New York, NY

New York, New York, also known as "The Big Apple," encompasses a staggering 569 square miles. It is the most populous city in the U.S. -- home to more than 8 million residents -- and is consistently growing.

New York is extraordinarily diverse: the five largest ethnic groups are Puerto Ricans, Italians, West Indians, Dominicans and Chinese. Additionally, New York is home to the largest Jewish population outside of Israel.

The local economy of New York is driven by tourism and real estate, but the city is also a global center for business. Hundreds of commercial industries, such as finance, publishing, television, film, and garment production, have made a home in New York City.

New York City is comprised of five boroughs: Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island.

NEIGHBORHOODS AND DISTRICTS

The five boroughs that make up New York City include Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, The Bronx, and Staten Island.

• When people speak of New York City, they are often solely referring to the island of Manhattan, located in New York County and home to an estimated 1.6 million residents. Manhattan is often recognized for its high-priced real estate as a result of its extremely dense population.

  The visual signature of New York City mainly comes from the industrial look of Manhattan, with its many iconic skyscrapers such as the Empire State building and the Chrysler building. Manhattan is made up of many distinct neighborhoods, including the Financial District, Lower East Side, Greenwich Village, the East Village, Alphabet City, Soho, Noho, Midtown, Upper East Side, Upper West Side, Harlem, Inwood, Morningside Heights, Murray Hill, Hell's Kitchen, Little Italy, Chinatown, and TriBeCa.

• Also known as Kings County, Brooklyn is home to an estimated 2.5 million residents and is the city's most highly-populated borough. Many people are attracted to Brooklyn for its relatively affordable rent and its unique neighborhoods, which maintain their authentic feel. Brooklyn has a thriving independent arts scene, unique architecture and a busy downtown area.

  The neighborhoods of Brooklyn include: Bay Ridge, Park Slope, Fort Greene, Carroll Gardens, Bensonhurst, Kensington, Flatbush, Gravesend, Bushwick, Brownsville, Crown Heights, Williamsburg, Midwood, Cobble Hill, Clinton Hill, Brooklyn Heights, Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brownsville, Borough Park, Sheepshead Bay, and Marine Park.

• Queens has an estimated population of roughly 2.3 million residents and is the largest borough in size. The borough is largely residential and primarily working class. It is also one of the most ethnically diverse locations in the United States.

  The neighborhoods of Queens include: Astoria, Bayside, Breezy Point, Briarwood, College Point, Corona, Elmhurst, Far Rockaway, Flushing, Forest Hills, Fresh Meadows, Howard Beach, Hunters Point, Jackson Heights, Jamaica, Kew Gardens, Long Island City, Maspeth, Ozone Park, Queens Village, Rego Park, Ridgewood, Sunnyside, Woodhaven, and Woodside.

• Located in Bronx County, the Bronx is home to roughly 1.4 million residents and is divided into hills and flatlands.

  Major neighborhoods in the Bronx include: Riverdale, Parkchester, Throgs Neck, City Island, Pelham Bay, Pelham Parkway, Morris Park, and the Grand Concourse.

• Located in Richmond County, Staten Island has an estimated population of 480,000 residents and is the most residential of all boroughs. It can be reached by the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge from Brooklyn and by the Staten Island Ferry from Manhattan.

  Some major neighborhoods of Staten Island include: Arden Heights, Bay Terrace, Bloomfield, Charleston, Clifton, Concord, Dongan Hills, Egbertville, Emerson Hill, Graniteville, Grant City, Grymes Hill, Huguenot, Lighthouse Hill, Manor Heights, Mariners Harbor, Midland Beach, New Dorp, Ocean Breeze, Pleasant Plains, Port Richmond, Randall Manor, St. George, Tompkinsville, Tottenville, Westerleigh, Willowbrook, and Woodland Beach.

BEST BETS

Manhattan attractions include:

• The United Nations
• Broadway
• Statue of Liberty
• The New York Stock Exchange
• The Metropolitan Museum of Art
• Lincoln Center
• Chrysler Building
• Rockefeller Center
• Empire State Building
• Carnegie Hall
• American Museum of Natural History
• Madison Square Garden
• The Apollo Theater
• Times Square
• Central Park

Brooklyn attractions include:

• The Brooklyn Museum
• The Brooklyn Botanical Gardens
• Coney Island
• Prospect Park
• New York Transit Museum

Queens attractions include:

• P.S. 1
• Queens Art Museum
• Museum of the Moving Image
• Socrates Sculpture Park
• Queens Botanical Garden
• Queens Zoo
• Flushing Meadows Corona Park
• Shea Stadium (Now Citifield)

Bronx attractions include:

• Woodlawn Cemetery
• Van Cortlandt Park
• Yankee Stadium
• The Bronx Zoo
• New York Botanical Gardens

Staten Island attractions include:

• The Staten Island Ferry
• Historic Richmond Town
• Staten Island Zoo
• The Staten Island Museum
• The Staten Island Botanical Garden

EDUCATION

Manhattan colleges include:

• The Fashion Institute of Technology
• Barnard College
• Columbia University
• Cooper Union
• Fordham University
• New York University
• The New School
• Yeshiva University
• Hunter College
• The Juilliard School
• The School of Visual Arts
• Baruch College
• City College
• John Jay College of Criminal Justice
• City University of New York Graduate School
• Borough of Manhattan Community College

Brooklyn colleges include:

• Pratt
• Brooklyn College
• Medgar Evers College
• Brooklyn Law School
• Polytechnic University
• New York City College of Technology

Queens colleges include

• Queens College
• LaGuardia Community College
• Queensborough Community College
• York College
• St. John's University

Bronx colleges include:

• Fordham University
• Bronx Community College
• Manhattan College
• State University of New York Maritime College in Fort Schuyler
• Hostos Community College
• Lehman College

Staten Island colleges include:

• College of Staten Island
• Wagner College
• St. John's University

ECONOMY AND INDUSTRIES

New York has been called the financial capital of the world. Many commercial banks, investment banks, mutual fund companies and private equity firms are located in Manhattan. However, finance is not the only industry in New York. New York is home to 43 Fortune 500 companies. The large financial corporations that call New York home include Citigroup, J.P. Morgan Chase and Co., and Goldman Sachs Group. Additionally, other non-financials are headquartered in New York as well, including Bristol-Meyers Squibb, Loews, Viacom, and News Corp.

The most prevalent industries in New York include educational services, health care and social assistance, professional, scientific, management and administrative, waste management services, and finance and insurance, and real estate rental and leasing.

LOCAL CULTURE AND CUISINE

Due to the mix of various ethnic groups, New York diners can find food from almost any nation in the world. New York is renowned for its bagels, deli food, cheesecake, and pizza, but the city is also known for its steakhouses as well as its gourmet restaurants, which showcase some of the best chefs in the world.

LOCAL MEDIA

• New York Times
• New York Daily News
• New York Post
• Wall Street Journal
• The Village Voice

• ABC
• CBS
• FOX
• NBC
• MTV
• HBO
• Comedy Central

SPORTS TEAMS

• Baseball: New York Yankees, New York Mets
• Football: New York Giants, New York Jets
• Hockey: New York Rangers, New York Islanders
• Soccer: New York Red Bulls
• Basketball: New York Knicks
• Women's Basketball: New York Liberty

GETTING AROUND

Residents of New York have a 24-hour public mass transit system, operated by the Metropolitan Transit Authority, that runs in all five boroughs. Subways and buses are considered the easiest ways to get around the city.

New York City is serviced by three major airports: John F. Kennedy International, Newark Liberty International, and LaGuardia.

DID YOU KNOW?

• Central Park is larger than the principality of Monaco.
• Central Park is home to a 66-foot-high, 3,000-year-old Egyptian ruin called Cleopatra's Needle, which was given to the city as a gift in 1879.
• In the 1660s, the tallest building in the New York City skyline was a windmill. It was two stories high.
• Manhattan was originally known as New Amsterdam.
• Manhattan's Astor Theater presented the first 3D film to a paying audience on June 10, 1915.
• New York City didn't grow larger than Philadelphia until 1790.
• New York City has more than 700 miles of subway track.
• New York City is the most populous city in the U.S., with more than 8 million residents.
• New York City was the first capital of the United States. George Washington took his presidential oath of office on the balcony at Federal Hall in 1789.
• New Yorkers travel an average of 40 minutes to get to work each day.
• The New York Post is the oldest-running newspaper in the United States, dating back to 1803.
• The Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts each have annual urban campouts at the Empire State Building.
• The Federal Reserve Bank on New York's Wall Street contains vaults that are 80 feet beneath the bank and hold about 25 percent of the world's gold bullion.
• The first pizzeria in the United States was opened in New York City in 1895.
• Outerbridge Crossing, which connects Staten Island to New Jersey, is named in honor of Eugenius Harvey Outerbridge.
• Thanks to the Catskills Mountains watershed, New York is one of only four major cities in the U.S. with drinking water so pure that it does not need to be treated.
• The founder of the original New York Yellow Cabs company selected that color after a research study indicated that it was the easiest color for the eye to spot.