New York and other cities in the USA

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New York

• State: New York
• Population: 8.600.000
• Population rank: 1st (25th in the world)

General information

The New York City is the most populous city in the United States with estimated population of 8.600.000. It is also the most densely populated major city in the United States. It is located at the southern tip of the state of New York, at the mouth of the Hudson river. The city forms the center of the New York metropolitan area, one of the largest metropolitan areas in the world and one of the world's most populous megacities. New York is an important cultural, financial, media, entertainment, research, and education center. It is also significant for international diplomacy with headquarters of the United Nations located in Manhattan.

New York City consists of five boroughs – Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, The Brox and Staten Island, which were consolidated into a single city in 1898. New York constitutes an important gateway for legal immigration. More than 3.2 million inhabitants were born outside of the United States, which form the largest foreign-born population of any city in the world. New York is also the most linguistically diverse city in the world with more than 800 languages being spoken.

History

The area of the New York city was originally inhabited by Algonquian Native Americans. The first European to enter the New York Bay was a Florentine explorer Giovanni da Verrazzano, who sailed in the area in 1524. The first non-Native American inhabitant of the New York City area was a Dutch representative Juan Rodrigues who was trading with the native population during the winter of 1613-1614. In 1624, a Dutch fur trading settlement was founded on Governors Island. Later, the settlement was later named New Amsterdam. In 1626, the island of Manhattan was bought from the natives for 60 guilders (~1000 USD) by a representative of Dutch West India Company, Peter Minuit. In 1664, the Director-General Peter Stuyvesant surrendered New Amsterdam to English soldiers, since he was unable to summon any significant resistance. The terms of the surrender granted religious freedom and allowed the Dutch residents to stay in the colony. The English renamed the city "New York" after the Duke of York. The transfer was confirmed in 1667 by the Treaty of Breda, which ended the Second Anglo-Dutch War.

During the American Revolutionary War, New York was controlled by British soldiers and served as a military and political base. The city was also a haven for Loyalist refugees and escaped slaves who joined the British for freedom which was promised for all fighters. In 1776, the Great Fire of New York occurred and destroyed about a quarter of the buildings in the city. In 1783, the British forces evacuated. The city also served as a assembly place of the Congress and can be considered one of the former national capitals of the United states. In1898, the modern City of New York was formed with the consolidation of Brooklyn, the Country of New York, the Country of Richmond and the western portion of the County of Queens. In 1904, the New York subway was opened. In 2001, the World Trade Center located in Lower Manhattan was one of the targets of September 11 attacks when 10 terrorists associated with Al-Qaeda piloted two airliners into its North and south Tower. The towers collapsed shortly after the impact killing 2606 people.obla

Places of interest

• Liberty Island (formerly known as Bedloe's Island) and the Statue of Liberty – 46 meters high statue designed by French sculptor Fréderic Auguste Bartholdi and built by Gustave Eiffel. The sculpture was given to the United States by French on October 28, 1886. The Statue of Liberty is a figure of a robed woman representing Libertas, a Roman liberty goddess. She holds a torch above her head with her right hand, and in her left carries a tablet with the date of the U.S. Deceleration of Independence inscribed in Roman numerals. A broken chain lies at her feet. The statue became an icon of freedom and of the United States.
• Financial District – part of New York where the offices and headquarters of many of the city's major financial institutions are located. It is home to the world's two largest stock exchanges by total market capitalization, the New York Stock Exchange (located on Wall Street) and NASDAQ (National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations). The former World Trade Center complex was located in the neighborhood until the September 11 attacks and has been replaced by One World Trade Center (AKA Freedom Tower), the sixth-tallest building in the world (541 m) and the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere. The National September 11 Memorial & Museum has been built at the former World Trade Center site.
• Empire State Building – the third-tallest building in New York and fifth-tallest building in the United States. The building has a roof height of 380 m and stands a total of 443,2 m, including its antenna.
• Times Square – major commercial intersection, tourist destination and entertainment center at the junction of Broadway and Seventh Avenue. It is one of the world's most visited attractions, partly because of it's famous illuminated billboards and advertisements.
• Central Park – most visited urban park in the United Sates and one of the most filmed locations in the world

Washington, D.C.

• State: None (Federal District)
• Population: 693.972
• Population rank: 21st

General information

Washington, D.C. (formally District of Columbia) is the capital of the United States of America. It was founded after the American Revolution as the seat of government of the newly independent country and named after George Washington, first President of the United States. Washington is the seat of all three branches of the United States federal government – U.S. Congress (legislative), President (executive), and the U.S. Supreme Court (judicial). Additionally, it is the seat of several international institutions, such as the World Bank and International Monetary Fund. The city is independent on other states and is administered directly by Congress. It is one of the most visited cities in the world, with more than 20 million annual tourists.

History

In 1783, a band of unpaid soldiers besieged Congress while its members were meeting in Philadelphia. The incident emphasized the need to establish a national capital, which would ensure the safety of the federal government independently of any state. In 1790, Congress passed the Residence Act, which approved the creation of a national capital on the Potomac River. The federal district was formed from land donated by the states of Maryland and Virginia. A new federal city was then constructed on the north bank of the Potomac, to the east of existing settlement of Georgetown. In 1791, the city was named in honor of President Washington. The federal district was named Columbia after Christopher Columbus, who rediscovered America.

In 1800, the congress held its first session in Washington. Congress passed the Organic Act of 1801, which officially organized the District and placed the entire territory under the exclusive control of the federal government. In 1814, the British forces invaded the city during the War of 1812 and burned the Capitol, Treasury and White House. The incident is known as the Burning of Washington. In 1846, the territory donated by Virginia has been returned and the current District's area consists only of the portion originally donated by Maryland.

Places of interest

• United States Capitol – home of the United States Congress, and the seat of the legislative branch of the U.S. federal government. It is located on Capital Hill at the eastern end of the National Mall. The House of Representatives is located in the south wing and the Senate in the north wing.
• White House – official residence and workplace of the President of the United States. In 1800, John Adams became the first president to occupy the building. Official rooms are on the first floor, the second and third floors are for presidential family. President's office is called "oval office".

Chicago

• State: Illinois
• Population: 2.700.000
• Population rank: 3rd

San Francisco

• State: California
• Population: 880.000
• Population rank: 13th

Los Angeles

• State: California
• Population: 4.000.000
• Population rank: 2nd

New Orleans

• State: Louisiana
• Population: 390.000
• Population rank: 49th