New York Information

Located in the state on New York this city is now the most populous city in America. It has a estimated population of just over eight million in the city itself. However with the urban figures of the New York Metropolitan area included the figures rises to about twenty two million in total. The city includes large immigrant populations from over 180 different countries making it one of the world's most cosmopolitan places in the world today.

New York City and Tourism

New York New York so good they named it twice that's what they and 39 million visitors a year can't be wrong. With major attractions such as the Empire State Building, Times Square, Radio City Music Hall, and of course the Statue of Liberty and many more.

The city also has over 28,000 acres of parkland, the best known being Central Park. This has to be one of the finest examples of landscape architecture in the world, as well as a fantastic recreation source for all New Yorkers. Some of the other major parks worth visiting when in the city are Riverside Park, Battery Park, Washington Square Park plus several more. Also not known by everyone is that New York has over 14 miles of public beach out of the city's 578 miles of waterfront.

Other maritime attractions include the South Street Seaport that has the site of the historic port and the Intrepid Sea – Air- Space Museum housed in the World War II aircraft carrier. Millions of tourists visit New York not to see any tourist attractions at all but go simply for the shopping. New York City's fifth avenue is famous for its luxury items. Macy's is the nations largest store and is a major destination for those who visit New York.

Of course New York City became the worlds centre of attraction on the morning of September the 11th when an act of terrorism shook the world and probably changed it forever. Not only did the attack hit and destroy the heart of the financial centre of the city it stopped tourism in its tracks as well.

The city has taken over two years to rebound but tourism figures are back almost to what they were prior to the attack. More domestic visitors are coming to New York now that the world trade site has become a shrine for those who still grieve Also international figures are steadily growing as peoples attitude to terrorism changes or hardens.

Most tourists coming to New York only ever think of Manhattan but there is more to offer with four other boroughs worth visiting. Brooklyn's Coney Island is one of them certainly with its boardwalk, beach and amusement parks is great fun. Taking the Staten Island ferry also gives you those fantastic views of the Manhattan skyline. Queens is home to the legacy of the worlds fair from 1964 and also the US Open tennis tournament held in September.

New York and its love of Theatre

The city boasts a highly active and very influential theatre district. Shows that fail in New York are seldom seen again anywhere in the world. The theatre district is built around the Times Square area in Manhattan and is responsible for thousands of jobs. The revenue brought in by the theatre tourism is worth billions to the New York economy and alongside the West End in London is considered to be the highest quality in the world.

New York Media and Entertainment

Movies and New York go hand in hand whether featuring in them or making them. The Manhattan skyline must be on of the worlds most seen skyline, especially thanks to directors like Woody Allen and Martin Scorsese. New York also has been the setting for many works of literature written by the large population of writers that New York draws. Those writers include such as Don Dellio, Susan Sontag, Jonathan Franzen and many more.

New York can also boast to have over 40 daily newspapers printed in several languages also including the Wall Street Journal with a circulation of just over 2 million. New York is also the home of North Americas oldest continuously published newspaper the New York Post that was founded in 1801 by Alexander Hamilton.

The city is home to TV's biggest stations such as ABC, CBS, and NBC plus many other network organisations.

Music also has played a large part in New York's history with the mixture of cultures all having a small influence at some time. New York has served as an important centre for many different genres of music ranging from the Big Band Era and Jazz up to Punk, Goth, and Hip Hop that originated from the Bronx area back in 1973.

The East Village area has always been known for its love of Jazz and the theme continues today.

New York's Climate

The city has a continental climate hot humid summers and typically cold winters. Some of the worst winter snowstorms can bring the city to a standstill. The great blizzard that struck in 1888 brought down telephone and telegraph lines that led to the lines moving underground as well as the subway being started.

Other great blizzards bringing chaos to New York were the storms of December 1946, February 1969, February 1978, February 1983, January 1996 and the latest major blizzard was only in February 2003. Springtime in the city can be mild with highs of around 50° Fahrenheit. The summers in New York City can be hot and humid here temperatures can constantly exceed 90°F July and August are the most humid. Highest temperatures of 109°F were recorded in the summers of 1936 and recently 2005 recorded temperatures of 100°F. New York can also have long stretches of rain as well as long dry periods so when visiting next be prepared for all extremes.

Crime in New York

The last fifteen years has seen a year on year decrease in crime in New York City making it one of the United States safest large cities to visit. Violent crime has dropped by 75% in the last two years making the murder rate in 2004 the lowest in 40 years. New Yorkers believe that the implementation of COMPSTAT crime analysis by the New York Police Department in 1994 is the main reason for the positive changes. New York City is also famous for crime and the Mafia names such as Arnold Rothstein, Meyer Lansky, and Lucky Luciano and the five families of New York portrayed in the movie the Godfather.