New York City is a leading global city with influence in worldwide commerce, finance, culture & entertainment. New York is also the host city for the United Nations headquarters.
New York is the most populous American city & runs 24 hours - just like the subway system - nicknames include The City that Never Sleep & the Big Apple.
Founded as a trading post by the Dutch East India Company in 1624 the city was called New Amsterdam until 1664 when it came under British control. New York was the capital of the United States from 1785 until 1790.
Manhattan's Central Park is the most visited city park in the United States with 30 million visitors each year
New York City is composed of five boroughs each made up of many distinct neighborhoods. If the boroughs were independent cities four of them ( not Staten Island ) would be in the ten most populous cities in the United States.
The Bronx is New York City's northernmost borough is the home of the New York Yankees & the Bronx Zoo.Manhattan is the most densely populated borough & home to the city's skyscrapers & Central Park. The borough is the financial center of the city, home to the United Nations, many cultural attractions, including museums, the Broadway theatre district, Greenwich Village & Madison Square Garden.
Brooklyn is the most populous borough. It is known for its cultural, social & ethnic diversity. The borough features a long beachfront & Coney Island amusement park.Queens Historically a collection of small towns & villages founded by the Dutch, today the borough is largely middle class. Queens is the home of the New York Mets & hosts the U.S. Open tennis tournament. It is also home to LaGuardia Airport & John F. Kennedy International Airport.
Staten Island Staten Island is connected to Brooklyn by the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge & to Manhattan via the Staten Island Ferry. The Staten Island Ferry is one of the most popular tourist attractions in New York City with its views of the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island & lower Manhattan. The F.D.R. Boardwalk along South Beach is 2.5 miles (4.0 km) long, the fourth largest in the world.
New York City has millions of foreign & american tourists visit each year. Visitors destinations include the Empire State Building, Ellis Island, Broadway, museums, Central Park, Rockefeller Center, Times Square, the Bronx Zoo & New York Botanical Garden.
New York's food culture is influenced by the city's immigrants making the city famous for bagels, cheesecake & New York-style pizza. Mobile food vendors have made Middle Eastern foods such as falafels & kebabs as popular as hot dogs & pretzels. New York is also home to many of the finest restaurants in the United States.
The New York City Subway is the largest rapid transit system in the world with over 450 stations. The busiest ferry in the United States is the Staten Island Ferry. New York City's public bus fleet & commuter rail network are the largest in North America.
New York City is the main international air passenger gateway to the United States with three major airports John F. Kennedy International, Newark Liberty International & LaGuardia.
