Overview
Pick a nickname: The Big Apple, The City That Never Sleeps, Sodom On The Hudson. Whatever it is called, New York City is America’s most populous, most global and most talked about city.
It is home to the sacred and the profane. The Cathedral of St. John the Divine, the largest cathedral in the world, is just a quick subway ride from Times Square. New Yorkers see themselves as a breed apart, but in fact, the population is comprised of imports from more than 180 different countries; a third of New Yorkers are foreign born; almost half speak a language other than English at home.
It’s possible to stand in Times Square and watch rock stars in MTV’s studios and later that night see the New York City Opera perform “Aida” at Lincoln Center. Still, New York is not an easy place to live. It’s big, it’s crowded, it’s expensive and it’s competitive.
Fast Facts
- Location: New York City is located in the southeast corner of New York State, bounded by New Jersey, Connecticut and Long Island, NY. The lower tip of Manhattan island reaches out into New York Harbor.
- Area: 309 square miles
- Population: 8 million
- Housing Units: 3,200,912 (as of 2000 U.S. Census)
- Average Annual Rainfall: 47.3 inches (about 28 inches of that is snow)
- Average Annual Temperature: 54.7 degrees F