New York City

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Lore & Background

Manhattan Island was inhabited by Munsee-speaking Lenape around 1624 before Dutch colonists established Fort Amsterdam, the first European settlement. Named New Amsterdam in 1626 and chartered as a city in 1653, it fell under English control in 1664 when Colonel Richard Nicolls accepted Stuyvesant's surrender without bloodshed. The name was permanently adopted in 1674 following the Treaty of Westminster after a brief Dutch reclamation as "New Orange" in 1673. By 1700, the Lenape population had dwindled to just 200 due to intertribal wars and epidemics. As the U.S. national capital from 1785 to 1790, the city evolved through yellow fever epidemics that claimed 10% of its population in 1702 alone. Slavery became integral to its economy by 1730, with 42% of households enslaving Africans. The modern five-borough structure was solidified only in 1898.

In Their Own Story

In July 2025, the city bustles with an estimated 8,584,629 residents navigating a metropolis where Fifth Avenue serves as an ultra-luxury shopping corridor. Despite leading the world in urban automobile traffic congestion, it maintains a 24/7 rapid transit system. The financial district, anchored by Wall Street, hosts the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq, the world's two largest stock exchanges by market capitalization. As of 2024, the metropolitan area boasts a gross product over US$2.44 trillion, larger than all but nine countries. This economic might coexists with extreme inequality; Manhattan County is the most expensive U.S. county for home prices and produces the highest GDP per capita. The city holds the highest number of billionaires, ultra-high net worth individuals (over $30 million), and millionaires globally, even as it faces escalating affordability concerns.

Reader's Guide

Visitors encounter a city where an estimated 800 languages are spoken, making it the most linguistically diverse in the world. The metropolitan region houses approximately 5.9 million foreign-born residents as of 2023, serving as the premier gateway for legal immigration to the U.S. For those seeking history, traces remain from the Dutch era when Peter Minuit purchased Manhattan from the Canarsie band for "the value of 60 guilders" in 1626. The city's density is staggering, with a population more than double that of Los Angeles. While known for its fast pace, travelers should note it leads globally in traffic congestion. Whether exploring the 300.46 square miles or the vast 20.1 million-person metropolitan statistical area, one finds a place where global finance and diverse cultures collide daily.

Did You Know?

• The city was temporarily renamed 'New Orange' in August 1673 by the Dutch navy before permanently reverting to New York in November 1674.
• As of 2025, New York City is the most expensive city in the world for expatriates and has the highest residential rent costs in America.
• In 1730, 42% of households in New York were enslaving Africans, making it a center of slavery tied to its banking and shipping industries.
• The first non-Native American inhabitant of Manhattan was Juan Rodriguez, who arrived from Santo Domingo during the winter of 1613–14.
• New York City's metropolitan economy is larger than all but nine countries in the world as of 2024.