1. ÍNDICE
NEW YORK, NEW YORK
Geography
History
Cityscape
What to See
Culture and Contemporary Life
2. GEOGRAPHY
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New York City is located on the coast of the Northeastern United States at the mouth of the
Hudson River in southeastern New York state. The New York Harbor, with its deep waters
and sheltered bays, helped the city grow in significance as a trading city. Much of New York
is built on the three islands of Manhattan, Staten Island, and western Long Island, making
land scarce and encouraging a high population density.
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The Hudson River flows from the Hudson Valley into New York Bay, becoming a tidal
estuary that separates the Bronx and Manhattan from Northern New Jersey. The Harlem
River, another tidal strait between the East and Hudson Rivers, separates Manhattan from
the Bronx.
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The boroughs of New York City straddle the border between two geologic provinces of
eastern North America. Brooklyn and Queens, located on Long Island, are part of the eastern
coastal plain. Long Island is a massive moraine which formed at the southern fringe of the
Laurentide Ice Sheet during the last Ice Age. The Bronx and Manhattan lie on the eastern
edge of the Newark Basin, a block of the Earth's crust which sank downward during the
disintegration of the supercontinent Pangaea during the Triassic period. The Palisades Sill
on the New Jersey shore of the Hudson River exposes ancient, once-molten rock that filled
the basin. Tough metamorphic rocks underlie much of Manhattan, providing solid support
for its many skyscrapers.
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The city's land area is estimated to be 321 mi² (831.4 km²). However, a more recent
estimate calculates a total land area of 304.8 sq mi (789.4 km²). The highest natural point in
the city is Todt Hill on Staten Island, which at 409.8 ft (124.9 m) above sea level is the
highest hill on the Eastern Seaboard south of Maine. The summit of the ridge is largely
covered in woodlands as part of the Staten Island Greenbelt.
3. HISTORY
The history of New York begins around 10,000 BCE, when the first Native Americans arrived. By 1100 CE, New York's main tribes, the Iroquoian
and Algonquian cultures, had developed. New York was discovered by the French in 1524 and first claimed in 1609 by the Dutch. As part of New
Netherland, the colony was important in the fur trade and eventually became an agricultural resource thanks to the patroon system. In 1664, England
renamed the colony New York. New York City gained prominence in the 18th century as a major trading port in the Thirteen Colonies.
New York played a pivotal role during the Revolutionary War. The Battle of Saratoga was the turning point of the war. New York's constitution was
adopted in 1777, and strongly influenced the United States Constitution. New York City was the national capital at various times between 1785 and 1790,
and Albany became the permanent state capital in 1797. New York was the eleventh state admitted to the Union, in 1787.
New York hosted significant transportation advancements in the 19th century, including the first steamboat line in 1807, the Erie Canal in 1825,
and America's first regularly scheduled rail service in 1831. These advancements led to the expanded settlement of western New York.
Far from any of its battles, New York sent the most men and money to support the Civil War. Thereafter, the state helped create the industrial age
and consequently was home to some of the first labor unions.
During the 19th century, New York City became the main entry point for European immigrants to the United States. Millions came through Castle
Clinton in Battery Park before Ellis Island opened in 1892 to welcome millions more. The Statue of Liberty opened in 1886 and became a symbol of hope.
New York boomed during the Roaring Twenties, before the Wall Street Crash of 1929. New York City hosted the tallest building in the world from 1913–
74.
World War II turned around the state's economy, as hundreds of thousands worked to defeat the Axis powers. Following the war, the state
experienced significant suburbanization, and most cities shrank. The Thruway system opened in 1956, signalling another era of transportation advances.
Following a period of near–bankruptcy, New York City renewed its stature as a cultural center, attracted more immigration, and hosted the
development of new music styles. The City became a media capital over the second half of the 20th century, hosting most national news channels and
broadcasts, as well as globally–renowned national newspapers. The state's manufacturing base eroded over the period, as the state transitioned into
service industries.
The September 11 attacks destroyed the World Trade Center, killing almost 3,000 people; they were the largest terrorist attacks on United States
soil.
6. WHAT TO SEE
New York has architecturally noteworthy buildings in a wide range of styles and from distinct time periods from the saltbox style Pieter Claesen
Wyckoff House in Brooklyn, the oldest section of which dates to 1656, to the modern One World Trade Center, the skyscraper currently under
construction at Ground Zero in Lower Manhattan and currently the most expensive new office tower in the world. Manhattan's skyline with its many
skyscrapers is universally recognized, and the city has been home to several of the tallest buildings in the world. As of 2011, New York City had 5,937
high-rise buildings, of which 550 completed structures were at least 100 meters high, both second in the world after Hong Kong, with over 50 completed
skyscrapers taller than 656 feet (200 m). These include the Woolworth Building (1913), an early gothic revival skyscraper built with massively scaled
gothic detailing.
The 1916 Zoning Resolution required setback in new buildings, and restricted towers to a percentage of the lot size, to allow sunlight to reach the
streets below. The Art Deco style of the Chrysler Building (1930) and Empire State Building (1931), with their tapered tops and steel spires, reflected the
zoning requirements. The buildings have distinctive ornamentation, such as the eagles at the corners of the 61st floor on the Chrysler Building, and are
considered some of the finest examples of the Art Deco style. A highly influential example of the international style in the United States is the Seagram
Building (1957), distinctive for its façade using visible bronze-toned I-beams to evoke the building's structure. The Condé Nast Building (2000) is a
prominent example of green design in American skyscrapers.
The character of New York's large residential districts is often defined by the elegant brownstone rowhouses, townhouses, and shabby tenements
that were built during a period of rapid expansion from 1870 to 1930. In contrast, New York City also has neighborhoods that are less densely populated
and feature free-standing dwellings. In neighborhoods such as Riverdale, Bronx, Ditmas Park, Brooklyn, and Douglaston, Queens large single-family
homes are common in various architectural styles such as Tudor Revival and Victorian. Split two-family homes are also widely available across the outer-
boroughs.
Stone and brick became the city's building materials of choice after the construction of wood-frame houses was limited in the aftermath of the
Great Fire of 1835. A distinctive feature of many of the city's buildings is the wooden roof-mounted water towers. In the 1800s, the city required their
installation on buildings higher than six stories to prevent the need for excessively high water pressures at lower elevations, which could break municipal
water pipes. Garden apartments became popular during the 1920s in outlying areas, such as Jackson Heights.
7. CULTURE AND CONTEMPORARY LIFE
New York City has been described as the cultural capital of the
world by the diplomatic consulates of Iceland and Latvia and by New
York's own Baruch College. A book containing a series of essays titled
New York, culture capital of the world, 1940–1965 has also been
published as showcased by the National Library of Australia.
Numerous major American cultural movements began in the
city, such as the Harlem Renaissance, which established the African-
American literary canon in the United States. The city was a center of
jazz in the 1940s, abstract expressionism in the 1950s and the
birthplace of hip hop in the 1970s. The city's punk and hardcore
scenes were influential in the 1970s and 1980s, and the city has long
had a flourishing scene for Jewish American literature.
The city prominently excels in its spheres of art, cuisine, dance,
music, opera, theater, independent film, fashion, museums, and
literature. The city is the birthplace of many cultural movements,
including the Harlem Renaissance in literature and visual art;
abstract expressionism (also known as the New York School) in
painting; and hip hop, punk, salsa, disco, freestyle, and Tin Pan Alley
in music. New York City has been considered the dance capital of the
world. The city is also widely celebrated in popular lore, featured
frequently as the setting for books, movies (see New York in film),
and television programs.
