New York City, New York, on the Eastern Atlantic coast of the United States, is made up of five boroughs covering 301 square miles.  NYC is not located in one county; each of these boroughs serves as a county.  The Bronx is attached to the New York State mainland on the north side of NYC; Brooklyn (Kings County) and Queens are on the western portion of Long Island; Staten Island (Richmond County) and Manhattan occupy their own landmasses.

New York City was the first capital of the United States (1789 – 1790). President George Washington took his oath of office in 1789 on the balcony at Federal Hall.

Located at the mouth of the mighty Hudson River, which proved strategic to the fur trade as early as the 1690’s), New York City has been integral to America’s commerce and trade from the very beginning.  Linked by canals, to the Great Lakes,  Delaware River, and the St. Lawrence River, the Hudson is a major commercial route.  The Erie Canal, built across New York State in the 1820s, opened the American Midwest to development and extended New York City’s commercial influence as a trading center worldwide.

New York’s strategic location was the site of many battles during the American Revolution.  As a symbol of American commerce and might, it became Ground Zero in our War Against Terrorism.   The September 11, 2001 attack was well planned to cripple American Trade and ruin Wall Street.  Incredibly, NYC carried on, the Dow Jones Index was recovered within a month and today is setting new highs.

Today, New York City (2003 Census population estimate: 8,085,742) is so densely populated, both privately and from a business viewpoint, that it is the only city in the United States with three telephone Area Codes.  (Manhattan: 212; Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, & Staten Island: 718; and Wireless: 917)

Known for international culture as well as commerce, NYC (home to the United Nations) is one of the world's major venues for international diplomacy, as well as a worldwide mecca for live theater.  “Playing on Broadway” is synonymous with success in the Theater. The sheer variety of museums and cultural opportunities can be overwhelming; the night-life (and day-life) is always “happening”.   Five star shopping, great jazz, great architecture, every ethnic cuisine – are all represented on a grand scale!

New Yorkers love a challenge; the Empire State Building  was built in a competition to build the tallest building in the world. Walter Chrysler (Chrysler Corp.) and John Jakob Raskob (creator of General Motors) raced to complete their entries; the Chrysler building was the tallest for about a month, until the Empire State Building was completed.

The right-center scoreboard at Shea stadium, home of the NY Mets, is one of largest in the majors: 175 feet long and 86 feet high with a clock on the top  (Shea Stadium is the first stadium which converts to a football field from a baseball field.)

Manhattan’s Central Park, the first landscaped public park in the United States, covers a larger area than the principality of Monaco. Central Park was the first landscaped public park in the United States.

Visitors to New York City are struck by the big-city bustle, the glamour, the chutzpah, the breadth and speed of NYC traffic.  Do they plan to go again?  “In a New York Minute!!”

Local News

Talk of Isolation and Expectations Follows a Young Model?s Death in New York (New York Times)

Gospel Singer Rev. Timothy Wright Injured In Fatal Car Accident (WCBS 880 New York)

NEW! Gospel singer Wright hurt in Pa. car accident (The Oakland Press)

National and Washington news in brief (San Jose Mercury News)