About New York NY

New York County comprised of Manhattan is the most densely populated but is has the smallest land area of the five boroughs of NYC. Manhattan, known regionally as the “city”, is the economic and cultural identifier of the area. Bounded by the Hudson, East and Harlem Rivers, and it also contains several small adjacent islands.

Manhattan is divided into 3 general areas for identification, Lower, Midtown and upper Manhattan. Manhattan can be described as the cultural, financial, media and entertainment center of the world. The UN is headquartered there, along with Wall Street in Lower Manhattan, including the New York Stock Exchange and NASDAQ.

Many districts and landmarks in Manhattan are well known and receives millions of tourists every year. Times Square, Central Park, and various prominent bridges and tunnels. Additionally the Empire State Building, World Trade Center and other tall buildings.

The city of New York was founded at the southern tip of Manhattan and houses the NY City hall. Numerous colleges and universities can be found in Manhattan, including Columbia, NY University, Cornell, Weill Cornell Medical College and Rockefeller University.

In 1642 colonists from the Dutch Republic, founded a trading post in Lower Manhattan and named it New Amsterdam in 1626. In 1664, it and surrounding territories came under English control and renamed New York after King Charles II of England granted lands to his brother the Duke of York. New York and present day Manhattan, served as the Capital of the United States from 1785 to 1790. A symbol of peace and liberty, the Statue of Liberty was erected in the late 1900 century which to this day continues to greet millions of immigrants as they come to America.

In 1898, Manhattan became a borough during the consolidation of NYC.