New York City is the largest city in the United States and one of the largest cities in the world: nearly 24 million people live in the greater New York area. If Brooklyn, with a population of 2,6 million, were to become a separate city (of New York City's five boroughs), it would become the fourth-most populous city in the United States—after New York City proper, Los Angeles (3,9 million), and Chicago (2,7 million).

New York is a city of the very best: the tallest skyscrapers, the largest commercial centers, the largest number theaters and higher education institutions, the highest density of millionaires per capita, and the world's most expensive apartments. Some parts of Manhattan are charming and cozy, but don't expect the originality and charm of old Europe here: the desire to build something "the very best" is understandable to Americans, but they have a youthful disdain for detail and embellishment.

New York is a relatively young city, not even four hundred years old, not much older than, say, St. Petersburg, and it's important to remember that. The city was founded by Dutch colonists (1624) and was initially called, appropriately, New Amsterdam. The Dutch colony was located on the site of the skyscrapers that now form the financial center of Downtown, and the settlement's wooden wall ran exactly along Wall Street—hence the street's name. In the late 17th century, during the wars European powers for discovered by the Spaniards On the rich mainland, the city was captured by the British under the banner of the Duke of York (see History of the United States) and in 1664 it became New York.

New York City began to grow rapidly in the 19th century, thanks to the influx of immigrants from Europe. In 1835, it overtook neighboring Philadelphia to become the most populous city in the United States. In the second half of the century, after the end of Civil War (1861-1865) The flow of immigrants turned into an avalanche: New York became the destination for millions upon millions of people—their names can be seen in the museum established on the site of the Immigration Service Office on Ellis Island in New York Harbor. Ellis Island, for those who want to find it, is easy to find—the Statue of Liberty stands on neighboring Liberty Island.  

In 1940, 94% of New York City's population was white. The second half of the 20th century was a time of rapid suburbanization: affluent New Yorkers sought to move from the high-rise downtown areas to more livable, leafy suburbs. They were replaced by new immigrants, this time from Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Today, whites make up less than half of the city's population, and New York City is a vast cosmopolitan melting pot, melting together representatives of every known country and ethnicity, and where representatives of every conceivable religion and sect practice their faith.

What the rest of the world calls New York is, generally speaking, Manhattan, the central borough located on an elongated island in Hudson Bay. Almost everything of interest to tourists is located in Manhattan. This is where you'll find Broadway theatersThe Metropolitan Opera and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum of Modern Art, Carnegie Hall, and Madison Square Garden—a sports arena that hosts the most famous competitions. The island's granite foundation is the natural foundation for New York's famous skyscrapers. Fifth Avenue is home to some of the world's most famous shops. Even Harlem, contrary to popular belief, is also part of Manhattan. There are five boroughs in total: Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx, Queens, and Staten Island.

New York is a wealthy city, one of the world's three main financial centers (along with London and Tokyo), controlling nearly 40% of global finance. All major multinational companies have offices here, and many have their headquarters there. The UN headquarters are located in New York. Yet, there's no sense of ostentatious imperial luxury that older world capitals try to impress visitors with—New York loves money, but it knows how to count it.

Unlike the rest of America, where public transportation is virtually nonexistent and a personal car is essential, owning a car in New York City is a rarity; more than half of New Yorkers commute to work by public transportation. This is due to the exorbitant price of land and, consequently, high road taxes and parking fees. The most popular and accessible form of public transportation is the subway, which New Yorkers call the "subway."

New York City is located at the same latitude as Istanbul and Madrid, Tashkent and Baku. The climate here is subtropical oceanic. Summers are hot and humid. In winter and spring, cold winds from the ocean are common—dress accordingly. Severe frosts are rare. However, a snowstorm in late March is common.

Until recently, New York was a crime-ridden and dangerous city. Now, the safety issue is practically solved: on some days, not a single crime occurs in the city—an enviable result for a wealthy metropolis that attracts thousands upon thousands of people of all kinds. So, walk around confidently. Guided by common sense, of course.

You can have different attitudes toward the United States: admire and adore it, or, conversely, despise and hate it. But New York is undoubtedly a place worth visiting.