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

• National Mall – landscaped park located near the downtown area of Washington. The National Mall contains and borders a number of museums of the Smithsonian Institution, art galleries, cultural institutions, and various memorials, sculptures and statues.
• 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".
• Lincoln Memorial – American national monument built to honor the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln. It is located on the western end on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., across from the Washington Monument. The building is in the form of a Greek temple and contains a large seated sculpture of Abraham Lincoln. East of the Lincoln Memorial lies the reflecting pool, the largest of the many reflecting pools in Washington.
• Washington Monument – obelisk on the National Mall, built to commemorate George Washington, the first President of the United States. It is the world's tallest stone structure and the world's tallest obelisk with height of 169 m.
• Smithsonian Institution Museums – museums maintained by the Smithsonian Institution which do not charge for admission.
  • National Zoological Park – one of the oldest zoological gardens in the United States
  • National Air and Space Museum – museum containing the Apollo 11 command module, Friendship 7 capsule which was flown by John Glenn, the Bell X-1 which broke the sound barrier, and the Wright brother's plane.
  • National Museum of the American History
  • National Museum of Natural History

Chicago

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

General information

Chicago is the third most populous city in the United States. It is positioned on the southwest shore of Lake Michigan. The city is an important international hub for finance, commerce, industry, technology, telecommunications, and transportation. It is known for a large number of parks (the motto of the city is Urbs in Horto, a Latin phrase which means "City in a Garden"). Chicago was one of the first cities with skyscrapers and greatly influenced the architecture of the 20th century.

History

The name "Chicago" is derived from the word Shikaakwa for a wild relative of the onion that grew abundantly in the area. The area was originally inhabited by a Native American tribe Potawatomi. In 1803, Fort Dearborn was built in the area, which was destroyed in 1812 by the Potawatomi warriors. The fort was later rebuilt and Potawatomi tribes were forced to give up their territory by Treaty of St. Louis and by Treaty of Chicago. The Town of Chicago was established in 1833 with a population of about 200. The City of Chicago was founded in 1837. The city quickly developed and served as an important transportation hub between the eastern and western United States. In 1871, the Great Chicago Fire destroyed a large section of the city. During its rebuilding period, Chicago constructed the world's first skyscraper in 1885.

Points of interest

• Willis Tower (AKA Sears Tower) – the second-tallest building in the United States and the Western hemisphere and the 16th-tallest building in the world.
• Navy Pier – 1010 m long pier on the Chicago shoreline of Lake Michigan. More than fifty acres of parks, gardens, restaurants, attractions and exhibition facilities are located on the pier.
• Millenium Park – public park built to celebrate the third millennium.
• Field Museum of Natural History – one of the largest natural history museums in the world

San Francisco

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

General information

San Francisco (officially the City and County of San Francisco) is the cultural, commercial, and financial center of Northern California. It is located on the West coast of the United States.

History

San Francisco was founded in 1776, when colonists from Spain established Presidio of San Francisco at the Golden Gate (the strait, not the bridge). The territory later became part of Mexico and was eventually conquered by the Americans in 1846. In 1847, the settlement was renamed to San Francisco. In 1906 about three-qarters of the city was destroyed by the earthquake and subsequent fire.

Points of interest

• Golden Gate Bridge – 2.7 km long suspension bridge over the Golden Gate strait. It is considered one of the most beautiful bridges in the world.
• Transamerica Pyramid – the tallest building in San Francisco
• Alcatraz – small island with abandoned prison, early military fortification, rock pools, and a seabird colony

Los Angeles

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

General information

Los Angeles (officially the City of Los Angeles) is the second-most populous city in the United States with a population estimated at 4 million. It is located on the southwest coast of the United States.

History

Los Angeles was officially founded in 1781, by Spanish governor Felipe de Neve. It became a part of Mexico in 1821. In 1848, Los Angeles and the rest of California were purchased by the United States. In 1932 and 1984, the city hosted the Summer Olympics and was chosen to host the 2028 Summer Olympics.

Places of interest

• Hollywood – part of the Los Angeles notable as the home of the U.S. film industry. It also features the famous 107.3 m long Hollywood Sign and the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
• Walt Disney Concet Hall – fourth hall of the Los Angeles Music Center, home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic orchestra

New Orleans

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

General information

New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city of the state of Louisiana. It is located in the southeastern Louisiana, and occupies both sides of the Mississippi River.

History

The city was founded in 1718, by French colonist Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville. The city was part of the French colonial empire until 1763, when it was handed to Spain. In 1801, it was returned back to France and in 1803, it was sold to United States. In 2005, the city was severely damaged by Hurricane Katrina.

Points of interest

• St. Louis Cathedral – the oldest cathedral in the United States
• Audobon Zoo – zoo with a rare white alligator