New York City

New York City, officially City of New York, is a municipality in the state of New York, located on the easter coast of the United States of America. With a population of 8,143,197 as in 2005, it is the most populous city in the United States. The city is divided into five different areas, called boroughs. Manhattan, the first of the boroughs, is the financial and commercial center of the city. Brooklyn is the most populous of the boroughs, and Queens is the largest in area. The other two boroughs are Staten Island and the Bronx.

On a worldwide view, the New York is rated as an alpha world city, for its global importance in fashion, trading, education and arts. The city is also an important tourist destination, thanks to the many landmarks it has, these including the Statue of Liberty, Wall Street, in Lower Manhattan, and many others. The city has also become the home of many buildings cataloged as some the tallest buildings in the world, like Empire State Building, and the World Trade Center towers, which were destroyed by Muslim terrorists in the September 11, 2001 attacks.

Boroughs

Each of New York City's boroughs is coterminous a county in the State of New York. The five boroughs are:

• Manhattan (New York County)
• Brooklyn (Kings County)
• Queens (Queens County)
• The Bronx (Bronx County)
• Staten Island (Richmond County)

All of the non-Manhattan boroughs are sometimes referred to collectively as "the outer boroughs" as they are arranged in a sort of semicircle around Manhattan; also, they are often perceived as less politically and culturally significant than Manhattan, which is among the United States' top cultural and economic centers. The four non-Manhattan boroughs were also added to New York City after Manhattan.

Many places have been proposed as "Sixth Boroughs," which can carry a different meaning depending on who is asked. Some areas often cited as "Sixth Boroughs" include:

• Hudson County, New Jersey
• Nassau County, Long Island, New York
• Westchester County, New York
• Newark, New Jersey
• Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

History

New York City was formerly named New Amsterdam, in recognition of the original Dutch settlement of the area. It was not the largest city in the colonies (Boston, then Philadelphia, held those honors). But after the completion of the Erie Canal, New York City became a trading center connecting the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes and Midwest.

The use of Ellis Island as the checkpoint for millions of European immigrants in the late 1800s caused New York City's population to swell, as many settled in nearby areas.

A panoramic view of New York's Time Square.

See also

Historic New York City

• Art cities
• Washington, D.C.

References

• Information Please - Top 50 Cities in the U.S.