The Empire State Mall in Albany includes the State Capitol, and other government buildings.
New York, with its harbour on the North Atlantic coast, is the chief gateway to
the United States from other countries.
Facts in brief about New York
Population: 17,990,455.
Area: 127,189 km2.
Climate: Average January temperature - 6“ C. Average July temperature - 21° C
Elevation: Highest— Mount Marcy, 1,629 m. Lowest—sea
level along the Atlantic Ocean.
Largest cities: New York City (7,322,564), Buffalo (328,123), Rochester (231,636),
Yonkers (188,082).
Chief products: Agriculture— milk. Manufacturing-
printed materials, scientific instruments, electrical equipment, machinery,
chemicals. Mining— stone.
Origin of name: The Duke of York, later King James II of England.
Nickname: The Empire State.
New York, a state on the East Coast of the United States, is the country's leading
centre of banking, communication, and finance. Only California outranks New
York in trade and manufacturing.
New York City is the largest city in the
country in population and one of the largest in the world. It is one of the
world's leading centres of business. Its many theatres, museums, musical
organizations, and other institutions makes it a great cultural centre. New
York City is also one of the world's biggest and busiest seaports. In its
harbour stands the Statue of Liberty, long a symbol of freedom to people in all
parts of the world. The United Nations headquarters is in New York City.
The state of New York is also a land of
fertile river valleys, forested hills, tall mountains, and sparkling lakes.
New York's many scenic features draw millions of tourists each year. Niagara
Falls, the state's most magnificent natural wonder, is one of the chief
attractions.
New York was one of the original 13 states
of the United States. About a third of all the battles of the American
Revolution were fought in New York. New York City was the first capital of the
United States.
George Washington took the oath of office
there as the nation's first president. The New York state capital is in Albany.
Land. During the Ice Age, which ended about 10,000 years ago, a thick sheet of
ice spread across almost all * the area of what is now New York. It
formed many of the state's most striking natural features.
New York City has one of the world's great
natural harbours. The state's most important rivers, the Hudson and the Mohawk,
form one of the country's important trade routes. Most of New York's several
thousand lakes lie in the Adirondack region of northeastern New York. Lake Erie
and Lake Ontario, which form part of the U.S.- Canadian border, are New York's
largest lakes.
New York has eight distinct land regions.
The Atlantic Coastal Plain covers Long Island and Staten Island, residential
districts of New York City that lie off the south
eastern tip of the state's mainland.
Fishing and farming take place on the plain. Long Island is also a popular
summer resort area.
The New England Upland, a region of
hills and low mountains, extends along the lower half of New York's eastern
border. Also in the region is Manhattan Island, the heart of New York City.
The Hudson-Mohawk Lowland covers
most of the Fludson River Valley and the Mohawk River Valley. The lowland
provides the only natural navigable passage through the Appalachian Mountains.
The Adirondack Upland is a roughly
circular hill and mountain region in northeastern New York. The Adirondack
Mountains are perhaps the oldest in North America. The region is a popular
recreation area.
The Tug Hill Plateau, an isolated
part of the Appalachian Plateau, is a relatively fiat, rocky area with a harsh
climate. It receives more snow than anywhere in the United States east of the
Rocky Mountains.
The St. Lawrence Lowland Wes along
the south bank of the St. Lawrence River and north of the Adirondack Upland.
The land in this region is level or rolling.
The Erie-Ontario Lowland is a low
plain south and east of Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. It has many swamps and
oval-shaped hills called drumlins. Fruit farming is a specialism in its
fertile soils. The Niagara River forms its famous waterfall in this region.
The Appalachian Plateau, also known
as the Allegheny Plateau, covers much of the southern half of the
state. In the western and central portions of the plateau, ice-deepened valleys
separate broad uplands. At the Finger Lakes, the deepest valleys are now
occupied by long, deep lakes. The Catskill Mountains, an all-year- round
holiday area, rise in the south and east.
Economy. New York has a varied economy. Its excellent location, large
population, and outstanding transportation facilities have helped make it a
leader in business and industry. New York ranks among top U.S. states in many
economic sectors, and provides nearly 8 per cent of the jobs in the country.
Service industries, taken together,
account for about four-fifths of New York's gross state product— the
total value of goods and services produced annually. Finance, insurance, and
property form the single most important economic activity in the state. New
York City, the nation's leading financial centre, is the home of most of the
largest U.S. banks. The New York Stock Exchange is the nation's largest
securities exchange.
Community, social, and personal services,
the second-ranking service industry, employs more of the state's workers than
any other economic activity. It consists of a wide variety of businesses,
including doctors' offices and private hospitals, law firms, advertising agencies,
and entertainment companies.
Wholesale and retail trade ranks as New
York's third most valuable service industry. The wholesale trade of clothing,
grain, groceries, jewellery, and petroleum is Important in the state. Many
wholesale companies are based in New York City. The city's port handles much
foreign trade. Major types of retail firms include car dealerships, food
stores, and restaurants.
New York ranks second only to California
among the nation's leading manufacturing states. New York leads all other U.S.
states in printing and publishing. New York City is the centre of the U.S.
publishing industry.
The Rochester area produces most of the
scientific instruments manufactured in the state. The production of
photographic equipment is especially important there. The chief centres of the
electrical equipment industry are Binghamton, Buffalo, New York City,
Rochester, the Nassau-Suffolk metropolitan area, Schenectady, and Utica.
New York leads all states in the
production of clothing and related products. New York City ranks as the nation's
chief centre for the production of women's clothing and makes large amounts of
men's clothing.
Livestock and livestock products provide
about 70 per cent of New York's agricultural income. Milk is the leading
product. Hay and maize are the state's leading crops. New York is a leading
centre of fruit and vegetable production in the Eastern United States.
New York lies in the heart of the most
thickly populated part of the nation. It is the chief gateway to the United
States from other countries. It not only has an outstanding harbour but also an
excellent system of inland waterways. All these factors have helped New York
become a national leader in transportation. Bustling airports, major seaports,
great bridges, and New York City's busy underground railway are other important
transportation facilities.
History. Two of the largest and most powerful Indian groups in North America
lived in the New York region before white settlers arrived. One group consisted
of tribes of the Algonquian family of Indians. The other was the Iroquois, or
Five Nations group.
In 1609, Henry Hudson, an Englishman
employed by the Dutch, sailed up the river that now bears his name. His voyage
gave the Netherlands a claim to the territory covering much of New York and
other eastern states.
The territory was later named NewNetherland.
The Dutch established trading posts and
settlements in the Hudson River Valley soon after Hudson's visit. In 1624,
Dutch settlers founded Fort Orange (now Albany), the first permanent white
settlement in the colony. The Dutch bought Manhattan from the Indians in 1625
and began to build the city of New Amsterdam, now New York City.
Many English colonists settled on Long
Island. They gradually began to oppose the Dutch. In 1664, the English seized
New Netherland. They renamed the territory New York, after the Duke of
York.
Soon after the English won control of
southern New
York, the French began to take great
interest in the northern part. Meanwhile, in 1689, war had broken out in Europe
between England and France. New York soon became a battleground between the two
countries.
From 1689 until 1763, the region suffered
severely through four wars, known as the French and Indian wars. The wars cost
France almost all its North American possessions.
New York was the scene of many battles
during the American Revolutionary War (1775-1783). In 1777, American patriots
in New York won two important battles.
In 1779, a military expedition crushed the
mighty Iroquois, leaving the Indians'territory open to white settlement. New
York became a state of the U.S. in 1788.
War broke out between the United States
and Britain in 1812, and fighting took place near the U.S.-Canadian border.
After the war, pioneers began to settle in the northern and western sections of
the state.
In 1825, the Erie Canal was completed,
linking the Hudson River and the Great Lakes and greatly expanding trade with
the West (see Erie Canal). The development of railways soon followed.
By 1850, New York led the nation in population, in manufacturing, and in commerce.
After the American Civil War (1861 -1865)
ended, new manufacturing centres grew up in various parts of New York. New York
City, already the nation's industrial and financial capital, also became a
cultural centre. Employment opportunities brought new waves of immigrants.
In 1901, an assassin killed President
William McKinley in Buffalo. Vice President Theodore Roosevelt, a former
governor of New York, became President.
New York became a centre of the U.S.
defence industry in the mid-1900's. The St. Lawrence Seaway opened in 1959,
allowing ocean-going ships to sail to ports on the Great Lakes.
During the early 1970's, many
manufacturing plants in New York closed. But after the mid-1970's, the economy
experienced a healthy recovery, mainly because of tremendous growth in service
industries and electronics manufacturing. In 1986, New York voters approved a
bond act to finance environmental projects, especially the cleaning up of
hazardous waste sites. See also New York City; Buffalo.
New York City
New York City lies at
the centre of a megalopolis, a group of metropolitan areas. These areas, shown
in yellow on the map e tend from Boston to Washington, D.C.
New York City is best known for the giant skyscrapers on Manhattan Island. The twin
towers of the 110-storey World Trade Center, rise above the city's financial
district. New York City is the largest city in the United States in population.
New York City This map shows the five boroughs of New York City—the Bronx, Brooklyn,
Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island. These boroughs are also counties of the
state of New York. County names appear in parentheses under each borough name.
New Amsterdam was a
Dutch settlement that became New York City. The settlers laid out the town on
Manhattan Island in 1625. By the 1650’s, New Amsterdam had about 1,000
residents.
The Guggenheim Museum, displays art in a circular building designed by the famous American
architect Frank Lloyd Wright The museum was founded in 1937.
The Statue of Liberty is a world- famous symbol of freedom. It stands on Liberty Island in New
York Harbor. France gave the statue to the United States in 1884.
The New York Stock Exchange is at the corner of Wall and Broad streets, the heart of the city's
financial district. Banks, brokerage houses, and stock exchanges make up the
district Visitors may observe the activities at the New York Stock Exchange
from a viewing gallery. The Exchange was founded in 1792.
Lies on East Coast of United States at mouth of Fludson River. Big, diverse and exciting, sixth
largest city in the world (city pop. 7,322,564).
International centre of business, culture,
trade. Influences United States and rest of the world. Major centre of printing
and publishing. Clothing industry traditionally in Manhattan's famous Garment
District. Long prominent as a centre of culture and entertainment. Often
called "Big Apple."
Central Park, above and right, lies in
the centre of Manhattan. The park covers 340 hectares. Wooded paths, ponds,
lakes, statues, a zoo, and recreational facilities add to its attractions. Landscape
architects Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux designed the park in 1857.
City divided into five areas called boroughs— Manhattan, the Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn, and
Staten Island.
Since its founding, city has attracted
immigrants from throughout world. Statue of Liberty—built in France, shipped to
the United States, reassembled in New York Flarbor, and dedicated in 1886—
became symbol of immigrants seeking better life in a free land. Wide variety
of ethnic groups in city today.
Saint Patrick's Cathedral is one of the finest examples of architecture in the Gothic style in
the United States. It is the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New
York.
The Empire State Building one of the
world's tallest skyscrapers, is 381 metres tall. Each year, about 2 ½ million
people visit the building's two observation decks.
1609 - The Netherlands claimed New York City region.
1625 - Dutch settlers laid out a town at tip of Manhattan island. Settlement soon named New
Amsterdam.
1647 - Peter Stuyvesant became governor. Town began to prosper rapidly.
1664 - English gained control of colony and renamed it New York. Later lost then
regained control.
1789 - George Washington inaugurated in New York as nation's first president.
1883 - Brooklyn Bridge opened; first direct link between Manhattan and Brooklyn.
1904 - City's first subway —Interborough Rapid Transit (IRT)— opened.
1931 -Empire
State Building completed. At that time, it was world's tallest building.
1934-1945 - Mayor Fiorello La Guardia reformed city politics.
1973 - World Trade Center, 411 metres
tall, dedicated; headquarters of many trading firms.
1975 -Financial
crisis resulted from city government's inability to pay all bills for the
year.
1981 – Edward I. Koch elected mayor. First ever nominated by both Democratic
and Republican parties.
New York City the United States in population (see City). New York City is one of the
world's most important centres of business, culture, and trade. It is also the
home of the United Nations (UN). Much of what happens in New York City affects
what happens throughout the United States and around the world.
New York City has a population of more
than 7 million. It is more than twice as large as any other city in the United
States. In fact, only eight states—not including New York State—have more
people than New York City. Since its founding by Dutch settlers in 1625, New
York has attracted immigrants from throughout the world. During the 1800's and
early 1900's, millions of Europeans seeking a better life in a free land poured
into the city. The Statue of Liberty, erected in New York Harbor in 1886,
became the symbol of this new life. Since the mid- 1900's, more
immigrants—mainly blacks from the Southern States and Spanish-speaking
Americans from Puerto Rico—have moved into the city. These people have also
looked to New York as a place to make a better life for themselves.
The business, financial, and trading
organizations in New York City play a major role in the economy of the nation
and of the world. The banks, stock exchanges, and other financial institutions
in the city's famous Wall Street area help to provide the money used by most
large U.S. corporations. The skyscrapers that form the spectacular New York
skyline house the headquarters of many national and international business
firms. The docks, warehouses, and shipping companies that line of New York's huge
natural harbour handle much of the nation's imports and exports. As a cultural
centre, New York City has no equal in the United States. Most of the publishing
houses that select and produce the nation's books have their headquarters in
New York. The city's world-famous Broadway area is the centre of professional
theatre in the United States. New York
is also the home of some of the nation's largest museums and art galleries. The
city displays beautiful Gothic churches and other interesting styles of
architecture. A great number of outstanding or orchestras and opera and dance
companies give performances at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.
But along with all its greatness, New York
City has many serious problems. Thousands of immigrants have 1 not found the
opportunities they had hoped for in New J York. More than a million New Yorkers
receive welfare - or social security aid, and thousands live in slums. Other
problems include air pollution, traffic jams, crime, drug abuse, ethnic
conflicts, and the ever-increasing cost of living in the city. All these
problems are driving many families—especially white middle-class families—to
the suburbs.
In spite of its problems, New York City
remains one of t the most interesting and exciting of U.S. cities.
The city
New York City lies in the southeast corner
of New York State at the mouth of the Hudson River. It covers about 956 square
kilometres, including about 174 sauare kilometres of inland water. The
city is divided into five areas called boroughs— Manhattan, the Bronx,
Queens, Brooklyn, and Staten Island. Each is a county of New York State.
Manhattan, the smallest borough in area, covers 88 square kilometres. It occupies a long, narrow island bordered by the Hudson River on the west, the East River
on the east, the Harlem River on
the north and northeast, and Upper New York Bay
(the mouth of the Hudson! on the south.
The Bronx lies across the Harlem River
from Manhattan and covers 143 square kilometres. It extends north along the
Hudson River and east along the East River. It is the only borough not
separated from upstate New York by water.
Queens, the largest borough in area,
occupies 326 square kilometres on the northwest corner of Long Island. The
East River separates Queens from the Bronx to the north and from Manhattan to
the west.
Brooklyn covers 288 square kilometres on
the southwest tip of Long Island. It lies south and southwest of Queens and
southeast of Manhattan across the East River.
Staten Island, formerly called the borough
of Richmond, occupies a 168-square-kilometre island in Upper and Lower New
York bays. It lies west of Brooklyn and southwest of Manhattan.
The state of New Jersey is directly west
of New York City. It lies across two waterways, Arthur Kill and Kill Van Kull,
from Staten Island; across Upper New York Bay from Brooklyn; and across the
Hudson River from Manhattan and the Bronx.
Manhattan is the oldest and most important borough of New York City. It is about
21.7 kilometres long and 3.8 kilometres wide at its widest point. But about 1 a
million people live there. The borough has the city's tallest buildings, some
of the nation's largest schools and colleges, and the world's most famous
financial and theatrical districts.
Manhattan is an area of many sharp
contrasts. Some of the richest people in the United States live in its beautiful
town houses and luxurious high-rise blocks of flats. But some of the nation's
poorest people occupy its tenements (shabby blocks of flats) and
low-rent public housing projects. Most of Manhattan is covered with concrete
and asphalt, and skyscrapers make many of its streets look like deep canyons.
But the borough's Central Park provides 340 hectares of grass, trees, and rolling
hills. Manhattan has some of the world's most exclusive shops and largest
department stores. They attract shoppers from all parts of the country. But the
borough also has tiny shops that sell to nearby residents.
New York City's Financial District lies at
the southern tip of Manhattan and is centred on Wall and Broad streets. Many
large banks, brokerage houses, and stock exchanges have their headquarters
along the district's narrow streets. The giant World Trade Center rises in the
Financial District along the Hudson River. The centre includes twin 110-storey
towers.
Broadway, one of New York City's longest
and best- known streets, begins in the Financial District and runs north and
northwest across the length of Manhattan. On the east side of Broadway, a few
blocks north of the Financial District, stands the Municipal Civic Center. The
centre includes City Hall, handsome courthouses, and other government
buildings.
Residential and commercial neighbourhoods
lie to the north and northeast of the Municipal Civic Center. These
neighbourhoods include Chinatown, Little Italy, and the Lower East Side. Both
Chinatown and Little Italy have some of the city's oldest tenements. They also
have many restaurants that specialize in Chinese or Italian food. For many
years, most immigrants to New York City have first settled on the Lower East
Side because of its many low-rent tenements. Jews once made up the largest
group in the area, and they still own many shops there. Today, Puerto Ricans
are the largest single group on the Lower East Side. But other groups,
especially students and artists, have also been attracted to the Lower East
Side by the low rents.
Greenwich Village lies west of Broadway
and the Lower East Side. It attracts artists, writers, musicians, actors, and
other people in the arts. The Village has a variety of housing, many
interesting shops and art galleries, and several small theatres. Many people in
the arts also live in the SoHo area, south of the Village.
North of Greenwich Village, Manhattan is
laid out in a regular pattern of cross streets. Avenues run north and south,
and numbered streets run east and west. Broadway cuts diagonally across this
pattern.
Central Park, which runs from 59th to
110th streets between Fifth Avenue and Central Park West, separates Manhattan's
Upper East Side and Upper West Side. The Upper East Side has long been the most
fashionable neighbourhood in Manhattan. At one time, the area had many town
houses that were owned by the city's richest residents. Today, cultural
organizations and United Nations delegations occupy many of these buildings,
and most of the people in the area live in luxurious blocks of flats. The Upper
West Side is chiefly a middle-class
neighbourhood. It has many blocks of
flats, hotels, tenements, and long blocks of brick and brownstone terraced
houses.
Harlem, the best-known black community in
the United States, lies north of Central Park. It has been a centre of black
business and cultural activities for more than 60 years. A series of model
housing projects extends along the Harlem River at the northern edge of
Harlem. But much of the area consists of tenements.
Brooklyn has more people than any other borough of New York City. If Brooklyn
were an independent city, its population of about 21 million would make it the
nation's fourth largest city.
Brooklyn is an important port and
industrial centre. Hundreds of ships carry freight to and from Brooklyn's docks
each year. The borough's factories, most of which are along the waterfront, make
a wide variety of goods.
Housing in Brooklyn ranges from large
houses and towering blocks of flats to small cottages and run-down boarding
houses. But most Brooklynites live in terraced houses and small blocks
of flats that line the streets throughout the borough.
Central Brooklyn, the borough's main
business and shopping district, lies near the approaches to the Brooklyn and
Manhattan bridges. These two bridges are the main links between Brooklyn and
Manhattan. A third bridge, Williamsburg Bridge, also connects the two bor--’
oughs. Brooklyn's centre has large department stores, tall office buildings,
and several schools and colleges. Flatbush Avenue, one of the main streets of
the central area, begins at the Manhattan Bridge and runs through the heart of
the borough.
Two of Brooklyn's oldest neighbourhoods,
Brooklyn Heights and Cobble Hill, lie along the East River west of the central
area. These neighbourhoods have more than 1,000 houses over 100 years old. Many of the houses stand on handsome,
tree-lined streets and are carefully preserved.
Coney Island lies at the southern tip of
Brooklyn. The area once was an island, but land has been filled in to make it a
peninsula. In summer, many New Yorkers travel by underground to Coney Island's
beaches and to its famous Boardwalk, which has side shows, souvenir stands, and
other attractions. At one time, Coney Island also had great amusement parks,
but they have been replaced by housing developments.
The Bronx has a population of about 11 million and is chiefly a residential
borough. The western part of the Bronx consists of a series of hills and
valleys crossed by boulevards. A major boulevard in the Bronx, the Grand
Concourse, runs north and south through the area. It is lined with blocks of
flats, office buildings, and shops.
The eastern section of the borough is a
broad plain, with peninsulas extending into the East River and Long Island
Sound.
Bronx Park lies in the centre of the
Bronx. It includes Bronx Zoo, one of the best-known zoos in the United States,
and the New York Botanical Garden, an important scientific institution.
Fordham University and Lehman College have
handsome campuses to the west of Bronx Park. The campus of Bronx Community
College of the City University of New York includes the Hall of Fame, which
honours the memory of great Americans.
One of the most fashionable neighbourhoods
in the Bronx is Riverdale, in the northwest corner of the borough along the
Hudson River. It has tall blocks of flats, estates and other large homes, and exclusive
private schools. One of the poorest neighbourhoods in the Bronx is Morrisania,
which lies south of Bronx Park and east of Grand Concourse Boulevard. The area has many run-down and abandoned buildings.
Queens, with nearly 2 million residents, ranks second in population among New
York City's boroughs. Queens grew rapidly between 1910 and 1930, when underground
systems were built to connect it with Manhattan. A second period of fast
growth began in the late 1940's, when the underground systems were extended,
new roads were built, and two major airports were developed in the borough.
Today, huge housing developments and busy motorways are the major features of
Queens.
Much of the borough's industry is
concentrated near the East River in an area called Long Island City. The area
lies just south of the Queensboro Bridge, which connects Queens and Manhattan.
It has giant rail yards of the Penn Central Railroad and many industrial plants
and warehouses. Maspeth, southeast of Long Island City, also has large
industrial plants, as well as pleasant - residential areas.
Forest Hills lies near the centre of
Queens. Within this! neighbourhood is Forest Hills Gardens, an attractive
housing and shopping area built in 1910. Forest Hills Gardens was intended for
families with middle incomes. But it immediately became—and has remained—a community
for the wealthy.
Northeast of Forest Hills is Flushing
Meadow-Corona Park, site of the New York World's Fair of 1939 and 1964. The
park has several features left from the fairs, including a botanical garden, an
indoor ice-skating rink, and a science museum.
La Guardia Airport, one of New York City's
two main airports, is northwest of Flushing Meadow-Corona Park, across Flushing
Bay. The neighbourhood of Flushing, northeast of the park, has a busy shopping
area and many large blocks of flats.
Jamaica, in southeastern Queens, is one of
the borough's chief commercial centres. It has large shopping and business
areas and both rich and poor residential sections.
John F. Kennedy International Airport, the
city's largest airport, lies immediately south of Jamaica. It has been
expanding since 1942 and has become the borough's largest single source of
employment.
Rockaway is a long peninsula that forms
the southern , border of Jamaica Bay. It has a sandy beachfront, attractive
private homes, and modern blocks of flats. It also has many summer holiday
cottages.
Staten Island has about 352,000 residents, making it 1 the smallest borough in
population. It is the only borough not connected to Manhattan by a bridge or a
tunnel. Until the completion of the Verrazano - Narrows Bridge in 1964, much of
the island consisted of small farms and undeveloped areas. The bridge, which
connects Staten Island with Brooklyn, has led to the construction of new
housing and to industrial growth. However, many of the communities on Staten
Island still look more like suburban towns than sections of a major city.
St. George, on the northeast tip of Staten Island, serves as the business section of
the borough and is the site of the Staten Island Ferry Terminal. The famous ferries
carry cars and passengers between Staten Island and Manhattan and
provide the only direct link between ^e two boroughs.
The people of New York City represent
nearly all races and nationalities. During the 1650's, only about 1 000
people lived in the Dutch colony of New Amsterdam on Manhattan Island. But even
then, 18 languages were spoken in the colony. Since that time, people from
throughout the world have brought their skills, traditions, and ways of life
to New York City.
People move to New York City for many reasons. Many are attracted by the
city's job opportunities. Other people go to attend the city's schools and
colleges or to enjoy its many cultural activities. Still others go simply
because they want to be a part of a large, exciting city in which they can live
almost any way they choose.
Ethnic groups. Five ethnic groups—black, Irish, Italian, jewish, and Puerto Rican—make
up about 75 per cent of New York City's people. Neighbourhoods consisting
largely of people from these and many smaller groups are scattered throughout
the city. Originally, most of the people in ethnic groups shared direct ties to
a country, a language, or a common past with other members of their group.
Today, this is less true. But the people still have some bonds of unity through
such concerns as common religious beliefs and economic interests.
Blacks are the largest ethnic group in New
York City and make up about 25 per cent of the city's population. New York has
about 1,784,000 blacks, more than any other city in the United States. Most of
the blacks are immigrants—or the children of immigrants—from the rural South.
But many have also arrived from the West Indies. A large number of New York
City's blacks live in poor neighbourhoods. Many of them have been prevented
from leaving the ghetto areas by discrimination in jobs and housing and by a
lack of education. But more and more black New Yorkers are becoming part of the
city's middle class. Thousands of blacks live in racially integrated areas,
and thousands more live in middle-class black neighbourhoods.
Jews make up about 20 per cent of New York
City's population. New York's Jews come from many countries. But they are
considered an ethnic group because most of them live in Jewish neighbourhoods
and have similar religious and social beliefs. Many Jews own businesses. Many
others work in garment factories, in offices, and in the legal, medical, and
teaching professions.
About 14 per cent of New York City's
people are of Italian ancestry. New York Italians are known for their well-kept
homes and for their close neighbourhood ties. They are the largest single group
in the city's construction industry, and they play a key role in the
restaurant and the wholesale and retail food-marketing industries. Many
Italians have civil service jobs in the city's park, public works, sanitation,
police, and fire services. Most of New York City's Italians belong to the Roman
Catholic Church.
Puerto Ricans make up about 12 per cent of
New York City's population. They are the largest of several Spanish-speaking
ethnic groups in the city. Large numbers of Puerto Ricans began to come to New
York in the 1950's. Many of them found jobs as unskilled workers, especially
in hospitals, hotels, and restaurants. At first, nearly all Puerto Ricans lived
in East Harlem in Manhattan. But today, Puerto Rican neighbourhoods are found
in all the boroughs. Neighbourhood associations, large church organizations,
and the state school system have all developed programmes to help newly
arrived Puerto Rican people to learn English and adjust to life in the city.
The Irish have traditionally been active
in New York City's political life. During the late 1800's and early 1900's,
they controlled the city government. But the percentage of Irish people in the
city has dropped from 30 per cent in 1870 to about 9 per cent today. As a
result, the Irish have lost much of their political power. But they are still
the largest single group employed by New York City's police and fire services.
The Irish are also among the leaders of the Roman Catholic Church in the city.
New York City has many other ethnic groups
besides the five major ones. Other large ethnic groups in the city include
Chinese, English, Germans, Greeks, and Russians.
Housing in New York City differs in several ways from that in most other cities
of the United States. About 65 per cent of New York's families live in blocks
of flats or hotels. In other cities, most people live in one- or two-family
houses. About 70 per cent of the families in New York rent their homes. In
other U.S. cities, most families own their homes. About half of the housing in
New York City was built before 1940. Most
other cities in the United States have a far larger percentage of newer
housing.
Housing remains one of New York City's
most serious and difficult problems. Many old buildings are becoming unusable,
and the demand for new housing, especially among poor people, is rapidly
increasing. Yet steadily rising construction costs and a lack of large areas of
open land make the development of new housing difficult.
Education. New York City has the largest state school system of any city in the
United States. Many of New York City's colleges, universities, and other
institutions of higher learning are world famous. One of the largest
universities in the world, the City University of New York, is operated by the
city with state and federal assistance. The university has a total enrolment
of about 180,000 students.
Social problems. New York City has many of the same problems other cities have. But it is
so much larger than other cities that the problems are greatly magnified. New
York's major social problems include poverty, crime and drug addiction, and
racial conflict.
Poverty is one of New York City's most
expensive problems. The city budgets more than 4 billion U.S. dollars a year
on social security programmes to provide food, clothing, housing, medical care,
and other benefits for about 11 million people. Yet unskilled immigrants
continue to move into the city while the demand for unskilled labour continues
to decline. As a result, the problem of poverty is difficult to solve.
Because of its large population, New York
City has more crime than any other U.S. city. But the crime rate- the number of
crimes committed for every 100,000 residents—is actually lower in New York than
in many other cities. New York's crime and drug addiction problems are closely
related. About half the drug addicts in the United States live in New York
City. They commit many of the city's burglaries and attacks on individuals to
get money for drugs.
Racial conflicts in New York City have had
many causes. A major cause has been discrimination against blacks, Puerto
Ricans, and other minority groups in jobs and housing. Many minority group
members have had trouble obtaining well-paid jobs. Many also have had
difficulty moving out of segregated neighbourhoods and into neighbourhoods
where most of the people are white and of European ancestry. When members of a
minority group have begun moving into such a neighbourhood, the white
residents often have begun moving out. In this way, segregated housing patterns
have continued, and the chances for conflicts between the groups have
increased.
Economy
New York City is one of the world's most
important centres of industry, trade, and finance. Businesses, industries, and
government agencies in the metropolitan area provide about 7 million jobs.
About 3 1/2 million of these jobs are within the city itself.
The economies of both New York City and
its suburbs are growing. But since the 1940's, the economy of the
Manhattan's Central Park attracts many people on warm summer days. The huge park has athletic
fields, gardens, a lake, playgrounds, wooded areas, and a zoo.
suburban area has grown much faster than
that of the city. The construction of new roads, a growing labour force, and
the availability of land in the suburbs have led many businesses and industries
to move from the crowded central city to the suburbs.
The types of jobs available in New York
City have also been changing since the 1940's. The number of jobs for unskilled
workers has decreased greatly because many industries have moved to the
suburbs. This decrease has created a serious economic problem because most
immigrants to the city are unskilled. At the same time, the number of jobs for
skilled workers, especially office workers, has increased. But many of these
jobs are being filled by people who live in the suburbs and commute to the
city.
Industry. New York City ranks third after Los Angeles-Long Beach and Chicago
among the leading manufacturing centres in the United States. It has about
17,000 industrial plants. They employ about 430,000 workers.
The most important industries are (1)
printing and publishing and (2) clothing production.
New York City is one of the nation's chief
printing and publishing centres. It has more printing plants than any other
U.S. city. New York does about a sixth of the nation s printing and
publishing. It publishes about a third of the books published in the United
States. The city's printing and publishing industry employs about 93,000
people.
New York City's clothing industry is
centred in Manhattan's famous Garment District, southwest of Times Square.
There, hundreds of factories employ about
119,000 people. But the garment industry
has been declining in New York City. Many factories have closed. Other
factories have left the Garment District because of the rising costs of doing
business in the heart of Manhattan.
Other leading manufacturing industries
include those that produce chemicals, food products, furniture, machinery,
metal products, paper products, and textiles. The construction industry is also
important. About 87,000 people in the city work in jobs related to the industry.
Trade. New York City's port, officially called the Port of New York and New
Jersey, is one of the world's largest and busiest seaports. It employs about
200,000 people. The total value of the cargo it handles exceeds that of any
other port in the United States. The port's cargo includes foreign imports and
exports, and goods going to and coming from other U.S. ports.
New York City's port activity has been
declining since the late 1940's. One reason for the decline in port activity
has been the growth of other international seaports in the United States,
especially along the Great Lakes. The opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway in
1959 allowed ships that previously docked in New York to reach Great Lakes
ports.
Large amounts of cargo are also handled at
airports in the New York City area. Foreign air freight goes through Kennedy
Airport and nearby Newark International Airport in New Jersey. Domestic cargo
is handled at Kennedy, La Guardia, and Newark airports.
Finance. More of the nation's largest and most important financial institutions
have their headquarters in New York City than in any other city. Banks,
brokerage houses, insurance companies, property firms, stock exchanges, and
other financial organizations in New York employ about 495,000 people. Unlike
most industries in the city, the financial organizations offer a steadily increasing
number of jobs.
The most famous financial institution in
New York City is the New York Stock Exchange, located at the corner of Broad
and Wall streets in the heart of the Financial District. It is the largest
stock exchange in the world.
Transportation. New York City has a huge, complicated transportation system. Much of
the transportation system in the city is centred in the area of Manhattan that
is south of Central Park. About 3} million people travel to and from that area
each working day.
An extensive road system has been
developed to carry cars, buses, and trucks into, out of, and through New York
City.
New York City includes 168 square
kilometres of inland water, so many bridges and tunnels are needed to , link
the city's boroughs. The famous Brooklyn Bridge crosses the East River and
connects Brooklyn and the southern tip of Manhattan. It was completed in 1883
and declared a national historic landmark in 1964. Eight other bridges cross
the East River.
Communications. New York City is the nation's most important centre for mass
communications. More publishing and broadcasting companies have their headquarters
located in New York than in any other city in the United States.
New York City has nearly 60 radio and
television stations and serves as the headquarters of the nation's four major
broadcasting networks.
New York City ranks as one of the world's
greatest cultural centres. It has many art galleries, drama and dance groups,
musical and literary societies, and other cultural organizations. It also has
some of the world's finest concert halls, museums, and theatres. Many of the
nation's greatest actors, artists, musicians, poets, and writers live in New
York.
There are several reasons for New York
City's leading position as a cultural centre. Many of the city's wealthy
residents have long given financial support to cultural activities.
Traditionally, the city has also offered people in the arts an atmosphere that
encourages freedom of expression. In addition, New York's many advertising
agencies, broadcasting and film studios, recording companies, and publishing
houses have provided jobs that attract creative people.
The arts. Nearly all the arts thrive in New York City. Many new styles in American
drama, literature, music, and painting have developed in New York and then
spread to the rest of the country.
One of New York City's most famous and
popular forms of art is the theatre. Most important American plays and musical
comedies have their premieres in the city's famous Theatre District. The
theatres in this district are called Broadway theatres, though few are
actually on that street. Most are on side streets near Times Square. Many plays
and musicals are also presented in off-Broadway and off-off-Broadway
theatres in Manhattan and Brooklyn.
Musical organizations in New York City
include the New York Philharmonic, one of the world's great symphony
orchestras, and the Metropolitan Opera Association, an outstanding opera
company. Both perform at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.
Architecture. New York's best-known style of architecture is the towering skyscraper.
The giant buildings | that form Manhattan's dramatic skyline are famous
throughout the world.
One of the oldest and most famous skyscrapers
in New York is the Flatiron Building, located on 23rd Street where Broadway
crosses Fifth Avenue. The 21-storey building was completed in 1903. It has a
triangular shape like that of an old-fashioned flatiron.
During the 1930’s, several famous skyscrapers
were built in New York City. The most famous, the 102-storey Empire State
Building, was completed in 1931. It ranked as the world's tallest building for
many years.
Many glass-walled skyscrapers have been
built in New York since the 1950’s. These buildings include the United Nations
Secretariat along the East River at 44th Street, Lever House on Park Avenue
between 53rd and 54th streets, and the Seagram Building on Park Avenue between
52nd and 53rd streets. The twin towers of the giant World Trade Center on the
Hudson River southwest of City Hall were completed in 1973.
The earliest people known to have lived in
the New York City area were American Indians. Several tribes of the Algonquian
family of Indians lived peacefully on the shores of New York Harbor and along
the banks of the Hudson and East rivers. The Indians lived in small villages
of bark huts. They fished, hunted, grew crops, and trapped animals. They
travelled the area's waterways in sturdy canoes.
Exploration. The first European to enter New York Harbor was probably Giovanni da
Verrazano, an Italian explorer employed by the king of France. Verrazano and
his crew landed on Staten Island in 1524, while exploring the North American
coast.
In 1609, Henry Hudson reached Manhattan
and then sailed up the river that now bears his name. Hudson was an Englishman
exploring for the Dutch, and so the Netherlands claimed the territory he had
found. The region was later named New
Netherland.
Settlement. In 1624, the Dutch West India Company, a trading and colonizing firm,
sent the first settlers to Manhattan. In 1625, the settlers laid out a town and
built a fort called Fort Amsterdam at
the island's southern tip. j Soon after Fort Amsterdam was built, the entire
settlement was named New Amsterdam.
While New Amsterdam was being established
on Manhattan, colonists were also arriving in what is now the Bronx, Brooklyn,
and Queens.
New Amsterdam was a Dutch settlement that became New York City. The settlers laid out
the town on Manhattan Island in 1625. By the 1650's, New Amsterdam had about
1,000 residents.
English rule. The Netherlands
and England fought three naval wars between 1652 and 1674. In 1664, English
warships forced the surrender of New Amsterdam. The Dutch regained the colony a
few years later but then gave it to England under the terms of a peace treaty.
The English renamed the colony New York.
New York grew quickly under English rule.
New York played an important role in the American Colonies' fight for freedom
from Britain. In 1765, the Stamp Act Congress met in New York to protest
against unfair taxes. In 1770, New Yorkers clashed with British soldiers, and
one man was killed in the fighting. Soon after the American Revolution began in
1775, American forces took possession of the city. But the British regained
New York after the Battle of Long Island in 1776 and held it until the war
ended in 1783. In January 1785, New York became the temporary capital of the
United States, and Congress met there until August 1790. George Washington was
inaugurated in New York as the nation's first president in April 1789.
The growing city. During the 1800's, thousands of European immigrants arrived in New York
City every year. Until about 1890, most of them were from Germany, Ireland,
and other countries of northern and western Europe. After about 1890, most
immigrants were from southern and eastern European countries. Many immigrants
had difficulty adjusting to the city. They lived in crowded slums and had
trouble finding jobs.
Politicians, especially members of the
Democratic Party machine in Manhattan called Tammany Hall, offered jobs,
gifts, and advice to immigrants. In return, the immigrants voted to keep
Tammany Hall in power. But the politicians actually did little to provide the
immigrants with better housing, education, and medical care.
Formation of Greater New York. In 1883, engineers completed the Brooklyn Bridge, which provided the
first direct link between Manhattan and Brooklyn. In 1898, Brooklyn and several
communities in what became the Bronx, Queens, and Staten Island were united
with Manhattan to form what was called Greater New York. The sprawling new
city had more than 3 million residents.
But Manhattan remained the largest and
most powerful borough of Greater New York, and so its Tammany Hall
organization continued to control city politics. Occasionally, voters became
angered enough by the illegal
activities of Tammany leaders to elect
mayors who promised reform. But none of these reform mayors lasted more than
one term—until Fiorello La Guardia became mayor in 1934. La Guardia, an honest
and outspoken reformer, served from 1934 to 1945. Since his administration,
no political machine has been able to control New York politics.
Recent developments. Since the 1940's, New York City has been troubled by many problems.
These problems have grown severe since the early 1960's. Air and water
pollution have harmed New York City's environment. Roads and mass
transportation systems have become overcrowded and outdated. Housing shortages
have increased. Ethnic conflicts have worsened. New York City has also faced a
series of damaging strikes by public employees. Many agencies have been set up
to study and deal with New York City's problems.
In 1975, the city's government lacked
enough money to pay all its bills for the year. The state legislature helped
ease the situation by establishing the Municipal Assistance Corporation, which
lent the city some money. The federal government also provided funds. To help
pay its expenses during the late 1970s, New York City increased city taxes,
eliminated thousands of city government jobs, and reduced city services.
Democrat Edward Koch was elected mayor of
New York City in 1977. In 1981, he became the first person ever nominated as
mayor by both the Democratic and Republican parties. He easily won reelection.
During the 1980's, New York City's economic situation improved. Koch was
reelected in 1985. In 1989, David Dinkins became New York City's first black
mayor. He served until 1993.
In 1993, a bomb exploded in a car park
beneath the World Trade Center. The blast killed six people and injured more
than 1,000. It caused extensive damage to the building. In 1994, four men were
convicted of involvement in the bombing. The men were thought to have ties
with Arab lands. Related articles: Metropolitan Museum of Art, Museum of
Modern Art, Skyscraper, Staten Island, Statue of Liberty, and Wall Street.
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