New York City

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New York City

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"NYC" and "New York, New York" redirect here. For other uses, see NYC (disambiguation) and New York, New York (disambiguation).

This article is about the city. For other uses, see New York City (disambiguation).

New York

— City —

The City of New York

Clockwise from top: Midtown Manhattan, the United Nations Headquarters, the Statue of Liberty, the Brooklyn Bridge, Central Park, Times Square, and the Unisphere in Queens

Flag

Seal

Nickname(s): The Big Apple, Gotham, Center of the Universe, The City That Never Sleeps,[1] The Capital of the World[2][3][4]

Location in the state of New York

New York

Location in the United States

Coordinates: 40°39′51″N 73°56′19″WCoordinates: Click the blue globe to open an interactive map.40°39′51″N 73°56′19″W[5]

Country United States

Historic Countries England, Dutch Republic

State New York

Historic Colony Colony of New York

Counties Bronx, Kings, New York, Queens, Richmond

Settled 1624

Incorporated 1898

Government[6]

• Type Mayor–Council

• Body New York City Council

• Mayor Michael Bloomberg (I)

Area[5]

• City 468.48 sq mi (1,213.4 km2)

• Land 302.64 sq mi (783.8 km2)

• Water 165.84 sq mi (429.5 km2)

Elevation[7] 33 ft (10 m)

Population (2011 United States Census estimates[8])[9]

• City 8,244,910 (1st)

• Density 27,243.06/sq mi (10,518.60/km2)

• Metro 18,897,109 (1st)

• CSA 22,085,649 (1st)

Demonym New Yorker

Time zone EST (UTC-5)

• Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)

ZIP code(s) 100xx–104xx, 11004–05, 111xx–114xx, 116xx

Area code(s) 212, 718, 917, 646, 347, 929

FIPS code 36-51000

GNIS feature ID 975772

Website www.nyc.gov

New York is the most populous city in the United States of America[10] and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world.[11][12][13] The city is referred to as New York City or The City of New York[14] to distinguish it from the State of New York, of which it is a part.[15] A global power city,[16] New York exerts a significant impact upon commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and entertainment. The home of the United Nations Headquarters,[17] New York is an important center for international diplomacy[18] and has been described as the cultural capital of the world.[19]

Located on one of the world's largest natural harbors,[20] New York City consists of five boroughs, each of which is a state county.[21] The five boroughs—The Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island—were consolidated into a single city in 1898.[22][23] With a Census-estimated 2011 population of 8,244,910[24] distributed over a land area of just 305 square miles (790 km2),[25][26][27] New York is the most densely populated major city in the United States.[28] As many as 800 languages are spoken in New York, making it the most linguistically diverse city in the world.[29] The New York City Metropolitan Area's population is the United States' largest, with 18.9 million people distributed over 6,720 square miles (17,400 km2),[30][31] and is also part of the most populous combined statistical area in the United States, containing 22.1 million people as of the 2010 Census.[32]

New York traces its roots to its 1624 founding as a trading post by colonists of the Dutch Republic, and was named New Amsterdam in 1626.[33] The city and its surroundings came under English control in 1664[34][35] and were renamed New York after King Charles II of England granted the lands to his brother, the Duke of York.[36][37] New York served as the capital of the United States from 1785 until 1790.[38] It has been the country's largest city since 1790.[39] The Statue of Liberty greeted millions of immigrants as they came to America by ship in the late 19th and early 20th centuries[40] and is a globally recognized symbol of the United States and its democracy.[41]

Many districts and landmarks in New York City have become well known to its approximately 50 million annual visitors.[42][43][44] Times Square, iconified as "The Crossroads of the World",[45][46][47][48][49] is the brightly illuminated hub of the Broadway theater district,[50] one of the world's busiest pedestrian intersections,[51][52] and a major center of the world's entertainment industry.[53] The city hosts many world renowned bridges, skyscrapers,[54] and parks. New York City's financial district, anchored by Wall Street in Lower Manhattan, functions as the financial capital of the world[55] and is home to the New York Stock Exchange, the world's largest stock exchange by total market capitalization of its listed companies.[56] Manhattan's real estate market is among the most expensive in the world.[57] Manhattan's Chinatown incorporates the highest concentration of Chinese people in the Western Hemisphere.[58][59][60][61] Providing continuous 24/7 service,[62] the New York City Subway is one of the most extensive rapid transit systems in the world. Numerous colleges and universities are located in New York,[63] including Columbia University, New York University,

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