With a population of 8,008,278 (2000 census), New York City is the largest metropolis in the United States. Located on New York Bay in southeastern New York State, the city covers an area of 309 square miles (800 square kilometers). It is made up of five counties, called boroughs. The borough of Manhattan, an island, is the heart of the city. The Bronx, to the north, is part of the mainland, while Brooklyn and Queens, to the east, are on Long Island. Staten Island, to the southwest, is in New York Bay. The New York metropolitan area includes parts of southern New York State, northeastern New Jersey, and southwestern Connecticut, with a population of 21,199,865 in 2000.

New York was founded in 1624 as the Dutch colony of New Amsterdam. When the tiny settlement on the tip of Manhattan surrendered to the British forces in 1664, its name became New York. After the American Revolution, New York had the distinction of being the largest city in the United States. It was the U.S. Capital from 1789 to 1790, and the state capital until 1797.

The port of New York expanded rapidly after the opening of the Erie Canal in 1825. The Brooklyn Bridge, completed in 1883, linked two large cities, Brooklyn and New York. In 1898, New York adopted a new charter, consolidating the five boroughs into one huge city.

The Flatiron Building in Lower Manhattan, built in 1902, was the first step in creating New York's famous skyline. Another icon of the city the subway began service in 1904. Because of the influx of immigrants from Europe, the city's population reached 3.5 million in 1900, and 7 million by 1930.

After World War II, many African-Americans from the South moved to New York City. Puerto Ricans also came in large numbers, looking for jobs and opportunities. In recent decades, New York City's economy has gone through periods of boom and bust. Nearly bankrupt in the 1970s, the city's service-industry economy boomed in the 1980s. The early 1990s brought more financial troubles, but by 2000 the city was again well off. In 1993, one of the five boroughs, Staten Island, voted to secede, or formally withdraw, from New York City. Such a move has not received the required approval from New York State.

In September 2001, New York suffered a major financial blow when the city was the target of terrorism. Two hijacked planes were deliberately flown into the city's highest buildings, the twin towers of the World Trade Center. The buildings were totally destroyed, and some 2,800 people were killed. As a result of the terrorism, thousands of jobs were lost and various industries were hard hit. In the months following the catastrophe, numerous New Yorkers and others visited the Ground Zero site. A massive cleanup effort went forward, and the area around the Trade Center was renovated and began to reopen. Officials sought new ways to respond to any future terrorist attack, and city officials invited architects from throughout the world to submit plans to revive the site.

In February 2003, a design by Daniel Libeskind was selected as the winning entry. The design featured a 70-story skyscraper as well as space for a memorial park. Libeskind then began working with fellow architect David Childs, and a revised model for the skyscraper, called Freedom Tower, was unveiled in December 2003. Under that plan, the tower is to rise to 1,776 feet (542 meters) and will include an attached broadcast antennae that will bring the structure's total height to more than 2,000 feet (610 meters). The new building will include 2.6 million square feet (241,540 square meters) of commercial space. There will be more than 60 floors of office space and a restaurant above an indoor observation deck. In January 2004, architects Michael Arad and Peter Walker presented a refined design for a memorial to honor those who died in the 2001 terrorist attack as well as the six persons who were killed in a terrorist bombing in a World Trade Center garage on February 26, 1993.

The memorial is titled "Reflecting Absence," and its uppermost section will be a plaza alive with trees. Two recessed, square-shaped reflecting pools will encompass the trees. Ramps will lead visitors to the sunken area where the names of the victims will be etched in the walls around the pools. A special alcove will contain commemorative candles and a small room for contemplation. As plans for the World Trade Center site remained a focus of attention, the new Skyscraper Museum opened on downtown Manhattan's waterfront in spring 2004. Founded in 1996, the museum is devoted to high-rise buildings of the past, present, and future.


In addition to being a leading port, New York City is the country's center of trade. The high number of international banks and the three stock exchanges make it the financial center of the world as well. Publishing, advertising, and television and radio are the major industries. Tourism is all-important to New York City's economy. Theaters, museums, restaurants, and shops attract millions of visitors each year.

Long a manufacturing powerhouse, the city has seen a decline in its factories. Clothes, chemicals, and processed foods are still major products. New York City has a garment, or clothing, district and a diamond district.

New York City presents countless opportunities for cultural activities and recreation. Some major attractions are the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, with its new immigration museum. The Empire State Building offers panoramic views of the entire area. The United Nations headquarters, along the East River, is another much-visited site, as are the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the American Museum of Natural History. An expanded and renovated Museum of Modern Art was scheduled to open in the winter of 2004-05. During the renovation, the museum's exhibitions were on display across the East River in Long Island City. Lincoln Center, in Midtown, is home to the Metropolitan Opera, the New York Philharmonic, the New York City Ballet, and other performing-arts organizations. The Boys Choir of Harlem is renowned for its outstanding choral presentations. And hundreds of thousands of people are attracted each year to the plays and musicals performed in the city's numerous theaters, on and off Broadway.

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