Manhattan
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This article is about both the borough of New York City and the island (also known as New York Island) within it. For the Line Island once called New York Island, see Teraina. For other meanings of Manhattan, see Manhattan (disambiguation).
Manhattan
— Borough of New York City —
New York County
Midtown Manhattan as seen from the GE Building.
Location of Manhattan shown in yellow.
Coordinates: 40°43′42″N 73°59′39″W / 40.72833, -73.99417
Country United States
State New York
County New York County
City New York City
Settled 1624
Government
- Borough president Scott Stringer
Area
- Total 33.77 sq mi (87.5 km2)
- Land 22.96 sq mi (59.5 km2)
- Water 10.81 sq mi (28 km2)
Population
- Total 1,620,867
- Density 70,595/sq mi (27,256.9/km2)
Website: Official Website of the Manhattan Borough President
Manhattan Island, in New York Harbor, is the largest part of the Borough of Manhattan, one of the Five Boroughs which form the City of New York. The Borough of Manhattan has the same boundaries as the County of New York, a subdivision of the State of New York in the Northeastern United States. (This article covers the island, the borough and the county.) With a 2007 population of 1,620,867[1] living in a land area of 22.96 square miles (59.47 km²), New York County is the most densely populated county in the United States at 70,595 residents per square mile (27,267/km²). It is also one of the wealthiest counties in the United States, with a 2005 personal per capita income above $100,000.[2] The borough (and the county) consist of Manhattan Island, Roosevelt Island, Randall's Island, Governors Island, almost one-tenth of Ellis Island,[3] the above-water portion of Liberty Island, several much smaller islands, and Marble Hill, a small section on the mainland of New York State adjacent to The Bronx.
Manhattan is a major commercial, financial, and cultural center of both the United States and to some extent the world.[4][5][6] Most major radio, television, and telecommunications companies in the United States are based here, as well as many news, magazine, book, and other media publishers. Manhattan has many famous landmarks, tourist attractions, museums, and universities. It is also home to the headquarters of the United Nations. Manhattan has the largest central business district in the United States, is the site of both the New York Stock Exchange and NASDAQ, and is the home to the largest number of corporate headquarters in the nation. It is indisputably the center of New York City and the New York metropolitan region, holding the seat of city government, and the largest fraction of employment, business, and recreational activities.
The name Manhattan derives from the word Manna-hata, as written in the 1609 logbook of Robert Juet, an officer on Henry Hudson's yacht Halve Maen (Half Moon).[7] A 1610 map depicts the name Manahata twice, on both the west and east sides of the Mauritius River (later named the Hudson River). The word "Manhattan" has been translated as "island of many hills" from the Lenape language.[8] The Encyclopedia of New York City offers other derivations, including from the Munsee dialect of Lenape: manahachtanienk ("place of general inebriation"), manahatouh ("place where timber is procured for bows and arrows"), or menatay ("island").[9]
Contents [hide]
1 History
1.1 Colonial
1.2 American Revolution and the early United States
1.3 19th century growth
1.4 The 20th century
2 Geography
2.1 Adjacent counties
2.2 National protected areas
2.3 Neighborhoods
2.4 Climate
3 Government
3.1 Politics
3.2 Crime
4 Demographics
5 Landmarks and architecture
6 Cityscape
7 Economy
8 Culture
8.1 Sports
8.2 Media
9 Housing
10 Infrastructure
10.1 Transportation
10.2 Utilities
11 Education
12 Manhattanization
13 See also
14 References
15 External links
[edit] History
[edit] Colonial
Lower Manhattan in 1660, when it was part of New Amsterdam. The large structure toward the tip of the island is Fort Amsterdam. North is on the right in this map.Main article: History of New York City
The area that is now Manhattan was long inhabited by the Lenape. In 1524, Lenape in canoes met Giovanni da Verrazzano, the first European explorer to pass New York Harbor, although he did not enter the harbor past the Narrows.[10] It was not until the voyage of Henry Hudson, an Englishman who worked for the Dutch East India Company, that the area was mapped.[11] Hudson came across Manhattan Island and the native people living there in 1609, and continued up the river that would later bear his name, the Hudson River, until he arrived at the site of present day Albany.[12]
A permanent European presence in New Netherland began in 1624 with the founding of a Dutch fur trading settlement on Governors Island. In 1625 construction was start
