City guide · New York City

New York

From New Amsterdam to five boroughs: a world capital written by immigrants

Photo: King of Hearts · CC BY-SA 4.0

New York is made up of five boroughs: Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx and Staten Island. The Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island tell the story of how immigrants arrived, Central Park is Manhattan's backyard, and Times Square is its loudest face.

History

How the city came to be

Around 1624, Manhattan was home to the Munsee-speaking Lenape. The Dutch founded a settlement here, named it New Amsterdam in 1626, and granted it a city charter in 1653. The English seized it in 1664 and Charles II gave the land to his brother the Duke of York (later James II), so the city was renamed New York — a name fixed permanently in 1674. The Statue of Liberty was dedicated in New York Harbor in 1886; between 1892 and 1954 about 12 million immigrants entered the US through Ellis Island. In 1898 the five boroughs merged to form today's New York City.

1626The Dutch named it 'New Amsterdam'
1664The English took over and renamed it New York after the Duke of York
1858The first sections of Central Park opened
1886The Statue of Liberty was dedicated
1892The Ellis Island immigration station opened
1898The five boroughs merged into today's New York City

Stories

Stories of the city

History · Statue of Liberty

A gift made by a sculptor and an engineer together

The Statue of Liberty was a gift from France to the United States, designed by the sculptor Bartholdi. The internal iron framework was originally the responsibility of Viollet-le-Duc; after his death, Bartholdi turned to Eiffel in 1881, who completed the design of the internal structure. The statue was erected in 1886 on Liberty Island at the entrance to New York Harbor.

History · Ellis Island Immigration Museum

Inspection on the 'Island of Tears'

Between 1892 and 1954 about 12 million immigrants entered the United States through Ellis Island. After disembarking they underwent medical examinations and questioning; those suspected of illness were held in the island's hospital, and some were sent back. The first inspection station opened in 1892 and burned down five years later; the second, opened in 1900, is today's immigration museum. For those turned away it was the 'Island of Tears'. By some estimates, two in five Americans may be descended from these immigrants.

History · Central Park

The Greensward Plan and the vanished Seneca Village

In April 1858 the park commission chose Olmsted and Vaux's 'Greensward Plan'. It was the first urban park Olmsted designed with Vaux; he went on to design a series of city parks and is regarded as the founder of American landscape architecture. But the park came at a cost: before work began in 1857, the city took the land and demolished the existing settlements on the site, including Seneca Village, a community of mostly Black residents.

New York at a glance

Best season: April–June and September–November are most comfortable; summers are muggy, winters cold but with Christmas windows and ice rinks; Thanksgiving to New Year is the most expensive time.
Getting there: JFK, Newark and LaGuardia airports all have rail or bus links into the city; there are trains from Boston and Washington.
Getting around: The subway runs 24 hours and is the fastest way around; you can tap in with a bank card or phone. Manhattan's streets are a grid, so walking is easy.
Where to stay: On a first visit, Midtown (around Times Square and Grand Central) is most convenient; on a budget, stay in Brooklyn or Queens near the subway. Hotel prices exclude tax, which is added when you check out.
Country notes: Money, tipping and red lines in United States →

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