Founded by the Dutch in 1624, New York, New York, known as the Big Apple, has been the largest city in the United States since 1790. It currently has over 8.2 million inhabitants. The population is the most ethnically diverse in the country with over 170 languages spoken. The New York metropolitan area has over 18 million people, largest in the country. New York has long been a world leader in commerce, international finance, culture, fashion, media, food, real estate, and entertainment. The United Nations headquarters is located here. The world's top two stock exchanges, The New York Stock Exchange and NASDAQ make their home in New York. New York's mass transit system is one of the most popular ways to travel and over half the population commutes to work using it. The New York Subway System is the largest in the world with 468 stations, most open 24 hours, and there are over 12,000 yellow taxi cabs zipping folks across town. Less than 25% of Manhattan residents own a car!
New York City consists of five boroughs: Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island (Richmond) and the Bronx. New Yorkers refer to Manhattan when talking about the city. Manhattan neighborhoods include Downtown, Financial District, Chelsea, Murray Hill, Greenwich Village (which is divided into East and West), Soho, Chinatown, Little Italy, Midtown (a mostly commercial area), Upper East Side, Upper West Side, and Harlem. The most expensive real estate can be found on Park Avenue, Fifth Avenue, Madison Avenue, Sutton Place, and Central Park South. While every borough has single family houses, Manhattan residents live mostly in cooperative apartments or condominium units. Manhattan, Brooklyn and Harlem are known for historic brownstones.
