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New York City Real Estate Overview

New York City, officially the City of New York, is the most populous city in the United States and a global center for international finance, politics, entertainment, and culture. It is the most densely populated city in North America and is one of the world's four global cities, boasting an almost unrivaled collection of museums, galleries, performance venues, media outlets, international corporations, and financial markets.

Located in the state of New York, New York City has a population of 8.2 million. New York City is at the heart of the New York Metropolitan Area, which at a population of almost 22 million is among the largest urban areas in the world. The city proper is comprised of five boroughs: the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island — all except Staten Island contain over a million people and independently would be counted among the largest cities in the United States.

New York City is located at the center of the BosWash megalopolis, 218 miles driving distance from Boston and 232 miles from Washington, D.C. New York City is situated on the three major islands of Manhattan, Staten Island, and western Long Island. The Bronx is the only borough that is part of the mainland United States.

New York City's significance as a trading city results from the superb natural harbor formed by Upper New York Bay, which is surrounded by Manhattan, Brooklyn, Staten Island, and the coast of New Jersey. It is sheltered from the Atlantic Ocean by the Narrows between Brooklyn and Staten Island in Lower New York Bay.

The Hudson River flows from the Hudson Valley into New York Bay, becoming a tidal estuary that separates the Bronx and Manhattan from New Jersey. The East River, actually a tidal strait, stretches from the Long Island Sound to New York Bay, separating the Bronx and Manhattan from Long Island. The Harlem River, another tidal strait between the East and Hudson Rivers, separates Manhattan from the Bronx.

New York City Boroughs and Neighborhoods

New York City is comprised of The Five Boroughs. Throughout the boroughs there are hundreds of distinct neighborhoods in the city, many with a definable history and character all their own.

• Manhattan (New York County, pop. 1,564,798) is the business center of the city, and the most superlatively urban. It is the most densely populated, and the home of most of the city's skyscrapers.
• The Bronx (Bronx County, pop. 1,363,198) is known as the purported birthplace of hip hop culture, as well as the home of the New York Yankees. Excluding its minor islands, the Bronx is the only borough of the city that is on the mainland of the United States.
• Brooklyn (Kings County, pop. 2,472,523) is the most populous borough, with a strong native identity. It ranges from a modern business district downtown to large historic residential neighborhoods in the central and south-eastern areas. It also has a long beachfront and Coney Island, famous as one of the earliest amusement grounds in the country.
• Queens (Queens County, pop. 2,225,486) is the most diverse county in the U.S., with more immigrants than anywhere else in the nation. It is geographically the largest borough, and home to Shea Stadium and the New York Mets; two of the region's three major airports; Flushing Meadows Corona Park, site of the 1939 and 1964 World Fairs; and Arthur Ashe Stadium, host of the annual U.S. Open.
• Staten Island (Richmond County, pop. 459,737) is quiet and the most suburban in character of the five boroughs, but has gradually become more integrated with the rest of the city since the opening of the Verrazano Narrows Bridge in 1964, an event that caused controversy and even an attempt at secession.

New York Tourism

Some 39 million foreign and American tourists visit New York each year. According to some estimates, as many as one in four Americans can trace their roots to Brooklyn. Many visitors investigate their genealogy at historic immigration sites such as Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. Other tourist destinations include the Empire State Building, for many years the world's tallest building after its construction in 1931, Radio City Music Hall, home of The Rockettes, a variety of Broadway shows, the Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum, housed on a World War II aircraft carrier, high-end shopping districts around Fifth Avenue, and city landmarks such as Central Park.

Shopping is popular with many visitors. Fifth Avenue is a famous luxury shopping corridor. Macy's, the nation's largest department store, and the surrounding area of Herald Square is a major destination for more moderately-priced goods. Greenwich Village is home to hundreds of independent music and book stores, while the East Village has many purveyors of rare and hard-to-find items. Union Square is known for its large farmer's market. The "diamond district" around 47th Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenue is a major destination for jewelry, and SoHo, formerly the center of the New York art scene, is now known for high-end clothing boutiques. The art galleries are now concentrated in Chelsea. There are also large shopping districts in Downtown Brooklyn and along Queens Boulevard in Queens. Many of the city's ethnic enclaves, such as Jackson Heights, Flushing, and Brighton Beach are major shopping destinations for first and second generation Americans up and down the East Coast, who seek out stores such as Aji Ichiban, the sleek Hong Kong chain, sari shops, and indigenous food market.

Also: New York City Official Website