New York facts that will surprise you

By Venus R. Anderson
November 25, 2021

Some people are convinced we know everything about New York, but it’s not true. It has a lot to surprise everyone. 

The majority of people associate New York with vibrant streets, amazing hotels and fashionable restaurants. A lot of world-famous films and TV series were shot on the streets of this city. It would seem that we already know everything about this metropolis, but it’s not. The Big Apple still has something to surprise everyone.

Population

So, the population is approximately 8.5 million people (20 million, taking into account suburbs) (data from 2021), of which:

  • Whites: 55%.
  • African American: 17.6%.
  • Spanish and Latino: 15%.
  • Asian: 9%.
  • American Indian: 1%.
  • Other: 3%.

Top facts that may surprise you

Now, let’s proceed to interesting facts. They will be of special interest for foreigners, as those who reside in this magical city probably know a lot of them.

  1. New Amsterdam was founded in the 17th century by colonists from Holland. Until 1664, the city bore this name, and after the capture by the British, it was renamed in honor of the younger brother of King Charles II, the Duke of York, and became New York.
  2. The Dutchman Peter Mineuyt made a very successful deal in 1626: he exchanged the island of Manhattan with the Indians for property worth only $ 24 at current prices. Now it is the most expensive area in ​​the city.
  3. The Federal Reserve Bank of New York houses the largest gold depository in the world. There is no less than $ 90 billion in gold bars.
  4. In the early 70s, a mysterious 29-story skyscraper without windows was built in downtown Manhattan. Officially, it belongs to the telecommunications provider AT&T, but there is information about the use of the structure for the needs of the special services. According to the project, the building is capable of withstanding a nuclear strike and, in the event of a disaster, turn into an autonomous mini-city.
  5. Hog Island land area south of Rockaway Beach with a length of 1600 meters sank after a powerful hurricane in 1893.
  6. New York’s unofficial nickname “Big Apple” has nothing to do with fruit. It originated in the 1920s when horse racing was popular in New York. The jockeys called “apple” the tracks and prizes won by the participants.
  7. New York has 12 giant suspension bridges and a large number of tunnels. Almost all of them are toll-free.
  8. The Statue of Liberty is located on Liberty Island, the underwater part of which belongs to the state of New Jersey.
  9. Locals are called New Yorkers. Many of them, after the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001, suffer from post-traumatic syndrome.
  10. About half of the population does not speak English at home. About 800 languages ​​are spoken in everyday life, making New York the most cosmopolitan city on our planet.
  11. The Jewish community here is the largest in the world outside the homeland, while the Poles are not much less than in Warsaw.
  12. According to statistics, every 21st resident of the Big Apple is a millionaire.
  13. The length of all streets in New York is 10259 km.
  14. Restaurants of all nations of the world are open in the city; in total, there are about 25 thousand establishments. It is customary to leave 15% for tea, so the service is usually excellent. The salaries of the waiters are quite low, and they try to please their customers as much as possible.
  15. In New York, dishes are prepared from the meat of any animals that are not listed in the Red Book. Alcoholic drinks imported from different countries are also sold.
  16. The first pizzeria in the United States opened in New York in 1895. One-way subway fares and a slice of pizza have been roughly the same for 50 years ($2.75).
  17. Most of the homeless live in Manhattan, where alms are more often given. 97% of them themselves do not want to change anything, only 3% really found themselves in a hopeless situation.
  18. On average, it takes every New Yorker 40 minutes to travel from home to work.
  19. New York was ranked in the anti-rating of 10 cities with the worst traffic jams.
  20. The largest subway in the world is located in New York; it has 469 stations, the length of the entire network is 1355 km. Works around the clock. 5.22 million trips are made on weekdays.
  21. More than 12 thousand species of living creatures have been found in the New York subway, including bacteria, insects, and even rats.
  22. Fun fact: a microscopic shrimp called a copepod lives in the tap water of New York.
  23. The number of suicides in the city exceeds the number of homicides.
  24. New York is the birthplace of musicals, the oldest of which is “Chicago.” They are given every evening in numerous theaters.
  25. Among the most prestigious concert halls in the United States are Carnegie Hall, the Lincoln Center, the United Nations Hall in New York, and any artist dreams of performing there at least once.
  26. “Big Apple” is a city of skyscrapers. The 103-story Empire State Building even has a separate zip code.

Hopefully, it was interesting for you to get to know a little bit more about New York. See you soon!