20 Interesting Facts About New York City
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Think You Know New York?
Did you know that in New York City, more than 26,000 people live in each square mile? Or that the island of Manhattan was purchased from Native Americans for about $24? In fact, New York City is not only the largest city in the United States, but is made up of five separate boroughs: Brooklyn, the Bronx, Queens, Staten Island, and Manhattan. If you think you know everything about the Big Apple, think again. Here are My Top 20 Interesting Facts About New York City, some you might have heard and others I guarantee you haven't.
My Top 20 Facts
1. Dutch explorer Peter Minuit purchased the island of Manhattan (really its southern tip) from the Algonquin tribe for trinkets and tools worth about $24.
2. The first known name for Manhattan was New Amsterdam, which referred to the southern tip of Manhattan, a Dutch trading port.
3. New York City was the U.S. capital from 1789 to 1790
4. New Yorkers travel an average of 40 minutes to work each day.
5. More than 47 percent of New York City's residents over the age of 5 speak a language other than English at home.
6. New York's Central Park is larger than the principality of Monaco.
7. The New York City Council consists of 51 members and is the legislative branch of city.
8. According to Crain's New York Business, the average sale price of an apartment in Manhattan during the 4th quarter of 2007 was a whopping $1.49 million.
9. New York's Yellow Cabs are yellow because John Hertz, the company's founder, learned from a study that yellow was the easiest color for the eye to spot. He was right.
10. The Federal Reserve Bank on New York's Wall Street contains vaults that are located 80 feet beneath the bank and hold about 25 percent of the world's gold bullion.
11. In 2007, 46 million international and domestic visitors came to New York City. They spent approximately $28 billion while there.
12. The average daily room rate in New York hotels in 2006 (the most recent year surveyed) was $267.
13. More than 250 feature films are shot on location in New York City each year.
14. An average of 4.9 million people ride the New York City subway each weekday.
15. The New York City subway system runs 26 routes with 6,200 subway cars that stop at 468 different subway stations.
The City That Doesn't Sleep
16. More than 12,700 licensed medallion taxis work the streets of New York City.
17. More than 18,600 restaurants and eating establishments do business in New York City, and the average cost of a dinner in 2006, according to the Zagat Survey, was $39.43. That includes a drink, tax and the tip.
18. As of the 2000 Census, 8,008,278 people live in New York City.
19. Approximately 790,000 companies operate in New York City.
20. Although many legends exist about the origin of New York City's nickname, the Big Apple, most historians agree that it can be traced back to a writer who covered horse racing in the 1920s. In The Morning Telegraph, he wrote that stable hands often referred to New York as the Big Apple, meaning that any thoroughbred that raced in New York had reached the pinnacle of racing.
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Hugs back, G-Ma! Thanks for the comment!
I like to learn something new everyday and today learned lots about NY. Thanks.
Thanks, Dottie. I love trivia!!
Hi NYLady,
Thank you for this introduction to New York City, my friend. I shall be diving into more of your hubs in days to come.
*smiles*
Thanks, Terence! And I will return the favor! You should visit NYC, if you haven't already.
A really great hub about the city! My mother is from New York, and I have family there who i vsit, btu I would have never guessed so many things about it!
Thanks a lot, livetech! Now you'll know a bit more when you visit your family.
Very interesting NYLady! I'd love to visit NY! =))
Anytime you're coming, let me know! Thanks for the comment.
I would love to visit New York! It sounds and always looks wonderfull! I would love a tour of the The Federal Reserve Bank:)
I wonder how many years the guaranteeis for the island of Manhattan that the Native Americans purchased!
Very interesting. Thanks.
Thank you, Candace!
Hello NYLady, I've just come back from a trip to New York state, including the city, and I had a fantastic time. What a city! I was most impressed and plan to write a hub about it soon. Great reading your hub. I'm curreently looking into ways I can get back there.
Hi CJ:
Glad you made it to NYC and enjoyed yourself. The Big Apple really is a great place, particularly if you've got cash burning a hole in your pocket. I look forward to reading anything you might write about the place. Come back anytime, and thanks for the comment.
Great job thanks for sharing all that good information. I have been there a few times and my Mother was born there. It is quite a place that has had its share of ups and downs over the years. My first trip was in the very early 60s when all the berrys were ripe. My Grandma baked a pie from what i picked. The weekend I spent there in the 90s was quite different. Got a ride over to the Statue of Liberity with a clime to the top.
I must say very well done,
Dave
Finally someone answer the question why yellow cabs are yellow! As for Big Apple, I always think that New York State is full of apple orchards and New York is just biggest city, therefore Big Apple. That would be a very simple explanation. Otherwise, from one New Yorker to another, thank you very much for a great hub on our city.
Hey, Wanderlust: Thanks for the comment! Don't you love NYC? We definitely have that in common.
I loved that Big Apple snippet - didn't know that. I've been lucky enough to come to NY a few times, and twice for the racing at Belmont Park.
It was really strange the first time I was there, when I learned that Belmont is actually in Elmont... I wonder if there's an Elmont Park in Belmont?!
Anyway, as a lifelong horse racing fan and UK blogger, I can honestly say that few moments have been as memorable or jaw-dropping for me as the first time I walked into that gorgeous, shabby pantheon of horse racing that is Belmont Park.
It was the month after 9/11 in 2001, and the Breeders Cup was being held there. I remember the eerie silence and the tears when the Star Spangled Banner was sung; and the parade of servicemen before racing. Even as a non-US citizen, I was touched by that.
I love NY (was lucky enough to take my girlfriend for a surprise visit last year, my fourth time), and Belmont is the pinnacle.
In 2001, we backed Irish horses then celebrated in Tir Na Nog until very late. Great, great days...
Matt in London, UK
cant wait to visit
Horse racing: Thanks for the comment and so glad your memories of NY and Belmont are positive ones. Come back again sometime!
I came from N.Y. & my grandson is writing a report on N.Y. for his fifth grade class in Ohio. I have been helping him and your site is helpful to add to my memory. Thanks!
This is such a bad city. IT SUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Rosemary: Glad I could be of help for the 5th grade report! Hope he gets an A!
Cole: Sorry you feel that way about NYC. I love it.
hello NYLady
Telling the truth I never had the desire to go in NYC.But after reading this,you gave life to a big desire to come and visit NYC.
I would love to visit New York! It sounds and always looks wonderfull! I would love a tour of the The Federal Reserve Bank:)
Finally someone answer the question why yellow cabs are yellow! As for Big Apple, I always think that New York State is full of apple orchards and New York is just biggest city, therefore Big Apple. That would be a very simple explanation. Otherwise, from one New Yorker to another, thank you very much for a great hub on our city.
holy cow how many ppl are in new york city
wow i never knew so many ppl lived in new york city and did you know new york was founded by the dutch and was named after the duke of york how cool the french actually found the netherlands , this is what it was called before it was called new york ,but they never colonized it so the dutch came and colonized it i never knew new york had so much history and i cant wait to find out and learn more about this interesting state and i wish to one day visit again and i hope who ever reads this will like and have learnerd some more about new york that they never knew before oh and i love this website it filled with great information and you should like it too. *smiles and kisses*
Ive found your page really useful as ive i live in england and ive got homework to do about new york
hiii peeps
oh yeah, Malandra, baby
Nice fact list. I love how the Die Hard series made a movie out of number 10, where all the Federal Reserve gold was stolen.
Your list is cool. I was aware the nickname Big Apple came from the jazz musicians in the 1920s and 1930s. The saying was they used to say there are many apples you can go play but only one big apple.
wow ummm amazing???? info about this great for my new york project.
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THANK YOU FOR THE INTERING FACTS
learned lots!!
Excellent hub - well thought out, put together and well written Nice writing style too - A+!
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muskan
Hey! Well done. This was really well written. 20 solid facts! You know your facts. Well done. Good, solid research! Love NY!!!! Never been there yet but I am going in a there while! NY = busy but Good Times!!!
thanks so much
Hi NYLady. Very informative Hub. Peter Minuit was a German working for a dutch company and you´re right about him buying Manhattan Island from the native americans for trinkets and tools worth $24. There is a Minuit Statue in Wesel, Germany where he came from.
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im goin to make a prisentation about NY, ur hub helped me in it! good job! thanQ
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G-Ma Johnson Level 4 Commenter 3 years ago
Interersting city that's for sure...Thanks for sharing...G-Ma :o) hugs