15 Fascinating Facts about New York

Three-segment panorama of Long Island City, Queens, New York City. Photo sourced from Wikimedia

15 Fascinating Facts about New York

New York is the most populous city in the United States and one of the world’s most populous cities. It is located at the southern tip of New York State and constitutes the geographical and demographic center of both the Northeast megalopolis and the New York metropolitan area, the largest metropolitan area in the U.S. by both population and urban landmass.

New York City is a global cultural, financial, entertainment, and media center with a significant influence on commerce, health care and life sciences, research, technology, education, politics, tourism, dining, art, fashion, and sports. It is also home to the headquarters of the United Nations and is sometimes described as the capital of the world.

Let’s look at some of the most fascinating facts about this city;

1. The first ever pizzeria in the United States of America is found in New York

Three-segment panorama of Long Island City, Queens, New York City. Photo sourced from Wikimedia

For the lovers of Pizza, the city is home to the first Pizzeria in America which was opened in 1905 by Genaro Lombardi, who was a native of Naples, Italy. He came up with what is now known as America’s most passionate love affair, Pizza.

The Pizzeria is still operational today and is one of the best places where you can get the best pizza, though the city currently has more than 1600 pizzerias which shows how much Pizza is loved in both New York and the US at large.

Read more about this city in 25 famous places to see in New York

2. New York was originally called New Amsterdam 

Another fascinating fact about this great city is that the city was initially called New Amsterdam because of the ties it had with the Dutch who had settled there and made the place a dwelling place after they colonized the place.

The settlement was named New Amsterdam in 1626 and was chartered as a city in 1653. The island of Manhattan (as we know it today) was settled by the Dutch in 1624 and became an extension of the Dutch Republic.

3. It was renamed New York after the Duke of York when the British took over

View of New York from Flushing queens Photo sourced from Wikimedia

The city came under British control in 1664 and was renamed New York after King Charles II of England granted the lands to his brother, the Duke of York. When the English took the island in 1664, they renamed it after the Duke of York.

As such, the city has been called New York since 1664. The city was called New York to honor the King’s brother the duke of York who had led the mission to remove the Dutch’s rule over the land.

4. Its central park is the most visited urban park in the USA and the most filmed location in the world

The city is home to one of the best parks in the world which are known as Central park. This park is the most visited urban park in the United States, with an estimated 42 million visitors annually.

Central Park is also the most filmed location in the world, having featured in more than 530 movie credits (and counting) making it the most filmed location in the world. Movies are filmed on the Central Parkway more than in any other place on earth.

Read more about this place here

5. The statue of Liberty which welcomes one to New York depicts Lady Liberty who was not from the USA 

Statue of Liberty in New York City, New York, USA Photo sourced from Wikimedia

Another top fact about this iconic city is that The statue of Liberty which welcomes one to New York whenever you visit depicts Lady Liberty who was not from the USA and the statue itself was not even made in New York or even the USA. The country’s unwavering symbol of freedom reigns from Paris.

Gracing the New York City skyline for more than 135 years, the Statue of Liberty was a gift from France. Dedicated in 1886, The Statue of Liberty was gifted to the United States from the people of France in celebration of 100 years of American Independence.

6. New York is home to the Empire State Building which has its zip code 

New York City has so many iconic facts but this is one of the most fascinating ones. It is home to the iconic Empire State Building which is the 4th largest building in the city and the 6th tallest building in the country.

But to top, it all that huge building has its zip code. This simply means if one needed to mail something addressed to the Empire State Building one will need to use a zip code unique to the building — 10118.

Read more about some of the top buildings in this city here

7. The city is also home to America’s second-largest library 

New York Public Library Photo by Ajay Suresh Wikimedia

Another fascinating fact about this city is that it is home to America’s second-largest library, the New York Public Library. The library is one of the most breathtaking sights to hold in this great city. It is home to 55 million books and some strange artifacts like the locks of Walt Whitman’s hair.

When it opened to the public in 1911, the New York Public Library was officially the largest marble building ever built in the country.No small task, considering it took 16 years to construct this monolithic structure, but the wait was worth it — more than 50,000 people showed up on the opening day.

Read more about the library in Top 10 Amazing Facts about New York Public Library

8. There are more than 200 languages spoken in New York City day in and day out 

One of the top facts about this city is that there are more than 200 languages spoken day in and day out. With a population of more than 8.5 million people, on any given day you’re bound to hear a language you’ve never heard before on the streets of New York City.

This is the reason New York City is often considered the most linguistically diverse city in the world. With approximately more than 37% of New Yorkers born outside the United States, it means that 4 out of 10 households (nearly half) speak a language other than English.

9. New York is one of the most populous cities in the world 

Another fascinating fact about New York City is that it is one of the most populous places in the world with a population of more than 8.5 million people who call the place home, which makes it the most populous city in the whole USA.

 New York City is home to roughly 1 in every 38 people living in America. New York City has more people than 40 of the 50 U.S. states. There’s no place in the world like New York City so it’s hard to blame folks for wanting to call this magical city home.

10. The Brooklyn Bridge is older than London’s Tower Bridge

Brooklyn Bridge in New York City, New York, USA Photo by Dietmar Rabich Wikimedia

Another great fact about York City is that it is home to the Brooklyn bridge, which is one of the oldest bridges in the world it is older than England’s London tower bridge. When asked, most people would say that London’s famous Tower Bridge is older than the Brooklyn Bridge but that’s not the case.

Connecting Manhattan to Brooklyn, the Brooklyn Bridge is one of the oldest bridges in the country. Construction began in 1869 and when it was completed in 1883, it was deemed the longest suspension bridge in the world.

11. New York City is one of the most diverse cities 

New York is one of the most diverse cities in the US and even in the world with the city being home to the highest Jewish population outside of Israel, and the highest Hispanic population of any US city.

It is also home to the highest Puerto Rican population in the world and the highest Chinese population outside of Asia. This fact makes this iconic city of the best dueling places for many people.

12. New York City is one of the best bird-watching cities in the country

Another fascinating fact about this city is that one of the best bird-watching cities in the country and the world. It’s nearly impossible to walk through Central Park without spotting birders, especially during the spring migrating season.

In fact, of the 800 known North American bird species, 275 have been spotted in Central Park alone. Some birders claim to have spotted 100 species in a single day during the migrating season though the city is not a place full of greenery and parks that birds would flock to.

13. New York City is home to more billionaires than anywhere else in the world 

One of the other top fascinating facts about this city is that it is home to more billionaires than anywhere else in the world. According to most people who have visited the city the term the City that never sleeps appeals to the lifestyle of the wealthy.

There are more than 380,000 millionaires in New York City itself. The best part is that the kind of lifestyle and resources available in the city makes it possible for more millionaires to invest in the city. 

14. New York City has more coastline than Miami, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Boston combined

As big as NYC is not only about just land, the city has more coastline than Miami, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Boston combined. There are approximately 520 miles of coastline in NYC which makes it one of the best places.

At face value, this NYC fact might be hard to believe but you must remember that the city consists of five boroughs, and all of them boast expansive coastlines, plus Manhattan is an island. This fact makes the city one of the most renowned places across the globe.

15. New York is also the center of academics and the headquarters of the global art market

New York is also the center of academics and the headquarters of the global art market with over 120 colleges and universities, including Columbia University, New York University, and the City University of New York system, the largest urban public university system in the nation.

New York is also the headquarters of the global art market, with numerous art galleries and auction houses collectively hosting half of the world’s art auctions, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art is both the largest art museum and the most visited museum in the United States.