New York, New York
- Alternate use: New York, New York (song)
New York City is among the most densely populated places in the United States. The population of the City of New York is more than eight million (2000 U.S. Census), the land area of the city is 831 square kilometers (320 square miles); hence the density is ca. 10,000 / sq km.
New York City is part of the New York metropolitan area with a population of around 20 million. See also [1].
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| City nickname: "The Big Apple" | |||||
 Location in the state of New York | |||||
| County | Bronx County, New York Kings County, New York New York County, New York Queens County, New York Richmond County, New York | ||||
| Area - Total - Water | 1,214.4 kmÃÂò (468.9 mi²) 428.8 km² (165.6 mi²) 35.31% | ||||
| Population
- Total (2003) - Density |
8,085,742 6,658.2/km² [total density including water area] 18,857/km² [land density only] | ||||
| Time zone | Eastern: UTC-5 | ||||
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Latitude
Longitude |
40°47' N 73°58' W | ||||
History of New York City
New York City started out as the Dutch settlement of New Amsterdam on the southern tip of Manhattan in 1626. In 1664, English ships captured the city without struggle, and it was renamed New York, after the Duke of York.
At the start of the American Revolutionary War, the city was the scene of important early fighting at the Battle of Brooklyn, suffered a great fire in which much of it burned, and fell into British control for the remainder of the war, not to be regained by the Americans until 1783. "Evacuation Day" was long celebrated in New York.
During the 19th Century, the city population boomed by an influx of a vast number of immigrants. In 1811, the city street grid was expanded to encompass all of Manhattan with a visionary development proposal called the Commissioner's Plan. By 1835, New York City overtook Philadelphia as the largest city in the United States.
During the Civil War, the city's strong commercial ties to the South, as well as its growing immigrant population, led to a split in sympathy between the Union and Confederacy, culminating in the Draft Riots of 1863, the worst civil unrest in American history.
After the 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.
In 1898, New York City took the political form in which it exists to this day. Prior to 1898, New York City consisted of Manhattan and the Bronx, which was annexed by the city from southern Westchester County in two separate actions: the western portion in 1874, and the remaining portion in 1895. In 1898, a new municipal government, originally called Greater New York, was created by new legislation. It was divided into five boroughs. The Boroughs of Manhattan and The Bronx covered the original city and the rest of New York County. The Borough of Brooklyn consisted of the City of Brooklyn as well as several municipalities in eastern Kings County. The Borough of Queens was established in western Queens County, and covered several small cities and towns, including Long Island City, Astoria and Flushing. The Borough of Staten Island contained all of Richmond County. All municipal governments contained within the boroughs were abolished. A year later, the area of Queens County not contained within the Borough of Queens became Nassau County. In 1914, the state legislature created Bronx County, shrinking New York County so it contained only Manhattan. The five boroughs are now considered to be generally coterminous with their respective counties. However, there are some small exceptions, some of which remain a legal mystery, such as Marble Hill.
In the first half of the 20th century, the city became a world center for industry, commerce, and communication. Interborough Rapid Transit (the first subway company) began operating in 1904. The New York skyline soared in the 1930s with the building of the some of the world's tallest skyscrapers.
In the decades after World War II, however, the city slid into gradual decline with the loss of population to the suburbs and the erosion of its industrial base. Like many US cities, New York suffered severe 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 hit bottom and had to declare bankruptcy.
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 dot com boom fueled a frenzy of financial speculation that sent the economy soaring. Out of all of the affected cities, New York suffered the most during the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 on the World Trade Center.
In the aftermath of the terrorist attacks, the city has rebounded and pushed forward new plans for the destroyed areas of the World Trade Center. One building being built on the World Trade Center site is the Freedom Tower which will be the world's highest skyscraper when completed in 2008.
In 1623, the Dutch West India Company set up a small colony on the island of Manhattan. Slavery was introduced two years later.
In 1653, New Amsterdam, with a population of about 800, was declared a city. In reality, it was just a tiny primitive colonial town without schools, hospitals, police, or streetlights.
In August 1664, British forces attacked New Amsterdam (population 1,500). The Dutch surrendered to the British on September 6. The Dutch regained control of New York in 1673 but finally gave way to the British in 1674.
In 1683, first city charter was issued without confirmation of the King. The government was reorganized into a pattern still followed. See: History of New York for more details.
In 1688, New Amsterdam, renamed New York after the English slave-owner the Duke of York, who later became James II, was incorporated into the Dominion of New England.
In 1697, the board of aldermen asked every seventh home to hang a lantern out at night, the cost to be borne by all seven households.
In 1700, the total population was just over 5,000; New York remained a small town.
In 1703, the first free school was opened.
In 1712, a Negro insurrection was put down with brutal force.
In 1725, New York Gazette became the first newspaper published in New York.
In 1731, the Montgomerie Charter was granted to the city by the parliament. This event coincided with the onset of a period of rapid growth of the population and rapid development for the colony; thus it marked the formation of a genuine city. In the same year, a public library, which was really a small reading room, opened in City Hall. This was followed by the establishment of the postal service between Boston and New York (it took two weeks each way!) and the first theater in 1732 and the first city park in 1733. The population in 1732 was 8,600.
In 1741, Several black slaves were accused of plotting another insurrection; 13 were burned at the stake, 18 were hanged.
In 1747, the New York Bar Association was founded.
In 1750, the population reached thirteen thousand. Development of the city seemed to have acquired new momentum: postal service between New York and Philadelphia (1756), the first city jail (1759), the first street lights (1761), and the first police force (1762).
In 1768, Chamber of Commerce was established.
In 1754, King's College was founded, which was to become Columbia University.
In 1776, New York Hospital was founded. In the same year, the British Army invaded New York. The occupation lasted until 1783.
In 1784, Bank of New York opened.
In 1785, New York was named the capital of the US.
In 1789, George Washington inaugurated as the first president in New York City.
In 1790, the capital was moved to Philadelphia.
In 1792, New York Stock Exchange opened on Wall Street, which granted New York the status of the financial center of the union.
In 1800, the total population exceeds 60,000.
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 occasionaly 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.
The City of New York is composed of five boroughs, each a county of New York State:
The Five Boroughs
(Population figures from July 1, 2002 Census estimates
see http://www.census.gov/ for more information).
The boroughs are coterminous with their respective counties, but the counties do not have actual county governments. Each borough elects a Borough President, but under the current city charter, the Borough President's powers are limited—he or she has a small discretionary budget to spend on projects within the borough. (The last significant power of the borough presidents—to appoint a member of the Board of Education —was abolished, with the board, on June 30, 2002.) Currently, borough presidents serve as ex officio members of various boards and committees.
Residents of the city often refer to the city itself as "the Five Boroughs", reserving the phrase "the City" to refer to Manhattan. Those less familiar with the city often (incorrectly) think Manhattan is synonymous with New York City. The boroughs other than Manhattan are also referred to as "the Outer Boroughs."
Executive
The executive branch of New York City is headed by the Mayor, who is elected by direct popular vote. The mayor has executive authority over five divisions of city government as well as several independent government offices. The divisions, each comprising several city agencies and headed by an appointed Deputy Mayor, are:
- Operations
- Economic Development and Rebuilding
- Policy
- Administration
- Legal Affairs
Legislative
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. Councilmembers are elected every four years, and the leader of the majority party is called the Speaker. The current Speaker of the City Council is Gifford Miller, a Democrat. 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.
Judicial
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. 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.
Criminal cases are handled on indictment by the Supreme Court in each New York City county. The Supreme Court also handles larger civil cases, and grand juries sit in each county. Thus, unlike other states and the Federal Government, in New York, the Supreme Court is not the highest court. Appeals are handled by the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court. The highest court in the state is the Court of Appeals.
Crime
New York has had a reputation as a crime-ridden city, partly due to the hundreds of TV and movie crime dramas set in it. However, in recent years it has been ranked in the top ten safest large cities in the United States by City Crime Rankings (9th edition, 2003). In addition, New York has been growing safer for most of the last decade—FBI data indicate that the murder rate in 2000 was the lowest since 1967.
There have been some notorious crime sprees, however. For example, on July 29, 1976 the "Son of Sam" pulled a gun from a paper bag killing one person and seriously wounding another in the first of a series of attacks that terrorized the city for the next year.
As soon as the Sicilian Mafia moved to New York in the 1920s, they became infamous with their hits on businesses that did not pay money to them. They had also set up smuggling rings and fixed boxing matches. The Mafia flourished due to a distrust of the police in the Italian-American communities in New York. The five largest crime families in New York were the Bonnanos, the Colombos, the Gambinos, the Genovese, and the Luchese. The assimilation of the Italian-American population is choking the Mafia in New York, although they still operate.
New York has a humid continental climate. The city is adjacent to water, so temperature changes are not as drastic as those inland. Every winter, it snows in New York due to its latitude. Because of its key position, New York had been king in the shipping passenger trade between Europe and the Americas for quite some time, until the airplane came into wider use across the Atlantic.
Staten Island is hilly, and is the least populated borough of the boroughs in New York City. Space is sparse on Manhattan, therefore tall buildings are preferred.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1,214.4 km² (468.9 mi²). 785.6 km² (303.3 mi²) of it is land and 428.8 km² (165.6 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 35.31% water.
As 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/km² (26,402.9/mi²). There are 3,200,912 housing units at an average density of 4,074.6/km² (10,553.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 44.66% White, 26.59% African American, 0.52% Native American, 9.83% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 13.42% from other races, and 4.92% from two or more races. 26.98% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 3,021,588 households out of which 29.7% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.2% are married couples living together, 19.1% have a female householder with no husband present, and 38.7% are non-families. 31.9% of all households are made up of individuals and 9.9% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.59 and the average family size is 3.32.
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.
Times SquareGeography and climate
New York City comprises Manhattan Island, Staten Island, the western part of Long Island, part of the North American mainland (the Bronx), and several small islands in New York Harbor.
New York city, viewed from the TERRA satellite.The prominent green rectangle is Central Park, on Manhattan island. Ground Zero can just be distinguished, as the largest of the pale spots near the southern tip of Manhattan.
Demographics
The median income for a household in the city is $38,293, and the median income for a family is $41,887. Males have a median income of $37,435 versus $32,949 for females. The per capita income for the city is $22,402. 21.2% of the population and 18.5% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 30.0% are under the age of 18 and 17.8% are 65 or older.Economy
New York is a center of many industries in the United States.
It was the early center of the American film industry, until it moved to Los Angeles, and still has some movie and television production.
New York is also a financial center for the country, containing the New York Stock Exchange, NASDAQ, American Stock Exchange, New York Mercantile Exchange, and New York Board of Trade. The New York financial industry is based in Wall Street, lower Manhattan.
New York is also the center of the clothing industry in the United States. Many fashions come out of New York from different designers.
New York also has a lot of book publishers, which often have New York as the very first city in publishing.
New York also has a large tourism industry. See below for more details about the tourism industry.
Major Corporations based in New York
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Altria was based here under its former name Phillip Morris. Altria moved its headquarters to Richmond, Virginia. Texaco was based here until it merged with Chevron into San Ramon, California based ChevronTexaco.
People of New York
A resident of New York City is a New Yorker. Residents of Brooklyn sometimes call themselves Brooklynites and residents of Staten Island, Staten Islanders. Residents generally refer to New York City (or just Manhattan) as "New York" or "the city". Ambiguity is resolved by writing "NYS" for the state and "NYC" for the city.
To some observers, New York has seemed more of an international city than an "American" city, due to the large influx of immigrants. Only Los Angeles receives more immigrants. Hundreds of languages are spoken in New York City. In many major cities in the world, immigrants tend to cluster into enclaves where they can talk and shop and work with people from their country of origin. In the United States, this is most pronounced in New York City. Immigrants of Irish, Italian, Chinese, Korean,Puerto Ricans,African and Jewish origin all have enclaves within the city. New York has a higher Jewish population than Jerusalem, Israel does.
Before September 11, 2001, New Yorkers were often stereotyped as rude and brusque. Since the World Trade Center destruction, increased empathy with New Yorkers has lessened this perception.
The common stereotype of the "New Yorker" is held by many. The city has a large population and is fast-paced, so New Yorkers are often seen as having an attitude of superiority and New Yorkers were not meant to have any time to spare for anyone else (not even other New Yorkers). In the stereotype, they will not hold the door for anyone, and will scoff the tourist who does. There is tourist mocking (including tourist jokes), due to the high levels of entertainment they receive from such abuse and tourists' unfamiliarity with the habits of city life. New Yorkers are jaded and things that others would consider drawbacks to life in The City (crime, prostitution, pollution, noise...) are instead marks of pride, and the very lures that keep them from ever leaving. One former New York couple, who had left for Los Angeles in 1926, returned on a visit some decades later, and summarized it thus: "We forgot how to be mean."
Whereas in the much of the rest of the United States, football has surpassed baseball as the most popular professional sport, in New York baseball arguably still stirs the most passion and interest. A 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. While for the rest of the East Coast the rivalry depicted as being the most intense is the one between the Yankees and the Boston Red Sox, for New Yorkers the rivalry that stirs deep passions is between the Yankees and the Mets. Outsiders are frequently unaware that few baseball fans in New York are fans of both teams at once.
After September 11th, the attitudes of New Yorkers have both changed and stayed the same. Pride in the city and their way of life have increased for many, though others show signs of paranoia. "Mets Suck!" was still graffitied on a scaffold near "Ground Zero." Cabbies still drive recklessly, though some civilian drivers are more polite than previously.
New York has an intense rivalry with the city of Boston, Massachusetts. This is perhaps the most infamous city rivalry in the United States, especially in the minds of Bostonians.
See also: List of people from New York
Tourism is a very large business, with hundreds of famous buildings, sites, and monuments in New York City. Many people visit the Radio City Music Hall, the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building, the Brooklyn Bridge, Ellis Island, and several other famous New York City landmarks. The World Trade Center was a famous tourist destination before September 11, 2001, and since that day, Ground Zero has become a very important place for visitors to see. The most famous FAO Schwarz is located in Manhattan. It is so popular that long lines to enter are seen as one approaches the building.
Coney Island, in the south of Brooklyn, has New York's roller coasters and amusement parks.
The first Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade was held in New York on November 27, 1924. Since then this has been a annual event drawing tens of thousands of spectators and in later years millions of television viewers.
Many people characterize the tourist-filled Manhattan as "New York". New York is actually more diverse than that, since Staten Island and Queens have shorter buildings than Manhattan does.
A common saying about con artists is to say that they are selling "pieces of the Brooklyn Bridge."
See also New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, List of New York City parks.
Ebbets Field (torn down in 1960) was the home of the Brooklyn Dodgers (now the Los Angeles Dodgers) from 1913 until 1957.
In 2004, the New Jersey Nets was sold to Bruce Ratner, who announced plans to move it to Brooklyn and build a new state of the art stadium. The New York Jets also plan to move to Manhattan and build a retractable roof football stadium in 2008 once their lease on Giants Stadium expires.
New York City is home to two minor league baseball teams. Both play in the short-season Class A New York-Penn League, and each is an affiliate of one of the city's major-league teams. The Brooklyn Cyclones are a Mets affiliate, and the Staten Island Yankees are (obviously) affiliated with the Yankees.
New York City is also making a bid to host the 2012 Summer Olympics with plans to build many new sporting venues if chosen.
High tollway fees on bridges and underground tunnels help raise revenue and discourage too many commuters from using the crossings. New Yorkers who live in the city tend to take taxis, buses, subways (the underground in British English), and elevated trains. Ferries are also taken between Manhattan and New Jersey, as well as other parts of New York City.
See: List of television shows set in New York City
See: List of movies set in New York City
Tourism and recreation
Sports teams and stadiums
The New York Islanders reside in the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum of Uniondale, New York. This arena is also home to the New York Dragons of the Arena Football League.
The rest of New York's teams reside in the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
The New York Giants (National Football League), the New York Jets (NFL), and the MetroStars (Major League Soccer) play in Giants Stadium.
The New Jersey Nets (NBA) and the New Jersey Devils (NHL) are based in the Continental Airlines Arena.Museums
Transportation
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. High parking fees, alternate side of the street parking rules and traffic jams discourage driving, and the New York Subway—fast, efficient, but not always clean—provides the best alternative. People living in the suburbs in eastern Long Island, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and upstate New York either drive or use the city's far-reaching commuter railroad system to travel to the city.Mass Transit
New York City boasts the most extensive network of public transportation in the United States. Responsibility for providing public transportation falls to a variety of government agencies and private corporations.Airports
The three local airports are JFK International Airport in Jamaica, Newark Liberty International in Newark, New Jersey, and La Guardia Airport in Flushing. Most New Yorkers fly domestic flights out of La Guardia, while many flying domestically into Newark and JFK are not from the New York area. Although Newark was the first airport in the area, and the closest to Manhattan, it is in New Jersey.Ferries
Many private 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. Taxis
Taxicabs are operated by private companies and licensed by the New York City Taxi & Limousine Commission. There are two kinds of taxis: "medallion taxis," which are the familiar yellow taxis, and "car services," which may only be radio- or computer-dispatched to pick up customers who have called for a taxi. Yellow cabs patrol Manhattan (south of 96th Street) and may be hailed with a raised hand and taken anywhere within the five boroughs. For destinations outside of the city, a car service must be used.Events
Plays and Musicals set in New York
Television shows set in New York
Movies set in New York
Further reading
Related articles
External links
Sources
| North: White Plains, Newburgh | ||
| West: Paterson, Newark, Newark Liberty International Airport | New York City, JFK International Airport, La Guardia Airport | East: Islip |