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New York, often called New York City[a] or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over 300.46 square miles (778.2 km2), New York City is the most densely populated major city in the United States and more than twice as populous as Los Angeles, the nation's second largest city. New York City is located at the southern tip of New York State. It constitutes the geographical and demographic center of both the Northeast megalopolis and the New York metropolitan area, the largest metropolitan area in the U.S. by both population and urban landmass. With over 20.1 million people in its metropolitan statistical area and 23.5 million in its combined statistical area as of 2020, New York is one of the world's most populous megacities, and over 58 million people live within 250 mi (400 km) of the city.[10] New York City is a global cultural, financial, entertainment, and media center with a significant influence on commerce, health care and life sciences,[11] research, technology, education, politics, tourism, dining, art, fashion, and sports. Home to the headquarters of the United Nations, New York is an important center for international diplomacy[12][13] and is sometimes described as the capital of the world.[14][15]

Situated on one of the world's largest natural harbors and extending into the Atlantic Ocean, New York City comprises five boroughs, each of which is coextensive with a respective county of the state of New York. The five boroughs, which were created in 1898 when local governments were consolidated into a single municipal entity, are: Brooklyn (in Kings County), Queens (in Queens County), Manhattan (in New York County), The Bronx (in Bronx County), and Staten Island (in Richmond County).[16]

As of 2021, the New York metropolitan area is the largest metropolitan economy in the world with a gross metropolitan product of over $2.4 trillion. If the New York metropolitan area were a sovereign state, it would have the eighth-largest economy in the world. New York City is an established safe haven for global investors.[17] As of 2022, New York is home to the highest number of billionaires[18][19] and millionaires[20] of any city in the world.

The city and its metropolitan area constitute the premier gateway for legal immigration to the United States. As many as 800 languages are spoken in New York,[21] making it the most linguistically diverse city in the world. New York City is home to more than 3.2 million residents born outside the U.S., the largest foreign-born population of any city in the world as of 2016.[22]

New York City traces its origins to a trading post founded on the southern tip of Manhattan Island by Dutch colonists in approximately 1624. The settlement was named New Amsterdam (Dutch: Nieuw Amsterdam) in 1626 and was chartered as a city in 1653. The city came under British control in 1664 and was renamed New York after King Charles II of England granted the lands to his brother, the Duke of York.[23][24] The city was regained by the Dutch in July 1673 and was renamed New Orange for one year and three months; the city has been continuously named New York since November 1674. New York City was the capital of the United States from 1785 until 1790,[25] and has been the largest U.S. city since 1790. The Statue of Liberty greeted millions of immigrants as they came to the U.S. by ship in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and is a symbol of the U.S. and its ideals of liberty and peace.[26] In the 21st century, New York City has emerged as a global node of creativity, entrepreneurship,[27] and as a symbol of freedom and cultural diversity.[28] The New York Times has won the most Pulitzer Prizes for journalism and remains the U.S. media's "newspaper of record".[29] In 2019, New York City was voted the greatest city in the world in a survey of over 30,000 people from 48 cities worldwide, citing its cultural diversity.[30]

Many districts and monuments in New York City are major landmarks, including three of the world's ten most visited tourist attractions in 2013.[31] A record 66.6 million tourists visited New York City in 2019. Times Square is the brightly illuminated hub of the Broadway Theater District,[32] one of the world's busiest pedestrian intersections[31][33] and a major center of the world's entertainment industry.[34] Many of the city's landmarks, skyscrapers, and parks are known around the world, and the city's fast pace led to the phrase New York minute. The Empire State Building is a global standard of reference to describe the height and length of other structures.[35]

Manhattan's real estate market is among the most expensive in the world.[36][37] Providing continuous 24/7 service and contributing to the nickname The City That Never Sleeps, the New York City Subway is the largest single-operator rapid transit system in the world with 472 passenger rail stations, and Penn Station in Midtown Manhattan is the busiest transportation hub in the Western Hemisphere.[38] The city has over 120 colleges and universities, including Columbia University, an Ivy League university routinely ranked among the world's top universities,[39] New York University, and the City University of New York system, the largest urban public university system in the nation. Anchored by Wall Street in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan, New York City has been called both the world's leading financial center[40] and the most powerful city in the world,[41] and is home to the world's two largest stock exchanges by total market capitalization, the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq.[42][43]

The Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village, part of the Stonewall National Monument, is considered the historic epicenter of LGBTQ+ culture[44] and the birthplace of the modern gay rights movement.[45][46] New York City is the headquarters of the global art market, with numerous art galleries and auction houses collectively hosting half of the world’s art auctions, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art is both the largest art museum and the most visited museum in the United States.[47] Governors Island in New York Harbor is planned to host a US$1 billion research and education center poised to make New York City the global leader in addressing the climate crisis.[48]