New York City is, by all accounts, one of the most well-known cities on the planet. From its appearance in countless movies and TV shows to its status as one of the premier financial, cultural, artistic, educational and scientific centres in the world; few places are immediately as familiar as the Big Apple.
Yet despite its status as one of the foremost global crossroads, it’s impossible to ever fully get to know a city of this size and stature. That’s why we’ve scoured the web to look for trivia that may not be common knowledge, to help you rediscover the City That Never Sleeps.
Here are 13 facts about New York you probably didn’t know:
1. New York is home to more wealth than any other city in the world
It is definitely no secret that New York is wealthy (and extremely expensive), but did you know it is the wealthiest city in the world? There are two main methods of measuring a city’s wealth: one is by looking at its Gross Domestic Product (or GDP – which is basically the sum of all goods and services produced in a region) and the other is by looking at the total private wealth of all its residents. Based on Gross Domestic Product, Tokyo is (at the time of writing this) the wealthiest city in the world with a staggering GDP of $1.5 trillion; New York taking a close second place with $1.3 trillion. However, if measured by total private wealth, New York city tops the charts with a combined value of $3 trillion! London and Tokyo take second and third place with $2.7 trillion and $2.5 trillion in private wealth, respectively.
*Figures based on combined 2019 statistics from multiple sources
2. New York is the most linguistically diverse city in the world
New York is the most multicultural city in the United States, and also one of the most multicultural cities in the world; but did you know nearly 40% of its population was born in a foreign country? This impressive diversity of cultures contributes to the city’s claim as the most linguistically diverse city in the world. Though official sources estimate just over 200, some experts believe as many as 800 languages are spoken at home in New York. Languages spoken range from English, Spanish, Chinese (Mandarin, Cantonese and other dialects), Italian and Russian, to a host of other languages from across the globe – like Chichewa, Yiddish and Urdu, to name but a few.
3. Times Square was renamed for The New York Times
One of the most visited tourist destinations in the world, Times Square attracts an estimated 50 million visitors each year. Before 1904, however, it was known as Longacre Square. It was renamed Times Square after The New York Times moved their headquarters here and built the Times Building. Today their offices occupy the famous One Times Square – the site of the world-renowned annual New Year’s Eve ball drop.
4. Lady Liberty has a lesser known, official name
Officially named “Liberty Enlightening the World”, the Statue of Liberty has been welcoming visitors and migrants to US shores since 1886. The statue was a gift from France to the United States, and the two nations worked together to construct her. Americans built the pedestal, while the statue itself was designed and assembled in France by Frederic Bartholdi and Gustave Eiffel (from Eiffel Tower fame). The statue was divided into 350 pieces, shipped in 214 crates and took over four months to be reassembled on Bedloe Island (which is what Liberty Island was known as before 1956).
5. New York’s nickname, “The Big Apple”, comes from horse racing
The nickname was popularized in the 1920s by a sports writer named John Fitz Gerald. He heard the term being used by two New Orleans stable hands while talking about the top-end, big league horse racing events in New York, and soon started using the term himself when reporting on equestrian events in the city. Jazz musicians later also adopted the term to reinforce the idea that New York was home to the swankiest music clubs. After falling in disuse in the 50s and 60s, the New York Convention and Visitors Bureau revived the term in the 70s in a massive marketing campaign to lure tourists to the city, which was at the time plagued by crime and economic crisis. The campaign was, of course, a success, and today the nickname is still in use.
6. New York is home to the oldest pizzeria in the United States
Inspired by his trade back in Naples, Gennaro Lombardi started crafting pizza pies in the United States back in 1905 and is credited with developing the popular New York-style pizza we know and love today. Located at 32 Spring Street, in the NoLita neighbourhood of Manhattan, Lombardi’s is still in operation today and is considered the oldest registered pizzeria in the country.
7. Grand Central Terminal has a whispering gallery
Grand Central Terminal is one of those quintessential destinations that features on most travellers’ New York bucket-lists. But this beautiful, historical terminal is not just a transport hub, it is also a haven for foodies and shopaholics alike. A lesser-known attraction that cannot be missed is the Whispering Gallery located next to the century-old Grand Central Oyster Bar & Restaurant. Aside from being an architectural masterpiece, these low ceramic arches create an acoustical phenomenon where visitors can talk to a friend in the opposite corner of the arch, and the sound of their voice will be carried clearly above the noise of the passing crowds.
8. Brooklyn is home to “The Undisputed Capital of Christmas Pageantry”
Sure, there’s the impressive Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree in Manhattan; but what earned Dyker Heights, Brooklyn, the self-proclaimed title above is the fact that basically the whole neighbourhood participates in this annual home decorating showdown. Back in the 80s, a resident named Lucy Spata started the trend when she carried on her mother’s tradition of decorating their home with Christmas lights. At first not all the neighbours liked it, but eventually the trend caught on and literally set the whole suburb alight. Each year, around Thanksgiving, most residents in the area adorn their homes with extravagant, over-the-top Christmas displays – a spectacle that has become so popular, it draws crowds in excess of 100 000 people each year. Many organised tours of the area are available during the Holiday season.
9. Central Park is the most filmed location in the world
If you sit back and think about it, it makes sense that Central Park is the most filmed location in the world. Apart from being the intro setting to basically 90% of all romantic comedies in history, it has also been featured in countless sitcoms, television shows and documentaries. This urban oasis takes the top spot for having been featured (and credited) in 532 movies – almost 400 movie credits more than Niagara Falls, Ontario, the runner up.
10. New York City has a bigger population than 39 of the 50 U.S. states
The Big Apple is home to a staggering 8.8 million people within city limits, which places it ahead of 39 complete states in terms of population! Considering the United States had a total population of roughly 331 million people in the latest census; statistically, 1 in 38 Americans live in New York City. The city’s greater metropolitan region is also home to a whopping 23.5 million people (or just over 7% of the entire US population), which means New York’s metro area is more populous than 48 states. It slots in at a comfortable 3rd place behind California (39.5 million) and Texas (29.1 million).
11. New York used to be a Dutch colony called ‘New Amsterdam’
Back in 1624, colonists from the Dutch Republic settled in what is now known as Lower Manhattan, setting up a fur trading post which would become the capital of the colony of New Netherland. The settlement first grew around Fort Amsterdam, and by 1664 the population had increased to roughly 2500 people. That same year, the English took over New Amsterdam and renamed it ‘New York’ in honour of the Duke of York.
BONUS TRIVIA: Wall Street derived its name from the Dutch “de Waalstraat”, where a literal wall protected residents from raiders and British soldiers. Wall street is clearly visible on the far right (north) in the above map. Fort Amsterdam, pictured at the southern tip of Manhattan above, is where The Battery derived its name from; while the broad street leading from the fort past the wall later became known as none other than the world-famous Broadway.
12. The Brooklyn Bridge is older than Tower Bridge in London
Thanks to its Victorian Gothic style, it’s easy to think that London’s landmark Tower Bridge should be at least 200 years old. However, it was in fact only opened in 1894. Tower bridge spans a total length of 240m (800 ft), with the towers reaching a height of 65m (213 ft) each. At more than double that length, the Brooklyn Bridge spans a total of 486.3m (1 595.5 ft) just between the towers, which both have a height of 82.9m (272 ft). The total length of the bridge is 1 833.7m (6 016 ft or 1.1 mile), which, at the time of its completion in 1883, made the Brooklyn Bridge the longest suspension bridge in the world.
13. NYC has approximately 27 000 dining establishments
Of course, the actual amount fluctuates and new restaurants come and go; but according to NYC Health’s ABCEats restaurant inspection tool, there are roughly 27 000 eateries in New York City. To put into perspective just how insane that number is: if you were to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner at a different establishment every single day; it would take approximately 24 years before you ever dined at the same place twice!
14. Central Park is bigger than 2 countries, but isn’t even the biggest park in New York City
The breathtaking Central Park, at 3.41km2 (or 1.317 mi2), is larger than the two smallest countries on earth: the Vatican City (0.49km2 or 0.19 mi2) and Monaco (2.02km2 or 0.76 mi2). Despite its ginormous size, though, it is only the 5th-largest park administered by the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation. The largest park, Pelham Bay Park, is located in The Bronx; and at 11.22km2 (4.33 mi2), it is more than three times the size of Central Park. Pelham Bay features several recreational areas spread across breathtaking natural spaces; it also boasts trails, golf courses, historical monuments, beaches and even a lagoon.
15. From D.C. to Detroit, or San Francisco to Tijuana
Wondering what we mean? While it might not seem so at first glance, The Big Apple has a mind-blowing total coastline of 520 miles (836.8km) – which is roughly the distance between Washington D.C. and Detroit, or between San Francisco and Tijuana! Considering all five boroughs of New York are coastal, and four of them are actually situated on islands, it does begin to make sense when you add up all the little inlets, islets, canals and peninsulas.
How many of these facts did you know, or how many did you find out for the first time? Leave a comment or feel free to share with your friends to test their general knowledge of New York City.
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