The City of New York: Financial Capital of the World

New York City is the most densely populated major city in the U.S., with 8.2 million residents.  Its metropolitan area ranks among the world's largest urban areas.  The Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Staten Island and Queens make up the five boroughs of New York, covering almost 305 square miles.  New York City was founded in 1625 by the Dutch as a commercial trading post, and has gone on to become a cultural melting pot with 36 percent of its population born outside the U.S. and over 170 languages spoken.  It makes sense that New York would host the headquarters of the United Nations, with its multi-cultural influences.

"The Big Apple" got its nickname from John J. Fitzgerald in 1920, when he referred to New York as a "big apple" in a number of horse racing articles.  The New York Convention and Visitors Bureau embraced it in the 1970s, and the name stuck.  Home of the Statue of Liberty, Madison Square Garden, the Empire State Building, Broadway and The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York boasts something for everyone.  The Wall Street district of New York is a financial center for the world, and home to the New York Stock Exchange.

With its extensive mass transit system, New York is one of the most energy efficient cities in the U.S.  New York also leads the nation in constructing energy efficient green office buildings.  New York is one of only five major cities that does not need a water treatment plant.  The drinking water comes from the Catskill Mountains Watershed, which has a natural water filtration process.  With its rich cultural history and global influences, New York City can easily be considered not only the Financial Capital of the World, but one of the most exciting cities too.