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About New York
New York — officially named City of New York and often
called New York City to distinguish it from the state of New
York, in which it is located — is the most populous
city in the United States, and the second most populous in
North America after Mexico City.
New York City is known affectionately as the "Big Apple"
and recognized as one of several "world cities".
Giving some credence to the city's self-designation as "capital
of the world", the United Nations headquarters is located
in New York.
New York City is among the most densely populated places
in the United States. Its population is more than eight million
(2000 U.S. Census), and its land area is 831 km2 (320 square
miles); hence the density is ca. 10,000/km².
New York City is part of the New York metropolitan area with
a population of around 21 million.
City of New York, New York
City flag City seal
City nickname: "The Big Apple"
Location in the state of New York
Counties Bronx County
Kings County
New York
Queens County
Richmond County
Area
- Total
- Water
1,214.4 km² (468.9 mi²)
428.8 km² (165.6 mi²) 35.31%
Population
- City (2003)
- Metropolitan
- Density
8,085,742
18,603,110
6,658.2/km² [including water]
10,292/km² [land only]
Time zone Eastern: UTC-5
Latitude
Longitude
40°47' N
73°58' W
Table of contents [showhide]
1 History of New York City
2 New York City government
2.1 The Five Boroughs
2.2 Executive
2.3 Legislative
2.4 Judicial
3 Crime
4 Geography and climate
5 Demographics
6 Economy
6.1 Major corporations based in New York City
7 Communications and media
7.1 Newspapers and magazines
8 Neighborhoods of New York
9 People of New York
10 Tourism and recreation
11 Sports teams and stadiums
12 Museums and cultural institutions
13 Transportation
13.1 Mass transit
13.2 Airports
13.3 Ferries
13.4 Taxis
14 Events
15 Famous New Yorkers
16 Plays and musicals set in New York
17 Books set in New York
18 Television shows set in New York
19 Movies set in New York
20 Colleges and universities in New York
21 Sister cities
22 Further reading
23 Related articles
24 External links
25 Sources
[edit]
History of New York City
Main Article: History of New York City
The area that now constitutes New York City was inhabited
by such Native American tribes as the Manahattoes and Canarsies
long before the arrival of European settlers, as attested
to by discoveries of arrowheads and other artifacts in areas
of the city that are not occupied by buildings today, such
as Inwood Hill Park and Riverside Park. European settlement
began with the founding of the Dutch settlement of New Amsterdam
(Nieuw 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
end of the Second Anglo-Dutch War in 1667, in the Treaty of
Breda the Dutch formally signed New York over to the English
and received the colony of Suriname in return.
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.
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 some of the world's tallest skyscrapers.
New York at night from satelliteIn 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 another frenzy of financial speculation
that sent the economy soaring.
The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 also struck at
Washington, D.C., but New York was the city most affected,
because of the attack on the World Trade Center and the thick,
acrid smoke that continued to pour out of its ruins for a
few months following the Twin Towers' firey collapse. However,
cleanup of Ground Zero was completed ahead of schedule, and
the city has since rebounded and pushed forward new plans
for the destroyed areas of the World Trade Center. The Freedom
Tower, to be built on the site, is intended to be the world's
highest skyscraper after its scheduled completion in 2008.
[edit]
New York City government
Main Article: Government of New York City
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 occasionally 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.
[edit]
The Five Boroughs
The City of New York is composed of five boroughs, each a
county of New York State:
Manhattan – New York County, population 1,546,856
The Bronx – Bronx County, population 1,354,068
Brooklyn – Kings County, population 2,488,194
Queens – Queens County, population 2,237,815
Staten Island – Richmond County, population 457,383
(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."
[edit]
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
The mayor has broad emergency powers which can be exercised
in cases of emergency weather conditions, natural disaster,
riots, civil unrest, invasion or other emergency. Most recently,
Mayor Michael Bloomberg declared a state of emergency during
the 2003 North America blackout.
[edit]
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. Council members
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.
[edit]
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.
[edit]
Crime
See also: Timeline of New York City crimes
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. The fight against crime
has been aided by COMPSTAT, implemented in 1994 by the New
York Police Department to map crimes, analyze problems and
devise solutions. In the past decade, violent crime has dropped
by two-thirds (see New York Crime Statistics (http://www.nyc.gov/html/nypd/html/pct/cspdf.html))
and FBI data indicate that the murder rate in 2000 was the
lowest since 1967.
New York City's crime rates vary by neighborhood and borough.
Staten Island is the safest borough in the city, Queens and
Manhattan are in the middle range, while Brooklyn and The
Bronx have the highest crime rates.
There have been some notorious crime sprees. For example,
on July 29, 1976 the "Son of Sam", pulling a gun
from a paper bag, killed one person and seriously wounded
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.
[edit]
Geography 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 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.
New York winters are typically cold, and sometimes feature
snowstorms that can paralyze the city with over a foot of
snow. Springs are mild, averaging in the 50s (10-15 degrees
celsius) in late March to lower 80s (25-30 degrees celsius)
in early June. Summers in New York are hot and humid. It is
common for temperatures to exceed 90 degrees fahrenheit (32
degrees celsius) but often stay below 100 degrees fahrenheit
(40 degrees celsius). Autumns are comfortable in New York.
However, weather is notably unpredictable in New York, even
if not to the degree experienced in some other parts of the
world. Mild, almost snowless winters and chilly summers surprise
New Yorkers from time to time, there have been huge snowstorms
as late as the second week in April, and there can occasionally
be large temperature swings from one day to the next, so travellers
are advised to check forecasts and bring several layers of
clothing in late fall and early spring months (e.g., November,
March, April).
Staten Island is hilly and spacious, and is the least populated
borough in New York City. By contrast, space is sparse and
valuable on Manhattan; there is nowhere to build but up, and
that is why there are so many tall buildings in that borough.
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.The city will be
threatened if the current patterns of global warming continue
to raise the sea level.
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.
[edit]
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.
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, Azerbaijanians 0.01%, 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.
[edit]
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.
Times Square[edit]
Major corporations based in New York City
Amerada Hess
American Broadcasting Company (owned by Disney)
American Express
American International Group
Avon
Bank of New York
Bankers Trust
Bear Stearns
Bloomberg
Bristol Myers Squibb
CBS (owned by Viacom)
Citigroup
Colgate-Palmolive
Conde Nast
Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu
Dow Jones & Company
Ernst & Young
Estée Lauder
FAO Schwarz
Goldman Sachs
HBO (owned by Time Warner)
Interpublic Group
JetBlue
J.P. Morgan Chase
King World Productions
KPMG
MAD Magazine
Marvel Comics
McGraw-Hill Companies
Mercantile Exchange
Merrill Lynch
Metlife
MTV (owned by Viacom)
Mutual of New York
Nasdaq
National Broadcasting Company (owned by General Electric)
News Corporation
New York Stock Exchange
Paine Webber
Pfizer
PricewaterhouseCoopers
Reuters
Revlon
RJR Nabisco
Simon and Schuster (owned by Viacom)
The New York Times Company
Time Warner
Trump Hotels & Casino Resorts
Verizon
Viacom
Altria was based here under its former name Phillip Morris.
Altria is still based here, although some of its major subsidiaries
are headquartered elsewhere (for example, Philip Morris USA
is in Richmond, Virginia, and Kraft Foods has its home in
suburban Chicago). Texaco was based here until it merged with
Chevron into San Ramon, California based ChevronTexaco. The
Chrysler Building was funded by famed Detroit car mogul Walter
P. Chrysler, and it later served as the inspiration for the
Chrysler New Yorker automobile. Numerous other companies are
based in the New York City metropolitan area but outside the
city limits.
[edit]
Communications and media
[edit]
Newspapers and magazines
AM New York (free daily)
New York Metro (free daily)
BIGNews (monthly)
New York Sun (daily)
New York Daily News (daily)
New York Times (daily)
New York Post (daily)
New York Press (weekly)
Newsday (daily)
Staten Island Advance (daily)
Street News (every six weeks)
Time Out NY (weekly)
Village Voice (free weekly)
[edit]
Neighborhoods of New York
Many big-city neighborhoods have a definable history and character
of their own. (In New York, some avenues and even buildings
have their own entry.)
List of Bronx neighborhoods
List of Brooklyn neighborhoods
List of Manhattan neighborhoods
List of Queens neighborhoods
List of Staten Island neighborhoods
See also: List of New York City parks, Geography of New York
Harbor
[edit]
People of New York
Chinatown in ManhattanA 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. Among U.S. cities, 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 Rican, African and Jewish
origin all have enclaves within the city, though there are
also various neighborhoods in which people of diverse origins
and cultural backgrounds coexist with greater or lesser degrees
of ease. One measure of New York's diversity is that it has
a higher Jewish population than Jerusalem does, and at the
same time, a majority of its population is non-white. New
Yorkers are accustomed to thinking that everyone in the city
is a member of a minority in some sense, but that the more
important fact is that all share an identity as New Yorkers.
Before September 11, 2001, New Yorkers were often stereotyped
as rude and brusque. Since the destruction of the World Trade
Center, 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
as if New Yorkers were not meant to have any time to spare
for anyone else (not even other New Yorkers). According to
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. And supposedly, New Yorkers are so
jaded that things that others would consider drawbacks to
life in The City (crime, prostitution, pollution, noise...)
are instead marks of pride, 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
[edit]
Tourism and recreation
The Empire State Building, New York City's tallest buildingTourism
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.
South Street Seaport, on the south east tip of Manhattan,
has naval museums, shopping and Argentine Tango dancing every
Sunday in the summer.
On the west side, NYC has the Intrepid Museum, an air-craft
carrier converted to a sea and air museum.
The first Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade was held in New
York on November 27, 1924. Since then this has been an 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, including Bronx, Brooklyn Staten Island and Queens boroughs
even if they 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, New York City cuisine.
[edit]
Sports teams and stadiums
Unlike most major cities, the New York City metropolitan area
has two teams in most major league sports.
New York Giants, National Football League, Giants Stadium
at the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, New
Jersey
New York Islanders, National Hockey League, Nassau Veterans
Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, New York
New York Jets, National Football League, Giants Stadium at
the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey
New York Knicks, National Basketball Association, Madison
Square Garden
New York Mets, Major League Baseball, Shea Stadium (1964-)
New York Rangers, National Hockey League, Madison Square Garden
New York Yankees, Major League Baseball, Yankee Stadium (1923-)
New York Dragons, Arena Football League, Nassau Veterans Memorial
Coliseum in Uniondale, New York
MetroStars, Major League Soccer, Giants Stadium at the Meadowlands
Sports Complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey
The New Jersey Nets (NBA) and the New Jersey Devils (NHL)
are based in the Continental Airlines Arena at the Meadowlands
Sports Complex.
Ebbets Field (torn down in 1960) was the home of the Brooklyn
Dodgers (now the Los Angeles Dodgers) from 1913 until 1957.
The Polo Grounds in northern Harlem (torn down in 1964) was
the home of the New York Giants of Major League Baseball (now
the San Francisco Giants) from 1911 to 1957. It was the first
home of the New York Mets, in 1962 and 1963. It stood just
across the river from the Bronx's Yankee Stadium.
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 arena. The New York Jets also hope to move to the
West Side of Manhattan and build a retractable roof football
stadium in 2008 once their lease at Giants Stadium expires.
Both of these construction proposals have stirred considerable
opposition.
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 a finalist to host the 2012 Summer Olympics,
with plans to build many new sporting venues if chosen. The
proposed Jets stadium on the West Side would also be used
for the Olympic track and field events, but the uncertainty
as to whether that stadium will be built is a weakness in
the New York City bid.
[edit]
Museums and cultural institutions
The Metropolitan Museum of ArtAmerican Museum of Natural History
Brooklyn Museum
Carnegie Hall
Jacques Marchais Museum of Tibetan Art
Historic Richmond Town
Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts
Metropolitan Museum of Art – commonly called "The
Met"
The Cloisters – medieval art collection
Museum of the City of New York [1] (http://www.mcny.org/)
– founded in 1923 to present the history of New York
City and its people.
Museum of Modern Art – MoMA, currently displaying work
at a temporary location called MoMA QNS in Astoria, Queens
while the location on 53rd Street in Manhattan is under construction
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
Whitney Museum of American Art
Staten Island Institute of Arts & Sciences
[edit]
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. There are also
numerous bus routes in all five boroughs, and walking is often
favored by locals as a practical and pleasant transportation
method for trips of two or so miles or less. 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.
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.
[edit]
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.
Amtrak provides long-distance commuter rail connections via
Penn Station to New England, upstate New York, Washington,
DC and the midwest. For trips of less than 500 miles, Amtrak
is often cheaper and easier than air travel, though not as
fast.
New Jersey Transit (NJ Transit) provides extensive commuter
rail service from many parts of Northern and Central New Jersey
to Hoboken Terminal in New Jersey and Pennsylvania Station
in Manhattan. Here is a breakup of the New Jersey Transit
network.
New Jersey Transit also provides an extensive network of bus
routes radiating in and out of the Port Authority Bus Terminal.
The Northeast Corridor Line provides electric rail service
between Pennsylvania Station and Trenton. At Trenton, riders
can connect to SEPTA and Amtrak.
The North Jersey Coast Line provides electric rail service
between Pennsylvania Station and Long Branch. Diesel service
is provided between Long Branch and Bay Head or Hoboken and
Bay Head.
The Raritan Valley Line provides diesel rail service between
Raritan and Newark Penn Station.
The Pascack Valley Line provides diesel rail service between
Spring Valley, NY and Hoboken.
The Bergen, Main and Port Jervis Lines provides diesel rail
service between Port Jervis, NY and Hoboken. NJ Transit has
a partnership with Metro North Railroad in which they provide
the vacilities necessary for stations within the state of
New York.
The Montclair-Boonton Line provides electric rail service
between Hacketsttown and Hoboken or Pennsylvania Station.
Trains declared MidTOWN DIRECT are the ones that will terminate
at Pennsylvania Station.
The Morris and Essex Lines provide electric rail service between
Hackettstown and Hoboken or Pennsylvania Station and also
between Gladstone and Hoboken or Pennsylvania Station. Trains
declared MidTOWN DIRECT are the ones that will terminate at
Pennsylvania Station.
The Secaucus Transfer Station allows passengers on the Port
Jervis, Pascack Valley, Bergen and Main Lines to make a swift
connection on selective Pennsylvania Station bound trains
for an easier commute into New York City.
At Pennsylvania Station in New York, connections are available
to Amtrak, the Long Island Railroad, and the New York City
Subway system.
At New Jersey Transit's Hoboken Terminal, transfers can be
made to PATH trains between Hoboken, Jersey City, Newark,
and Midtown Manhattan; to Manhattan-bound ferry service; and
to NJ TRANSIT's Hudson-Bergen Light Rail System. At Newark
Penn Station, connections to Amtrak, PATH and NJ TRANSIT's
Newark City Subway are available. PATH can be used to connect
with NJ TRANSIT's Hudson-Bergen Light Rail System.
A person traveling on selective New Jersey Transit Northeast
Corridor Line or North Jersey Coast Line, and Amtrak trains
can access Newark Liberty International Airport by getting
off at the Newark Liberty International Airport Rail Station.
From here, the AirTrain Monorail links the station with the
airport's terminals and parking garages. It is a 20 minute
ride from Pennsylvania Station and the first airport in the
New York Metropolitan Area to have such a station/link on
a mainline railway.
Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA). The MTA is a
New York State public benefit corporation tasked with providing
mass transit in the New York City metropolitan area through
its various subsidiary agencies.
MTA Metro-North Railroad provides commuter service from The
Bronx, Westchester County and southern Connecticut into Grand
Central Terminal. Three main lines terminate in Poughkeepsie,
Wassaic, and New Haven. The lattermost line has connecting
branches to New Canaan, Danbury and Waterbury in Connecticut.
In partnership with New Jersey Transit, it also provides commuter
services into Hoboken, New Jersey from Port Jervis and Spring
Valley.
MTA Long Island Railroad provides extensive commuter service
to most of Long Island, with destinations in Queens, Nassau
and Suffolk via two trunk lines and six subsidiary branches.
Staten Island Rapid Transit provides north-south commuter
service the entire length of Staten Island.
MTA New York City Transit provides extensive fixed-fare subway
and bus service throughout the five boroughs of New York City.
The subway system is one of the largest in the world, with
over 720 miles of track and more than 400 stations.
Port Authority of New York and New Jersey provides PATH trains
connecting Manhattan to New Jersey, as well as AirTrain service
to two major airports. The Port Authority also owns and operates
the three major airports in the New York City area (see below.)
Regional bus service to New Jersey, upstate New York, Canada
and the midwest travels from the Port Authority Bus Terminal
near Times Square and the smaller George Washington Bridge
Bus Terminal.
[edit]
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.
North: White Plains, Newburgh
West: Paterson, Newark, Newark Liberty International Airport
New York City, JFK International Airport, La Guardia Airport
East: Islip
[edit]
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.
[edit]
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 most of Manhattan
and may be hailed with a raised hand and taken--depending
on the driver--anywhere within the five boroughs and parts
of New Jersey. As of May 2004, fares begin at $2.50 ($3.00
after 8 pm, and $3.50 during peak, weekday hours). Prices
go up based on time elapsed and distance traveled.
[edit]
Events
View of Midtown from the Empire State Building1853 –
Exhibition of the Industry of All Nations (1853)
1898 – Consolidation of what are now the five boroughs
into Greater New York
1909 – Hudson-Fulton Celebration (1909)
1939 – 1939 New York World's Fair exhibits included:
The World of Tomorrow, Futurama, Trylon, Perisphere
1964 – 1964/1965 New York World's Fair
1965 – Northeast Blackout of 1965
1973 – The World Trade Center's Twin Towers become the
tallest buildings in the world
1977 – Blackout of 1977
2001 – September 11 Terrorist Attack
2003 – Northeastern U.S.-Canada Blackout
Timeline of New York City crimes and disasters
[edit]
Famous New Yorkers
Alicia Keys
50 Cent
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Jason Alexander
Woody Allen
Isaac Asimov
Count Basie
Mary J. Blige
Michael Bloomberg
Humphrey Bogart
Brandy
Mariah Carey
George Carlin
Dick Clark
Phil Collins
Bill Cullen
Sammy Davis, Jr.
P. Diddy
Joe DiMaggio
Frederick Douglass
Dizzy Gillespie
Jay-Z
Madeleine L'Engle
Richard Feynman
Millard Fillmore
Lou Gehrig
George Gershwin
Rudolph Giuliani
Alexander Hamilton
Washington Irving
Henry James
Derek Jeter
Billy Joel
Norah Jones
Tom Kennedy
Lisa Kudrow
Fiorello LaGuardia
Spike Lee
Vince Lombardi
Jennifer Lopez
Stephon Marbury
Dean Martin
Ricky Martin
Johnny Mathis
John McEnroe
Herman Melville
Najee
Jack Nicholson
Rosie O'Donnell
David Hyde Pierce
The Ramones
Dan Rather
Christopher Reeve
Paul Reiser
Chris Rock
John D. Rockefeller
Theodore Roosevelt
Jonas Salk
Jerry Seinfeld
Frank Sinatra
Steve & Eydie (Steve Lawrence & Eydie Gorme)
Barbara Streisand
Donald Trump
Luther Vandross
Vanessa Williams
[edit]
Plays and musicals set in New York
Little Shop of Horrors
Rent (1996)
West Side Story (1957)
Guys and Dolls
[edit]
Books set in New York
Banana Fish (manga series)
[edit]
Television shows set in New York
See: List of television shows set in New York City
[edit]
Movies set in New York
See: List of movies set in New York City
[edit]
Colleges and universities in New York
Baruch College
Berkeley College
Borough of Manhattan Community College
Bronx Community College
Brooklyn College
City University of New York (many campuses)
City University of New York Graduate Center
College of Mt. St. Vincent
College of Staten Island
Columbia University
Cooper Union
Fordham University
Hostos Community College
Hunter College
Jewish Theological Seminary of America
John Jay College
Juilliard School
Kingsborough Community College
LaGuardia Community College
Lehman College
Long Island University
Manhattan College
Manhattan School of Music
Marymount Manhattan College
New School University (formerly the New School for Social
Research)
New York City College of Technology
New York Law School
New York University
Pace University
Polytechnic University of New York
Pratt Institute
Queens College
Queensborough Community College
Rockefeller University
Saint John's University
School of Visual Arts
Touro College
Union Theological Seminary
Wagner College
Yeshiva University
[edit]
Sister cities
New York has ten sister cities: Beijing, Budapest, Cairo,
Jerusalem, Johannesburg, London, Madrid, Rome, Santo Domingo,
and Tokyo.
[edit]
Further reading
Gotham: A History of New York City to 1898, Edwin G. Burrows
and Mike Wallace, Oxford University Press, 1998, hardcover,
1416 pages, ISBN 0195116348, trade paperback, 2000, 1424 pages,
ISBN 0195140494
[edit]
Related articles
Mayors of NYC
New York City Police Department
New York City Fire Department
New York Minute
New York, New York, a song with famous versions by Liza Minnelli
and Frank Sinatra
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