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New York City is located in the State of New York in the United States of America. It is a city of over seven million people and covers about 780 sq kilometres.
New York City is located on the eastern side of the United States of America on the Atlantic Ocean. It lies about 380 kilometres ( 238 miles ) north of the US capita in Washington D.C.
New York City is composed of five boroughs :
- The Bronx
- Queens
- Brooklyn
- Manhattan
- Staten Island
The colony was founded in 1624 by the Dutch West Indies company
as a trading post, known then as New Amsterdam. The town did not produce the expected
revenues and in 1664 the Dutch let it fall to the English, who renamed it New York. In one
of the most famous transactions in history, Peter Minuit bought the island of Manhattan
from the Algonquian Indians in 1626 for $ 24 worth of trinkets.
By the late 1770's the city had become a major port with a population around 20,000.
During the War of Independence the city was considered a loyalist stronghold but it was taken by the British in 1776 and American troops did not return to Manhattan until after the peace treaty had been concluded in 1783.
By 1900, the city was the centre of American industry with over seventy percent of the company's corporations based while the port handled two thirds of the goods destined for the country.
The good times continued for many until the 1929 Wall St crash that ushered in the Great Depression. During this time one quarter of New Yorkers were unemployed.
Since the end of the Second World War New York has continued to grow and thrive. It continues to be a centre for the arts, fashion and finance
1524 - First European Explorer reached New York.
1624 - First shipload of Dutch settlers arrives
1625 - Settlement named New Amsterdam
1626 - Manhattan Island bought for $24
1664 - Dutch surrender to British, city renamed New York
1754 - Founding of King's College, now Columbia Uni.
1775 - American patriots take over city
1783 - British evacuate the city
1784 - New York becomes State capital
1861 - Joins Union states during Civil War
1883 - Brooklyn Bridge completed
1886 - Statue of Liberty dedicated
1904 - First subway opens
1931 - Empire State building completed
1946 - United Nations commences
1973 - World Trade towers completed
Visitors to New York ( 1992 ) = 24.6 million
Population ( All boroughs ) = 7.3 million
Population Manhattan = 1.5 million
Area of Manhattan = 22.7 square miles
Length = 21.5 km ( 13.4 miles )
Widest point = 3.7 km ( 2.3 miles ) 14th street
Narrowest point = 1.3 km ( 0.8 miles )
Eating establishments = 17,000
Churches, temples,mosques = 6,000
Miles of subway track = 722
Annual subway riders= 1.1 billion
Bridges = 65
Licensed Taxis = 11,787
Broadway theatres = 35
North from Liberty Park
East from Empire State