New York City , commonly known as New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States. It is located at the southern tip of New York State on New York Harbor, one of the world's largest natural harbors.
The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive with its respective county. It is the geographical and demographic center of both the Northeast megalopolis and the New York metropolitan area, the largest metropolitan area in the United States by both population and urban area.
New York is a global center of finance and commerce, culture, technology, entertainment and media, academics and scientific output, the arts and fashion, and, as home to the headquarters of the United Nations, international diplomacy.
With an estimated population in July 2024 of 8,478,072, distributed over 300.46 square miles (778.2 km2), the city is the most densely populated major city in the United States.
The Mayor is Zohran Mamdani. He assumed office on January 1, 2026.
Christianity is the largest religion (59% adherent) in New York City, which is home to the highest number of churches of any city in the world. Catholicism is the largest Christian denomination (33%), followed by Protestantism (23%), and other Christian denominations (3%).
With 960,000 Jewish inhabitants as of 2023, Judaism is the second-largest religion practiced in New York City. Nearly half of the city's Jewish population lives in Brooklyn.
Islam ranks as the third-largest religion in New York City, following Christianity and Judaism, with estimates ranging between 600,000 and 1,000,000 observers of Islam, including 10% of the city's public school children. 22.3% of American Muslims live in New York City, with 1.5 million Muslims in the greater New York metropolitan area. Powers Street Mosque in Brooklyn is one of the oldest continuously operating mosques in the United States, and represents the first Islamic organization in both the city and the state.
Following these three largest religious groups in New York City are Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Zoroastrianism, and others. As of 2023, 24% of Greater New Yorkers identified with no organized religious affiliation, and 4% were self-identified atheists.
New York City (NYC) is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State, and is a global center for finance, culture, and diplomacy, home to the United Nations headquarters.
It is comprised of five boroughs—Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island—each with its own distinct character, and is famous for iconic landmarks like the Empire State Building, Times Square, and the Statue of Liberty.
* The Five Boroughs*
Manhattan: The smallest and most densely populated borough, known for its skyscrapers, Central Park, and financial district.
Brooklyn: The most populous borough, known for its cultural diversity, art scene, and unique neighborhoods.
Queens: The largest borough by area and the most ethnically diverse urban area in the world.
The Bronx: The northernmost borough, the only one mostly on the mainland, and the birthplace of hip-hop.
Staten Island: The most suburban of the five boroughs, connected to Brooklyn by the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge.
*Key Characteristics*
Global Hub: A major center for international finance, commerce, media, and arts.
Iconic Landmarks: Features world-famous sites such as Times Square, Broadway, Central Park, and the Statue of Liberty. Metropolitan Area: The core of the largest metropolitan area in the U.S., extending into New Jersey and Connecticut.
The Early History :
In the pre-Columbian era, the area of present-day New York City was inhabited by Algonquians, including the Lenape.
The Dutch Rule :
A permanent European presence near New York Harbor was established in 1624, making New York the 12th-oldest continuously occupied European-established settlement in the continental United States...
The English Rule:
In 1664, unable to summon any significant resistance, Stuyvesant surrendered New Amsterdam to English troops, led by Colonel Richard Nicolls, without bloodshed. The terms of the surrender permitted Dutch residents to remain in the colony and allowed for religious freedom.
The American Revolution :
The Stamp Act Congress met in New York in October 1765, as the Sons of Liberty organization emerged in the city and skirmished over the next ten years with British troops stationed there.
The Battle of Long Island, the largest battle of the American Revolutionary War, was fought in August 1776 within modern-day Brooklyn.
Post-revolutionary period and early 19th century:
In January 1785, the assembly of the Congress of the Confederation made New York City the national capital.
New York was the last capital of the United States under the Articles of Confederation and the first under the Constitution. As the capital, New York City hosted the inauguration of the first President, George Washington, and the first Congress, at Federal Hall on Wall Street. Congress drafted the Bill of Rights there.[94] The Supreme Court held its first organizational sessions in New York in 1790.
American Civil War:
Democratic Party candidates were consistently elected to local office, increasing the city's ties to the South and its dominant party.
In 1861, Mayor Fernando Wood called on the aldermen to declare independence from Albany and the United States after the South seceded, but his proposal was not acted on. Anger at new military conscription laws during the American Civil War (1861–1865), which spared wealthier men who could afford to hire a substitute, led to the Draft Riots of 1863, whose most visible participants were ethnic Irish working class.
Late 19th and early 20th century:
In 1886, the Statue of Liberty, a gift from France, was dedicated in New York Harbor. The statue welcomed 14 million immigrants as they arrived via Ellis Island by ship in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and is a symbol of the United States and American ideals of liberty and peace.
In 1898, the City of New York was formed with the consolidation of Brooklyn (until then a separate city), the County of New York (which then included parts of the Bronx), the County of Richmond, and the western portion of the County of Queens. The opening of the New York City Subway in 1904, first built as separate private systems, helped bind the new city together. Throughout the first half of the 20th century, the city became a world center for industry, commerce, and communication.
Late 20th and early 21st centuries:
New York City's population passed 8 million for the first time in the 2000 census;[140] further records were set in the 2010 and 2020 censuses.[141] Important new economic sectors, such as Silicon Alley, emerged. The year 2000 was celebrated with fanfare in Times Square.
New York City suffered the bulk of the economic damage and the largest loss of human life in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks in 2001. Two of the four hijacked airliners were flown into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center, resulting in the collapse of both buildings and the deaths of 2,753 people, including 343 first responders from the New York City Fire Department and 71 law enforcement officers.
The area was rebuilt with a new World Trade Center, the National September 11 Memorial and Museum, and other new buildings and infrastructure, including the World Trade Center Transportation Hub, the city's third-largest hub.
