New York City

Five boroughs span 302 square miles (783 square kilometers) across islands, mainland, and waterfront areas. Manhattan rises on a narrow island between the Hudson and East Rivers, displaying a dense concentration of skyscrapers reaching heights above 1,250 feet (381 meters). Central Park occupies 843 acres (341 hectares) of green space, while the Statue of Liberty stands on Liberty Island in the harbor.

Dutch merchants established a trading settlement in 1624 on the southern tip of Manhattan, naming it New Amsterdam. British forces took control in 1664 and renamed the settlement after the Duke of York. The Erie Canal opened in 1825, connecting the harbor to the Great Lakes and cementing commercial dominance. Between 1785 and 1790, the settlement served as the first capital of the United States.

Over 800 languages are spoken throughout the five boroughs, making this the most linguistically diverse metropolis on Earth. Ellis Island processed more than 12 million immigrants between 1892 and 1954, shaping the multicultural character. The theater district contains 41 professional venues, while dozens of museums preserve collections spanning ancient artifacts to contemporary works.

Three major airports serve the region: John F. Kennedy International, LaGuardia, and Newark Liberty International, handling more than 130 million passengers annually. The subway operates 472 stations across 245 miles (394 kilometers) of track, running continuously every day. MetroCard provides access to subway trains and 5,700 buses, while ferry services offer alternative routes across waterways connecting the boroughs.

The grid system in Manhattan was implemented in 1811 through the Commissioners' Plan, creating numbered streets running east to west and avenues running north to south. This geometric layout covers most of the island above Houston Street, transforming what was once farmland into a rationally organized urban space. The plan ignored natural topography, leading to the leveling of hills and filling of wetlands during development.

Location: New York

Inception: 1624

Elevation above the sea: 25 m

Shares border with: Westchester County, Union County, Hudson County, Nassau County, Bergen County

Address: New York, NY, USA 11600–11699 New York

Website: https://nyc.gov

GPS coordinates: 40.71273,-74.00602

Latest update: November 28, 2025 13:37