New York City started as a trading post created by colonists from theDutch Republic in 1624 onLower Manhattan; the post was namedNew Amsterdam in 1626.[15] In 1664, the English controlled the city and the areas around it,[15] and were renamedNew York after KingCharles II of England gave the lands to his brother, theDuke of York.[16] New York was thecapital of the United States from 1785 until 1790,[17] and has been the biggest U.S. city since 1790.[18] TheStatue of Liberty welcomed millions ofimmigrants as they came to the U.S. by ship in the late 19th and early 20th centuries,[19] and it is asymbol of the U.S. and its ideals ofliberty andpeace.[20] In the 21st century, New York has grew into a global hub of creativity andentrepreneurship[21] andenvironmental sustainability,[22][23] and as a symbol of freedom and cultural diversity.[24] In 2019, New York was voted the best city in the world in a survey of over 30,000 people from 48 cities worldwide, because of its cultural diversity.[25]
Many districts and landmarks in New York City are well known, including three of the world's ten most visited tourist places in 2013.[26] A record 62.8million tourists came to New York City in 2017.Times Square is the colorful area of the Broadway Theater District,[27] one of the world's busiestpedestrianintersections,[28][29] and a famous area for the world'sentertainment industry.[30] Many of the city's landmarks,skyscrapers,[31] and parks are known around the world. Manhattan'sreal estate market is one of the most expensive in the world.[32][33] TheIrish community is one of New York City's largest ethnic groups, which make up approximately5.3% of New York City's population. TheNew York City Subway is the biggest single-operatorrapid transit system worldwide, with472 rail stations. The city has over 120 colleges and universities, includingColumbia University,New York University,Rockefeller University, and the City University of New York system, which is the biggest urban public university system in the United States.[34] The world's two largest stock exchanges, theNew York Stock Exchange, located onWall Street in theFinancial District of Lower Manhattan, andNASDAQ, headquartered inMidtown Manhattan, are both in Manhattan.
In 1664, the city was named after theDuke of York, who would become KingJames II of England. James's older brother, KingCharles II, had chosen the Duke proprietor of the former territory ofNew Netherland, including the city ofNew Amsterdam, which England had recently taken from the Dutch.[35]
The oldestpart of the city, the island ofManhattan, still has its originalLenape name. Although Native people such as the Lenape and Canaries had lived there for many thousands of years, New York City was first explored byEuropeans in the 1500s. WhenFlorentine explorerGiovanni da Verrazzano found the entrance to New York Harbor in the year 1524, he gave to this site the name of New Angoulême in the honor of Francois 1st. In 1609, the English explorerHenry Hudson rediscovered New York Harbor while looking for theNorthwest Passage to theOrient for theDutch East India Company.[36] Hudson's first mate said it was "a very good Harbour for all windes" and the river was "a mile broad" and "full of fish".[37]
Juan Rodriguez (transliterated to Dutch asJan Rodrigues) was one of the first people associated with Europe to live there. He was amerchant from Santo Domingo. He was born inSanto Domingo ofPortuguese and African descent, and he came to Manhattan during the winter of 1613–14. He trapped for pelts and traded with the local people as a representative of the Dutch.Broadway, from 159th Street to 218th Street in Upper Manhattan, is named Juan Rodriguez Way in his honor.[38][39]
Peter Minuit is credited with buying the island of Manhattan in 1626.
New York City was settled by Europeans fromThe Netherlands in 1624. The Dutch called the whole area of New York Netherland (New Netherland) and they named afort and town on the south end of Brooklyn.
In 1626, the Dutch colonial Director-General Peter Minuit, acting for the Dutch West India Company, bought the island of Manhattan from theCanarsie, a small Lenape band.[40] He paid "the value of 60 guilders"[41] (about $900 in 2018).[42] A false story says that Manhattan was bought for $24 worth of glass beads.[43][44] 1626 was also the year the Dutch began to bringblackslaves there.[45]
After the purchase, New Amsterdam grew slowly.[46] In 1647,Peter Stuyvesant started his job as the last Director-General of New Netherland. During this time, the number of people of New Netherland grew from 2,000 to 8,000.[47][48]
IslandNew Amsterdam (New Amsterdam),[49] after the capital city of the Netherlands, which was to become present-day New York. The English took over the colony in 1664 during the secondAnglo-Dutch War. They changed the name toNew York, to honor theDuke of York, who later became KingJames II of England and James VII of Scotland. The Dutch surrendered Nieuw Amsterdam without fighting.
By the time the English took New York, there were many other Dutch towns in what would become New York City, including Breukelen (Brooklyn), Vlissingen (Flushing), and Nieuw Haarlem (Harlem). There were already some English towns in the area also, such as Gravesend in Brooklyn and Newtown in Queens.Dutch, English and other people had been living together in New York for a long time.
New York became more important as a trading port while underBritish rule in the early 1700s.[50] It also became a center of slavery as the British increased theslave trade and built a slave market in the city.[45] 42% of households owned slaves by 1730, the highest percentage outsideCharleston, South Carolina.[51]
The 1735 trial andacquittal in Manhattan of John Peter Zenger, who had been accused of seditious libel after criticizing colonial governor William Cosby, helped to create thefreedom of the press in North America.[52] In 1754,Columbia University was created under charter byKing George II; it was called King's College, and it was in Lower Manhattan.[53]
New York quickly grew to become a large and important port city. The Stamp Act Congress met in New York in October 1765, as theSons of Liberty. It organized in the city, and theyskirmished over the next ten years with British troops stationed there.[54] The importantBattle of Long Island of theAmerican Revolution was fought in Brooklyn in 1776; it was the biggest battle of the war.[55] The Americans lost the battle. The British used the area as itsheadquarters for the war in North America.
During the nineteenth century, New York City's population grew from ~60,000 to ~3.43 million.[60] The number of black people in New York City reached more than 16,000 in 1840.[61] Even though slavery and the slave trade wereabolished in New York, the slave trade continued illegally for many years.[62]
TheGreat Irish Famine brought a many Irish immigrants; more than 200,000 were living in New York by 1860, more than a quarter of the city's population.[63] There was also many people from German provinces, and Germans made up another 25% of New York's population by 1860.[64]
In 1898, the cities of New York and Brooklyn came together with the Bronx, Staten Island, and the western towns in Queens County to make Greater New York. This is the total area of the City of New York today. Around this time, many newimmigrants came into New York City. They came in atEllis Island, an island in New York's harbor near theStatue of Liberty. Many of them then moved to theLower East Side neighborhood in Manhattan, which had over a million people living in just a few square miles.
Early in the twentieth century, with better transportation, more people moved to outer parts of the greater city, and manycommuted to Manhattan. Manyskyscrapers and other big buildings were put up to provide places to work.
In the 1970s, many jobs were lost due toindustrial restructuring. This caused New York City to have economic problems and high crime rates.[65] Though the financial industry grew, which greatly helped the city's economy in the 1980s, New York's crime rate continued to increase through that decade and into the beginning of the 1990s.[66] By the mid 1990s, crime rates started to drop a lot due to different police strategies, better economic opportunities,gentrification, and new residents, both Americans and new immigrants fromAsia andLatin America. Important new sectors, such as Silicon Alley, started in the city's economy.[67] New York's population reached all-time highs in the2000 census and then again in the 2010 census.
United Airlines Flight 175 hits the South Tower of the originalWorld Trade Center on September 11, 2001.
New York had most of the economic damage and biggest loss of human life from theSeptember 11, 2001 attacks.[68] Two of the four planes taken over that day were flown into the twin towers of the World Trade Center, destroying them and killing 2,192 civilians, 343 firefighters, and 71 police officers. The North Tower became the tallest building ever to be destroyed anywhere.[69]
Hurricane Sandy brought a destructivestorm surge to New York City on the evening of October 29, 2012, flooding numerous streets, tunnels and subway lines in Lower Manhattan and other areas of the city and cutting off electricity in many parts of the city and its suburbs.[70]
During the Wisconsin glaciation, 75,000 to 11,000 years ago, the New York City area was at the edge of a bigice sheet over2,000 feet (610m) deep.[71] Erosion and the ice moving lead to the creation of what is nowLong Island andStaten Island. It also leftbedrock at a shallow depth, providing a solidfoundation for most of Manhattan's skyscrapers.[72]
Water divides several parts of the city. TheHudson River flows through theHudson Valley into New York Bay. Between New York City andTroy, New York, the river is anestuary.[74] The Hudson River separates the city from the U.S. state ofNew Jersey. Part of theHudson River forms the border between Manhattan and the Bronx on one side, and the State ofNew Jersey on the other side. TheEast River forms the border between Manhattan on one side, and Brooklyn and Queens on the other side. The Harlem River forms the border between Manhattan and the Bronx (except for a small part of Manhattan that is on the mainland). Part ofLong Island Sound separates the Bronx and Queens. Newtown Creek is part of the border between Brooklyn and Queens. Some parts of the city are very separate from the others because of water, such as Rockaway in Queens andCity Island in the Bronx. A small piece of land in Manhattan is international territory and belongs to theUnited Nations Headquarters. The country of Somalia is the only country whose national flag copied the colors of the UN.[75] The Bronx River, which flows through the Bronx and Westchester County, is the only entirelyfresh water river in the city.[76]
The city's total area is468.484 square miles (1,213.37km2), including302.643sqmi (783.84km2) of land and165.841sqmi (429.53km2) of this is water.[77][78] The tallest place in the city is Todt Hill on Staten Island. It is at409.8 feet (124.9m)above sea level, and it is the tallest place on the Eastern Seaboard that is south ofMaine.[79] The summit of the ridge is mostlywoodland as part of the Staten Island Greenbelt.[80]
The hallmark of New York city is its manyskyscrapers, especially in Manhattan. In New York City there are about 5600 skyscrapers. 48 of them are over 200metres tall, which is the highest number of skyscrapers in one area in the world.
Manhattan (New York County) is the geographically smallest and most densely populated borough. It hasCentral Park and most of the city's skyscrapers. It is sometimes locally known asThe City.[85]
Brooklyn (Kings County), on the western end ofLong Island, has the most people living in it than any other borough. Brooklyn is known for its cultural, social, and ethnic diversity, an independent art scene, unique neighborhoods, and uniquearchitecture.
Queens (Queens County), on Long Island north and east of Brooklyn, is geographically the biggest borough and the most ethnically diverse county in the United States.[86] It is also the most ethnically diverse urban area in the world.[87][88]
The Bronx (Bronx County) is New York City's northernmost borough. It is the only New York City borough with most of the land being on the mainland United States. TheYankee Stadium, the baseball park of theNew York Yankees, and the biggestcooperatively owned housing complex in the United States, Co-op City, are in the Bronx.[89] TheBronx Zoo, the world's largest metropolitan zoo,[90] is also in the Bronx. It is265 acres (1.07km2) big and has more than 6,000 animals.[91]Rap and hip hop culture were created in the Bronx.[92] Pelham Bay Park is the biggest park in New York City, at2,772 acres (1,122ha).[93]
Staten Island (Richmond County) is the most suburban of the five boroughs. Staten Island is connected to Brooklyn by theVerrazano-Narrows Bridge. It is connected to Manhattan by way of the freeStaten Island Ferry, a dailycommuter ferry which has clear views of theStatue of Liberty,Ellis Island, and Lower Manhattan. In central Staten Island, the Staten Island Greenbelt is about2,500 acres (10km2) big, including28 miles (45km) of walking trails and one of the last untouched forests in the city.[94]
Under theKöppen climate classification, New York City experiences ahumid subtropical climate (Cfa) and ahumid continental climate (Dfa).[95][96] The average temperature in January, the area's coldest month, is32.1°F (0.1°C). However, temperatures in winter could for a few days be as low as10°F (−12°C) and as high as60°F (16°C).[97] Summers are typically hot and humid with a July average of76.5°F (24.7°C). New York City gets somesnow in winter.
Climate data for New York (Belvedere Castle,Central Park), 1981–2010 normals,[a] extremes 1869–present[b]
New York City currently has over 8 million people. Over 20 million people live in theNew York metropolitan area including the city. The majority of the people in New York City belong toethnic groups that are minorities in the US. New York City has had large numbers of immigrants for centuries. In the early 19th Century, they came fromIreland andGermany. Later in the 19th century, they came fromItaly,Russia andEastern Europe. Today, many are fromPuerto Rico,Haiti, theDominican Republic andColombia. Other ethnic groups living in New York City are Turks, Indians, Mexicans, Filipinos, Eastern Europeans, Jamaicans, Trinidadians, Caribbeans and Chinese. New York City has one of the largestHispanic and Latino population in the United States.[102]
ManyFortune 500 companies areheadquartered in New York City,[106] as are manymultinational corporations. One out of ten private sector jobs in the city is with a foreign company.[107] New York City has been ranked first among cities around the world in gettingcapital, business, and tourists.[108][109] New York City's role as the top global center for theadvertising industry can be seen with"Madison Avenue".[110] The city's fashion industry has about 180,000 employees with $11billion in annual wages.[111]
Chocolate is New York City's biggest specialty-foodexport, with up to $234million worth of exports each year.[112] Entrepreneurs were creating a "Chocolate District" in Brooklynas of 2014[update],[113] while Godiva, one of the world's biggest chocolatiers, continues to be headquartered in Manhattan.[114]
New York City's biggest economic part is the U.S. financial industry, also known asWall Street. The city's securities industry, which has 163,400 jobs in August 2013, continues to be the biggest part of the city's financial sector and an important economic part. In 2012, Walls Street made 5.0% of the city's private sector jobs, 8.5% ($3.8billion) of its tax revenue, and 22% of the city's total wages, including an average salary of $360,700.[118]
InLower Manhattan, there is theNew York Stock Exchange, on Wall Street, and theNASDAQ, at165 Broadway, representing the world's biggest and second biggeststock exchanges, respectively.[119][120] Investment banking fees on Wall Street totaled about $40billion in 2012,[121] while in 2013, senior New York City bank officers who manage risk and compliance functions earned as much as $324,000 every year.[122] In fiscal year 2013–14, Wall Street's securities industry made 19% of New York State's tax revenue.[123]
Many of the world's biggestmedia conglomerates are also in the city. Manhattan had more than 500 million square feet (46.5million m2) of office space in 2018,[124] making it the biggest office market in the United States.[125]Midtown Manhattan, with 400 million square feet (37.2million m2) in 2018,[124] is the biggest central business area in the world.[126]
New York is an important place for the Americanentertainment industry, with many movies, television series, books, and other media beingset there.[127]As of 2012[update], New York City was the second biggest center for filmmaking and television production in the United States, making about 200 feature films every year, making about 130,000 jobs. The filmed entertainment industry has been growing in New York, providing nearly $9billion to the New York City economy as of 2015.[128] By amount, New York is the world leader inindependent film production—one-third of all American independent films are created there.[129][130] The Association of Independent Commercial Producers is also based in New York.[131]
More than 200newspapers and 350magazines have an office in the city,[130] and the publishing industry has about 25,000 jobs.[134] Two of the three national daily newspapers with the biggest circulations in the United States are published in New York:The Wall Street Journal andThe New York Times, which has won the mostPulitzer Prizes for journalism. Big tabloid newspapers in the city includeThe New York Daily News, which was created in 1919 by Joseph Medill Patterson,[135] andThe New York Post, created in 1801 byAlexander Hamilton.[136] The city also has a many ethnicpresses, with 270 newspapers and magazines published in more than 40 languages.[137]El Diario La Prensa is New York's biggestSpanish-language daily newspaper, and it is the oldest in the United States.[138]The New York Amsterdam News, published in Harlem, is a big African American newspaper.The Village Voice, historically the biggest alternative newspaper in the United States, announced in 2017 that it would end publication of its print version, and it will only publish online.[139]
New York is also an important place for non-commercial educational media. The oldest public-access television channel in the United States is the Manhattan Neighborhood Network, created in 1971.[140]
The New York City Public Schools system, managed by theNew York City Department of Education, is the biggest public school system in the United States. It serves about 1.1million students in more than 1,700 different primary and secondary schools.[141]
The New York City Charter School Center helps the creation of new charter schools.[142] There are about 900 additional private secular and religious schools in the city.[143]
More than 600,000 students are enrolled in New York City's more than 120 colleges and universities, which is the most of any city in the United States and more than other major global cities such as London,[144] and Tokyo.[145] More than half a million are just in the City University of New York (CUNY) systemas of 2020[update], including both degree and professional programs.[146] New York City's colleges and universities had also higher average scores than those two cities in 2019, according to theAcademic Ranking of World Universities.[147] New York City has many famous private universities such asBarnard College,Columbia University, Cooper Union,Fordham University,New York University, New York Institute of Technology,Rockefeller University, andYeshiva University; many of these universities are ranked as some of the best universities in the world.[148][149]
The mayor of New York isEric Adams, aDemocrat. The city also has a City Council that makes some local laws. Most laws in New York City are set by the state government inAlbany.
↑Will Gleason (March 11, 2019)."Citing its diversity and culture, NYC was voted best city in the world in new global survey".Time Out. RetrievedMay 19, 2019.After compiling the thoughts of over 30,000 people, both from our NYC readership and half-a-world away, New York was voted the greatest city on the planet for 2019. In a hint as to why this happened, and why now, it also lead[sic] the categories of most diverse metropolis and best culture.
↑Pieter Schaghen Letter 1626: "...hebben t'eylant Manhattes van de wilde gekocht, voor de waerde van 60 gulden: is groot 11000 morgen...." ("...They have purchased the Island Manhattes from the Indians for the value of 60 guilders. It is 11,000 morgens in size...)
↑The Nine Capitals of the United States. United States Senate Historical Office. Retrieved June 9, 2005. Based on Fortenbaugh, Robert,The Nine Capitals of the United States, York, PA: Maple Press, 1948.
↑Leslie M. Harris (2003)."The New York City Draft Riots".In the Shadow of Slavery: African Americans in New York City, 1626–1863. University of Chicago Press. Excerpted from pages 279–288.
↑Tittemore, Brian D. "Belligerents in blue helmets: applying international humanitarian law to United Nations peace operations." Stan. J. Int'l L. 33 (1997): 61.
↑Wylde, Kathryn (January 23, 2006)."Keeping the Economy Growing".Gotham Gazette.Archived from the original on October 6, 2008. RetrievedSeptember 1, 2008.
↑"More Than a Link in the Food Chain"(PDF). The Mayor's Office for Industrial and Manufacturing Business. February 2007.Archived(PDF) from the original on August 31, 2008. RetrievedSeptember 1, 2008.
↑DiNapoli, Thomas P. (New York State Comptroller); Bleiwas, Kenneth B. (New York State Deputy Comptroller) (October 2013)."The Securities Industry in New York City"(PDF). RetrievedJuly 30, 2014.
↑Mean monthly maxima and minima (i.e. the expected highest and lowest temperature readings at any point during the year or given month) calculated based on data at said location from 1981 to 2010.
↑Official weather observations for Central Park were conducted at the Arsenal at Fifth Avenue and 64th Street from 1869 to 1919, and at Belvedere Castle since 1919.[98]
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