New York. Those who have never set foot in it know it before, through cinema, TV series, music, literature. New York is a dream machine. Diverse, frenetic, electric, magnetic, magical, magical, vertiginous, inventive, intensive... the adjectives rush to describe it. It's the city of extremes and superlatives. New York City remains the most populous megapole in the United States and the most visited as well. Its museums are among the richest in the world. And from its mythical skyline, at the site of the deceased Twin Towers, emerges the faceted silhouette of One World Trade Center, now the tallest skyscraper in North America.
New York is the city, the city of cities. Too small to be a country and too big to be a mere city. Each borough, each neighbourhood has its own identity, but nothing is frozen. Not so long ago, a trip to New York was a visit to the heart of Manhattan. Rare were the tourists who dared to venture as far as Harlem, whereas today it is a must for its easy-going atmosphere and lively nightlife. Even the Bronx becomes a tourist attraction!
Brooklyn is "the Manhattan of the twentieth century". Speaking of cooking, she's also in the midst of a revolution. The bio-ecological wave that swept over the Big Apple has restored New Yorkers to the taste of good products. Like Brooklyn, farmers' markets are flourishing and urban farms are growing on the rooftops of buildings! A new generation of chefs has turned culinary traditions upside down. New York has a permanent creative buzz, fed by an inexhaustible energy.
And while some dark episodes have left indelible traces, New York City is always rising again, ready for major new challenges. New York hosts some 50 million visitors annually. Times Square,"the Crossroads of the World" is one of the world's most popular intersections, and the Broadway theater district is the hub of entertainment across the country and a major centre of the entertainment industry worldwide. The city is home to a large number of bridges and tunnels (tens of thousands), skyscrapers and world-renowned parks.
The financial district of New York City, anchored by Wall Street in Lower Manhattan, functions as the "financial capital of the world" and is home to the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), while the new One World Trade Center is North America's tallest skyscraper. In addition, Manhattan's real estate market is among the most expensive in the world. New York City is one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the world, with its many ethnic neighbourhoods. The best known are Little Italy, or Chinatown, which has the highest concentration of Chinese population in the Americas.
Finally, New York hosts institutions of global importance. These include the headquarters of the United Nations, but also many multinational corporations and cultural centres such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Brooklyn Museum, the Museum of Modern Art and the Lincoln Center. Many renowned universities are located in New York City, including New York City University, Columbia University, New York University, and Rockefeller University, which are ranked among the top 50 universities in the world. New York City is located on the east coast of the United States at the mouth of the Hudson River.
The metropolis opens onto the Atlantic Ocean and is halfway between Washington and Bostonc. The city is located at about the same latitude as Madrid or Rome (40°43' N) and at the same longitude as Santiago de Cuba (74°0' W). The total area of New York City is 1,214 km2, including 785 km2 of land and 429 km2 of water. The maximum altitude is 124.9 m above sea level on Todt Hill at Staten Island. The Greater New York or New York Metropolitan area is the most populous urban area in the United States and the second largest in the world in terms of total population, based on the simplest and most widespread demographic criteria.
This region is centred around New York City and includes a total of 30 counties and 725 municipalities spanning four states (New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania) and some 17,400 km2. According to the Bureau of Management and Budget, New York is also part of a CMSA. Finally, New York is part of the BosWash megalopolis stretching from Boston to Washington D. C. It is also part of the northeastern United States and Manufacturing Belt geographic areas.
The metropolis is located on a crossroads of transport routes, both maritime, river (Hudson) and land (railways, motorways, pipelines, etc.). It is connected to the rest of the world through its airports.
New York City is made up of five boroughs known as Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx and Staten Island. These coincide with the five counties of New York State (county) that are New York, Kings, Queens, Bronx and Richmond, but the latter do not function like the other American counties. They do not have a county government and are instead of counties, they are directly subject to municipal government.
Manhattan (or New York County), 1,546,856 inhabitants. Manhattan Island is the richest and most densely populated area in New York City, but it is also the most famous, since most of the world's most famous buildings are in Manhattan. Manhattan is also a world-class financial centre, with the Dow Jones (NYSE) and Nasdaq indices. But Manhattan is also a major decision-making centre: UN headquarters, numerous corporate headquarters, making it one of the most powerful places on the planet. At the university level, Manhattan is home to New York University, the prestigious Columbia University (part of the Ivy League) and Fordham University. Manhattan's a little bit like downtown New York City.
Brooklyn (or Kings County), 2,488,194 inhabitants. Brooklyn is a predominantly residential neighbourhood, making it the most populous borough in the city. Brooklyn was for a long time an independent city, before becoming part of New York City in 1898. Brooklyn also boasts one of the few beaches in New York City.
Queens (or Queens County), 2,237,815 inhabitants. Queens is both a residential and industrial district, and is the largest in New York City. Queens is very open to the outside world, thanks to its proximity to the city's two main airports, JFK and LaGuardia. Queens is also home to one of the season's major tennis tournaments, the US Open. The Unisphere (steel sphere representing the earth), located in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, is considered the symbol of Queens, with an idea of openness to the world and universality. The New York Mets team plays their matches in the Citi Field in Flushing.
The Bronx (or County of Bronx), 1,354,068 inhabitants. The Bronx has long been regarded as the poor district of New York City, but in recent years the city's policy has made the Bronx much more attractive. This area is also considered the cradle of hip-hop culture, which has now spread widely throughout the world, and a neighbourhood that welcomes Hispanic and Black minorities, contributing to the city's melting pot image. The Bronx is also home to the new Fulton Fish Market, which is one of the main markets for east coast marine products. The New York Yankee team plays in the Yankee Stadium, located on the border between Manhattan and the Bronx.
Staten Island (or Richmond County), with a population of 491,730, is the least integrated borough in New York City, if only because of its geographical remoteness. Staten Island is connected to Brooklyn by the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, one of the world's longest suspension bridges. The borough of Staten Island remains a residential district where it is a pleasure to live, far from the frenzy of Manhattan, with countless rivers, parks and green spaces.
