Some interesting and fun facts about New York City is that it is often confused with Albany being the capital of New York State. Meanwhile, it is one of the original colonies of the U.S. dated back in 1664 and was originally called New Amsterdam. The city is the center of the NY metropolitan area and the largest metropolitan area in the world. Famous for its amazing culture, beautiful architecture, appetizing food, festivals and gorgeous beaches. It is one of the most iconic cities in the United States and has five boroughs: the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens and Staten Island. It is located at the Hudson River which is connected to the Atlantic Ocean. Manhattan is the most populated borough and is considered to be one of the world’s well known cultural, financial and commercial centers. Its historical Empire State building was built in 1931 and was the tallest building for nearly forty years. New York City has many nicknames such as “the city that never sleeps” , “Gotham” and the most popular “the Big Apple” which was after a tourist campaign to attract tourists in the 1970’s.
Population and languages spoken
More than eight million people live in New York City, also called or known as New Yorkers. It is one of the most diverse cities in the world having over 800 spoken languages having 4 out of 10 households that speak other than English. More Chinese people live in New York City than any other city outside Asia. In addition, the Jewish community in New York City is the largest living outside of Israel.
The Public Library of New York
Founded in 1895 it is the second largest library in the United States and the fourth largest in the world with more than fifty three million items. It has 92 locations: Bronx, Manhattan and Staten Island providing free and open access to knowledge for everyone in the city. It has recently increased its core to digital services, e-book access along with online learning for students from remote research areas, online programs and virtual one-on-one job support.
The great Statue of Liberty
The Statue of Liberty is the figure of a robed Roman Liberty goddess. This was a gift from France in 1886 to commemorate the centennial celebration of the United States. It was shipped in 350 pieces in 214 crates without any instructions on how to assemble. It took four months to put together and can be seen on Ellis Island today. It is one of the most famous attractions in the world, as it overlooks the direction of embarking ships, of all those that immigrated into the United States!
Times Square
Times Square is located in the Midtown Manhattan area of New York and got its name from the New York Times. Originally it was called Longacre Square until Times moved there in 1904. It is on the world’s most visited tourist attraction and street, having an estimated number of fifty million tourists a year, which is also known as the hub of Broadway Theatre. Forty theaters are located around Times Square thus making this one of the most famous theatre districts in the world!
Manhattan
This is the most densely populated of all the five boroughs of NYC and has the most point of interest in the city. It is the heart of “the Big Apple” and a major financial center for the world, commonly known for its financial district called Wall Street. Other famous attractions and skyscrapers such as the Empire State building, the United Nations headquarters, Central Park, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Greenwich Village, Harlem, The Museum of Modern Art, Columbia University along with two branches of the City University of New York and New York University make it one of the most famous attractions in the world!
Oysters in New York
In the 19th century the number of oysters eaten by New Yorkers everyday reached nearly one million. That’s right, a lot of oysters! New York harbor thrived on this shellfish in 1609 with about 350 square miles of oyster reefs in the waters, which contained nearly half of the world’s oyster population. Unfortunately, due to a lack of waste management, the oyster industry went down by 1927 as the New York City oyster beds were closed for business hence they became too contaminated to eat.
New York style pizza
One of the cheapest food you can taste in New York City is a slice of Pizza, as it has nearly the same price from roughly the 1960’s. The first pizzeria in the United States opened in NYC in 1985 and the idea of “Pizza Principle” was generated keeping it as a low cost food for the city. New York style pizza is large and wide with a thin foldable crust, topped with tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese with any additional toppings. A famous food everyone must try while visiting the city!
The Empire State building
This was the tallest building in the world for nearly forty years. It was in competition with the Chrysler Building as both towers tried to best each other by adding more floors. In August 1929, the former Governor of New York announced that the building would be 1,000 feet tall. Then Chrysler added a stainless steel spire at the top making it 1,048 feet high. This made General Motors executives redesign the Empire State Building to reach the record of 1,250 feet overlooking the street of Midtown Manhattan in just 20 months of construction from start to finish, using nearly 3,400 workers each day.
Central Park
With over 20,000 trees inside, this is the fifth largest park in the city and most visited urban park in the United States, with over forty million visitors a year. Established in 1963 and owned by NYC Parks, it cost the US more than the state of Alaska. Its unique blend of landscape and urban skyline makes it one the most filmed locations in the entire world!
Andrie Steliou
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