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City Facts
New York is the most populous city
in the United States, and the center of the New York metropolitan area, which is
one of the most populous urban areas in
the world. A leading global city, New York exerts a powerful influence
over global commerce,
finance, culture, fashion and entertainment.
As host of the United Nations headquarters, it is also an
important center for international affairs. The city is often referred to
as New York City or The City of New York to distinguish it
from the state
of New York, of which it is a part.
Located on a large natural harbor
on the Atlantic coast of the Northeastern United States, the city
consists of five boroughs: The Bronx,
Brooklyn,
Manhattan,
Queens, and Staten
Island. The city's 2008 estimated population exceeds 8.3 million
people,[2]
and with a land area of 305 square miles (790 km2),[3][4]
New York City is the most densely
populated major city in the United States.[5]
The New York metropolitan area's population is also the nation's largest,
estimated at 18.8 million people over 6,720 square miles
(17,400 km2).[6]
Furthermore, the Combined Statistical Area containing
the Greater New York metropolitan area contained 22.155 million
people as of 2008 Census estimates, also the largest in the United States.
New York was founded as a commercial trading post by
the Dutch
in 1624. The settlement was called New
Amsterdam until 1664 when the colony came under English control.[7]
New York served as the capital of the United States from 1785 until 1790.[8]
It has been the country's largest city since 1790.[9]
Many districts and landmarks in the city have become
well known to outsiders. The Statue of Liberty greeted millions of immigrants as they came to
America in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Wall
Street, in Lower Manhattan, has been a dominant global financial center since World
War II and is home to the New York Stock Exchange. The city has
been home to several of the tallest buildings in the world, including the Empire State Building and the twin towers
of the former World Trade Center.
The city is the birthplace of many cultural
movements, including the Harlem Renaissance in literature and visual
art; abstract expressionism (also known as
the New York School) in painting; hip
hop,[10]
punk,[11]
salsa,
disco,
freestyle,
and Tin Pan Alley in music; and is the home of Broadway theater.
New York is notable among American cities for its
high use of mass transit, most of which runs 24 hours a day,
and for the density and diversity of its population. In 2005, nearly 170
languages were spoken in the city and 36% of its population was born
outside the United States.[12][13]
Sometimes referred to as "The City That Never Sleeps,"
the city has also been nicknamed, "The Capital
of the World," "The City,"
"Gotham,"[14]
and the "Big Apple."[15]
References
- ^ the Mayor, New York City Office of (2010-01-08). "Biography".
New York, City of. http://www.nyc.gov/portal/site/nycgov/menuitem.e985cf5219821bc3f7393cd401c789a0/. Retrieved 2010-01-08.
- ^ a
b
"Vintage
2008 Population Estimates: Incorporated Places and Minor Civil
Divisions over 100,000". United States Census Bureau, Population
Division. http://www.census.gov/popest/cities/SUB-EST2008.html. Retrieved 2009-07-02.
- ^ a
b
"NYC
Profile" (PDF). New York City Department of City Planning. http://home2.nyc.gov/html/dcp/pdf/lucds/nycprofile.pdf. Retrieved 2008-05-22.
- ^ a
b
Roberts, Sam. "Its
Still a Big City, Just Not Quite So Big". The New York Times (May 22, 2008). http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/22/nyregion/22shrink.html. Retrieved 2008-05-22.
- ^ "2000
Census: US Municipalities Over 50,000: Ranked by 2000 Density".
Demographia. http://www.demographia.com/db-2000city50kdens.htm. Retrieved 2008-09-01.
- ^ "Annual
Estimates of the Population of Metropolitan Statistical Areas: April
1, 2000 to July 1, 2007". U.S. Census Bureau. http://www.census.gov/popest/metro/files/2007/CBSA-EST2007-alldata.csv. Retrieved 2008-12-30.
- ^ Shorto, Russell (2005). The
Island at the Center of The World, 1st Edition. New York: Vintage
Books. p. 30. ISBN 1-4000-7867-9.
- ^ "The
Nine Capitals of the United States". United States Senate. http://www.senate.gov/reference/reference_item/Nine_Capitals_of_the_United_States.htm. Retrieved 2008-09-07.
- ^ "Rank
by Population of the 100 Largest Urban Places, Listed Alphabetically
by State: 1790-1990". U.S. Census Bureau. 1998-06-15. http://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0027/tab01.txt. Retrieved 2009-02-08.
- ^ a
b
Toop, David (1992). Rap
Attack 2: African Rap to Global Hip Hop. Serpents Tail. ISBN 1852422432.
- ^ Scaruffi, Piero. "A timeline
of the USA". http://www.scaruffi.com/politics/american.html. Retrieved 2008-09-01.
- ^ a
b
"Queens:
Economic Development and the State of the Borough Economy"
(PDF). New York State Office of the State
Comptroller. June 2006. http://www.osc.state.ny.us/osdc/rpt3-2007queens.pdf. Retrieved 2008-09-01.
- ^ "The
Newest New Yorkers: 2000" (PDF). New York City
Department of City Planning. 2005. http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcp/pdf/census/nny_briefing_booklet.pdf. Retrieved 2008-09-01.
- ^ Irving's
mocking Salmagundi Papers, 1807, noted by Edwin G. Burrows and Mike
Wallace, Gotham: A History of New York to 1898 (Oxford)
1999:xii.
- ^ Nicknames for Manhattan
The most beguiling city in the world, New York
is an adrenaline-charged, history-laden place that holds immense romantic
appeal for visitors. Wandering the streets here, you'll cut between
buildings that are icons to the modern age and whether gazing at the
flickering lights of the midtown skyscrapers as you speed across the
Queensboro bridge, experiencing the 4am half-life downtown, or just wasting
the morning on the Staten Island ferry, you really would have to be made of
stone not to be moved by it all. There's no place quite like it.New York City, NY Information by Rough Guides
The
most beguiling city in the world, New York is an adrenaline-charged,
history-laden place that holds immense romantic appeal for visitors.
Wandering the streets here, you'll cut between buildings that are icons to
the modern age and whether gazing at the flickering lights of the midtown
skyscrapers as you speed across the Queensboro bridge, experiencing the 4am
half-life downtown, or just wasting the morning on the Staten Island ferry,
you really would have to be made of stone not to be moved by it all.
There's no place quite like it.
While
the events of September 11, 2001, which demolished the World Trade Center,
shook New York to its core, the populace responded resiliently under the
composed aegis of then-Mayor Rudy Giuliani. Until the attacks, many New
Yorkers loved to hate Giuliani, partly because they saw him as committed to
making their city too much like everyone else's. To some extent he
succeeded, and during the late Nineties New York seemed cleaner, safer, and
more liveable, as the city took on a truly international allure and shook
off the more notorious aspects to its reputation. However, the maverick
quality of New York and its people still shines as brightly as it ever did.
Even in the aftermath of the World Trade Center's collapse, New York
remains a unique and fascinating city and one you'll want to return to
again and again.
You
could spend weeks in New York and still barely scratch the surface, but
there are some key attractions and some pleasures that you won't want
to miss. There are the different ethnic neighborhoods, like lower
Manhattan's Chinatown and the traditionally Jewish Lower East Side (not so
much anymore); and the more artsy concentrations of SoHo, TriBeCa, and the
East and West Villages. Of course, there is the celebrated architecture
of corporate Manhattan, with the skyscrapers in downtown and midtown
forming the most indelible images. There are the museums, not just
the Metropolitan and MoMA, but countless other smaller collections that
afford weeks of happy wandering. In between sights, you can eat just
about anything, at any time, cooked in any style; you can drink in
any kind of company; and sit through any number of obscure movies.
The more established arts dance, theater, music are superbly
catered for; and New York's clubs are as varied and exciting as you
might expect. And for the avid consumer, the choice of shops is
vast, almost numbingly exhaustive in this heartland of the great capitalist
dream.
New
York City, NY Information by Rough Guides
The
most beguiling city in the world, New York is an adrenaline-charged,
history-laden place that holds immense romantic appeal for visitors.
Wandering the streets here, you'll cut between buildings that are icons to
the modern age and whether gazing at the flickering lights of the midtown
skyscrapers as you speed across the Queensboro bridge, experiencing the 4am
half-life downtown, or just wasting the morning on the Staten Island ferry,
you really would have to be made of stone not to be moved by it all.
There's no place quite like it.
While
the events of September 11, 2001, which demolished the World Trade Center,
shook New York to its core, the populace responded resiliently under the composed
aegis of then-Mayor Rudy Giuliani. Until the attacks, many New Yorkers
loved to hate Giuliani, partly because they saw him as committed to making
their city too much like everyone else's. To some extent he succeeded, and
during the late Nineties New York seemed cleaner, safer, and more liveable,
as the city took on a truly international allure and shook off the more
notorious aspects to its reputation. However, the maverick quality of New
York and its people still shines as brightly as it ever did. Even in the
aftermath of the World Trade Center's collapse, New York remains a unique
and fascinating city and one you'll want to return to again and again.
You
could spend weeks in New York and still barely scratch the surface, but
there are some key attractions and some pleasures that you won't want
to miss. There are the different ethnic neighborhoods, like lower
Manhattan's Chinatown and the traditionally Jewish Lower East Side (not so
much anymore); and the more artsy concentrations of SoHo, TriBeCa, and the
East and West Villages. Of course, there is the celebrated architecture
of corporate Manhattan, with the skyscrapers in downtown and midtown
forming the most indelible images. There are the museums, not just
the Metropolitan and MoMA, but countless other smaller collections that
afford weeks of happy wandering. In between sights, you can eat just
about anything, at any time, cooked in any style; you can drink in
any kind of company; and sit through any number of obscure movies.
The more established arts dance, theater, music are superbly
catered for; and New York's clubs are as varied and exciting as you
might expect. And for the avid consumer, the choice of shops is
vast, almost numbingly exhaustive in this heartland of the great capitalist
dream.
The most beguiling city in the world, New York
is an adrenaline-charged, history-laden place that holds immense romantic
appeal for visitors. Wandering the streets here, you'll cut between
buildings that are icons to the modern age and whether gazing at the
flickering lights of the midtown skyscrapers as you speed across the
Queensboro bridge, experiencing the 4am half-life downtown, or just wasting
the morning on the Staten Island ferry, you really would have to be made of
stone not to be moved by it all. There's no place quite like it.
Useful Websites
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_City
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