium]] in New Jersey's Meadowlands, along with [[Major League Soccer]]'s New York - New Jersey [[MetroStars]]. At the [[Continental Airlines Arena]] also in the meadowlands the [[New Jersey Nets]] play [[NBA]] basketball and the [[New Jersey Devils]] play [[NHL]] hockey. The [[New York Islanders]] are the third [[NHL]] team in the Metro area; they play their home games in [[Nassau Coliseum]] in [[Long Island]]. [[Nassau Coliseum]] is also the home of the [[New York Dragons]] of the [[Arena Football League]].
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Although [[American football|football]] has become the most popular American professional [[sport]], in New York City [[baseball]] arguably still stirs the most passion and interest. A "Subway Series" between the city teams is a time of great excitement, and any [[World Series]] championship by either the [[New York Yankees]] or the [[New York Mets]] is considered to be worthy of the highest celebration, including a ticker-tape parade for the victorious team. The New York metropolitan area is the only one in the United States with more than one team in each of the four major sports (football, baseball, [[basketball]], and [[ice hockey]]), with nine such franchises.  
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New York City is also home to two [[minor league baseball]] teams that play in the short-season Class A [[New York - Penn League]].  The [[Brooklyn Cyclones]] are a New York Mets affiliate, and the [[Staten Island Yankees]] are affiliated with the New York Yankees.
 
  
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New York has also buried more sports history than most American cities ever experience: [[Ebbets Field]], home of the [[Brooklyn Dodgers]] from [[1913]] until [[1957]], was torn down in [[1960]], and the [[Polo Grounds]] in northern [[Harlem]], just across the river from the Bronx's [[Yankee Stadium]], was the home of the [[San Francisco Giants|New York Giants]] of [[Major League Baseball]] from [[1911]] to [[1957]] (and the first home of the New York Mets) before being demolished in [[1964]]. Also, many outsiders are unaware that the current Madison Square Garden is actually the ''fourth'' separate building to use that name; the first two were near [[Madison Square]], hence the name, and the third was at 50th Street and Eighth Avenue.
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New York City was the host of the 1998 [[Goodwill Games.]]
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Current sports issues include Bruce Ratner's proposal to move the [[New Jersey Nets]] to a new [[Brooklyn Nets Arena]], and a proposal to build a [[West Side Stadium]] in Manhattan for the [[New York Jets]] in [[2008]].  Both of these construction proposals have stirred considerable opposition, and may have had an impact on the City's bid to host the [[2012 Summer Olympics]] (which went to [[London]] in the end). The West Side Stadium plan  has been abandonded.  After searching for other possible sites to locate a stadium, such as Flushing Meadows in Queens, the Jets finally signed an agreement with the Giants to build a new stadium to host both teams in the Meadowlands.
 
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New York City was the host of the 1998 [[Goodwill Games]]
 
  
 
==Transportation==
 
==Transportation==
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[[Image:Grand central chrysler.jpg|thumb|200px|right|[[Grand Central Terminal]] (and [[Chrysler Building]]) along [[42nd Street]].]]
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[[Image:Grand central chrysler.jpg|thumb|300px|right|[[Grand Central Terminal]] (and [[Chrysler Building]]) along 42nd Street.]]
  
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Unlike most of America's car-oriented urban areas, [[public transportation]] is the common mode of travel for the majority of New York City residents. As of 2001, 50% of New York City households and only 20% of Manhattan households had access to a vehicle, as compared to more than 90% nationwide.
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Unlike most of America's car-oriented urban areas, [[public transportation]] is the most common mode of travel for the majority of New York City residents. As of 2001, 50 percent of New York City households and only 20 percent of Manhattan households had access to a vehicle, as compared to more than 90 percent nationwide. The city is served by an extensive network of parkways and expressways.  
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The city is served by an extensive network of parkways and expressways, including four primary [[Interstate Highways]] enter the New York/New Jersey metropolitan area: [[Interstate 78|I-78]], [[Interstate 80|I-80]], [[Interstate 87|I-87]] and [[Interstate 95|I-95]] (which is also the [[New Jersey Turnpike]] in this area). [[Interstate 287]] serves as a partial [[beltway]] around the city, and there are numerous three-digit Interstates of I-78 and I-95.  
 
  
 
===Mass transit===
 
===Mass transit===
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New York City boasts the most extensive network of [[public transportation]] in the [[United States]]. The world-famous New York City [[Subway]] is operated by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA). It is the most extensive subway system in the world when measured by mileage of track (656 miles of mainline track). The subway system connects all boroughs except Staten Island, which is served by the Staten Island Railway via the free Staten Island Ferry (which connects to the one subway line). The city is also served by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey's Port Authority Trans-Hudson (PATH) subway system, which connects the borough of Manhattan to New Jersey.
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[[Image:Mta_station_wall.jpg|thumb|right|300px|A typical subway entrance in the Lower Manhattan financial district.]]
  
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New York City boasts the most extensive network of public transportation in the United States. The world-famous [[New York City Subway]] is operated by the [[Metropolitan Transportation Authority (New York)|Metropolitan Transportation Authority]] (MTA). It is the most extensive [[subway]] system in the world when measured by mileage of track (656 miles of mainline track), and the fifth largest when measured by annual ridership (1.4 billion passenger trips in [[2004]]). The subway system connects all boroughs except Staten Island, which is served by the [[Staten Island Railway]] via the free [[Staten Island Ferry]] (which connects to the 1 subway line). The city is also served by the [[Port Authority of New York and New Jersey]]'s [[Port Authority Trans-Hudson|PATH]] subway system, which connects the borough of Manhattan to [[New Jersey]]. In addition to these, city residents rely on hundreds of bus lines, both publicly and privately operated (many to be taken over by the MTA sometime in 2005), which serve nearly all areas of the five boroughs. Because of the extensive mass transit system, many New Yorkers do not possess cars or even driver's licenses.
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The Port Authority also owns and operates the four major [[airport]]s in the New York City area, [[John F. Kennedy International Airport]] (JFK) in Jamaica (Queens), Newark Liberty International Airport in Newark, [[New Jersey]], [[La Guardia Airport]] in Flushing, [[New York]], and Teterboro Airport in Teterboro, New Jersey.
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[[Image:Mta_station_wall.jpg|thumb|right|200px|A typical subway entrance in the [[Lower Manhattan|financial district]].]]
 
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Responsibility for providing public transportation falls to a variety of government agencies and private corporations. [[Amtrak]] provides long-distance rail service. Short-distance rail, primarily for commuters from the suburbs, is operated by [[New Jersey Transit]], the [[Metropolitan Transportation Authority (New York)|MTA]] (serving Long Island, Connecticut and regions in New York north of the city as the [[Long Island Rail Road]] and [[Metro-North Railroad]]), and the [[Port Authority of New York and New Jersey]], which also operates regional bus terminals.
 
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===Airports===
 
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The Port Authority also owns and operates the four major [[airport]]s in the New York City area, [[John F. Kennedy International Airport]] (JFK) in [[Jamaica, New York|Jamaica]], [[Newark Liberty International Airport]] in [[Newark, New Jersey]], [[La Guardia Airport]] in [[Flushing, New York|Flushing]], and [[Teterboro Airport]] in [[Teterboro, New Jersey]]. JFK tends to handle international traffic, whereas La Guardia tends to handle shorter domestic flights, and Newark handles both international and domestic; Teterboro is New York's primary [[general aviation]] airport, handling heavy business jet traffic together with cargo and [[medevac]] flights and some light plane traffic. The first airport in the city was [[Floyd Bennett Field]], now closed as an airport and today part of [[Gateway National Recreation Area]]. The Port Authority also operates the [[AirTrain]] service, a train which connects the JFK and Newark airports to local subway and heavy rail systems.
 
  
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===Taxis===
 
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[[Taxicab]]s are operated by private companies and licensed by the [[New York City Taxi & Limousine Commission]]. There are two officially recognized car services in the city. "Medallion taxis," the familiar yellow cabs, are legally permitted to pick up passengers hailing them on the street. The T&LC also regulates and licenses [[livery|livery cars]], known locally as "[[car service]]s", which are legally permitted to pick up only those customers who have called the car service's dispatcher and requested a car, although most of these pick up hailing passengers as well. Car services that are independently owned, and will solicit passengers on the street, are known in New York City lingo as "Gypsy Cabs".  They are often found in areas not routinely visited by regular cabs, such as northern Manhattan.
 
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===Ferries===
 
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Many private [[ferry|ferries]] are run by [[NY Waterway]], which provides several lines across the [[Hudson River]], [[New York Water Taxi]], with lines connecting Brooklyn and Manhattan, and other operators. There is also the free [[Staten Island Ferry]] between Manhattan and Staten Island, operated by the New York City Department of Transportation.
 
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==Education and scientific research==
 
 
===Colleges and universities===
 
===Colleges and universities===
  
−
New York City is served by the publicly-run [[City University of New York]] (CUNY), the largest urban university in the United States, which has a number of campuses throughout the five boroughs. The city is also home to a number of other institutions of higher learning, some of national or even international reputation, including [[Columbia University]], [[Fordham University]], [[Manhattan College]], [[New York University]], the [[Juilliard School]], [[Cooper Union|The Cooper Union]], [[Marymount Manhattan College]] and [[The New School]].
+
New York City is served by the publicly-run [[City University of New York]] (CUNY), the largest urban university in the United States, which has a number of campuses throughout the five boroughs. The city is also home to other institutions of higher learning, some of national or even international reputation, including [[Columbia University]], [[Fordham University]], [[Manhattan College]], [[New York University]], the [[Juilliard School]], [[Cooper Union|The Cooper Union]], [[Marymount Manhattan College]], and [[The New School]].
  
−
New York City is also a major center of academic medicine. Manhattan contains the campuses of the world-class [[Rockefeller University]], [[Weill Cornell Medical College]], and [[Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center]], as well as [[Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center]] and [[New York University|NYU Medical Center]] and their medical schools. In the Bronx, the [[Albert Einstein College of Medicine]] of [[Yeshiva University]] is a major academic center. [[Jonas Salk]], developer of the vaccine for [[polio]], was an intern at [[Mount Sinai Hospital, New York|Mount Sinai Medical Center]] in Upper Manhattan.  Brooklyn also hosts one of the country's leading urban medical centers: [[SUNY Downstate Medical Center]], an academic medical center, the oldest hospital-based medical school in the United States. Professor [[Raymond Vahan Damadian]], the inventor of the [[MRI]], was part of the faculty from 1967 - 1977 and built the first MRI machine, the [[Indomnitable]], there.
+
New York City is also a major center of academic medicine. Manhattan contains the campuses of the world-class [[Rockefeller University]], [[Weill Cornell Medical College]], and [[Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center]], as well as [[Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center]] and [[New York University|NYU Medical Center]] and their medical schools. In the Bronx, the [[Albert Einstein College of Medicine]] of [[Yeshiva University]] is a major academic center. Brooklyn also hosts one of the country's leading urban medical centers: [[SUNY Downstate Medical Center]], an academic medical center, the oldest hospital-based medical school in the United States. Professor [[Raymond Vahan Damadian]], the inventor of the [[magnetic resonance imaging|MRI]], was part of the faculty from 1967 to 1977 and built the first MRI machine there.
  
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New York City is home to several of the nation's top schools of art and design, including [[Pratt Institute]], the [[School of Visual Arts]], the [[Fashion Institute of Technology]], and [[Parsons School of Design]].
+
New York City is also home to several of the nation's top schools of art and design, including [[Pratt Institute]], the [[School of Visual Arts]], the [[Fashion Institute of Technology]], and [[Parsons School of Design]].
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===Schools===
 
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New York City contains the largest [[public school]] system in the country, with over 1 million students taught throughout 1,200 separate schools. There are also approximately 1,000 privately run (both religious and secular) schools in the five boroughs.  The city-run [[New York City Department of Education]] covers the entire city limits and operates almost all of the city's public schools. One exception is [[Hunter College High School]], which is run by [[Hunter College]] and charges no tuition.
 
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Dedication to the sciences starts early for many New Yorkers, who have the chance to attend such selective specialized high schools as Manhattan's [[Stuyvesant High School]], CUNY-run [[Hunter College High School]] (the public school which sends the highest percentage of its graduates to Ivy league schools in the United States),  [[Bronx High School of Science]] (which boasts the largest number of graduates who are [[Nobel Laureate]]s of any high school in the world) and [[Brooklyn Technical High School]]. The [[Brooklyn High School of the Arts]] is the only high school in the [[United States]] with a curriculum in [[Historic Preservation]].
 
  
 
==Skyline==
 
==Skyline==
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New York City has the most famous [[skyline|skyline]] in the world; because of both its high residential density, and the extremely high real estate values found in the city's central business districts, New York has amassed the largest collection of office and residential towers in the world. In fact, New York actually has three separately recognizable skylines: [[Midtown Manhattan]], [[Downtown Manhattan]] (also known as [[Lower Manhattan]]), and [[Downtown Brooklyn]]. The largest of these skylines is in Midtown, which is the largest central business district in the U.S., and also home to such notable buildings as the Empire State Building, the [[Chrysler Building]], and [[Rockefeller Center]]. The Downtown skyline comprises the third largest central business district in the U.S. (after Midtown and [[Chicago]]'s [[Chicago Loop|Loop]]), and was once characterized by the presence of the [[Twin Towers]] of the [[World Trade Center]]. Today it is undergoing the rapid reconstruction of [[Lower Manhattan]], and will include the new One World Trade Center [[Freedom Tower]], which will rise to a height of 1,368 feet, the same height as the old 1 WTC tower when completed in 2010. The Downtown skyline will also be getting notable additions soon from such architects as [[Santiago Calatrava]] and [[Frank Gehry]]. Also, [[Goldman Sachs]] is building a beautiful 750 foot tall, 43 floor building across the street from the World Trade Center site.
 
  
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New York City has a long history of tall buildings.  It has been home to 10 buildings that have held the world's tallest fully inhabitable building title at some point in history, although half have since been demolished.  The first building to bring the world's tallest title to New York was the [[New York World Building]], in 1890. Later, New York City was home to the world's tallest building for 75 continuous years, starting with the [[Park Row Building]] in 1899 and ending with [[1 World Trade Center]] upon completion of the [[Sears Tower]] in 1974.  One of the world's earliest skyscrapers, still standing in the city, is the [[Park Row Building]], built in 1899.
+
New York City has one of the most famous skylines in the world; because of both its high residential density and the extremely high real estate values found in the city's central business districts, New York has amassed the largest collection of office and residential towers in the world. In fact, New York actually has three separately recognizable skylines: Midtown Manhattan, Downtown Manhattan (also known as Lower Manhattan), and Downtown Brooklyn. New York City has a long history of tall buildings and the downing of the World Trade Towers by terrorists in 2001 was a tragedy unparalleled in American civil history.  
  
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The [[Downtown Brooklyn]] skyline is the smallest of the three New York City skylines, and is centered around a major transportation hub in Northwestern [[Brooklyn]]. The borough of [[Queens]] has also been developing its own skyline in recent years with a [[Citigroup]] office building (which is currently the tallest building in NYC outside Manhattan), and the City Lights development of several residential towers along the [[East River]] waterfront.
+
[[Image:Skyline-New-York-City.jpg|thumb|center|900px|Panorama of skyline.]]
  
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<br clear=all />
+
==Notes==
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[[Image:Skyline-New-York-City.jpg|thumb|center|600px|Panorama of skyline.]]
+
<references/>
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<br clear=all />
 
  
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+
==References==
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==Trivia==
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*Black, Mary. ''Old New York in Early Photographs,'' 2nd rev. ed. Dover Publications, 1973. ISBN 0486229076
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* With over 8 million residents, New York City has a larger population than 39 U.S. states. It has more than twice the population of [[Los Angeles]], the second largest city in the country, and more than 27 times the population of [[Buffalo, New York|Buffalo]], the second largest city in the state of New York.
+
*Burrows, Edwin G., and Mike Wallace. ''Gotham: A History of New York City to 1898'' (The History of NYC Series). Oxford University Press, 1998. ISBN 0195116348
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* If each borough &mdash; Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, the Bronx, and Staten Island &mdash; were to become an independent city, they would rank as the 3rd, 4th, 6th, 9th, and 42nd largest cities in the U.S., respectively.  
+
*Ellis, Edward Robb. ''The Epic of New York City: A Narrative History.'' Reprint. Carroll & Graf, 2005. ISBN 0786714360
−
* Approximately two out of five New York State residents live in New York City.
+
*Hodges, Graham Russell Gao. ''Taxi! A Social History of the New York City Cabdriver.'' Johns Hopkins University Press, 2007. ISBN 080188554X
 +
*Harris, Bill. ''The World Trade Center: A Tribute.'' Courage Books, 2001. ISBN 0762413158
 +
*Jackson, Kenneth T. ''The Encyclopedia of New York City.'' Yale University Press, 1995. ISBN 0300055366
  
 
==External links==
 
==External links==
 +
All links retrieved November 14, 2022.
 +
*https://www1.nyc.gov/ The Official Website of the City of New York].
 +
*[https://www.ny.com/histfacts/ NYC History and Facts]
 +
*[https://www.cntraveler.com/destinations/new-york-city New York City Travel Guide]
  
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*[http://www.nyc.gov NYC.gov]&nbsp;&ndash; official website for the city
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{{credit|31124965}}
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*[http://www.nycBloggers.com NYC Bloggers]&nbsp;&ndash; thousands of New York blogs organized by subway stop
 
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*[http://www.earthcam.com/usa/newyork/timessquare/ Times Square Webcams]
 
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*[http://newyork.wikicities.com/wiki/Current_events New York City Wiki]&nbsp;&ndash; current events
 
  
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{{credit|31124965}}
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[[Category:Cities]]
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[[Category:Geography]]

Latest revision as of 19:31, 14 November 2022

New York City
—  City  —
The City of New York
Midtown Manhattan, looking north from the Empire State Building, 2005
Midtown Manhattan, looking north from the Empire State Building, 2005
Flag of New York City
Flag		 Official seal of New York City
Seal
Nickname: The Big Apple, Gotham, Center of the Universe, The City That Never Sleeps,[1] and others
Location in the state of New York
Location in the state of New York
Country United States
State New York
Counties Bronx, Kings, New York, Queens, Richmond
Settled 1624
Incorporated 1898
Government
 - Type Mayor–Council
 - Mayor Eric Adams
Area [2]
 - City 472.43 sq mi (1,223.59 km²)
 - Land 300.46 sq mi (778.19 km²)
 - Water 171.97 sq mi (445.40 km²)
Elevation 33 ft (10 m)
Population (2020)[4]
 - City 8,804,190
 - Density 29,302.37/sq mi (11,313.68/km²)
 - Metro 20,140,470[3] (1st)
ZIP code(s) 100xx–104xx, 11004–05, 111xx–114xx, 116xx
Area code(s) 212, 646, 332, 718, 347, 929, 917
FIPS code 36-51000
GNIS feature ID 975772
Website: www.nyc.gov

New York City, officially named the City of New York, is the most populous city in the United States, and the most densely populated major city in North America.

The city is at the center of international finance, politics, entertainment, and culture, and is one of the world's major global cities (along with London, Tokyo and Paris) with a virtually unrivaled collection of museums, galleries, performance venues, media outlets, international corporations, and stock exchanges. The city is also home to the United Nations, along with all of the international missions associated with it.

Located in the state of New York, New York City has a population of over 8 million within an area of 309 square miles (800 km²). It is at the heart of the New York Metropolitan Area, which is one of the largest urban conglomerations in the world with a population of over 22 million. New York City proper comprises five boroughs: Brooklyn, the Bronx, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island, with all but the last having populations exceeding one million.

The city includes large populations of immigrants from over 180 countries who help make it one of the most cosmopolitan places on earth. Many people from all over the United States are also attracted to New York City for its culture, energy, and diversity, and by their own hope of making it big in the "Big Apple."

The city serves as an enormous engine for the global economy, with an estimated gross metropolitan product of $1.28 trillion in 2010, and is home to more Fortune 500 companies than any other place in the United States.

History of New York City

Long before the arrival of European settlers, the New York City area was inhabited by the Lenape people, including such tribes as the Manahattoes, Canarsies, and Raritan; Lenape in canoes met Giovanni da Verrazzano, the first European explorer to enter New York Harbor, in 1524. Following the 1609 voyage of Henry Hudson, European settlement began with the founding of the Dutch fur trading settlement in Lower Manhattan in 1613, later called New Amsterdam (Nieuw Amsterdam) in the southern tip of Manhattan in 1624. In 1626, Peter Minuit purchased Manhattan Island and Staten Island from Algonquin tribesmen in exchange for trade goods. Minuit's settlement was a haven for Huguenots seeking religious freedom. New York has ever since been a haven for immigrants seeking freedom from oppression.

New York City and the East River, 1848

In 1664, English ships captured the city without struggle, and the Dutch formally ceded it to the English in the Treaty of Breda at the conclusion of the Second Anglo-Dutch War in 1667. The city was renamed New York, after James, Duke of York, and became a royal colony in 1685 when James succeeded his brother as King of England.

New York was greatly damaged by fire during the Battle of Brooklyn at the start of the American Revolutionary War, and was occupied by the British until November 25, 1783. On this date, marked annually thereafter as "Evacuation Day," George Washington returned to the city and the last British forces left the United States. The Continental Congress met in New York City under the Articles of Confederation.

On September 13, 1788, the United States Constitutional Convention temporarily set New York City as the first capital of the U.S., and on April 30, 1789, the first President of the United States, George Washington, was inaugurated at Federal Hall on Wall Street. Philadelphia became the next U.S. capital in 1790.

During the nineteenth century, the city was transformed by immigration, a visionary development proposal called the Commissioners' Plan of 1811, which expanded the city street grid to encompass all of Manhattan, and the opening of the Erie Canal, which connected the Atlantic port to the vast agricultural markets of the Midwestern United States and Canada in 1819. By 1835, New York City had surpassed Philadelphia as the largest city in the United States. Local politics became dominated by Tammany Hall, a Democratic Party political machine. Public-minded members of the old merchant aristocracy pressed for a Central Park, which was opened to a design competition in 1857—it was the first landscaped park in an American city.

During the American Civil War (1861–1865), the city's strong commercial ties to the South, its growing immigrant population, and anger about conscription led to divided sympathy for both the Union and Confederacy, culminating in the Draft Riots of 1863, one of the worst events of civil unrest in American history. After the Civil War, the rate of immigration from Europe grew steeply, and New York became the first stop for millions seeking a new and better life in the United States, a role acknowledged by the dedication of the Statue of Liberty in 1886.

In 1898, New York City took the political form in which it exists to this day. Manhattan and the Bronx, though still one county, were established as two separate boroughs and joined together with three other boroughs created from parts of adjacent counties to form the new municipal government originally called "Greater New York." The Borough of Brooklyn, incorporated the independent city of Brooklyn and several municipalities in eastern Kings County, New York; the Borough of Queens was created from western Queens County (with the remnant established as Nassau County in 1899); and The Borough of Staten Island contained all of Richmond County. All municipal (county, town, and city) governments contained within the boroughs were abolished. In 1914, the New York State Legislature created Bronx County, making five counties coterminous with the five boroughs.

On June 15, 1904, over 1,000 people, mostly German immigrants, were killed when the steamship General Slocum caught fire and burned on North Brother Island, in the East River; and on March 25, 1911, the Triangle Shirtwaist Company fire in Greenwich Village took the lives of 145 female garment workers. These events would eventually lead to advancements in the city's fire department, building codes, and workplace regulations.

Throughout the first half of the twentieth century, the city became a world center for industry, commerce, and communication. Interborough Rapid Transit (the first New York subway company) began operating in 1904, and the railroads operating out of Grand Central Terminal thrived. New York City became the most populous city in the world in 1925, overtaking London. Despite the effects of the Great Depression, the 1930s saw the building of some of the world's tallest skyscrapers, including numerous Art Deco masterpieces that are still part of the city's skyline today. Both before and after World War II, vast areas of the city were reshaped by the rise of the bridges, parks, and parkways of coordinator Robert Moses, the greatest proponent of automobile-centered modernist urbanism in America.

The skyline of Lower Manhattan, with the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center (1973–2001).

A post-World War II economic and residential boom was associated with returning veterans and immigration from Europe, and huge tracts of new housing were constructed in eastern Queens. In 1951, the United Nations relocated from its first headquarters in Flushing Meadows Park, Queens, to the East Side of Manhattan. Like many U.S. cities, New York suffered population decline, an erosion of its industrial base, and race riots in the 1960s, and by the 1970s, the city had gained a reputation for being a crime-ridden relic of history. In 1975, the city government was on the brink of financial collapse and had to restructure its debt through the Municipal Assistance Corporation, headed by Felix Rohatyn. The city was also forced to accept increased scrutiny of its finances by an agency of New York State called the Financial Control Board. The 1980s saw a rebirth of Wall Street, and the city reclaimed its role at the center of the worldwide financial industry.

Organized crime has been associated with New York City since the early twentieth century, when legendary mobsters roamed and controlled certain areas of the city and many businesses. In the 1980s, prosecutors like Rudolph Giuliani became famous for successfully prosecuting notorious crime bosses, restoring faith in the American justice system.

In the 1990s, as crime rates dropped drastically and the outflow of population turned around, the city once again became the destination of immigrants and U.S. citizens seeking the lifestyle that only New York City could offer. Since 1991, New York City has seen a continuous trend of decreasing crime.

New York City was the site of a terrorist attack on September 11, 2001, when nearly 3,000 people were killed by an al-Qaeda terrorist strike on the World Trade Center, including New Yorkers employed in the buildings, passengers and crew on two commercial jetliners, and hundreds of New York City firemen, policemen, and rescue workers who came to the aid of the disaster. Thick, acrid smoke continued to pour out of its ruins for months following the Twin Towers' fiery collapse. The city has since rebounded and the physical cleanup of Ground Zero was completed ahead of schedule. The Freedom Tower, intended to be exactly 1,776 feet tall (a number symbolic of the year the United States Declaration of Independence was written), was built on the site and opened on November 3, 2014.

New York City government

New York City is governed by the New York City Charter. The charter is enacted and amended by the New York State Legislature, and occasionally through referendum. Though subservient to the state of New York, the city enjoys a high degree of legislative and executive autonomy. Like most governmental entities in the United States, the city government is divided into executive, legislative and judicial branches. In 1898, when New York City was consolidated into its present form, all previous town and county governments within it were abolished in favor of the present five boroughs and a unified, centralized city government.

The executive branch of New York City is headed by the mayor, who is elected by direct popular vote. The mayor of New York City appoints several deputy mayors to head major offices within the executive branch of the city government. Deputy mayors report directly to the mayor.

Legislative power in New York City is vested in a unicameral city council, which contains 51 members, each representing a district of approximately 157,000 people. Council members are elected every four years, and the leader of the majority party is called the speaker. Like most legislative bodies, the city council is divided into committees which have oversight of various functions of the city government.

Unlike the rest of New York State, New York City does not have typical county courts. Instead, there is a single civil court, with a presence in each borough and city-wide jurisdiction, and a criminal court for each New York City county, which handles lesser criminal offenses and domestic violence cases, a responsibility shared with the family court.

Geography and climate

Geography

Central Park in Manhattan looking south, February 2005, when the Christo installation The Gates was on display in the park (orange "gates" visible in photo)

New York City is located in the middle of what is known as the BosWash megalopolis, 218 miles (350 km) driving distance from Boston and 232 miles (373 km) from Washington, D.C. The city is situated on the three major islands of Manhattan, Staten Island, and on western Long Island (Brooklyn and Queens), as well as on the mainland in the Bronx. There are also some smaller islands in the surrounding waters, including Ellis Island, Governors Island, Liberty Island, Roosevelt Island, and small islands located in Jamaica Bay.

The Hudson River flows from the Hudson Valley into New York Bay, becoming a tidal estuary that separates the Bronx and Manhattan from New Jersey. The East River, really a tidal strait, stretches from the Long Island Sound to New York Bay, separating the Bronx and Manhattan from Long Island. The Harlem River, another tidal strait between the East and Hudson rivers, separates Manhattan from the Bronx.

Upper New York Bay is surrounded by Manhattan, Brooklyn, Staten Island, and the coast of New Jersey, and is connected by the Narrows between Brooklyn and Staten Island to Lower New York Bay, which is partially surrounded by Brooklyn, Staten Island, and the coast of New Jersey, and opens to the Atlantic Ocean.

Climate

New York City has a humid continental climate, though being adjacent to water it suffers less temperature fluctuation than inland areas. New York winters are typically cold (though not severely so; temperatures below 0°F (-18°C) only occur about once per decade on average). Temperatures in the 10s and 20s (°F) are quite common at the height of winter and New York winters sometimes feature snowstorms that can paralyze the city with over a foot (30 cm) of snow (such as the Blizzard of 1888, which led to the city's telephone and telegraph lines moving underground, and led to the building of the subway). Summers in New York are hot and humid, with temperatures commonly exceeding 90°F (32°C), although high temperatures above 100°F (38°C) are about as rare as subzero (°F) lows in winter. Humidity levels are usually quite high in July and August. Autumns are comfortable in New York and similar to spring in temperature.

Demographics

New York City is the most populous city in the United States, and the nation's most densely populated of all municipalities (of more than 100,000).

Throughout its history, New York has been a major port of entry for immigrants into the United States. More than 12 million European immigrants were received at Ellis Island between 1892 and 1924. The term "melting pot" was first coined to describe densely populated immigrant neighborhoods on the Lower East Side. By 1900, Germans constituted the largest immigrant group, followed by the Irish, Jews, and Italians. In 1940, Whites represented 92 percent of the city's population. Today, approximately 37 percent of the city's population is foreign-born. No single country or region of origin dominates.

Religion

Largely a result of Western European missionary work and colonialism, Christianity is the largest religion in New York City, with large numbers of both Roman Catholics and Protestants, with smaller numbers of other Christian denominations. The Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan contains the shrine and burial place of Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini (Mother Cabrini), the patron saint of immigrants.

Judaism, with over a million adherents, more than half of whom live in Brooklyn, is the second largest religion and represents the largest metropolitan Jewish population outside Tel Aviv, Israel. The largest Jewish denominations were Orthodox, Haredi, and Conservative Judaism. Reform Jewish communities are prevalent through the area. Congregation Emanu-El of New York in Manhattan is the largest Reform synagogue in the world.

Islam ranks as the third largest religion in New York City, with over 600,000 observers, including 10 percent of the city's public school children. Powers Street Mosque in Brooklyn is one of the oldest continuously operating mosques in the U.S., and the first Islamic organization in the city and state.

Following these three largest religious groups in New York City are Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Zoroastrianism, and a variety of other religions, as well as atheism.

Economy

New York Stock Exchange (June 2003)

Historically, the city developed because of New York Harbor, widely considered one of the finest natural ports in the world. The value of this port was greatly expanded in 1819 with the opening of the Erie Canal, which gave New York an enormous advantage over the competing ports of Boston and Philadelphia. The old port facility was at the South Street Seaport in Manhattan, but today there is still residual activity remaining at Red Hook in Brooklyn, and the Howland Hook Marine Terminal in Staten Island. Red Hook handles the majority of the cacao bean imports to the United States. Since the 1950s, most shipping activity in the area has shifted to the Port Newark-Elizabeth Marine Terminal in New Jersey. Despite changes in international shipping, trade and the tertiary sector of industry have always remained the real basis of New York's economy.

Manufacturing first became a major economic base for New York City in the mid-nineteenth century with the advent of industrialization and the railroad. New York was formerly a national center for clothing manufacturing. There are still around 120,000 manufacturing jobs in the city compared to over a million in the middle of the twentieth century. Like international shipping, though, manufacturing gradually declined in the late-twentieth century with rising land values. The city was also a pioneering center for the American film industry. Today, New York City is the chief center of finance in the world economy, with Wall Street in Lower Manhattan's Financial District. Financial markets based in the city include the New York Stock Exchange, NASDAQ, American Stock Exchange, New York Mercantile Exchange, and New York Board of Trade. Many corporations also have their headquarters in New York.

New York is also the center of many service sector industries in the U.S., with more Fortune 500 companies headquartered in the city than anywhere else in the country. The city is an important center for American mass media, journalism, and publishing. Manhattan's Madison Avenue is synonymous with the American advertising industry, while Seventh Avenue is nicknamed "Fashion Avenue" as it serves as an important center for the fashion industry. Ninety percent of the diamonds imported to the United States pass through New York, and most of these are handled and cut in the city's Diamond District on 47th Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. New York is also an important center for art, music, and theater in the U.S.

Culture of New Yorkers

The Washington Square Arch in Greenwich Village, Manhattan.

New York City, sometimes called "The City That Never Sleeps," is famously fast-paced and active, and the American idiom "in a New York minute" means "immediately." New York City residents are called "New Yorkers." Residents of the metropolitan area generally refer to New York City (or sometimes just Manhattan) as "The City," or "New York," and the acronym "NYC," as opposed to just "NY," helps to avoid confusing references tothe state of New York. The nickname most used for New York City is the "Big Apple."

Because of traffic congestion and the well-designed New York Subway, six in ten residents, including many middle class professionals, commute to work via public transportation, making the everyday lifestyle and "pedestrian culture" of New Yorkers substantially different from the "car culture" that dominates most American cities. This pattern is strongest in Manhattan, where subway service is better and traffic is worse than in the outer boroughs.

Immigration and international flavor

Jackson Heights, Queens, is among the world's most diverse communities. Regardless of ethnic origin, all groups share a common identity as New Yorkers.

New York absorbs a greater diversity of immigrant groups than any other American city, and it absorbs a larger number of immigrants every day than all other U.S. cities except Los Angeles. Its international flavor makes it the archetype of the American ideal of a melting pot—a nation of blended cultures. The city government employs translators in 180 languages.

Some celebrated ethnic/racial neighborhoods include Harlem, Little Italy, Flushing, Jackson Heights, Chinatown, Washington Heights, Briarwood, and the Lower East Side.

The Lower East Side and The East Village are where the term "melting pot" originated—referring to the droves of people from diverse European nations squeezing into this small, 100-block or so area of tenements, learning to live together for the first time.

Tourism and recreation

The Statue of Liberty in Upper New York Bay has welcomed many immigrants to the city.

Tourism is a major local industry, with hundreds of attractions and an average of 39 million tourists visiting the city each year. Many visitors make it a point to visit the Empire State Building, Times Square, Radio City Music Hall, the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, Wall Street, United Nations Headquarters, the American Museum of Natural History, St. Patrick's Cathedral, and the Brooklyn Bridge, among other attractions.

The Empire State Building with the Chrysler Building behind

There are over 28,000 acres (113 km²) of parkland found throughout New York City, comprising over 1,700 separate parks and playgrounds. The best known of these is Central Park, which is a great example of landscape architecture, as well as a major source of recreation for New Yorkers and tourists alike. The city also has 578 miles (930 km) of waterfront and over 14 miles (22 km) of public beaches.

The World Trade Center was an important tourist destination before the September 11, 2001 attacks, which devastated the city and its tourist industry. The city was nearly devoid of tourists for months, and it took two years for the numbers to fully rebound with fewer international, but more domestic visitors. Now, the World Trade Center site has itself become an important place for visitors to see.[5]

Cultural institutions

New York is a city of great museums with the Metropolitan Museum of Art's assemblage of historic art, the Museum of Modern Art and Guggenheim Museum's twentieth-century collections, and the American Museum of Natural History and its Hayden Planetarium focusing on the sciences. A number of the city's museums are located along the Museum Mile section of Fifth Avenue.

In addition to these museums, the city is also home to a vast array of spaces for opera, symphony, and dance performances. The largest of these is Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, which is actually a complex of buildings housing 12 separate companies, including the New York Philharmonic, the Metropolitan Opera, the New York City Opera, the New York City Ballet, and Jazz at Lincoln Center. Other notable performance halls include Carnegie Hall, Radio City Music Hall, and the Brooklyn Academy of Music.

Media and entertainment

New York City has been the subject of many different, often contradictory, portrayals in mass media. Because of its sheer size and cultural influence, New York has served as the unwitting backdrop for virtually every conceivable viewpoint on big city life. New York’s portrayal on television is similarly varied, with a disproportionate number of crime dramas taking place in the city despite the fact that it is one of the safest cities in which to live in the United States. New York City boasts over 40 daily newspapers in several different languages, including such national heavyweights as the Wall Street Journal (daily circulation of 2.1 million) and the New York Times (1.6 million), and America's oldest continuously-published newspaper, the New York Post, founded in 1801 by Alexander Hamilton.

New York City also is the home and broadcasting capital for the four major U.S. television networks, ABC, CBS, NBC, and the Fox Network, as well as the news network CNN. The New York City film industry is second in revenue only to that of Hollywood.

With its connection to media and communications and its mix of cultures and immigrants, New York City has had a long history of association with American music. The city has served as an important center for many different genres of music ranging from the Big Band Era and jazz, from punk rock to goth and hip-hop (the latter of which is generally acknowledged as having originated in the Bronx around 1973).

The East Village and Lower East Side continue to shine as the city's premier destination for music (rock, blues, jazz, dance), art (mixed media), and indie theater (experimental, off-Broadway). From CBGB's to LaMama Theater to the Amato Opera House, the area is famous for having a "venue on every block."

Theater

The lights of Times Square

New York City boasts a highly active and influential theater district, which is centered on Times Square in Manhattan. It serves both as the center of the American theater industry, and as a major attraction for visitors from around the world. Along with London’s West End theater district, Broadway theaters are considered to be of the highest quality in the world. Despite the name, many "Broadway" theaters are not located on Broadway Street and the distinction with off-Broadway and off-off-Broadway (which tends to mean experimental theater) is simply a reference to the seating capacity of the theater.

Professional sports

"The House that Ruth Built": Yankee Stadium in the Bronx

Although football has become the most popular American professional sport, in New York City baseball arguably still stirs the most passion and interest. A "Subway Series" between the city teams is a time of great excitement, and any World Series championship by either the New York Yankees or the New York Mets is considered to be worthy of the highest celebration, including a ticker-tape parade for the victorious team. The New York metropolitan area is the only one in the United States with more than one team in each of the four major sports (football, baseball, basketball, and ice hockey), with nine such franchises.

New York City was the host of the 1998 Goodwill Games.

Transportation

Grand Central Terminal (and Chrysler Building) along 42nd Street.

Unlike most of America's car-oriented urban areas, public transportation is the most common mode of travel for the majority of New York City residents. As of 2001, 50 percent of New York City households and only 20 percent of Manhattan households had access to a vehicle, as compared to more than 90 percent nationwide. The city is served by an extensive network of parkways and expressways.

Mass transit

New York City boasts the most extensive network of public transportation in the United States. The world-famous New York City Subway is operated by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA). It is the most extensive subway system in the world when measured by mileage of track (656 miles of mainline track). The subway system connects all boroughs except Staten Island, which is served by the Staten Island Railway via the free Staten Island Ferry (which connects to the one subway line). The city is also served by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey's Port Authority Trans-Hudson (PATH) subway system, which connects the borough of Manhattan to New Jersey.

A typical subway entrance in the Lower Manhattan financial district.

The Port Authority also owns and operates the four major airports in the New York City area, John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) in Jamaica (Queens), Newark Liberty International Airport in Newark, New Jersey, La Guardia Airport in Flushing, New York, and Teterboro Airport in Teterboro, New Jersey.

Colleges and universities

New York City is served by the publicly-run City University of New York (CUNY), the largest urban university in the United States, which has a number of campuses throughout the five boroughs. The city is also home to other institutions of higher learning, some of national or even international reputation, including Columbia University, Fordham University, Manhattan College, New York University, the Juilliard School, The Cooper Union, Marymount Manhattan College, and The New School.

New York City is also a major center of academic medicine. Manhattan contains the campuses of the world-class Rockefeller University, Weill Cornell Medical College, and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, as well as Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center and NYU Medical Center and their medical schools. In the Bronx, the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University is a major academic center. Brooklyn also hosts one of the country's leading urban medical centers: SUNY Downstate Medical Center, an academic medical center, the oldest hospital-based medical school in the United States. Professor Raymond Vahan Damadian, the inventor of the MRI, was part of the faculty from 1967 to 1977 and built the first MRI machine there.

New York City is also home to several of the nation's top schools of art and design, including Pratt Institute, the School of Visual Arts, the Fashion Institute of Technology, and Parsons School of Design.

Skyline

New York City has one of the most famous skylines in the world; because of both its high residential density and the extremely high real estate values found in the city's central business districts, New York has amassed the largest collection of office and residential towers in the world. In fact, New York actually has three separately recognizable skylines: Midtown Manhattan, Downtown Manhattan (also known as Lower Manhattan), and Downtown Brooklyn. New York City has a long history of tall buildings and the downing of the World Trade Towers by terrorists in 2001 was a tragedy unparalleled in American civil history.

Panorama of skyline.

Notes

  1. ↑ Why is New York City known as "the Big Apple" and "Gotham?" Dictionary.com. Retrieved January 6, 2022.
  2. ↑ 2021 U.S. Gazetteer Files U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved January 6, 2022.
  3. ↑ NEW YORK - NEWARK - JERSEY CITY Metropolitan Statistical Area in USA U.S. Census Bureau Retrieved January 6, 2022.
  4. ↑ QuickFacts: New York city, New York U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved January 6, 2022.
  5. ↑ Project Rebirth Retrieved January 6, 2022.

References
ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

  • Black, Mary. Old New York in Early Photographs, 2nd rev. ed. Dover Publications, 1973. ISBN 0486229076
  • Burrows, Edwin G., and Mike Wallace. Gotham: A History of New York City to 1898 (The History of NYC Series). Oxford University Press, 1998. ISBN 0195116348
  • Ellis, Edward Robb. The Epic of New York City: A Narrative History. Reprint. Carroll & Graf, 2005. ISBN 0786714360
  • Hodges, Graham Russell Gao. Taxi! A Social History of the New York City Cabdriver. Johns Hopkins University Press, 2007. ISBN 080188554X
  • Harris, Bill. The World Trade Center: A Tribute. Courage Books, 2001. ISBN 0762413158
  • Jackson, Kenneth T. The Encyclopedia of New York City. Yale University Press, 1995. ISBN 0300055366

External links

All links retrieved November 14, 2022.

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