New York City Guide

New York City is a sprawling metropolis on the east coast of the U.S., known throughout the world for its diversity, frenetic pace, and iconic skyline. With over 8 million residents covering over 320 square miles, it is easily the largest city in the nation and, indeed, one of the 15 largest in the world. The City of New York is a center for culture, transportation, and trade. As home to the United Nations, it is also a center for diplomacy throughout the world.

New York City encompasses five boroughs, each of which occupies a separate county and large enough to be considered a city in its own right. Brooklyn, located in Kings County, is the most populous of the boroughs and was actually an independent city until it was incorporated into the City of New York in 1898. Queens, located in Queens County, traverses the width of Long Island and is the home of New York's two major airports - LaGuardia and John F. Kennedy International. The Bronx, in Bronx County, is the only New York borough located on the mainland and is home to New York's legendary baseball team, the New York Yankees (also known as the "Bronx Bombers"). Staten Island, located in Richmond County and accessed by the Staten Island Ferry, is the most rural of the boroughs and is primarily residential. But the city's most famous borough, and the one that comes to mind when most people picture New York City, is Manhattan, located in New York County. This island, flanked to either side by the Hudson and East Rivers, is the most densely populated part of New York City and is home to most of its famous skyscrapers. The diversity of New York City can be overwhelming to the uninitiated. Harlem, Chinatown, Astoria, Tribeca, Chelsea, Greenwich Village, Midtown, East Village, Soho - each neighborhood boasts its own culture, its own heritage and its own personality.