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QRSTsoundguy (4:16:22 PM): Woohoo5241 (2:50:06 PM): Why does he need to?
:''This is an article about New York City; see also [[NYC (disambiguation)|NYC]], [[New York (disambiguation)|New York]], and [[New York, New York (disambiguation)|New York, New York]].''


[[image:NYC_Midtown_11.jpeg|thumb|right|300px|[[Midtown Manhattan]], looking north from the [[Empire State Building]], 2005]]
'''New York City''' (officially named the '''City of New York''') is the most populous city in the state of [[New York]] and the entire [[United States]]. It is at the center of international finance, politics, communications, music, fashion, and culture. New York City is among the world's most important [[world city|global cities]], as it is home to a nearly unrivaled collection of world-class museums, galleries, performance venues, media outlets, corporations, and the hundreds of international [[diplomatic consulate|consulates]] associated with the [[United Nations]], which has its headquarters in the city.


Auto response from QRSTsoundguy (2:50:06 PM): Joe, you seriously need to put the smack down on your bitch.
New York City has a population of over 8 million people contained within 309 square miles (800 km²), including immigrants from over 180 countries who help make it one of the most cosmopolitan cities on earth. Many people from all over the United States are also attracted to New York City for its culture, energy, cosmopolitanism, and by their own hope of making it big in the "'''[[Big Apple]]'''."


QRSTsoundguy (2:50:46 PM): because she doesnt do any work during environmental
New York City is comprised of five boroughs: [[Brooklyn]], the [[The Bronx|Bronx]], [[Manhattan]], [[Queens]], and [[Staten Island]], each of which could be a major city in its own right. The city is at the heart of the [[New York Metropolitan Area]], which, with over 22 million people, is one of the largest urban conglomerations in the world, and is the [[epicenter]] of both the [[Tri-State area]] and the [[BosWash|BosWash megalopolis]].
Woohoo5241 (2:51:15 PM): She's in your environmental class?

QRSTsoundguy (2:51:19 PM): yeah
New York City serves as an enormous engine for the global economy, and is home to more [[Fortune 500]] companies than anywhere else in the country. Its estimated gross metropolitan product of US$488.8 billion in [[2003]] was the largest of any city in the United States and the sixth largest if compared to any U.S. State. If it were a nation, the city would have the 16th highest [[gross domestic product]] in the world, exceeding that of [[Russia]] ($433 billion).
Woohoo5241 (2:51:28 PM): Let me ask you a question

Woohoo5241 (2:51:33 PM): Does she look scruffy/dirty?
{{Infobox City |
QRSTsoundguy (2:51:41 PM): she looks like a guy
official_name = City of New York, New York |
Woohoo5241 (2:51:45 PM): Exactly
nickname = [[The Big Apple]] |
QRSTsoundguy (2:51:51 PM): she sounds like a guy
image_flag = Us-nyc.png |
QRSTsoundguy (2:52:00 PM): I think she is or once was, a guy
image_seal = Us-nycsl.png |
Woohoo5241 (2:52:39 PM): Lmao
image_map = Map of New York highlighting NYC.jpg |
QRSTsoundguy (2:52:48 PM): I'm serious
map_caption = Location in the state of [[New York]] |
Woohoo5241 (2:53:19 PM): I know, lmao, my mom gave her and Joe a ride home once and afterward, she was like......"I'm glad Joe told me her name.....I thought she was a guy.."
subdivision_type = [[Political subdivisions of New York State#County|Counties]]<br>[[Political subdivisions of New York State#Borough|(Boroughs)]]|
QRSTsoundguy (2:53:33 PM): haha
subdivision_name = [[The Bronx|Bronx]] (The Bronx)<br>[[Manhattan|New York]] (Manhattan)<br>[[Queens]] (Queens)<br>[[Brooklyn|Kings]] (Brooklyn)<br>[[Staten Island|Richmond]] (Staten Island)|
QRSTsoundguy (2:54:07 PM): he could do a lot better...
leader_title = [[Mayor]] |
QRSTsoundguy (2:54:21 PM): infact he has done a lot better...
leader_name = [[Michael Bloomberg]] |
QRSTsoundguy (2:54:22 PM): lol
area_note = |
QRSTsoundguy (2:54:45 PM): literally
area_magnitude = 1 E9 |
Woohoo5241 (2:54:50 PM): Oh I know
area_total = 1,214.4 |
Woohoo5241 (2:54:53 PM): Erica for one
area_land = 800.31 |
QRSTsoundguy (2:55:08 PM): yeah
area_water = 414.09 |
Woohoo5241 (2:55:13 PM): Hm, who else
population_as_of = 2005 |
QRSTsoundguy (2:55:21 PM): caitlin
population_note = 21,766,731 ([[List of metropolitan areas by population|metropolitan area]]) |
Woohoo5241 (2:55:34 PM): Yeah
population_total = 8,158,000 (city proper) |
Woohoo5241 (2:55:40 PM): I dunno why he's with her,
population_density = 10,292 |
QRSTsoundguy (2:55:49 PM): I cant stand her...
timezone = [[Eastern Standard Time|EST]] |
QRSTsoundguy (2:56:11 PM): everytime I see her, I just wanna punch her in the face
utc_offset = &minus;5 |
Woohoo5241 (2:56:53 PM): Lmao
timezone_DST = [[Eastern Daylight Time|EDT]] |
Woohoo5241 (2:57:19 PM): Maybe it'd rearrange ger face enough to make her attractive...........
utc_offset_DST = &minus;4 |
Woohoo5241 (2:57:24 PM): ............Nah .
latitude = 40&deg;47' N |
QRSTsoundguy (2:57:37 PM): prolly not, but you never know
longitude = 73&deg;58' W |
Woohoo5241 (2:58:25 PM): Is it possible to send a program like Microsoft PowerPoint to someone like you would....say...CounterStrike?
website = [http://www.nyc.gov City of New York] |
QRSTsoundguy (2:58:35 PM): not that I know of
footnotes = |
Woohoo5241 (3:02:19 PM): Hm, well, it appears as though I could send Word over IM if I wanted to. (or the Office directory) Perhaps something just as simple could be accomplished for Powerpoint (or the copy/paste thing at a LANner)
}}
QRSTsoundguy (3:26:08 PM): Eminem=teh pnwage

==History of New York City==
:''Main article: [[History of New York City]]''

Long before the arrival of European settlers, the New York City area was inhabited by the [[Lenape]] people, including such tribes as the Manahattoes, Canarsies and [[Raritan]]; Lenape in [[canoe]]s met [[Giovanni da Verrazzano]], the first European explorer to enter [[New York Harbor]], in [[1524]]. Following the [[1609]] voyage of [[Henry Hudson]], European settlement began with the founding of the fortified [[United Provinces|Dutch]] [[fur trade|fur trading]] settlement of [[New Amsterdam]] (''Nieuw Amsterdam'') in the [[New Netherland]] colony on the southern tip of Manhattan in [[1626]]. In that year, [[Peter Minuit]] established a long tradition of shrewd real estate investing when he purchased Manhattan Island and Staten Island from [[Algonquian_peoples|Algonquin]] tribesmen in exchange for trade goods (legend, now long disproved, has it that the island was purchased for $24 worth of glass beads). Minuit's settlement was also a haven for [[Huguenot]]s seeking religious freedom.

In [[1664]], [[England|English]] ships captured the city without struggle, and the Dutch formally ceded it to the English in the [[Treaty of Breda]] at the conclusion of the [[Second Anglo-Dutch War]] in [[1667]]. The city was renamed New York, after [[James II of England|James, Duke of York]], and became a royal colony in [[1685]] when James succeeded his [[Charles II of England|brother]] as King of England.

New York was greatly damaged by fire during the [[Battle of Brooklyn]] at the start of the [[American Revolutionary War]], and was occupied by the [[Great Britain|British]] until [[November 25]], [[1783]]. On this date, marked annually thereafter as "Evacuation Day," [[George Washington]] returned to the city and the last British forces left the United States. On [[April 30]], [[1789]] Washington was inaugurated as the first [[President of the United States]] at Federal Hall on [[Wall Street]]. The Continental Congress under the [[Articles of Confederation]] met there, and New York City remained the capital of the US until [[1790]].
<br clear=right>
{|align=right
|[[Image:NYC_1848.jpg|thumb|280px|New York City and the [[East River]], [[1848]]]]
|-
|[[Image:Old timer structural worker.jpg|thumb|right|280px|A worker helps raise the [[Empire State Building]] 25 floors higher than the [[Chrysler Building]] (seen to the right), completed just one year before, [[1930]]]]
|-
|[[Image:WTC1_on_fire.jpg|thumb|280px|The [[World Trade Center]] on fire, [[September 11]], [[2001]]]]
|-
|[[Image:Midtownsouthnyc.jpg|thumb|right|280px|[[Lower Manhattan]], looking south from the [[Empire State Building]], [[2005]]]]
|}

During the [[19th century]], the city was transformed by immigration, a visionary development proposal called the [[Commissioners' Plan of 1811]], which expanded the city street grid to encompass all of Manhattan, and the opening of the [[Erie Canal]], which connected the Atlantic port to the vast agricultural markets of the [[Mid-west|Mid-western]] United States and [[Canada]] in [[1819]]. By [[1835]], New York City overtook [[Philadelphia]] as the largest city in the United States. Local politics became dominated by [[Tammany Hall]], a [[United States Democratic Party|Democratic Party]] [[political machine]].

During the [[American Civil War]] ([[1861]]&ndash;[[1865]]), the city's strong commercial ties to the [[American South|South]], its growing immigrant population, and anger about [[conscription]] led to divided sympathy for both the Union and [[Confederate States of America|Confederacy]], culminating in the [[New York Draft Riot|Draft Riots]] of [[1863]], the worst civil unrest in American history. After the Civil 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, a role acknowledged by the dedication of the [[Statue of Liberty]] in [[1886]].

In two separate actions in [[1874]] and [[1895]], New York City (and New York County) [[annex]]ed sections of southern [[Westchester County]] known as [[the Bronx]].
In [[1898]], New York City took the political form in which it exists to this day. Manhattan and the Bronx, though still one county, were established as two separate [[borough]]s and joined together with three other boroughs created from parts of adjacent counties to form the new municipal government originally called "Greater New York". The Borough of [[Brooklyn]] incorporated the independent City of Brooklyn, recently joined to Manhattan by the [[Brooklyn Bridge]], and several municipalities in eastern [[Kings County, New York]]; the Borough of [[Queens]] was created from western Queens County (with the remnant established as [[Nassau County, New York|Nassau County]] in [[1899]]); and The Borough of Staten Island contained all of [[Richmond County, New York|Richmond County]]. All municipal (county, town and city) governments contained within the boroughs were abolished. In [[1914]], the New York State Legislature created Bronx county, making five counties coterminous with the five boroughs.

On [[June 15]], [[1904]] over 1,000 people, mostly German Immigrants, were killed when the steamship [[General Slocum]] caught fire and burned in the [[East River]]; and on [[March 25]], [[1911]] the [[Triangle Factory Fire]] in [[Greenwich Village]] took the lives of 145 female garment workers, which would eventually lead to great advancements in the city's fire department, building codes, and workplace regulations.

Throughout the first half of the [[20th century]], the city became a world center for industry, commerce, and communication. [[Interborough Rapid Transit Company|Interborough Rapid Transit]] (the first subway company) began operating in [[1904]], and the railroads operating out of [[Grand Central Station]] thrived. Despite the effects of the [[Great Depression]], the [[1930s]] saw the building of some of the world's tallest skyscrapers, including numerous [[Art-Deco]] masterpieces that are still part of the city's skyline today. Both before and after World War II, vast areas of the city were also reshaped by the rise of the bridges, parks and parkways of coordinator [[Robert Moses]], the greatest proponent of automobile-centered modernist urbanism in America.

A post-[[World War II]] economic and residential boom was associated with returning veterans and immigration from Europe, and huge tracts of new housing were constructed in eastern Queens. In [[1951]], the [[United Nations]] relocated from its first headquarters in [[Flushing Meadows Park]], Queens, to the East Side of Manhattan. Like many US cities, New York suffered population decline, an erosion of its industrial base, and 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 government was on the brink of financial collapse and had to restructure its debt through the Municipal Assistance Corporation, headed by [[Felix Rohatyn]]. The city was also forced to accept increased scrutiny of its finances by an agency of [[New York State]] called the Financial Control Board.

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 city benefitted disproportionately from the success of the financial services industry during the [[dot com boom]], one of the factors in a decade of booming residential and commercial real estate value increases.

New York City was the site of the [[September 11, 2001 attacks|deadliest attack in national history]] on [[September 11]], [[2001]] when nearly 3,000 people were killed by the terrorist strike on the [[World Trade Center]], including New Yorkers employed in the buildings and hundreds of [[New York City Fire Department|firemen]], policemen, and rescue workers who came to their aid. Thick, acrid smoke continued to pour out of its ruins for months following the Twin Towers' fiery collapse. The city has since rebounded and the physical cleanup of [[Ground Zero]] was completed ahead of schedule. The [[Freedom Tower]], intended to be the world's tallest [[skyscraper]] after its scheduled completion in [[2009]], is to be built on the site.

Over the next ten years, the city expects a wave of public and private-sector building projects to reshape large sections of the city, and a residential construction boom has resulted in permits being issued for over 25,000 new residential units every year.

==Boroughs and neighborhoods==
[[Image:Usgs photo five boroughs.jpg|thumb|280px|Image of New York showing the five boroughs]]
Residents of the city often refer to the city itself as "[[Five Boroughs|the Five Boroughs]]," reserving the phrase "the City" for Manhattan, and referring to the other boroughs as "the Outer Boroughs." Those less familiar with the city often (incorrectly) think Manhattan is synonymous with New York City. Through the boroughs, there are hundreds of [[neighborhood]]s in the city, many with a definable history and character all their own.

[[Manhattan]] (New York County, pop. 1,564,798) is the business center of the city, and the most superlatively urban. It is the most densely populated, and the home of most of the city's [[skyscraper]]s. [[List of Manhattan neighborhoods]]

[[The Bronx]] (Bronx County, pop. 1,363,198) is known as the purported birthplace of [[hip hop]] culture, as well as being the home of the [[New York Yankees]]. It is the only part of the city on the mainland. [[List of Bronx neighborhoods]]

[[Brooklyn]] (Kings County, pop. 2,472,523) is the most populous borough, with a strong native identity. It ranges from a business district downtown to large residential tracts in the central and south-eastern areas. [[List of Brooklyn neighborhoods]]

[[Queens]] (Queens County, pop. 2,225,486) is the most diverse county in the U.S., with more [[immigrant]]s than anywhere else. Geographically it is the largest of the boroughs, and the legacy of its old constituent towns is still evident. [[List of Queens neighborhoods]]

[[Staten Island]] (Richmond County, pop. 459,737) is somewhat isolated and the most [[suburban]] in character of the five boroughs, but has become gradually more integrated into city life in recent decades, particularly since the opening of the [[Verrazano Narrows Bridge]] in [[1964]], an event that bred controversy and even a recent attempt at secession. [[List of Staten Island neighborhoods]]

''See also: [[Neighborhood rebranding in New York City]]''

==New York City government==
:''Main Article: [[Government of New York City]]''
[[Image:City_Hall_2.jpg|thumb|right|200px|New York's City Hall]]
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 branch|executive]], [[legislative branch|legislative]] and [[Judicial branch|judicial]] branches.

The executive branch of New York City is headed by the [[Mayor of New York City|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:

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. 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.

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.

==Crime==

Since [[1991]], New York City has seen a fifteen-year trend of decreasing crime and is now among the safest cities in America; many
neighborhoods that were once considered dangerous are thriving with new businesses and housing, and many residents feel safe to walk the streets late at night. Violent crime in the city has dropped by 75% in the last twelve years and the murder rate in [[2004]] was at its lowest level in over forty years: there were 572 murders that year compared to 2,245 in [[1990]]. Some feel that the implementation of [[CompStat|COMPSTAT]] crime analysis by the [[New York Police Department]] in 1994 is responsible for the positive changes. New York City's crime rates vary by neighborhood and borough; Staten Island is the overall safest and Brooklyn and The Bronx have the highest crime rates.

New Yorkers are famous for doing things "bigger and better," and this sometimes applies to criminal activity: [[Organized crime]] has been associated with New York City since the early 20th Century, when legendary [[mobster]]s [[Arnold Rothstein]], [[Meyer Lansky]], and [[Lucky Luciano]] transformed it, although later decades are more famous for Mafia prosecutions (and prosecutors like [[Rudolph Giuliani]]) than for the influence of the [[Italian_Mafia#Mafia_in_the_United_States|Five Families]].

Another notorious crime story is the serial killings by the "[[Son of Sam]]", who on [[July 29]], [[1976]] began a series of attacks that terrorized the city for the next year.

For New York City crime Statistics see http://www.nyc.gov/html/nypd/html/pct/cspdf.html.

''See also:'' [[Timeline of New York City crimes]]''

==Geography and climate==
{|align=right
|[[image:Ny.terra.600pix.jpg|265px|thumb|right|[[Terra (satellite)]] view of
New York City]]
|-
|[[Image:CentralParkFromAboveCropped.jpg|265px|thumb|right|[[Central Park]] in Manhattan looking south, February 2005, when the [[Christo]] installation [[The Gates]] was on display in the park (orange "gates" visible in photo)]]
|-
|
|}
*{{coor dms|40|42|51|N|74|0|23|W|}}
New York City is sited among an [[archipelago]] of [[island]]s astride the [[Atlantic Ocean]] off the [[Eastern Seaboard]] of [[North America]], surrounding the fine [[New York Harbor]], which was the very reason for the city's founding. The city itself has been built on the three major islands of Manhattan, Staten Island, and on western [[Long Island]] (Brooklyn and Queens), as well as on the [[mainland]] in the Bronx. There are also some smaller islands in the surrounding waters.

The [[Hudson River]], sometimes known in the city as the [[North River]], flows from the [[Hudson Valley]] into [[New York Bay]], becoming a [[tide|tidal]] [[estuary]] that separates the Bronx and Manhattan from [[New Jersey]]. The [[East River]], really a tidal [[strait]], stretches from the [[Long Island Sound]] to New York Bay, separating the Bronx and Manhattan from Long Island.

[[Upper New York Bay]] is surrounded by Manhattan, Brooklyn, Staten Island, and the coast of New Jersey, and is connected by [[the Narrows]] between Brooklyn and Staten Island to [[Lower New York Bay]], which is partially surrounded by Brooklyn, Staten Island, and the coast of New
Jersey, and opens to the Atlantic Ocean.

The shape of the land has been altered substantially by human intervention, with considerable [[land reclamation]] along the waterfronts since Dutch times, most dramatically in [[Lower Manhattan]], and continuing in modern developments like [[Battery Park City]]. Much of the natural variations in topography have been evened out, particularly in Manhattan. A number of smaller islands have been [[artificial island|artificially enlarged]], and the map of islands in [[Jamaica Bay]] has been completely transformed.
New York has a [[humid continental]] climate, and being adjacent to water suffers less temperature fluctuation than inland areas. New York winters are typically cold, and sometimes feature snowstorms that can paralyze the city with over a foot (30 cm) of snow. Springs are mild, averaging in the 50s (degrees Fahrenheit, 10&ndash;15 degrees Celsius) in late March to the lower 80s &deg;F (25&ndash;30 &deg;C) in early June. Summers in New York are hot and humid, with temperatures commonly exceeding 90 &deg;F (32 &deg;C), although usually below 100 &deg;F (38 &deg;C). Autumns are comfortable in New York, however, the weather is notably unpredictable, with mild, almost snowless winters and chilly summers an occasional surprise, and huge snowstorms arriving as late as the second week in April. Travelers are advised to check forecasts and bring several layers of clothing in late fall and in the early spring months (e.g., November, March, April).

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the city has a total area of 1,214.4 [[square kilometre|km&sup2;]] (468.9 [[square mile|mi&sup2;]]). 785.6 km&sup2; (303.3 mi&sup2;) of it is land and 428.8 km&sup2; (165.6 mi&sup2;) of it is water. The total area is 35.31% water. Although most of the city is adequately above sea level, parts of it could be threatened in the future if the current patterns of global warming continue.

:''See also: [[Geography of New York Harbor]]''

==Demographics== [[image:Newyorkstreetscene.JPG|265px|thumb|left|A typically diverse group of New Yorkers on [[Fifth Avenue]] in [[Midtown Manhattan]].]]
:''Main article: [[Demographics of New York City]]''

As of the [[census]]{{GR|2}} 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/km&sup2; (26,402.9/mi&sup2;). There are 3,200,912 housing units at an average density of 4,074.6/km&sup2; (10,553.2/mi&sup2;). The racial makeup of the city is 44.66% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 26.59% [[African American (U.S. Census)|Black]] or [[Race (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.52% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 9.83% [[Asian]], 0.07% [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], 13.42% from [[Race (U.S. Census)|other races]], and 4.92% from two or more races. 26.98% of the population are [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race. 35.9% of the population is foreign born (18.9% born in Latin America, 8.6% Asia, 7.0% Europe).

New York City is also home to the nation's largest community of [[American Jews]], with an estimate of 972,000 in 2002, and is the worldwide headquarters of the [[Hasidic]] [[Lubavitch]] sect and the [[Bobov]]er and [[Satmar]] branches of Hasidism.
There are 3,021,588 households with a median income of $38,293; 29.7% contain children under the age of 18 and 37.2% are [[Marriage|married couples]] living together. 19.1% have a single female householder, and 38.7% are non-families. 31.9% of all households are made up of individuals and 9.9% are single residents 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.59 and the average family size is 3.32.

[[Per capita income]] is $22,402; men and women have a median income of $37,435 and $32,949 respectively. 21.2% of the population and 18.5% of families are below the [[poverty line]], of whom 30.0% are under the age of 18 and 17.8% are 65 and older.

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.

New York City's [[unemployment]] rate in March of [[2005]] was 5.2%, identical to the nationwide rate.

==Economy==
[[Image:New_York_Stock_Exchange_Flags.jpg|right|215px|thumb|[[New York Stock Exchange]] (June 2003)]]
Historically, the city developed because of New York Harbor, widely considered one of the finest natural [[port]]s in the world. The value of this port was greatly expanded upon in 1819 with the opening of the [[Erie Canal]], which gave New York an enormous advantage over the competing ports of [[Boston]] and [[Philadelphia]]. The old port facility was at the [[South Street Seaport]] in Manhattan, but today there is only residual activity remaining at [[Red Hook, Brooklyn|Red Hook]] in Brooklyn, and the [[Howland Hook Marine Terminal]] in Staten Island. Since the [[1950s]], most shipping activity in the area has shifted to [[Port Newark-Elizabeth Marine Terminal]] in [[New Jersey]]. But despite changes in international shipping, [[trade]] and the [[Tertiary sector of industry|tertiary sector]] have always remained the real basis of New York's economy.

Manufacturing first became a major economic base for New York City in the mid-nineteenth century with the advent of industrialization and the railroad. New York was formerly a national center for [[clothing]] manufacture, and some continues, sometimes in [[sweatshop]]s. Like international shipping, though, manufacturing gradually declined in the late-twentieth century with rising land values. The city was also the first center of the [[Cinema of the United States|American film]] industry, until it moved to [[Hollywood, California]], and still has some television and movie production.

Today, New York City is the chief center of [[finance]] in the [[world economy]], with [[Wall Street]] in [[Lower Manhattan]]'s [[The Financial District (Manhattan)|Financial District]]. [[Financial market]]s based in the city include the [[New York Stock Exchange]], [[NASDAQ]], [[American Stock Exchange]], [[New York Mercantile Exchange]], and [[New York Board of Trade]]. [[List of major corporations based in New York City|Many corporations]] also have their headquarters in New York.

New York is also the center of many of the [[service sector]] industries in the U.S., with more [[Fortune 500]] companies headquartered in the city than anywhere else in the country (including companies as prominent and diverse as [[Altria Group]], [[Time Warner]], [[American International Group]], [[Pfizer]], and many others). The city is by far the most important center for American [[mass media]], [[journalism]] and [[publishing]]. Manhattan's [[Madison Avenue]] is synonymous with the American [[advertising]] industry, while [[Seventh Avenue]] is nicknamed "fashion avenue" as it serves as an important center for the [[fashion]] industry. New York also has the most important scenes for [[art]], [[music]], and [[theater]] in the U.S., with an increasingly active artist's community. The city also has a large [[tourism]] industry.

:''See also:'' [[List of major corporations based in New York City]]

==Culture of New Yorkers==
:''Main article: [[Culture of New York City]]''
[[Image:OrchardandRivington.JPG|thumb|right|275px|Manhattan's [[Lower East Side]] (2004)]]

New York City, sometimes called "The City That Never Sleeps," is famously fast-paced and active, and the American [[idiom]] "in a New York minute" means "immediately." The [[stereotype|stereotypical]] "hard-boiled New Yorker" has a reputation as self-centered, rude, and impatient, and takes pride in the crowds, noise, and hardships of city life. New York City residents are called "New Yorkers," although this term may also refer to [[suburb]]anites, and there is some use of borough-specific identifications, such as Manhattanites, [[Bronx]]ites, [[Brooklyn]]ites, Queensites and Staten Islanders. Residents of the metropolitan area generally refer to New York City (or sometimes just Manhattan) as "The City," or "New York," and the acronym "NYC", as opposed to just "NY", help to avoid confusing references to the [[State of New York]] and the City. Other nicknames attributed to New York City include "[[the Big Apple]]", "[[Gotham]]", "the Naked City", "the Capital of the World", and the slogan introduced in 2005 by Mayor Bloomberg in an effort to win a bid for the 2012 olympics, "the World's Second Home."

===Immigration and international flavor===
New York absorbs a greater diversity of immigrant groups than any other American city, and it absorbs a larger number of immigrants every day than all other U.S. cities except [[Los Angeles]], giving New York an international flavor, and making it the archetype of the American ideal of a "nation of immigrants." The city government employs translators in 180 languages.

[[Image:Libertyskyline.PNG|thumb|275px|right|The [[Statue of Liberty]], icon of the city, rises from [[Liberty Island]] in [[Upper New York Bay]] in front of the [[Lower Manhattan]] [[skyline]]. The Statue of Liberty was from 1886 until the jet age often the first sight of the city for European [[Immigration to the United States|immigrants to the United States]].]]

The five boroughs are home to many distinct [[ethnic enclave]]s of [[Ireland|Irish]], [[Italy|Italians]], [[Greeks]], [[China|Chinese]], [[Korea]]ns, [[Nuyorican|Puerto Ricans]], [[Dominican Republic|Dominicans]], [[Jamaica|Jamaicans]], [[Harlem|African-Americans]], [[Iran|Iranians]], [[Arab world|Arabs]], [[Judaism|Jews]], [[South Asia]]ns and many others, and there are also many multi-ethnic neighborhoods where people of different backgrounds coexist comfortably. Regardless of ethnic origin, all groups share a common identity as New Yorkers.

Some celebrated ethnic/racial neighborhoods include [[Harlem]], [[Little Italy, Manhattan|Little Italy]], [[Chinatown]], [[Washington Heights]], and the [[Lower East Side]].

===Commuter culture===

Because of traffic congestion and the well-designed [[New York Subway]], six in ten residents, including many middle class professionals, commute to work via public transportation, making the everyday lifestyle and "pedestrian culture" of New Yorkers substantially different from the "car culture" that dominates most American cities. This pattern is strongest in Manhattan, where subway service is better and traffic is worse than in the outer boroughs. Even the city's billionaire mayor, [[Michael Bloomberg]], is a "[[straphanger]]," (subway commuter), and can be encountered on the train to [[City Hall]] each morning.

The great majority of Manhattan residents live in apartments in what is usually seen as a very overpriced and difficult housing market, although there are immense neighborhoods of suburban-style homes in the outer boroughs. The median sale price of a Manhattan apartment in 2004 was $670,000 [http://citi-habitats.com/press/viewarticle.php?article_id=432], with prices in the outer boroughs lower but rising. Many residents rent apartments, and some areas are under [[rent control]] and rent stabilization laws. With space at a premium, lack of closet space is a common problem, and [[self-storage]] is a strong local industry.

===Current issues===
[[Image:Jackson_Heights_2.jpg|thumb|right|275px|[[Jackson Heights]], [[Queens, NY|Queens]] is among the world's most diverse communities.]]
No other American city has experienced the effects of [[gentrification]] to the same degree that New York City has. Beginning primarily in the [[1990s]], although in [[SoHo|some cases]] earlier, neighborhoods that had been seen as less desirable or unsafe became entirely transformed by the arrival of young (generally white) professionals, often preceded by artists and “[[hipsters]]’. This process is exemplified by the cases of [[Williamsburg, Brooklyn|Williamsburg]] in Brooklyn and Manhattan's [[Lower East Side]]. Although gentrification generally has led to lower crime, more business activity, and higher land values, many of the native residents of these communities have been adversely affected by the skyrocketing housing costs associated with these rapid changes.
After the [[September 11, 2001 attacks]], pride in the city and the New York way of life increased for many, though others may have shown signs of paranoia. Nationally, Americans felt increased solidarity with New Yorkers. Today, there is a palpable sense of optimism in New York, fear of terrorism has lessened dramatically, and a massive confluence of transportation infrastructure projects promises to greatly expand the city's economic potential. Drastic reductions in crime have changed "the ungovernable city" of the past into a remarkably civilized place, and recent polls show that a vast majority of New Yorkers think the city "is moving in the right direction."

:''See also: [[List of famous New Yorkers]]''

==Tourism and recreation==
[[image:Empirestatebldg.jpg|130px|right|thumb|The Empire State Building, New York City's tallest building]]
Tourism is a major local industry, with hundreds of attractions. Many visitors make it a point to visit the Empire State Building, [[Times Square]], [[Radio City Music Hall]], the [[Statue of Liberty]], [[Ellis Island]], [[Wall Street]], [[United Nations Headquarters]], the [[American Museum of Natural History]], [[St. Patrick's Cathedral]] and the [[Brooklyn Bridge]], among other attractions.

There are over 28,000 acres (113 km&sup2;) of parkland found throughout New York City, comprising over 1,700 separate parks and playgrounds. The best known of these is [[Central Park]], which is one of the finest examples of [[landscape architecture]] in the world, as well as a major source of recreation for New Yorkers and tourists alike. Other major parks in the city include [[Riverside Park]], [[Battery Park]], [[Prospect Park]], [[Flushing Meadow-Corona Park]], and [[Forest Park]]. The city also has 578 miles of waterfront and over 14 miles of public beaches.

Maritime attractions include the [[South Street Seaport]], site of a historic port, and the [[Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum]], housed in a [[World War II]] [[aircraft carrier]] docked on the [[Hudson River]].

Shopping is popular with many visitors, with [[Fifth Avenue]] being a famous shopping corridor for luxury items. [[Macy's]], the nation's largest department store, and the surrounding area of [[Herald Square]] are a major destination for more moderately-priced goods. In recent years [[23rd Street]] has become a major location for "big-box" retailers. In southern Manhattan, [[Greenwich Village]] is home to hundreds of independent music and book stores. The "[[diamond district]]" (located on 47th Street between 5th and 6th Avenues) is the city's main location for jewelry shopping, and [[SoHo]], formerly the center of the New York art scene, is now famous for high-priced clothing boutiques, and the art galleries are now concentrated in [[Chelsea]]. There are also large shopping districts found in [[Downtown Brooklyn]] and along [[Queens Boulevard]] in Queens.

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. Annually on [[New Year's Eve]], hundreds of thousands of people congregate in Times Square to watch the [[New Year's Eve#United States|ball drop]] as millions watch on television.

The [[World Trade Center]] was an important tourist destination before the [[September 11, 2001 attacks]], which devastated the city and its tourist industry. The city was nearly devoid of tourists for months, and it took two years for the numbers to fully rebound with fewer international, but more domestic visitors. Now the [[World Trade Center site]] has itself become an important place for visitors to see.

Many tourists only think of "New York" in terms of Manhattan, but there are four boroughs more, which, if they can't compete in skyscrapers, still offer other kinds of attractions. Brooklyn's old [[Coney Island]] is still a center of seaside recreation, with its [[beach]], [[boardwalk]], and [[amusement park]]s. Many enjoy the spectacular views available from the deck of the [[Staten Island Ferry]]. The [[Bronx Zoo]] is world-famous, and the [[New York Yankees|Bronx Bombers]] don't play in Manhattan. [[Flushing, New York|Flushing, Queens]] is home to the legacy of the [[1964 New York World's Fair]] (including the [[Unisphere]]), the [[US Open (tennis)|US Open in tennis]] and [[Shea Stadium]].

== Cultural institutions ==
[[image:MET NYC.jpg|thumb|275px|left|The [[Metropolitan Museum of Art]]]]
New York is a city of "great museums" with the [[Metropolitan Museum of Art]]'s assemblage of historic art, the [[Museum of Modern Art]] and [[Guggenheim Museum]]'s 's 20th century collection, and the [[American Museum of Natural History]] and its [[Hayden Planetarium]] focusing on the sciences. There are also many smaller specialty museums, from [[El Museo del Barrio]] with a focus on Latin American cultures to the [[Cooper-Hewitt National Museum of Design]]. A number of the city's museums are located along the [[Museum Mile]] section of [[Fifth Avenue]].

In addition to these museums, the city is also home to a vast array of spaces for [[opera]], [[symphony]], and [[dance]] performances. The largest of these is [[Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts]], which is actually a complex of buildings housing 12 separate companies, including the [[New York Philharmonic]], the [[Metropolitan Opera]], the [[New York City Opera]], the [[New York City Ballet]], and [[Jazz at Lincoln Center]]. Other notable performance halls include [[Carnegie Hall]], [[Radio City Music Hall]], and the [[Brooklyn Academy of Music]].

:''See also: [[List of museums and cultural institutions in New York City]]''

== Media and entertainment ==
Because of its sheer size and cultural influence, New York City has been the subject of many different, and often contradictory, portrayals in mass media. From the sophisticated and worldly metropolis seen in many [[Woody Allen]] films, to the chaotic urban jungle depicted in such movies as [[Martin Scorsese]]'s ''[[Taxi Driver]]'', New York has served as the unwitting backdrop for virtually every conceivable viewpoint on big city life. New York’s portrayal on television is similarly varied, with a disproportionate number of crime dramas taking place in the city despite the fact that it is one of the safest cities in which to live in the United States. New York has also been the setting for countless works of literature, many of them produced by the city’s famously large population of writers (including [[Jonathan Franzen]], [[Don Delillo]], [[Thomas Pynchon]], [[Susan Sontag]], [[David Foster Wallace]], and many others).

:''See also: [[List of books set in New York City]]''

===Printed media===
Although 98% of American cities have a single daily newspaper with declining readership, New York City boasts over forty daily newspapers in several different languages, including such national heavyweights as the [[Wall Street Journal]] (daily circulation of 2.1 million) and [[The New York Times]] (1.6 million), and America's oldest continuously-published newspaper, the [[New York Post]], founded in 1801 by [[Alexander Hamilton]]. Even the distantly third most popular [[New York Daily News]] (786,000) has the seventh-largest circulation in the United States. [http://www.accessabc.com/reader/top100.htm] The ''[[Staten Island Advance]]'' is a daily paper serving Staten Island and started as the cornerstone of the giant media conglomerate [[Advance Publications|Advance/Newhouse Group]]. There are seven daily newspapers published in [[Chinatown (New York)|Chinese]] and four in [[Spanish language|Spanish]]. Multiple daily papers are published in [[Greek]], [[Polish]], and [[Korean]], and weekly newspapers cater to dozens of different ethnic communities, with ten separate newspapers focusing on the African-American community alone.[http://www.gothamgazette.com/commentary/80.scher.shtml] Ethnic variation is not the only measure of the diversity of New York City's newspapers, with editorial opinions running from left-leaning papers like the [[Village Voice]] to conservative publications such as the [[New York Sun]]. The tradition of a [[freedom of the press|free press]] owes much to [[John Peter Zenger]], a New York publisher who was acquitted in his 1735 landmark court case, setting the precedent that truth was a legitimate defense against accusations of [[Slander and libel|libel]].

New York also contains the corporate headquarters of publishing conglomerates [[Conde Nast]] and [[The Hearst Corporation]], and over 50,000 New Yorkers are employed in the newspaper and publishing industry.
[[image:timessquare.jpg|thumb|right|230px|The lights of [[Times Square]]]]
:''See also: [[List of New York City newspapers and magazines]]''

===Television and film===
New York City is the home of the four major [[television network]]s, [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]], [[CBS]], the [[Fox Network]], and [[NBC]], and while the local film industry is dwarfed by that of [[Hollywood]], its billions of dollars in revenue make it the second largest in the nation.[http://www.nyc.gov/html/film/html/news/stats.shtml] The [[Kaufman-Astoria]] film studio in Queens dates back to the [[silent film]] era and was used by the [[Marx Brothers]] and [[W.C. Fields]]. More recently, [[Silvercup Studios]] produced the hit television shows [[Sex and the City]] and [[The Sopranos]]. [[MTV]] broadcasts programming from its sound stage overlooking Times Square, several blocks away from the theater housing [[The Late Show with David Letterman]]. Over a thousand people are involved with producing the various [[Law & Order]] television series. There is also a large movie-studio complex currently under construction on a 15 acre (61,000 m&sup2;) parcel of the [[Brooklyn Navy Yard]] called [[Steiner Studios]], which will add over 270,000 square feet (25,000 m&sup2;) of new studio space to the city later this year.

The City of New York also has an official television station, run by [[NYC Media Group]].

:''See also: [[List of New York City Television and Film studios]], [[List of television shows set in New York City]], [[List of movies set in New York City]]''

===Theater===
:''Main article: [[Broadway theatre]]''
New York City boasts a highly active and influential [[theater]] district, which is centered around Times Square in Manhattan. It serves both as the center of the American theater industry, and as a major attraction for visitors from around the world. The dozens of theaters in this district are responsible for tens of thousands of jobs, and help contribute billions of dollars every year to the city's economy. Along with those of London’s [[West End]] theater district, Broadway theaters are considered to be of the highest quality in the world. Despite the name, many "Broadway" theaters do not lie on [[Broadway (Manhattan)|Broadway]] the street, and the distinction with [[Off-Broadway]] and [[Off-Off-Broadway]] (which tend more toward [[experimental theater]]) is simply a reference to the seating capacity of the theater.

===Music industry and music scene===
With its connection to media and communications and its mix of cultures and immigrants, New York City has had a long history of association with American music. Famous large venues dating from the 1920s, such as [[Radio City Music Hall]] and [[Carnegie Hall]] have their smaller counterparts in the subsequent eras, from the [[Copacabana (nightclub)|Copacabana]] and [[The Bitter End]] to [[CBGB]] and [[Studio 54]].

Modern composers such as native [[Aaron Copeland]] and [[George Gershwin]] were inspired by the City, at a time when New York based [[RCA]] was the nation's largest manufacturer of [[phonograph]]s. The radio and musical stars of the Golden Age of [[Broadway (Manhattan)|Broadway]] gave way to the [[Brill Building]]'s "Brill Sound." The [[Juillard School]] of Music trained New York Native [[Tito Puente]], "El Rey de las timbales." The [[folk music]] scene in [[Greenwich Village]] nurtured the careers of [[Pete Seeger]], [[Joan Baez]], and [[Bob Dylan]]. Later, [[Bowery]] clubs such as [[CBGB]] helped spawn the American [[punk rock]] and [[New Wave Music]] movements, with [[The Ramones]] and [[The Talking Heads]] in the lead, while the height of the disco era saw throngs lined up outside the famed nightclub [[Studio 54]]. As if this weren't enough for one city to contribute to American music, modern New York is widely acknowledged as the birthplace of [[Hip hop]].

== Professional sports ==
[[Image:Yankee stadium.jpg|thumb|right|275px|''The House that [[Babe Ruth|Ruth]] Built'' <br>[[Yankee Stadium]] in the Bronx]]
Although in much of the rest of the country [[American football]] has become the most popular professional sport, in New York City [[baseball]] arguably still stirs the most passion and interest. A "[[Subway Series]]" between city teams is a time of great excitement, and any [[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. For most American baseball fans, the most intense rivalry is between the Yankees and the [[Boston Red Sox]], but in the city the rivalry between the Yankees and the Mets is just as fierce. Outsiders are frequently unaware that few baseball fans in New York are fans of both teams at once.

The [[New York metropolitan area]] is the only one in the United States with [[U.S. cities with teams from four major sports|more than one team]] in each of the four major sports, with nine such franchises. At [[Madison Square Garden]], 'the world's most famous arena,' New Yorkers can see the [[New York Knicks]] play [[NBA]] basketball, the [[New York Rangers]] play [[National Hockey League|hockey]], or the [[New York Liberty]] of the [[WNBA]]. Both the New York Knicks and New York Rangers play at [[Madison Square Garden]]. It is not widely known outside the New York area that the current Madison Square Garden is actually the ''fourth'' separate building to use that name. New York's [[NFL]] teams, the [[New York Giants]] and [[New York Jets]], play at [[Giants Stadium]] in New Jersey's Meadowlands. At the [[Continental Airlines Arena]] also in the meadowlands the [[New Jersey Nets]] play [[NBA]] basketball and the [[New Jersey Devils]] play [[NHL]] hockey.
New York City is also home to two [[minor league baseball]] teams that play in the short-season Class A [[New York - Penn League]]. The [[Brooklyn Cyclones]] are a New York Mets affiliate, and the [[Staten Island Yankees]] are affiliated with the New York Yankees.

New York has also buried more sports history than most American cities ever experience: [[Ebbets Field]], home of the [[Brooklyn Dodgers]] from [[1913]] until [[1957]], was torn down in [[1960]], and the [[Polo Grounds]] in northern [[Harlem]], just across the river from the Bronx's [[Yankee Stadium]], was the home of the [[San Francisco Giants|New York Giants]] of [[Major League Baseball]] from [[1911]] to [[1957]] (and the first home of the New York Mets) before being demolished in [[1964]].

Current sports issues include Bruce Ratner's proposal to move the [[New Jersey Nets]] to a new [[Brooklyn Nets Arena]], and a proposal to build a [[West Side Stadium]] in Manhattan for the [[New York Jets]] in [[2008]]. Both of these construction proposals have stirred considerable opposition, and may have an impact on the City's bid to host the [[2012 Summer Olympics]].

:''See also:'' [[List of New York City sports teams]]

==Transportation==
[[Image:grand_central_terminal_exterior.jpg|thumb|200px|right|The [[42nd Street]] entrance to [[Grand Central Terminal]].]]
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]]&mdash;fast, efficient, but not always clean&mdash;provides the best alternative. (Subways have much improved from the 1960s and 1970s, when their association with filth and criminality was a national joke.) 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. (See the "Mass transit" section below for more detailed information.)

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, and elevated trains. Ferries are also a common mode of transporation between Manhattan and New Jersey, as well as other parts of New York City.

Four primary [[Interstate Highways]] enter the New York/New Jersey metropolitan area: [[Interstate 78|I-78]], [[Interstate 80|I-80]], [[Interstate 87|I-87]] and [[Interstate 95|I-95]]. [[Interstate 287]] serves as a partial [[beltway]] around the city, and there are numerous three-digit Interstates of I-78 and I-95. A strange fact is that none of I-78's spur routes actually intersect with it. The I-78 "child" that comes closest to intersecting with I-78 is [[I-478]], the unsigned designation for the [[Brooklyn Battery Tunnel]]. [[I-278]] is the best-known of I-78's "children"; it goes through all of the city's five boroughs (only entering Manhattan on the [[Triborough Bridge]]). I-78 ends at the foot of the [[Holland Tunnel]] in Manhattan; it was originally supposed to cross Manhattan into Brooklyn and Queens to [[JFK Airport]], then curve north and end at I-95 via the [[Throgs Neck Bridge]]. Portions of this road were constructed, and are now [[New York State Highway 878|NY 878]] (sometimes labeled [[I-878]]) and [[I-295 (NY)|I-295]] (including its spur [[I-695 (NY)|I-695]]); the latter was originally signed as I-78. The [[1975]] fiscal crisis prevented I-78 from being finished, as well as community opposition to the [[Lower Manhattan Expressway]].

===Mass transit===
:''Main article: [[Mass transit in New York City]]''
[[Image:Mta_station_wall.jpg|thumb|right|200px|A typical subway entrance in the [[Lower Manhattan|financial district]].]]
New York City boasts the most extensive network of public transportation in the United States. The world famous [[New York City Subway]] is operated by the [[Metropolitan Transportation Authority (New York)|Metropolitan Transportation Authority]] (MTA). It is the most extensive [[subway]] system in the world when measured by mileage of track (656 miles of mainline track), and the fifth largest when measured by annual ridership (1.4 billion passenger trips in [[2004]]). The subway system connects all boroughs except Staten Island, which is served by the [[Staten Island Railway]] via the free [[Staten Island Ferry]] (which connects to numerous subway lines). The city is also served by the [[Port Authority of New York and New Jersey]]'s [[Port Authority Trans-Hudson|PATH]] subway system, which connects the borough of Manhattan to [[New Jersey]]. In addition to these, city residents rely on hundreds of bus lines, both publicly and privately operated, which serve nearly all areas of the five boroughs. Because of the extensive mass transit system, many New Yorkers do not own cars or even driver's licenses.

Responsibility for providing public transportation falls to a variety of government agencies and private corporations. [[Amtrak]] provides long-distance rail service. Short-distance rail, primarily for commuters from the suburbs, is operated by [[New Jersey Transit]], the [[Metropolitan Transportation Authority (New York)|MTA]] (serving Long Island, Connecticut and regions in New York north of the city as the [[Long Island Rail Road]] and [[Metro-North Railroad]]), and the [[Port Authority of New York and New Jersey]], which also operates regional bus terminals.

===Airports===
The Port Authority also owns and operates the four major [[airport]]s in the New York City area, [[JFK International Airport]] in [[Jamaica, New York|Jamaica]], [[Newark Liberty International]] in [[Newark, New Jersey]], [[La Guardia Airport]] in [[Flushing, New York|Flushing]], and [[Teterboro Airport]] in [[Teterboro, New Jersey]]. JFK tends to handle international traffic, whereas La Guardia tends to handle shorter domestic flights, and Newark handles both international and domestic; Teterboro is New York's primary [[general aviation]] airport, handling heavy business jet traffic together with cargo and [[medevac]] flights and some light plane traffic. The first airport in the city was [[Floyd Bennett Field]], now closed as an airport and today part of [[Gateway National Recreation Area]].

The Port Authority also operates the [[AirTrain]] service, a train which connects the JFK and Newark airports to local subway and heavy rail systems.

While Teterboro is the primary general aviation airport for the New York area, there are several other airports located within a short distance of the city, including [[Farmingdale/Republic Airport|Republic Airport]] in [[Farmingdale, New York]], [[Westchester County Airport]] in [[White Plains, New York]], [[Caldwell/Essex County Airport|Essex County Airport]] in [[Caldwell, New Jersey]], [[Lincoln Park Airport]] in [[Lincoln Park, New Jersey]], and [[Morristown Municipal Airport]] in [[Morristown, New Jersey]].

===Taxis===
[[image:Taxis NYC.jpg|thumb|left|225px|New York's famous Yellow Cabs.]]
[[Taxicab]]s are operated by private companies and licensed by the [[New York City Taxi & Limousine Commission]]. There are two officially recognized car services in the city. "Medallion taxis," the familiar yellow cabs, are legally permitted to pick up passengers hailing them on the street. The "medallion" consists of an actual medallion attached to the hood. Each medallion carries an alphanumeric code, which is also displayed prominently at several locations on (and in) the taxicab. The medallion must be purchased from the city at an infrequent auction, or from another medallion owner. The supply of medallions is strictly controlled to prevent a surplus of cabs, which means that medallions trade at a high price. These days most medallions (and most cabs) are owned by investment companies and are leased to drivers ("hacks"), sometimes at illegally high rates. Yellow cabs patrol most of Manhattan and may be hailed with a raised hand. Drivers are required to pick up the first or closest passenger they see, and may not refuse a fare anywhere within the five boroughs (although some drivers balk at this). [[As of 2005|As of March 2005]], fares begin at $2.50 ($3.00 after 8 pm, and $3.50 during peak, weekday hours) and increase based on the distance traveled, and on time spent stopped or in slow traffic.

The T&LC also regulates and licenses "[[car service]]s," which are legally permitted to pick up only those customers who have called the car service's dispatcher and requested a car. However, during down times many car service cars patrol the streets of the outer boroughs, picking up passengers who hail them. While this is technically illegal, it is tolerated by the T&LC and the police since the drivers of the yellow cabs prefer to cruise for fares in Manhattan, and there is a need for taxi service for residents of the outer boroughs that the "black cars" are willing to fulfil. Since these "black cars" operate outside the law, they are extremely vulnerable to crime, particularly armed robbery.

Related to the "black cars" are the "dollar vans" that patrol regular routes in areas of the outer boroughs that are underserved by subways and official buses.

===Ferries===
Many private [[ferry|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.

== Colleges, universities, and scientific research ==
[[image:BK_College.jpg|thumb|right|250px|[[Brooklyn College]] is famous for its well tended campus.]]
New York City is served by the publicly-run [[City University of New York]] (CUNY), the largest urban university in the United States, which has a number of campuses throughout the five boroughs. The city is also home to a number of other institutions of higher learning, some of national or even international reputation, including [[Columbia University]], [[Fordham University]], [[New School University]], and [[New York University]], among many others.

New York City is also a major center of academic medicine. Manhattan contains the campus of the world-class [[Rockefeller University]] and [[Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center]], as well as [[Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center]] and [[New York University|NYU Medical Center]] and their medical schools. In the Bronx, the [[Albert Einstein College of Medicine]] of [[Yeshiva University]] is a major academic center. [[Jonas Salk]], developer of the vaccine for [[polio]], was an intern at [[Mount Sinai Hospital, New York|Mount Sinai Medical Center]] in Upper Manhattan.

Dedication to the sciences starts early for many New Yorkers, who have the chance to attend such selective specialized high schools as the [[Bronx High School of Science]] (which boasts the largest number of graduates who are [[Nobel Laureate]]s of any United States High School), and its rivals, Manhattan's [[Stuyvesant High School]] and [[Brooklyn Technical High School]].

''See also: [[List of colleges and universities in New York City]] and [[:Category:New York City public education]]''

== Skyline ==
New York City has by far the most famous [[skyline]] in the world, something of a tourist attraction in and of itself. Because of its high residential density, and the extremely high real estate values found in the city's central business districts, New York has amassed the largest collection of office and residential towers in the world. In fact, New York actually has three separately recognizable skylines: [[Midtown Manhattan]], [[Downtown Manhattan]] (also known as [[Lower Manhattan]]), and [[Downtown Brooklyn]]. The largest of these skylines is in Midtown, which is the largest central business district in the U.S., and also home to such notable buildings as the Empire State Building, the [[Chrysler Building]], and [[Rockefeller Center]]. The Downtown skyline was once characterized by the presence of the [[Twin Towers]] of the [[World Trade Center]]. Today it is undergoing the rapid reconstruction of [[Lower Manhattan]], and will some day include the new "[[Freedom Tower]]" which will be the tallest building in the world when it is completed in 2009. The Downtown skyline will also be getting notable additions soon from such architects as [[Santiago Calatrava]] and [[Frank Gehry]]. [[Image:midtown.jpg|frame|The [[Midtown Manhattan]] skyline viewed from across the [[Hudson River]], 1981.]]
The Downtown Brooklyn skyline is the smallest of the three, and is centered around a major transportation hub in Northwestern [[Brooklyn]]. The borough of Queens has also been developing its own skyline in recent years with a [[Citigroup]] office building (which is currently the tallest building in NYC outside Manhattan), and the City Lights development of several residential towers along the [[East River]] waterfront.

''See also: [[Tallest buildings in New York City]]''

==Sister cities==
New York has ten [[Town twinning|sister cities]], as designated by ''Sister Cities International (SCI)'': [[Beijing]], [[Budapest]], [[Cairo]], [[Jerusalem]], [[Johannesburg]], [[London]], [[Madrid]], [[Rome]], [[Santo Domingo]], and [[Tokyo]].

==See also==
{{NYC topics}}

==Further reading==
* ''[[The Encyclopedia of New York City]]'', ed. by [[Kenneth T. Jackson]], 1350 pages, Yale University Press 1995
* ''[[Gotham: A History of New York City to 1898]]'', Edwin G. Burrows and [[Mike Wallace (historian)|Mike Wallace]], Oxford University Press, 1998, hardcover, 1416 pages, ISBN 0195116348, trade paperback, 2000, 1424 pages, ISBN 0195140494

== External links ==
{{wikitravel}}

*[http://www.nyc.gov NYC.gov] - New York City official website.
*[http://www.city-data.com/city/New-York-New-York.html New York, New York Detailed Profile]
*[http://mta.info MTA.info] - NYC Area Metropolitan Transit Authority website.
*[http://www.nycsubway.org NYCsubway.org] - unofficial, yet highly accurate information on the New York City subway system.
*[http://www.straphangers.org Straphangers.org] - website for an organization that works to better the New York City transit system.
*[http://www.hot-maps.de/north_america/usa/new_york/new_york/ Detailed Map of NYC]
*[http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=15368 Satellite image of New York City] taken by [[NASA]]'s [[Earth Observing System]]
*[http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=5052 Satellite image of Manhattan] at NASA's Earth Observatory
* [http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=14779 Satellite image of New York City and East Coast City Lights] at NASA's Earth Observatory
*[http://www.nyc2012.com NYC2012.com] - support site for NYC's bid for the 2012 Summer Olympics.
*[http://www.forgotten-ny.com/ Forgotten NY] - relics of the past and unusual scenes not ordinarily associated with New York
*[http://www.lostnewyorkcity.com Lost New York City] - photo essay of 19th century buildings destroyed in the 1970s.
*[http://www.nywiki.com NYWiki] [[MediaWiki]] website about New York.
*[http://mxmonline.tripod.com/ Max X. Miller Online] September 11, 2001 Audio and Video Archive and Memorial including audio from NYPD and FDNY
*[http://www.terragalleria.com/america/north-east/new-york/ Photos of New York - Terra Galleria]
*[http://www.cnewyork.net ©New York] Photos of New York City
{{Mapit-US-cityscale|40.704234|-73.917927}}
*[http://www.nycbloggers.com/ New York City Bloggers] New York City blog directory organized by subway stop.
*[http://www.newyorkontap.com/ New York On Tap] Things to do in New York City.
*[http://www.newyorkled.com/ NewYorkled] Everything going on in New York.
*[http://www.nyc-architecture.com/ nyc-architecture] New York architecture images and notes.

==References==
*http://flagspot.net, http://fotw.vexillum.com/flags/us-nyc.html &ndash; Source of flag and seal images. Picture of flag is by Joe McMillan. Picture of seal is by Dov Gutterman.
*http://www.50states.com/bio/newyork.htm &ndash; Famous New Yorkers

{{New_York}}

[[Category:Cities in New York]]
[[Category:New York City| ]]
[[Category:New York metropolitan area]]
[[Category:Coastal cities]]

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Revision as of 01:07, 6 May 2005

QRSTsoundguy (4:16:22 PM): Woohoo5241 (2:50:06 PM): Why does he need to?


Auto response from QRSTsoundguy (2:50:06 PM): Joe, you seriously need to put the smack down on your bitch.

QRSTsoundguy (2:50:46 PM): because she doesnt do any work during environmental Woohoo5241 (2:51:15 PM): She's in your environmental class? QRSTsoundguy (2:51:19 PM): yeah Woohoo5241 (2:51:28 PM): Let me ask you a question Woohoo5241 (2:51:33 PM): Does she look scruffy/dirty? QRSTsoundguy (2:51:41 PM): she looks like a guy Woohoo5241 (2:51:45 PM): Exactly QRSTsoundguy (2:51:51 PM): she sounds like a guy QRSTsoundguy (2:52:00 PM): I think she is or once was, a guy Woohoo5241 (2:52:39 PM): Lmao QRSTsoundguy (2:52:48 PM): I'm serious Woohoo5241 (2:53:19 PM): I know, lmao, my mom gave her and Joe a ride home once and afterward, she was like......"I'm glad Joe told me her name.....I thought she was a guy.." QRSTsoundguy (2:53:33 PM): haha QRSTsoundguy (2:54:07 PM): he could do a lot better... QRSTsoundguy (2:54:21 PM): infact he has done a lot better... QRSTsoundguy (2:54:22 PM): lol QRSTsoundguy (2:54:45 PM): literally Woohoo5241 (2:54:50 PM): Oh I know Woohoo5241 (2:54:53 PM): Erica for one QRSTsoundguy (2:55:08 PM): yeah Woohoo5241 (2:55:13 PM): Hm, who else QRSTsoundguy (2:55:21 PM): caitlin Woohoo5241 (2:55:34 PM): Yeah Woohoo5241 (2:55:40 PM): I dunno why he's with her, QRSTsoundguy (2:55:49 PM): I cant stand her... QRSTsoundguy (2:56:11 PM): everytime I see her, I just wanna punch her in the face Woohoo5241 (2:56:53 PM): Lmao Woohoo5241 (2:57:19 PM): Maybe it'd rearrange ger face enough to make her attractive........... Woohoo5241 (2:57:24 PM): ............Nah . QRSTsoundguy (2:57:37 PM): prolly not, but you never know Woohoo5241 (2:58:25 PM): Is it possible to send a program like Microsoft PowerPoint to someone like you would....say...CounterStrike? QRSTsoundguy (2:58:35 PM): not that I know of Woohoo5241 (3:02:19 PM): Hm, well, it appears as though I could send Word over IM if I wanted to. (or the Office directory) Perhaps something just as simple could be accomplished for Powerpoint (or the copy/paste thing at a LANner) QRSTsoundguy (3:26:08 PM): Eminem=teh pnwage

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