Portal:New York City/Intro

New York City (officially The City of New York) is the largest city in the United States, with its metropolitan area ranking among the largest urban areas in the world. Founded as a commercial trading post by the Dutch in 1624, it served as the capital of the United States from 1785 until 1790, and has been the nation's largest city since 1790. Located on a natural harbor, and sharing Long Island's western edge, New York exerts global influence in commerce and finance as well as arts and entertainment. The city is an important center for international affairs, hosting the headquarters of the United Nations.

The city has many renowned landmarks. The Statue of Liberty greeted millions of immigrants as they came to America in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Wall Street, in Lower Manhattan, has been a dominant global financial center since World War II and is home to the New York Stock Exchange. The city has been home to several of the tallest buildings in the world, including the Empire State Building and formerly the twin towers of the World Trade Center. New York is the birthplace of cultural movements, including the Harlem Renaissance in literature and visual art, abstract expressionism (also known as the New York School) in painting, and hip hop, punk, salsa, and Tin Pan Alley in music. It is also the home of Broadway theater. In 2005, nearly 170 languages were spoken in the city and 36% of its population was born outside the United States. With its 24-hour subway and constant bustling of traffic and people, New York is often referred to as "The City That Never Sleeps", the "Big Apple" and Gotham