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New York City Facts

New York City Facts
New York City is the capital of New York State, and is the most populated city in the United States. New York City is located on New York State's southern tip, and is divided into five boroughs including Staten Island, the Bronx, Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens. New York City was founded in 1624 as a trading post, and named New Amsterdam two years later. In 1664 the English took control. The American Revolutionary War's largest battle was fought in Brooklyn in 1776, shortly before the Great Fire of New York destroyed a large portion of the city. New York City was the U.S. capital from 1785 until 1790, when it became the largest city in the U.S. The city encompasses an area of 304.8 square miles of land and today has a population of almost 8.5 million.
Interesting New York City Facts:
New York City's first pizzeria opened in 1895. It was also the first in the United States.
Toilet paper was invented in NC in 1857.
There was once a pneumatic mail system in NYC. It connected 23 post offices and moved 97,000 letters across the 27 mile tube system each day.
One of the first acts of terrorism in the U.S. occurred in 1920 when a horse-drawn carriage exploded on Wall Street. 30 people were killed and the criminals were never caught.
The original Penn Station was torn down despite being considered one of the world's most beautiful train stations.
Hudson River was named after Henry Hudson, who sailed the river in 1609.
George Washington was inaugurated in NYC's old City Hall following the end of the Revolutionary War.
NYC's boroughs are also counties. Manhattan is New York County; Brooklyn is Kings County; the Bronx is Bronx County; Queens is Queens County; and Staten Island is Richmond County.
NYC is also referred to as The Big Apple.
New York City is a major tourist destination, attracting as many as 56 million people a year.
New York City's subway system is one of the largest systems worldwide. There are roughly 469 subway stations in operation.
New York City has a large number of universities and colleges including Columbia University, and Rockefeller University.
NYC is home to Central Park, which covers 883 acres in Manhattan. Other major parks in NYC include Prospect Park in Brooklyn (90 acres), Flushing Meadows-Corona Park in Queens, and the Conference House Park on Staten Island.
7,000 acres in the Bronx is designated as parks and open space. New York Botanical Gardens, the Bronx Zoo, Van Cortland Park and Pelham Bay Park are all included in this area.
Wall Street, which is headquarters of the U.S. financial industry, is located in New York City.
New York City has many popular tourist destinations including Times Square, the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty, Central Park, Rockefeller Center, and Broadway.
New York City is one of the most popular film and television production settings in the world. 1/3 of the indie films produced in the U.S. are filmed in NYC. Music, art, fashion, and publishing are all major industries in NYC as well.


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