New York City is BIG, and finding your way around it might seem difficult. But once you get familiar with the layout, it wouldn’t seem that bad! Here is a broad overview of the major areas of NYC.
The layout of New York City
NYC is divided into 5 major areas or boroughs:
- Manhattan (Read more about Manhattan neighborhoods)
- Brooklyn
- Queens
- The Bronx
- Staten Island
NYC Boroughs Map
Image Source
Manhattan
Does Manhattan really need an introduction? Well, it is one of the most famous locales in the world, and home to some of the most expensive commercial and residential real estate!
The borough of Manhattan consists mainly of Manhattan island, which is surrounded by Hudson river on the west and the East River on the east. Apart from this, islands like Roosevelt Island, Randall’s Island, Governors Island, Ellis Island, Liberty Island, etc. are also a part of the Manhattan borough.
Out of the 5 boroughs, Manhattan is the smallest in size – but comes third in terms of population.
Manhattan is the financial capital of USA, and is arguably the financial capital of the world as well – it houses two big stock exchanges: the New York Stock Exchange and NASDAQ.
Manhattan is also home to many theaters and famous musicals – popularly known as Broadway shows.
Further Reading
Wikipedia article on Manhattan
Brooklyn
Out of the five boroughs that make up NYC, Brooklyn is the second largest and the most populous.
Brooklyn is famous for the Brooklyn Bridge – the first bridge across the east river that connected Manhattan with Brooklyn. Other notable attractions in Brooklyn are Brooklyn Botanical Gardens and Coney Island.
Further Reading
Queens
Queens is the largest and the second most populous borough of NYC.
Both of NYC’s airports – JFK International Airport (JFK) and LaGuardia (LGA) – are located in Queens. (The third major airport in NYC area is Newark (EWR) which is located in New Jersey).
Queens is big on sports – it hosts the New York Mets baseball team, and the US Open tennis tournament is also held in Queens.
The tourist attractions in Queens include Flushing Meadows Park and Aqueduct Racetrack.
Further Reading
The Bronx
The Bronx is the fourth largest of the NYC boroughs, and is the fourth most populated. It is just north of Manhattan, and is the only borough not on an island.
Major tourist attractions in the Bronx are the New York Botanical Garden and The Bronx Zoo.
Further Reading
Wikipedia article on The Bronx
Staten Island
Staten Island is the third largest NYC borough, but is the least populated.
A famous tourist attraction on Staten Island is the 2.5 mile long FDR Boardwalk, which is the fourth longest boardwalk in the world. Another tourist attraction is the free Staten Island Ferry that runs between Manhattan and Staten Island.
Further Reading
Wikipedia article on Staten Island
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