🕷️ Crawler Inspector

URL Lookup

Direct Parameter Lookup

Raw Queries and Responses

1. Shard Calculation

Query:

Response:

Calculated Shard: 62 (from laksa013)

2. Crawled Status Check

Query:

curl -X POST \
  'http://laksa062.int.ahrefs:8124/' \
  -H 'Content-Type: text/plain' \
  -H 'X-ClickHouse-Database: crawler3' \
  -H 'Authorization: Basic YXBpOg==' \
  -d 'SELECT getAhrefsURLFromUnparsed(src_unparsed) AS found_url, ifNull(toUnixTimestamp(download_stamp), 0) AS crawl_time, ifNull(toUnixTimestamp(props_url_first_seen), 0) AS first_indexed_time, download_http_code AS http_code, src_unparsed AS src_unparsed, src_root_hash AS src_root_hash, history_drop_reason AS history_drop_reason, meta_title AS meta_title, meta_descriptions AS meta_descriptions, attrs_boilerpipe_text AS attrs_boilerpipe_text, attrs_markdown AS attrs_markdown, attrs_readable_markdown AS attrs_readable_markdown, meta_canonical AS meta_canonical FROM crawler3.page_info_local FINAL PREWHERE (src_root_hash, src_unparsed) IN ((getAhrefsRootHashFromUnparsed(getAhrefsUnparsedNoserviceFromURL(\'https://www.britannica.com/topic/Friends\')), getAhrefsUnparsedNoserviceFromURL(\'https://www.britannica.com/topic/Friends\'))) FORMAT JSONEachRow'

Response:

{"found_url":"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/topic\/Friends","crawl_time":1776013231,"first_indexed_time":1476672123,"http_code":200,"src_unparsed":"com,britannica!www,\/topic\/Friends s443","src_root_hash":"5455945239613777662","history_drop_reason":null,"meta_title":"Friends | Characters, Cast, Story, & Facts | Britannica","meta_descriptions":["Friends, popular American television sitcom that aired on NBC from 1994 to 2004. It won six Emmy Awards, including outstanding comedy series, and, from its second season until the end of its run, it maintained a top five or better Nielsen rating, hitting number one in its eighth season."],"attrs_boilerpipe_text":"Top Questions\nWhere is New York City located?\nWhat are the five boroughs of New York City?\nHow long is the mayoral term in New York City?\nWhy is New York City important in the United States?\nWhat does the seal of New York City look like?\nWhat is the average temperature of New York City?\nNews\n•\nNew York City\n,\ncity\nand port located at the mouth of the\nHudson River\n, southeastern\nNew York\nstate, northeastern U.S. It is the largest and most influential American metropolis,\nencompassing\nManhattan\nand Staten islands, the western sections of\nLong Island\n, and a small portion of the\nNew York state\nmainland to the north of Manhattan. New York City is in reality a collection of many neighbourhoods scattered among the city’s five boroughs—\nManhattan\n,\nBrooklyn\n, the\nBronx\n,\nQueens\n, and\nStaten Island\n—each exhibiting its own lifestyle. Moving from one city neighbourhood to the next may be like passing from one country to another. New York is the most populous and the most international city in the country. Its urban area extends into adjoining parts of New York,\nNew Jersey\n, and\nConnecticut\n. Located where the\nHudson\nand\nEast\nrivers empty into one of the world’s premier harbours, New York is both the gateway to the North American continent and its preferred exit to the oceans of the globe. Area 305 square miles (790 square km). Pop. (2010) 8,175,133; New York–White Plains–Wayne Metro Division, 11,576,251; New York–Northern New Jersey–Long Island Metro Area, 18,897,109; (2020) 8,804,190; New York–Jersey City–White Plains Metro Division, 12,449,348; New York–Newark–Jersey City Metro Area, 20,140,470.\nDid You Know?\nSince the first U.S. census was held in 1790, New York has been the largest city in the\nUnited States\n. How do other cities rank?\nFind out in our list of the 25 largest U.S. cities.\nCharacter of the city\nNew York is the most ethnically\ndiverse\n, religiously varied, commercially driven, famously congested, and, in the eyes of many, the most attractive urban centre in the country. No other city has contributed more images to the\ncollective\nconsciousness\nof Americans:\nWall Street\nmeans finance,\nBroadway\nis synonymous with theatre, Fifth Avenue is automatically paired with shopping, Madison Avenue means the\nadvertising\nindustry,\nGreenwich Village\nconnotes bohemian lifestyles, Seventh Avenue signifies fashion,\nTammany Hall\ndefines machine politics, and\nHarlem\nevokes images of the\nJazz Age\n, African American\naspirations\n, and slums. The word\ntenement\nbrings to mind both the miseries of urban life and the upward mobility of striving immigrant masses. New York has more Jews than\nTel Aviv\n, more Irish than\nDublin\n, more Italians than\nNaples\n, and more\nPuerto Ricans\nthan\nSan Juan\n. Its symbol is the\nStatue of Liberty\n, but the metropolis is itself an icon, the arena in which\nEmma Lazarus\n’s “tempest-tost” people of every nation are transformed into Americans—and if they remain in the city, they become New Yorkers.\nFor the past two centuries, New York has been the largest and wealthiest American city. More than half the people and goods that ever entered the United States came through its port, and that stream of commerce has made change a constant presence in city life. New York always meant possibility, for it was an urban centre on its way to something better, a metropolis too busy to be\nsolicitous\nof those who stood in the way of progress. New York—while the most American of all the country’s cities—thus also achieved a reputation as both foreign and fearsome, a place where turmoil,\narrogance\n, incivility, and cruelty tested the stamina of everyone who entered it. The city was inhabited by strangers, but they were, as\nJames Fenimore Cooper\nexplained, “essentially national in interest, position, pursuits. No one thinks of the place as belonging to a particular state but to the United States.” Once the capital of both its state and the country, New York surpassed such status to become a world city in both commerce and outlook, with the most famous skyline on earth. It also became a target for international terrorism—most notably the\ndestruction in 2001\nof the\nWorld Trade Center\n, which for three decades had been the most prominent symbol of the city’s global prowess. However, New York remains for its residents a conglomeration of local neighbourhoods that provide them with familiar cuisines, languages, and experiences. A city of stark contrasts and deep contradictions, New York is perhaps the most fitting representative of a diverse and powerful nation.\nBritannica Quiz\nUnited States of America Quiz\nThe landscape\nThe city site\nSections of the\ngranite\nbedrock of New York date to about 100 million years ago, but the\ntopography\nof the present city is largely the product of the glacial recession that marked the end of the\nWisconsin Glacial Stage\nabout 10,000 years ago. Great erratic boulders in Manhattan’s\nCentral Park\n, deep kettle depressions in Brooklyn and Queens, and the glacial moraine that remains in parts of the\nmetropolitan area\nprovide silent testimony to the enormous power of the ice. Glacial retreat also carved out the waterways around the city. The\nHudson\nand\nEast\nrivers, Spuyten Duyvil Creek, and Arthur Kill are, in reality, estuaries of the\nAtlantic Ocean\n, and the Hudson is tidal as far north as\nTroy\n. The approximately 600 miles (1,000 km) of New York shoreline are locked in constant combat with the ocean, as it erodes the land and adds new sediments elsewhere. Although the harbour is constantly dredged, ship channels are continually filled with river silt and are too shallow for more modern deep-sea vessels.\nSmart, reliable knowledge for professionals, students, and curious minds everywhere.\nSUBSCRIBE\nSouth of the rockbound terrain of Manhattan stretches a sheltered deepwater anchorage offering easy access to the Atlantic Ocean. In 1524 the Italian navigator\nGiovanni da Verrazzano\nwas the first European to enter the harbour, which he named Santa Margarita, and he reported that the hills surrounding the vast expanse of New York Bay appeared to be rich in minerals; more than 90 species of\nprecious\nstone and 170 of the world’s minerals have actually been found in New York. Verrazzano’s daring expedition was\ncommemorated\nin 1964, when what was then the world’s longest suspension\nbridge\nwas dedicated to span the Narrows at the entrance to Upper New York Bay.\nOfficially:\nthe City of New York\nHistorically:\nNew Amsterdam, the Mayor, Alderman, and Commonality of the City of New York, and New Orange\nByname:\nthe Big Apple\nWalk through Central Park and the Garment District and hop a ferry past the Statue of Liberty in New York City\nA look at New York City in the 1980s, showing activity in the Garment District and views of the public transportation system and the urban landscape, including the twin towers of the World Trade Center, which were destroyed in the September 11, 2001, terrorist attack.\nSee all videos for this article\nOnly the third largest American port at the time of the\nAmerican Revolution\n, New York gradually achieved trade domination and by the mid-1800s handled more than half of the country’s oceangoing travelers and commercial trade. After 1900 New York was the world’s busiest port, a distinction it held until the 1950s. Cargo containerization, the\nobsolescence\nof its waterfront piers, and soaring labour costs shifted business to the New Jersey side of the river after the 1960s, but at the beginning of the 21st century the\nPort Authority of New York and New Jersey\nstill dominated the water trade of the northeastern United States.","attrs_markdown":"[![Encyclopedia Britannica](https:\/\/cdn.britannica.com\/mendel\/eb-logo\/MendelNewThistleLogo.png)](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/)\n\n[![Encyclopedia Britannica](https:\/\/cdn.britannica.com\/mendel\/eb-logo\/MendelNewThistleLogo.png)](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/)\n\n[SUBSCRIBE](https:\/\/premium.britannica.com\/premium-membership\/?utm_source=premium&utm_medium=global-nav&utm_campaign=blue-evergreen)\n\n[SUBSCRIBE](https:\/\/premium.britannica.com\/premium-membership\/?utm_source=premium&utm_medium=global-nav-mobile&utm_campaign=blue-evergreen)\n\nLogin\n\nhttps:\/\/premium.britannica.com\/premium-membership\/?utm\\_source=premium\\&utm\\_medium=nav-login-box\\&utm\\_campaign=evergreen\n\n[SUBSCRIBE](https:\/\/premium.britannica.com\/premium-membership\/?utm_source=premium&utm_medium=hamburger-menu&utm_campaign=blue)\n\n[Ask the Chatbot](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/chatbot)\n\n[Games & Quizzes](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/quiz\/browse) [History & Society](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/History-Society) [Science & Tech](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/Science-Tech) [Biographies](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/Biographies) [Animals & Nature](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/Animals-Nature) [Geography & Travel](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/Geography-Travel) [Arts & Culture](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/Arts-Culture) [ProCon](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/procon) [Money](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/money) [Videos](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/videos)\n\n[Friends](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/topic\/Friends)\n\n[Introduction](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/topic\/Friends)   [References & Edit History](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/topic\/Friends\/additional-info)  [Quick Facts & Related Topics](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/facts\/Friends)\n\n[Images](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/topic\/Friends\/images-videos)\n\n[![Friends](https:\/\/cdn.britannica.com\/28\/163528-004-64AFA585\/cast-Friends-Matt-LeBlanc-Lisa-Kudrow-Courteney.jpg)](https:\/\/cdn.britannica.com\/28\/163528-050-2BCA9DC0\/cast-Friends-Matt-LeBlanc-Lisa-Kudrow-Courteney.jpg)  [![Friends](https:\/\/cdn.britannica.com\/01\/235601-004-D2AC5BE8\/Friends-cast-television-series-1994.jpg)](https:\/\/cdn.britannica.com\/01\/235601-050-895651AA\/Friends-cast-television-series-1994.jpg)  [![Lisa Kudrow](https:\/\/cdn.britannica.com\/62\/248562-004-5969DFE1\/Lisa-Kudrow-Friends.jpg)](https:\/\/cdn.britannica.com\/62\/248562-050-310A83C9\/Lisa-Kudrow-Friends.jpg)  [![David Schwimmer as Ross Geller (left) and Matthew Perry as Chandler Bing (right) in the television sitcom Friends](https:\/\/cdn.britannica.com\/40\/264440-004-6408D1C3\/Publicity-still-Friends-TV-sticom-sarcasm-Matthew-Perry-Chandler-David-Schwimmer-Ross.jpg)](https:\/\/cdn.britannica.com\/40\/264440-050-621566AB\/Publicity-still-Friends-TV-sticom-sarcasm-Matthew-Perry-Chandler-David-Schwimmer-Ross.jpg)\n\nQuizzes\n\n[![1970s style television set with static on the screen, on a small table with a doily underneath. (retro style)](https:\/\/cdn.britannica.com\/45\/249845-131-314A2B7D\/1970s-retro-television-set.jpg?w=200&h=200&c=crop)](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/quiz\/pop-culture-vocabulary-quiz)\n\n[Pop Culture Vocabulary Quiz](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/quiz\/pop-culture-vocabulary-quiz)\n\n[![\"Back to the 90's\" with a dotted and herringbone background pattern. (1990s, retro style, decades, nostalgia) SEE CONTENT NOTES.](https:\/\/cdn.britannica.com\/41\/252041-131-D4C50C10\/Back-to-the-90s-poster.jpg?w=200&h=200&c=crop)](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/quiz\/that-90s-quiz)\n\n[That ’90s Quiz](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/quiz\/that-90s-quiz)\n\n[![Illustration of missing, anonymous person in group. Quiz thumb, Guess Who is Missing?](https:\/\/cdn.britannica.com\/74\/264874-131-21D625FD\/missing-anonymous-person-illustration.jpg?w=200&h=200&c=crop)](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/quiz\/whos-missing-quiz)\n\n[Who’s Missing? Quiz](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/quiz\/whos-missing-quiz)\n\n[![Thumbnail for 'Which Came First' Quiz. Composite image. Left is a stack of chocolate chip cookies on an orange background, right is a stack of off-brand oreos on a blue background. Dessert, food, snack](https:\/\/cdn.britannica.com\/47\/271847-131-DD71DC79\/Stack-of-chocolate-chip-cookies-and-a-stack-of-off-brand-Oreos-composite-image.jpg?w=200&h=200&c=crop)](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/quiz\/the-dating-game-which-came-first-vol-2)\n\n[The Dating Game: Which Came First? Vol. 2](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/quiz\/the-dating-game-which-came-first-vol-2)\n\n[![USA 2006 - 78th Annual Academy Awards. Closeup of giant Oscar statue at the entrance of the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles, California. Hompepage blog 2009, arts and entertainment, film movie hollywood](https:\/\/cdn.britannica.com\/65\/129465-131-8F637272\/USA-Annual-Academy-Awards-Closeup-entrance-statue-2009.jpg?w=200&h=200&c=crop)](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/quiz\/pop-culture-quiz)\n\n[Pop Culture Quiz](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/quiz\/pop-culture-quiz)\n\n![Britannica AI Icon](https:\/\/cdn.britannica.com\/mendel-resources\/3-179\/images\/chatbot\/star-ai.svg?v=3.179.9)\n\nContents\n\nAsk Anything\n\n[Entertainment & Pop Culture](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/browse\/Entertainment-Pop-Culture)    [Television & Radio](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/browse\/Television-Radio)    [TV & Radio Shows & Networks](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/browse\/TV-Radio-Shows-Networks)\n\nCITE\n\nShare\n\nFeedback\n\nExternal Websites\n\n[![Friends](https:\/\/cdn.britannica.com\/28\/163528-050-2BCA9DC0\/cast-Friends-Matt-LeBlanc-Lisa-Kudrow-Courteney.jpg?w=400&h=300&c=crop)](https:\/\/cdn.britannica.com\/28\/163528-050-2BCA9DC0\/cast-Friends-Matt-LeBlanc-Lisa-Kudrow-Courteney.jpg)\n\n[*Friends*](https:\/\/cdn.britannica.com\/28\/163528-050-2BCA9DC0\/cast-Friends-Matt-LeBlanc-Lisa-Kudrow-Courteney.jpg) The cast of *Friends*: (from left) Matt LeBlanc, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matthew Perry, Jennifer Aniston, and David Schwimmer.\n\n(more)\n\n# Friends\nAmerican television series\n\nHomework Help\n\nWritten and fact-checked by\n\n[Britannica Editors Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/editor\/The-Editors-of-Encyclopaedia-Britannica\/4419)\n\nBritannica Editors\n\nLast updated\n\nApr. 8, 2026\n\n•[History](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/topic\/Friends\/additional-info#history)\n\n![Britannica AI Icon](https:\/\/cdn.britannica.com\/mendel-resources\/3-179\/images\/chatbot\/star-ai.svg?v=3.179.9) Britannica AI\n\nAsk Anything\n\nTable of Contents\n\nTable of Contents\n\nAsk Anything\n\n## News •\n['Ketamine Queen' gets 15 years in prison for selling Matthew Perry the drugs that killed him](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/news\/683248\/c7b577c45b47314fe1191392adac7b06)  • Apr. 8, 2026, 4:47 PM ET (AP)\n\nShow less\n\n**Friends**, popular American television [sitcom](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/art\/situation-comedy) that aired on the [NBC](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/money\/National-Broadcasting-Co-Inc) network from 1994 to 2004. It won six [Emmy Awards](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/art\/Emmy-Award), including outstanding [comedy](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/art\/comedy) series, and from its second season until the end of its run maintained a top five or better Nielsen rating, hitting number one in its eighth season.\n\n[![Friends](https:\/\/cdn.britannica.com\/01\/235601-050-895651AA\/Friends-cast-television-series-1994.jpg?w=300)](https:\/\/cdn.britannica.com\/01\/235601-050-895651AA\/Friends-cast-television-series-1994.jpg)\n\n[*Friends*](https:\/\/cdn.britannica.com\/01\/235601-050-895651AA\/Friends-cast-television-series-1994.jpg)The cast of the television series *Friends* (1994) included (from left) Jennifer Aniston, David Schwimmer, Courteney Cox, Matt LeBlanc, Lisa Kudrow, and Matthew Perry.\n\n(more)\n\n*Friends* was created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman and is about a group of six young adults who are either roommates or neighbours in [New York City’s](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/New-York-City) [Greenwich Village](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/Greenwich-Village). Much of the show takes place in the friends’ apartments as they visit one another. The program revolves around the characters’ individual and [collective](https:\/\/www.merriam-webster.com\/dictionary\/collective) search for sex, commitment, and meaning. The friends consist of three men and three women, whose varied personalities and shortcomings allow for both broad audience identification and abundant comedic moments. At the beginning of the show, Monica Geller (played by [Courteney Cox](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/biography\/Courteney-Cox)) is a chef who often changes jobs and boyfriends in her search for the perfect match. Her brother, Ross ([David Schwimmer](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/biography\/David-Schwimmer)), is a paleontologist and divorcé (three times over by the end of the series) with a child. He has a long-standing crush on Rachel Green ([Jennifer Aniston](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/biography\/Jennifer-Aniston)), a fashion-minded woman who grew up in a wealthy family but works (for a time) as a barista at Central Perk, a café and popular meeting spot for the group. Eventually she lands a job with [Ralph Lauren](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/biography\/Ralph-Lauren). Phoebe Buffay ([Lisa Kudrow](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/biography\/Lisa-Kudrow)) is a ditsy masseuse and would-be musician with a quirky outlook on life. Joey Tribbiani ([Matt LeBlanc](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/biography\/Matt-LeBlanc)) is a mostly struggling actor and [buffoon](https:\/\/www.merriam-webster.com\/dictionary\/buffoon) who often confides in Chandler Bing ([Matthew Perry](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/biography\/Matthew-Perry)), a well-off statistics and data analyst who has terrible luck with women and in time develops an eye for Monica. Throughout the series, the friends live together or apart in different combinations.\n\nAwards And Honors:\n\n[Emmy Award](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/art\/Emmy-Award)\n\n*(Show more)*\n\nOn the Web:\n\n[BBC - The one about Friends still being most popular](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/education-47043831) (Mar. 28, 2026)\n\n*(Show more)*\n\n[See all related content](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/facts\/Friends)\n\nAs the show progressed, each character became a household name and each cast member a celebrity; they moved on to careers of varying success in motion pictures and television. The cast was renowned for its closeness and ensemble approach to their work on the series. The finale of *Friends* was watched by more than 52 million people. *[Joey](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/topic\/Joey-TV-series)* (2004–06), a spin-off starring LeBlanc, was much less successful. The *Friends* theme song, “I’ll Be There for You,” performed by the Rembrandts, was a minor pop hit in its own right. In 2021 the cast returned for *Friends: The Reunion*, a TV special in which they discussed the show.\n\n[![Illustration of missing, anonymous person in group. Quiz thumb, Guess Who is Missing?](https:\/\/cdn.britannica.com\/74\/264874-131-21D625FD\/missing-anonymous-person-illustration.jpg) Britannica Quiz Who’s Missing? Quiz](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/quiz\/whos-missing-quiz)\n\n[The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/editor\/The-Editors-of-Encyclopaedia-Britannica\/4419)This article was most recently revised and updated by [Amy Tikkanen](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/editor\/Amy-Tikkanen\/6393).\n\n![Britannica AI Icon](https:\/\/cdn.britannica.com\/mendel-resources\/3-179\/images\/chatbot\/star-ai.svg?v=3.179.9)Britannica AI\n\n*chevron\\_right*\n\nFriends\n\n*close*\n\n[AI-generated answers](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/about-britannica-ai) from Britannica articles. AI makes mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.\n\n[New York City](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/New-York-City)\n\n- [Introduction & Top Questions](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/New-York-City)\n- [Character of the city](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/New-York-City#ref215653)\n- [The landscape](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/New-York-City#ref215654)\n  - [The city site](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/New-York-City#ref215655)\n  \n  - [Climate and plant and animal life](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/New-York-City\/Climate-and-plant-and-animal-life)\n  \n  - [The city layout](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/New-York-City\/Climate-and-plant-and-animal-life#ref215657)\n  \n  - [The boroughs](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/New-York-City\/The-boroughs)\n    - [Manhattan](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/New-York-City\/The-boroughs#ref215659)\n    - [The Bronx](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/New-York-City\/The-boroughs#ref215660)\n    - [Brooklyn](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/New-York-City\/Brooklyn)\n    - [Queens](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/New-York-City\/Brooklyn#ref215662)\n    - [Staten Island](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/New-York-City\/Brooklyn#ref215663)\n  \n  - [Planning the modern metropolis](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/New-York-City\/Planning-the-modern-metropolis)\n- [The people](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/New-York-City\/Planning-the-modern-metropolis#ref215665)\n  - [Ethnic and religious diversity](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/New-York-City\/Planning-the-modern-metropolis#ref215666)\n  \n  - [Internal migration](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/New-York-City\/Internal-migration)\n- [The economy](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/New-York-City\/Internal-migration#ref215668)\n  - [Early industries](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/New-York-City\/Internal-migration#ref215669)\n  \n  - [Shipping and transportation](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/New-York-City\/Internal-migration#ref215670)\n  \n  - [Banking and finance](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/New-York-City\/Internal-migration#ref215671)\n  \n  - [The development of industry and trade](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/New-York-City\/Internal-migration#ref215672)\n  \n  - [The centre of business](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/New-York-City\/Internal-migration#ref215673)\n- [Administration and social conditions](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/New-York-City\/Administration-and-social-conditions)\n  - [Government](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/New-York-City\/Administration-and-social-conditions#ref215675)\n  \n  - [Education](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/New-York-City\/Education)\n    - [Primary and secondary systems](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/New-York-City\/Education#ref215677)\n    - [Higher education](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/New-York-City\/Education#ref215678)\n- [Cultural life](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/New-York-City\/Education#ref215679)\n- [The arts](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/New-York-City\/The-arts)\n- [Recreation](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/New-York-City\/The-arts#ref215681)\n- [History](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/New-York-City\/The-arts#ref215682)\n  - [The colonial city](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/New-York-City\/The-arts#ref215683)\n  \n  - [Growth of the metropolis](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/New-York-City\/Growth-of-the-metropolis)\n  \n  - [Greater New York](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/New-York-City\/Growth-of-the-metropolis#ref215685)\n\n[References & Edit History](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/New-York-City\/additional-info)  [Related Topics](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/facts\/New-York-City)\n\n[Images & Videos](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/New-York-City\/images-videos)\n\n[![Statue of Liberty](https:\/\/cdn.britannica.com\/61\/93061-004-74AE05AC\/Statue-of-Liberty-Island-New-York-Bay.jpg)](https:\/\/cdn.britannica.com\/61\/93061-050-99147DCE\/Statue-of-Liberty-Island-New-York-Bay.jpg)  [![New York City's Central Park](https:\/\/cdn.britannica.com\/70\/20070-004-E94A35BF\/Central-Park-Manhattan-New-York-City-apartment.jpg)](https:\/\/cdn.britannica.com\/70\/20070-050-C2E2045C\/Central-Park-Manhattan-New-York-City-apartment.jpg)  [![Statue of Liberty](https:\/\/cdn.britannica.com\/56\/10256-004-0F71A897\/immigrants-country-Statue-of-Liberty-glimpses-Upper.jpg)](https:\/\/cdn.britannica.com\/56\/10256-050-7F90918D\/immigrants-country-Statue-of-Liberty-glimpses-Upper.jpg)\n\n[![Why are New York City's bagels so good?](https:\/\/cdn.britannica.com\/67\/186967-138-21889250\/chemistry-bagels-New-York-City.jpg?w=400&h=225&c=crop)](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/video\/chemistry-bagels-New-York-City\/-207474)\n\n[![New York City metropolitan area](https:\/\/cdn.britannica.com\/51\/69551-004-CB855F23\/New-York-City-area.jpg)](https:\/\/cdn.britannica.com\/51\/69551-050-4AEF503F\/New-York-City-area.jpg)  [![Central New York City](https:\/\/cdn.britannica.com\/50\/69550-004-9DA1BE5C\/Central-New-York-City-borough-Manhattan-Park.jpg)](https:\/\/cdn.britannica.com\/50\/69550-050-B9DA3DCA\/Central-New-York-City-borough-Manhattan-Park.jpg)\n\n[![Orange skies over New York](https:\/\/cdn.britannica.com\/82\/251982-138-C60C7D69\/new-york-city-skyline-canadian-wildfires.jpg?w=400&h=225&c=crop)](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/video\/new-york-city-skyline-canadian-wildfires\/-293190)\n\n[![Walk through Central Park and the Garment District and hop a ferry past the Statue of Liberty in New York City](https:\/\/cdn.britannica.com\/86\/22286-138-066059AD\/look-New-York-City-transportation-system-World-September-11-2001.jpg?w=400&h=225&c=crop)](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/video\/look-New-York-City-transportation-system-World-September-11-2001\/-18476)\n\n[![waterfowl on Jamaica Bay](https:\/\/cdn.britannica.com\/04\/67904-004-B209B1B3\/Waterfowl-Jamaica-Bay-Gateway-National-Wildlife-Refuge-2001.jpg)](https:\/\/cdn.britannica.com\/04\/67904-050-452E5591\/Waterfowl-Jamaica-Bay-Gateway-National-Wildlife-Refuge-2001.jpg)  [![Manhattan, New York, c. 1900](https:\/\/cdn.britannica.com\/36\/24236-004-3034668C\/detail-Manhattan-map-New-York-City-edition.jpg)](https:\/\/cdn.britannica.com\/36\/24236-050-0092E0FE\/detail-Manhattan-map-New-York-City-edition.jpg)\n\nAt a Glance\n\n[![Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge](https:\/\/cdn.britannica.com\/17\/4917-004-BAF95BC0\/Verrazzano-Narrows-Bridge-New-York-City-suspension-bridge.jpg?w=200&h=200&c=crop)](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/summary\/New-York-City)\n\n[New York City summary](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/summary\/New-York-City)\n\nQuizzes\n\n[![United States Historical Flag: Stars and Stripes 1863 to 1865](https:\/\/cdn.britannica.com\/10\/153610-131-C3141C66\/United-States-Historical-Flag-Stars-and-Stripes-1865.jpg?w=200&h=200&c=crop)](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/quiz\/united-states-of-america-quiz)\n\n[United States of America Quiz](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/quiz\/united-states-of-america-quiz)\n\n[![Vintage, old-timey world map for Former Names of Current Places Quiz.](https:\/\/cdn.britannica.com\/63\/258363-131-52AB387C\/vintage-old-timey-world-map.jpg?w=200&h=200&c=crop)](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/quiz\/former-names-of-current-places-quiz)\n\n[Former Names of Current Places Quiz](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/quiz\/former-names-of-current-places-quiz)\n\n[![Tower Bridge over the Thames River in London, England. Opened in 1894. Remains an Important Traffic Route with 40,000 Crossings Every Day.](https:\/\/cdn.britannica.com\/60\/269560-131-B4CD857D\/tower-bridge-over-river-thames-london-england.jpg?w=200&h=200&c=crop)](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/quiz\/guess-the-city-by-its-river-quiz)\n\n[Guess the City by Its River Quiz](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/quiz\/guess-the-city-by-its-river-quiz)\n\n[![Color map of United States. Color USA map. Color USA map. Color dot USA map. Hompepage blog 2009, history and society, geography and travel, explore discovery](https:\/\/cdn.britannica.com\/00\/129600-131-B2E19CFB\/Color-map-USA-blog-geography-society-Hompepage-2009.jpg?w=200&h=200&c=crop)](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/quiz\/anywhere-usa)\n\n[Anywhere USA](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/quiz\/anywhere-usa)\n\nRelated Questions\n\n- [Why is New York City important in the United States?](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/question\/Why-is-New-York-City-important-in-the-United-States)\n- [What is the average temperature of New York City?](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/question\/What-is-the-average-temperature-of-New-York-City)\n- [Who bombed Wall Street in 1920?](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/question\/Who-bombed-Wall-Street-in-1920)\n- [What is the Statue of Liberty?](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/question\/What-is-the-Statue-of-Liberty)\n- [Who sculpted the Statue of Liberty?](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/question\/Who-sculpted-the-Statue-of-Liberty)\n\n![Britannica AI Icon](https:\/\/cdn.britannica.com\/mendel-resources\/3-179\/images\/chatbot\/star-ai.svg?v=3.179.9)\n\nAsk Anything\n\nQuick Summary\n\n[Geography & Travel](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/browse\/Geography-Travel)    [Cities & Towns](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/browse\/Cities-Towns)    [Cities & Towns M-O](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/browse\/Cities-Towns-M-O)\n\nCITE\n\nShare\n\nFeedback\n\nExternal Websites\n\n[![Statue of Liberty](https:\/\/cdn.britannica.com\/61\/93061-050-99147DCE\/Statue-of-Liberty-Island-New-York-Bay.jpg?w=400&h=300&c=crop)](https:\/\/cdn.britannica.com\/61\/93061-050-99147DCE\/Statue-of-Liberty-Island-New-York-Bay.jpg)\n\n[Statue of Liberty](https:\/\/cdn.britannica.com\/61\/93061-050-99147DCE\/Statue-of-Liberty-Island-New-York-Bay.jpg) The Statue of Liberty on Liberty Island in New York Bay in front of the New York City skyline.\n\n(more)\n\n# New York City\nNew York, United States\n\nHomework Help\n\nAlso known as: New Amsterdam, New Orange, New York, The City of New York, The Mayor, Alderman, and Commonality of the City of New York, the Big Apple[(Show More)](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/topic\/Friends)\n\nWritten by\n\n[George Lankevich Professor Emeritus, Bronx Community College, New York, New York. Author of *American Metropolis: A History of New York City,* and others.](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/contributor\/George-Lankevich\/4570)\n\nGeorge Lankevich\n\nFact-checked by\n\n[Britannica Editors Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/editor\/The-Editors-of-Encyclopaedia-Britannica\/4419)\n\nBritannica Editors\n\n[History](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/New-York-City\/additional-info#history)\n\n![Britannica AI Icon](https:\/\/cdn.britannica.com\/mendel-resources\/3-179\/images\/chatbot\/star-ai.svg?v=3.179.9) Britannica AI\n\nAsk Anything\n\nQuick Summary\n\nTable of Contents\n\nTable of Contents\n\nQuick Summary\n\nAsk Anything\n\nTop Questions\n\n### Where is New York City located?\nNew York City is located at the mouth of the Hudson River in southeastern New York state, which is in the northeastern section of the United States.\n\n### What are the five boroughs of New York City?\nThe five boroughs of New York City are Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx, Queens, and Staten Island.\n\n### How long is the mayoral term in New York City?\nIn New York City the mayor serves a four-year term and may hold office for a maximum of two consecutive terms.\n\n### Why is New York City important in the United States?\nNew York City is the largest and most influential American metropolis and the most populous and the most international city in the country. Located where the Hudson and East rivers empty into one of the world’s premier harbors, New York is both the gateway to the North American continent and its preferred exit to the oceans of the globe.\n\n### What does the seal of New York City look like?\nThe seal of the city of New York was adopted in 1686. It includes a beaver and a flour barrel, images that document the first major phase of Manhattan’s economic history, the fur trade and flour exports.\n\n### What is the average temperature of New York City?\nThe average temperature of New York City is about 31 °F (0 °C) in January and about 72 °F (22 °C) in June, but recorded temperature extremes range from −15 to 106 °F (−26 to 41 °C). The annual precipitation is 44 inches (1,120 mm). Because of New York’s moderate climate, the harbor rarely freezes.\n\n## News •\n[New York subway stabbings leave 3 hurt as police shoot and kill knife-wielding man, officials say](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/news\/412352\/1cd670e7b0a302e2d51f851a74247bfd)\n\n• Apr. 11, 2026, 7:06 PM ET (AP)\n\n...(Show more)\n\n[Democrats embrace DEI as 'American values' at National Action Network](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/news\/412352\/17a82fae76d362b751378c62c4e3d9f7)  • Apr. 11, 2026, 12:05 AM ET (AP)\n\n[Former US Rep. Eliot Engel, who worked on foreign affairs for decades, dies at 79](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/news\/412352\/2e6b4423cdfc09acd5d364921b793ef0)  • Apr. 10, 2026, 6:31 PM ET (AP)\n\n[Eric Adams, former 'international mayor' of NYC, becomes an honorary Albanian citizen](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/news\/412352\/de8d3acf07d7a6728f0e03d668d033d5)  • Apr. 10, 2026, 4:19 PM ET (AP)\n\n[In his first 100 days, Mamdani brings a unique star power to New York City governance](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/news\/412352\/4588280d3f2cc5b369ff0ddcf3dbf29e)  • Apr. 10, 2026, 3:47 PM ET (AP)\n\nShow less\n\n[![New York City's Central Park](https:\/\/cdn.britannica.com\/70\/20070-050-C2E2045C\/Central-Park-Manhattan-New-York-City-apartment.jpg?w=300)](https:\/\/cdn.britannica.com\/70\/20070-050-C2E2045C\/Central-Park-Manhattan-New-York-City-apartment.jpg)\n\n[New York City's Central Park](https:\/\/cdn.britannica.com\/70\/20070-050-C2E2045C\/Central-Park-Manhattan-New-York-City-apartment.jpg)Central Park, Manhattan, New York City, flanked by the apartment buildings of the Upper East Side.\n\n(more)\n\n**New York City**, [city](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/topic\/city) and port located at the mouth of the [Hudson River](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/Hudson-River), southeastern [New York](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/New-York-state) state, northeastern U.S. It is the largest and most influential American metropolis, [encompassing](https:\/\/www.merriam-webster.com\/dictionary\/encompassing) [Manhattan](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/Manhattan-New-York-City) and Staten islands, the western sections of [Long Island](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/Long-Island-New-York), and a small portion of the [New York state](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/New-York-state) mainland to the north of Manhattan. New York City is in reality a collection of many neighbourhoods scattered among the city’s five boroughs—[Manhattan](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/Manhattan-New-York-City), [Brooklyn](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/Brooklyn-borough-New-York-City), the [Bronx](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/Bronx-borough-New-York-City), [Queens](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/Queens-New-York), and [Staten Island](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/Staten-Island)—each exhibiting its own lifestyle. Moving from one city neighbourhood to the next may be like passing from one country to another. New York is the most populous and the most international city in the country. Its urban area extends into adjoining parts of New York, [New Jersey](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/New-Jersey), and [Connecticut](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/Connecticut). Located where the [Hudson](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/Hudson-county-New-Jersey) and [East](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/East-River) rivers empty into one of the world’s premier harbours, New York is both the gateway to the North American continent and its preferred exit to the oceans of the globe. Area 305 square miles (790 square km). Pop. (2010) 8,175,133; New York–White Plains–Wayne Metro Division, 11,576,251; New York–Northern New Jersey–Long Island Metro Area, 18,897,109; (2020) 8,804,190; New York–Jersey City–White Plains Metro Division, 12,449,348; New York–Newark–Jersey City Metro Area, 20,140,470.\n\n> **[Did You Know?](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/topic\/Whats-the-largest-US-city-by-population)**\n> \n> Since the first U.S. census was held in 1790, New York has been the largest city in the [United States](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/United-States). How do other cities rank? [Find out in our list of the 25 largest U.S. cities.](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/topic\/Whats-the-largest-US-city-by-population)\n\n## Character of the city\n[![Statue of Liberty](https:\/\/cdn.britannica.com\/56\/10256-050-7F90918D\/immigrants-country-Statue-of-Liberty-glimpses-Upper.jpg?w=300)](https:\/\/cdn.britannica.com\/56\/10256-050-7F90918D\/immigrants-country-Statue-of-Liberty-glimpses-Upper.jpg)\n\n[Statue of Liberty](https:\/\/cdn.britannica.com\/56\/10256-050-7F90918D\/immigrants-country-Statue-of-Liberty-glimpses-Upper.jpg)Statue of Liberty on Liberty Island in Upper New York Bay.\n\n(more)\n\nNew York is the most ethnically [diverse](https:\/\/www.merriam-webster.com\/dictionary\/diverse), religiously varied, commercially driven, famously congested, and, in the eyes of many, the most attractive urban centre in the country. No other city has contributed more images to the [collective](https:\/\/www.merriam-webster.com\/dictionary\/collective) [consciousness](https:\/\/www.merriam-webster.com\/dictionary\/consciousness) of Americans: [Wall Street](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/money\/Wall-Street-New-York-City) means finance, [Broadway](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/topic\/Broadway-street-and-district-New-York-City) is synonymous with theatre, Fifth Avenue is automatically paired with shopping, Madison Avenue means the [advertising](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/money\/advertising) industry, [Greenwich Village](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/Greenwich-Village) connotes bohemian lifestyles, Seventh Avenue signifies fashion, [Tammany Hall](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/topic\/Tammany-Hall) defines machine politics, and [Harlem](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/Harlem-New-York) evokes images of the [Jazz Age](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/topic\/Roaring-Twenties), African American [aspirations](https:\/\/www.merriam-webster.com\/dictionary\/aspirations), and slums. The word *tenement* brings to mind both the miseries of urban life and the upward mobility of striving immigrant masses. New York has more Jews than [Tel Aviv](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/Tel-Aviv-Yafo), more Irish than [Dublin](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/Dublin), more Italians than [Naples](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/Naples-Italy), and more [Puerto Ricans](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/Puerto-Rico) than [San Juan](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/San-Juan-Puerto-Rico). Its symbol is the [Statue of Liberty](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/topic\/Statue-of-Liberty), but the metropolis is itself an icon, the arena in which [Emma Lazarus](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/biography\/Emma-Lazarus)’s “tempest-tost” people of every nation are transformed into Americans—and if they remain in the city, they become New Yorkers.\n\n[![Why are New York City's bagels so good?](https:\/\/cdn.britannica.com\/67\/186967-138-21889250\/chemistry-bagels-New-York-City.jpg?w=800&h=450&c=crop)](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/video\/chemistry-bagels-New-York-City\/-207474)\n\nWhy are New York City's bagels so good?Discover the chemistry of what makes the bagels in New York City taste distinctive.\n\n(more)\n\n[See all videos for this article](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/New-York-City\/images-videos)\n\nFor the past two centuries, New York has been the largest and wealthiest American city. More than half the people and goods that ever entered the United States came through its port, and that stream of commerce has made change a constant presence in city life. New York always meant possibility, for it was an urban centre on its way to something better, a metropolis too busy to be [solicitous](https:\/\/www.merriam-webster.com\/dictionary\/solicitous) of those who stood in the way of progress. New York—while the most American of all the country’s cities—thus also achieved a reputation as both foreign and fearsome, a place where turmoil, [arrogance](https:\/\/www.merriam-webster.com\/dictionary\/arrogance), incivility, and cruelty tested the stamina of everyone who entered it. The city was inhabited by strangers, but they were, as [James Fenimore Cooper](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/biography\/James-Fenimore-Cooper) explained, “essentially national in interest, position, pursuits. No one thinks of the place as belonging to a particular state but to the United States.” Once the capital of both its state and the country, New York surpassed such status to become a world city in both commerce and outlook, with the most famous skyline on earth. It also became a target for international terrorism—most notably the [destruction in 2001](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/event\/September-11-attacks) of the [World Trade Center](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/topic\/World-Trade-Center), which for three decades had been the most prominent symbol of the city’s global prowess. However, New York remains for its residents a conglomeration of local neighbourhoods that provide them with familiar cuisines, languages, and experiences. A city of stark contrasts and deep contradictions, New York is perhaps the most fitting representative of a diverse and powerful nation.\n\n[![United States Historical Flag: Stars and Stripes 1863 to 1865](https:\/\/cdn.britannica.com\/10\/153610-131-C3141C66\/United-States-Historical-Flag-Stars-and-Stripes-1865.jpg) Britannica Quiz United States of America Quiz](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/quiz\/united-states-of-america-quiz)\n\n## The landscape\n## The city site\n[![New York City metropolitan area](https:\/\/cdn.britannica.com\/51\/69551-050-4AEF503F\/New-York-City-area.jpg)1 of 2](https:\/\/cdn.britannica.com\/51\/69551-050-4AEF503F\/New-York-City-area.jpg)\n\n[New York City metropolitan area](https:\/\/cdn.britannica.com\/51\/69551-050-4AEF503F\/New-York-City-area.jpg)\n\n(more)\n\n[![Central New York City](https:\/\/cdn.britannica.com\/50\/69550-050-B9DA3DCA\/Central-New-York-City-borough-Manhattan-Park.jpg)2 of 2](https:\/\/cdn.britannica.com\/50\/69550-050-B9DA3DCA\/Central-New-York-City-borough-Manhattan-Park.jpg)\n\n[Central New York City](https:\/\/cdn.britannica.com\/50\/69550-050-B9DA3DCA\/Central-New-York-City-borough-Manhattan-Park.jpg)Central New York City, depicting the borough of Manhattan southward from Central Park.\n\n(more)\n\nSections of the [granite](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/science\/granite) bedrock of New York date to about 100 million years ago, but the [topography](https:\/\/www.merriam-webster.com\/dictionary\/topography) of the present city is largely the product of the glacial recession that marked the end of the [Wisconsin Glacial Stage](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/science\/Wisconsin-Glacial-Stage) about 10,000 years ago. Great erratic boulders in Manhattan’s [Central Park](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/Central-Park-New-York-City), deep kettle depressions in Brooklyn and Queens, and the glacial moraine that remains in parts of the [metropolitan area](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/topic\/metropolitan-area) provide silent testimony to the enormous power of the ice. Glacial retreat also carved out the waterways around the city. The [Hudson](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/Hudson-River) and [East](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/East-River) rivers, Spuyten Duyvil Creek, and Arthur Kill are, in reality, estuaries of the [Atlantic Ocean](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/Atlantic-Ocean), and the Hudson is tidal as far north as [Troy](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/Troy-New-York). The approximately 600 miles (1,000 km) of New York shoreline are locked in constant combat with the ocean, as it erodes the land and adds new sediments elsewhere. Although the harbour is constantly dredged, ship channels are continually filled with river silt and are too shallow for more modern deep-sea vessels.\n\nExplore Britannica Premium\\!\n\nSmart, reliable knowledge for professionals, students, and curious minds everywhere.\n\n[SUBSCRIBE](https:\/\/premium.britannica.com\/premium-membership\/?utm_source=premium&utm_medium=inline-cta&utm_campaign=smart-2026)\n\n![Penguin, ship, mountain, atlas](https:\/\/cdn.britannica.com\/marketing\/inline-left.webp)\n\n![shohei ohtani, plants, andy wharhol art](https:\/\/cdn.britannica.com\/marketing\/inline-right.webp)\n\n![Mobile](https:\/\/cdn.britannica.com\/marketing\/inline-mobile.webp?w=400)\n\nSouth of the rockbound terrain of Manhattan stretches a sheltered deepwater anchorage offering easy access to the Atlantic Ocean. In 1524 the Italian navigator [Giovanni da Verrazzano](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/biography\/Giovanni-da-Verrazzano) was the first European to enter the harbour, which he named Santa Margarita, and he reported that the hills surrounding the vast expanse of New York Bay appeared to be rich in minerals; more than 90 species of [precious](https:\/\/www.merriam-webster.com\/dictionary\/precious) stone and 170 of the world’s minerals have actually been found in New York. Verrazzano’s daring expedition was [commemorated](https:\/\/www.merriam-webster.com\/dictionary\/commemorated) in 1964, when what was then the world’s longest suspension [bridge](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/topic\/Verrazano-Narrows-Bridge) was dedicated to span the Narrows at the entrance to Upper New York Bay.\n\nOfficially:\n\nthe City of New York\n\n*(Show more)*\n\nHistorically:\n\nNew Amsterdam, the Mayor, Alderman, and Commonality of the City of New York, and New Orange\n\n*(Show more)*\n\nByname:\n\nthe Big Apple\n\n*(Show more)*\n\n[See all related content](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/facts\/New-York-City)\n\n[![Walk through Central Park and the Garment District and hop a ferry past the Statue of Liberty in New York City](https:\/\/cdn.britannica.com\/86\/22286-138-066059AD\/look-New-York-City-transportation-system-World-September-11-2001.jpg?w=800&h=450&c=crop)](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/video\/look-New-York-City-transportation-system-World-September-11-2001\/-18476)\n\nWalk through Central Park and the Garment District and hop a ferry past the Statue of Liberty in New York CityA look at New York City in the 1980s, showing activity in the Garment District and views of the public transportation system and the urban landscape, including the twin towers of the World Trade Center, which were destroyed in the September 11, 2001, terrorist attack.\n\n(more)\n\n[See all videos for this article](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/New-York-City\/images-videos)\n\nOnly the third largest American port at the time of the [American Revolution](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/event\/American-Revolution), New York gradually achieved trade domination and by the mid-1800s handled more than half of the country’s oceangoing travelers and commercial trade. After 1900 New York was the world’s busiest port, a distinction it held until the 1950s. Cargo containerization, the [obsolescence](https:\/\/www.merriam-webster.com\/dictionary\/obsolescence) of its waterfront piers, and soaring labour costs shifted business to the New Jersey side of the river after the 1960s, but at the beginning of the 21st century the [Port Authority of New York and New Jersey](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/topic\/Port-Authority-of-New-York-and-New-Jersey) still dominated the water trade of the northeastern United States.\n\n![Britannica AI Icon](https:\/\/cdn.britannica.com\/mendel-resources\/3-179\/images\/chatbot\/star-ai.svg?v=3.179.9)Britannica AI\n\n*chevron\\_right*\n\nNew York City\n\n*close*\n\n[AI-generated answers](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/about-britannica-ai) from Britannica articles. AI makes mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.\n\nLoad Next Page\n\nFeedback\n\nThank you for your feedback\n\nOur editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.\n\n*verified*Cite\n\nWhile every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.\n\nSelect Citation Style\n\nBritannica Editors. \"Friends\". *Encyclopedia Britannica*, 8 Apr. 2026, https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/topic\/Friends. Accessed 12 April 2026.\n\nCopy Citation\n\nShare\n\nShare to social media\n\n[Facebook](https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/BRITANNICA\/) [X](https:\/\/x.com\/britannica)\n\nURL\n\n<https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/topic\/Friends>\n\nExternal Websites\n\n- [BBC - The one about Friends still being most popular](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/education-47043831)\n- [CORE - The Personal is Professional on TV I'll Be There For You: Friends and the Fantasy of Alternative Families (PDF)](https:\/\/core.ac.uk\/download\/pdf\/162640302.pdf)\n- [WarnerBros.com - TV - Friends](https:\/\/www.warnerbros.com\/tv\/friends)\n- [Online Research at Cardiff - Friends Reconsidered: Cultural Politics, Intergenerationality, and Afterlive (PDF)](https:\/\/orca.cardiff.ac.uk\/id\/eprint\/116810\/1\/Friends%20Reconsidered.pdf)\n- [Education Resources Information Center - A Critical Look at the Discourse of Popular Television: The Case of Friends](https:\/\/files.eric.ed.gov\/fulltext\/ED512734.pdf)\n- [Television Academy Interviews - \"Friends\"](https:\/\/interviews.televisionacademy.com\/shows\/friends)\n- [Television Encyclopedia - \"Friends\"](https:\/\/www.tvencyclopedia.org\/tv-encyclopedia-6\/friends)\n\nFeedback\n\nThank you for your feedback\n\nOur editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.\n\n*print* Print\n\nPlease select which sections you would like to print:\n\n*verified*Cite\n\nWhile every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.\n\nSelect Citation Style\n\nLankevich, George. \"New York City\". *Encyclopedia Britannica*, 5 Nov. 2025, https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/New-York-City. Accessed 12 April 2026.\n\nCopy Citation\n\nShare\n\nShare to social media\n\n[Facebook](https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/BRITANNICA\/) [X](https:\/\/x.com\/britannica)\n\nURL\n\n<https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/New-York-City>\n\nExternal Websites\n\n- [CRW Flags - Flag of New York City, New York, United States](https:\/\/www.crwflags.com\/fotw\/flags\/us-nyc.html)\n- [Official Site of the City of New York](https:\/\/www1.nyc.gov\/)\n- [Official Tourism Site of New York City, New York, United States](https:\/\/www.nycgo.com\/)\n- [PBS - American Experience - Historic New York](https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/wgbh\/americanexperience\/features\/new-york-historic\/)\n- [United States History - History of New York City, New York](https:\/\/www.u-s-history.com\/pages\/h2122.html)\n\nBritannica Websites\n\nArticles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.\n\n- [New York City - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11)](https:\/\/kids.britannica.com\/kids\/article\/New-York-City\/353530)\n- [New York City - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)](https:\/\/kids.britannica.com\/students\/article\/New-York-City\/276080)","attrs_readable_markdown":"Top Questions\n\n### Where is New York City located?\n### What are the five boroughs of New York City?\n### How long is the mayoral term in New York City?\n### Why is New York City important in the United States?\n### What does the seal of New York City look like?\n### What is the average temperature of New York City?\n## News •\n**New York City**, [city](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/topic\/city) and port located at the mouth of the [Hudson River](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/Hudson-River), southeastern [New York](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/New-York-state) state, northeastern U.S. It is the largest and most influential American metropolis, [encompassing](https:\/\/www.merriam-webster.com\/dictionary\/encompassing) [Manhattan](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/Manhattan-New-York-City) and Staten islands, the western sections of [Long Island](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/Long-Island-New-York), and a small portion of the [New York state](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/New-York-state) mainland to the north of Manhattan. New York City is in reality a collection of many neighbourhoods scattered among the city’s five boroughs—[Manhattan](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/Manhattan-New-York-City), [Brooklyn](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/Brooklyn-borough-New-York-City), the [Bronx](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/Bronx-borough-New-York-City), [Queens](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/Queens-New-York), and [Staten Island](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/Staten-Island)—each exhibiting its own lifestyle. Moving from one city neighbourhood to the next may be like passing from one country to another. New York is the most populous and the most international city in the country. Its urban area extends into adjoining parts of New York, [New Jersey](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/New-Jersey), and [Connecticut](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/Connecticut). Located where the [Hudson](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/Hudson-county-New-Jersey) and [East](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/East-River) rivers empty into one of the world’s premier harbours, New York is both the gateway to the North American continent and its preferred exit to the oceans of the globe. Area 305 square miles (790 square km). Pop. (2010) 8,175,133; New York–White Plains–Wayne Metro Division, 11,576,251; New York–Northern New Jersey–Long Island Metro Area, 18,897,109; (2020) 8,804,190; New York–Jersey City–White Plains Metro Division, 12,449,348; New York–Newark–Jersey City Metro Area, 20,140,470.\n\n> **[Did You Know?](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/topic\/Whats-the-largest-US-city-by-population)**\n> \n> Since the first U.S. census was held in 1790, New York has been the largest city in the [United States](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/United-States). How do other cities rank? [Find out in our list of the 25 largest U.S. cities.](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/topic\/Whats-the-largest-US-city-by-population)\n\n## Character of the city\nNew York is the most ethnically [diverse](https:\/\/www.merriam-webster.com\/dictionary\/diverse), religiously varied, commercially driven, famously congested, and, in the eyes of many, the most attractive urban centre in the country. No other city has contributed more images to the [collective](https:\/\/www.merriam-webster.com\/dictionary\/collective) [consciousness](https:\/\/www.merriam-webster.com\/dictionary\/consciousness) of Americans: [Wall Street](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/money\/Wall-Street-New-York-City) means finance, [Broadway](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/topic\/Broadway-street-and-district-New-York-City) is synonymous with theatre, Fifth Avenue is automatically paired with shopping, Madison Avenue means the [advertising](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/money\/advertising) industry, [Greenwich Village](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/Greenwich-Village) connotes bohemian lifestyles, Seventh Avenue signifies fashion, [Tammany Hall](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/topic\/Tammany-Hall) defines machine politics, and [Harlem](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/Harlem-New-York) evokes images of the [Jazz Age](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/topic\/Roaring-Twenties), African American [aspirations](https:\/\/www.merriam-webster.com\/dictionary\/aspirations), and slums. The word *tenement* brings to mind both the miseries of urban life and the upward mobility of striving immigrant masses. New York has more Jews than [Tel Aviv](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/Tel-Aviv-Yafo), more Irish than [Dublin](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/Dublin), more Italians than [Naples](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/Naples-Italy), and more [Puerto Ricans](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/Puerto-Rico) than [San Juan](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/San-Juan-Puerto-Rico). Its symbol is the [Statue of Liberty](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/topic\/Statue-of-Liberty), but the metropolis is itself an icon, the arena in which [Emma Lazarus](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/biography\/Emma-Lazarus)’s “tempest-tost” people of every nation are transformed into Americans—and if they remain in the city, they become New Yorkers.\n\nFor the past two centuries, New York has been the largest and wealthiest American city. More than half the people and goods that ever entered the United States came through its port, and that stream of commerce has made change a constant presence in city life. New York always meant possibility, for it was an urban centre on its way to something better, a metropolis too busy to be [solicitous](https:\/\/www.merriam-webster.com\/dictionary\/solicitous) of those who stood in the way of progress. New York—while the most American of all the country’s cities—thus also achieved a reputation as both foreign and fearsome, a place where turmoil, [arrogance](https:\/\/www.merriam-webster.com\/dictionary\/arrogance), incivility, and cruelty tested the stamina of everyone who entered it. The city was inhabited by strangers, but they were, as [James Fenimore Cooper](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/biography\/James-Fenimore-Cooper) explained, “essentially national in interest, position, pursuits. No one thinks of the place as belonging to a particular state but to the United States.” Once the capital of both its state and the country, New York surpassed such status to become a world city in both commerce and outlook, with the most famous skyline on earth. It also became a target for international terrorism—most notably the [destruction in 2001](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/event\/September-11-attacks) of the [World Trade Center](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/topic\/World-Trade-Center), which for three decades had been the most prominent symbol of the city’s global prowess. However, New York remains for its residents a conglomeration of local neighbourhoods that provide them with familiar cuisines, languages, and experiences. A city of stark contrasts and deep contradictions, New York is perhaps the most fitting representative of a diverse and powerful nation.\n\n[![United States Historical Flag: Stars and Stripes 1863 to 1865](https:\/\/cdn.britannica.com\/10\/153610-131-C3141C66\/United-States-Historical-Flag-Stars-and-Stripes-1865.jpg) Britannica Quiz United States of America Quiz](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/quiz\/united-states-of-america-quiz)\n\n## The landscape\n## The city site\nSections of the [granite](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/science\/granite) bedrock of New York date to about 100 million years ago, but the [topography](https:\/\/www.merriam-webster.com\/dictionary\/topography) of the present city is largely the product of the glacial recession that marked the end of the [Wisconsin Glacial Stage](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/science\/Wisconsin-Glacial-Stage) about 10,000 years ago. Great erratic boulders in Manhattan’s [Central Park](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/Central-Park-New-York-City), deep kettle depressions in Brooklyn and Queens, and the glacial moraine that remains in parts of the [metropolitan area](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/topic\/metropolitan-area) provide silent testimony to the enormous power of the ice. Glacial retreat also carved out the waterways around the city. The [Hudson](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/Hudson-River) and [East](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/East-River) rivers, Spuyten Duyvil Creek, and Arthur Kill are, in reality, estuaries of the [Atlantic Ocean](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/Atlantic-Ocean), and the Hudson is tidal as far north as [Troy](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/Troy-New-York). The approximately 600 miles (1,000 km) of New York shoreline are locked in constant combat with the ocean, as it erodes the land and adds new sediments elsewhere. Although the harbour is constantly dredged, ship channels are continually filled with river silt and are too shallow for more modern deep-sea vessels.\n\nSmart, reliable knowledge for professionals, students, and curious minds everywhere.\n\n[SUBSCRIBE](https:\/\/premium.britannica.com\/premium-membership\/?utm_source=premium&utm_medium=inline-cta&utm_campaign=smart-2026)\n\n![Penguin, ship, mountain, atlas](https:\/\/cdn.britannica.com\/marketing\/inline-left.webp)\n\n![shohei ohtani, plants, andy wharhol art](https:\/\/cdn.britannica.com\/marketing\/inline-right.webp)\n\n![Mobile](https:\/\/cdn.britannica.com\/marketing\/inline-mobile.webp?w=400)\n\nSouth of the rockbound terrain of Manhattan stretches a sheltered deepwater anchorage offering easy access to the Atlantic Ocean. In 1524 the Italian navigator [Giovanni da Verrazzano](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/biography\/Giovanni-da-Verrazzano) was the first European to enter the harbour, which he named Santa Margarita, and he reported that the hills surrounding the vast expanse of New York Bay appeared to be rich in minerals; more than 90 species of [precious](https:\/\/www.merriam-webster.com\/dictionary\/precious) stone and 170 of the world’s minerals have actually been found in New York. Verrazzano’s daring expedition was [commemorated](https:\/\/www.merriam-webster.com\/dictionary\/commemorated) in 1964, when what was then the world’s longest suspension [bridge](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/topic\/Verrazano-Narrows-Bridge) was dedicated to span the Narrows at the entrance to Upper New York Bay.\n\nOfficially:\n\nthe City of New York\n\nHistorically:\n\nNew Amsterdam, the Mayor, Alderman, and Commonality of the City of New York, and New Orange\n\nByname:\n\nthe Big Apple\n\nWalk through Central Park and the Garment District and hop a ferry past the Statue of Liberty in New York CityA look at New York City in the 1980s, showing activity in the Garment District and views of the public transportation system and the urban landscape, including the twin towers of the World Trade Center, which were destroyed in the September 11, 2001, terrorist attack.\n\n[See all videos for this article](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/New-York-City\/images-videos)\n\nOnly the third largest American port at the time of the [American Revolution](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/event\/American-Revolution), New York gradually achieved trade domination and by the mid-1800s handled more than half of the country’s oceangoing travelers and commercial trade. After 1900 New York was the world’s busiest port, a distinction it held until the 1950s. Cargo containerization, the [obsolescence](https:\/\/www.merriam-webster.com\/dictionary\/obsolescence) of its waterfront piers, and soaring labour costs shifted business to the New Jersey side of the river after the 1960s, but at the beginning of the 21st century the [Port Authority of New York and New Jersey](https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/topic\/Port-Authority-of-New-York-and-New-Jersey) still dominated the water trade of the northeastern United States.","meta_canonical":null}

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Meta Description	Friends, popular American television sitcom that aired on NBC from 1994 to 2004. It won six Emmy Awards, including outstanding comedy series, and, from its second season until the end of its run, it maintained a top five or better Nielsen rating, hitting number one in its eighth season.
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Boilerpipe Text	Top Questions Where is New York City located? What are the five boroughs of New York City? How long is the mayoral term in New York City? Why is New York City important in the United States? What does the seal of New York City look like? What is the average temperature of New York City? News • New York City , city and port located at the mouth of the Hudson River , southeastern New York state, northeastern U.S. It is the largest and most influential American metropolis, encompassing Manhattan and Staten islands, the western sections of Long Island , and a small portion of the New York state mainland to the north of Manhattan. New York City is in reality a collection of many neighbourhoods scattered among the city’s five boroughs— Manhattan , Brooklyn , the Bronx , Queens , and Staten Island —each exhibiting its own lifestyle. Moving from one city neighbourhood to the next may be like passing from one country to another. New York is the most populous and the most international city in the country. Its urban area extends into adjoining parts of New York, New Jersey , and Connecticut . Located where the Hudson and East rivers empty into one of the world’s premier harbours, New York is both the gateway to the North American continent and its preferred exit to the oceans of the globe. Area 305 square miles (790 square km). Pop. (2010) 8,175,133; New York–White Plains–Wayne Metro Division, 11,576,251; New York–Northern New Jersey–Long Island Metro Area, 18,897,109; (2020) 8,804,190; New York–Jersey City–White Plains Metro Division, 12,449,348; New York–Newark–Jersey City Metro Area, 20,140,470. Did You Know? Since the first U.S. census was held in 1790, New York has been the largest city in the United States . How do other cities rank? Find out in our list of the 25 largest U.S. cities. Character of the city New York is the most ethnically diverse , religiously varied, commercially driven, famously congested, and, in the eyes of many, the most attractive urban centre in the country. No other city has contributed more images to the collective consciousness of Americans: Wall Street means finance, Broadway is synonymous with theatre, Fifth Avenue is automatically paired with shopping, Madison Avenue means the advertising industry, Greenwich Village connotes bohemian lifestyles, Seventh Avenue signifies fashion, Tammany Hall defines machine politics, and Harlem evokes images of the Jazz Age , African American aspirations , and slums. The word tenement brings to mind both the miseries of urban life and the upward mobility of striving immigrant masses. New York has more Jews than Tel Aviv , more Irish than Dublin , more Italians than Naples , and more Puerto Ricans than San Juan . Its symbol is the Statue of Liberty , but the metropolis is itself an icon, the arena in which Emma Lazarus ’s “tempest-tost” people of every nation are transformed into Americans—and if they remain in the city, they become New Yorkers. For the past two centuries, New York has been the largest and wealthiest American city. More than half the people and goods that ever entered the United States came through its port, and that stream of commerce has made change a constant presence in city life. New York always meant possibility, for it was an urban centre on its way to something better, a metropolis too busy to be solicitous of those who stood in the way of progress. New York—while the most American of all the country’s cities—thus also achieved a reputation as both foreign and fearsome, a place where turmoil, arrogance , incivility, and cruelty tested the stamina of everyone who entered it. The city was inhabited by strangers, but they were, as James Fenimore Cooper explained, “essentially national in interest, position, pursuits. No one thinks of the place as belonging to a particular state but to the United States.” Once the capital of both its state and the country, New York surpassed such status to become a world city in both commerce and outlook, with the most famous skyline on earth. It also became a target for international terrorism—most notably the destruction in 2001 of the World Trade Center , which for three decades had been the most prominent symbol of the city’s global prowess. However, New York remains for its residents a conglomeration of local neighbourhoods that provide them with familiar cuisines, languages, and experiences. A city of stark contrasts and deep contradictions, New York is perhaps the most fitting representative of a diverse and powerful nation. Britannica Quiz United States of America Quiz The landscape The city site Sections of the granite bedrock of New York date to about 100 million years ago, but the topography of the present city is largely the product of the glacial recession that marked the end of the Wisconsin Glacial Stage about 10,000 years ago. Great erratic boulders in Manhattan’s Central Park , deep kettle depressions in Brooklyn and Queens, and the glacial moraine that remains in parts of the metropolitan area provide silent testimony to the enormous power of the ice. Glacial retreat also carved out the waterways around the city. The Hudson and East rivers, Spuyten Duyvil Creek, and Arthur Kill are, in reality, estuaries of the Atlantic Ocean , and the Hudson is tidal as far north as Troy . The approximately 600 miles (1,000 km) of New York shoreline are locked in constant combat with the ocean, as it erodes the land and adds new sediments elsewhere. Although the harbour is constantly dredged, ship channels are continually filled with river silt and are too shallow for more modern deep-sea vessels. Smart, reliable knowledge for professionals, students, and curious minds everywhere. SUBSCRIBE South of the rockbound terrain of Manhattan stretches a sheltered deepwater anchorage offering easy access to the Atlantic Ocean. In 1524 the Italian navigator Giovanni da Verrazzano was the first European to enter the harbour, which he named Santa Margarita, and he reported that the hills surrounding the vast expanse of New York Bay appeared to be rich in minerals; more than 90 species of precious stone and 170 of the world’s minerals have actually been found in New York. Verrazzano’s daring expedition was commemorated in 1964, when what was then the world’s longest suspension bridge was dedicated to span the Narrows at the entrance to Upper New York Bay. Officially: the City of New York Historically: New Amsterdam, the Mayor, Alderman, and Commonality of the City of New York, and New Orange Byname: the Big Apple Walk through Central Park and the Garment District and hop a ferry past the Statue of Liberty in New York City A look at New York City in the 1980s, showing activity in the Garment District and views of the public transportation system and the urban landscape, including the twin towers of the World Trade Center, which were destroyed in the September 11, 2001, terrorist attack. See all videos for this article Only the third largest American port at the time of the American Revolution , New York gradually achieved trade domination and by the mid-1800s handled more than half of the country’s oceangoing travelers and commercial trade. After 1900 New York was the world’s busiest port, a distinction it held until the 1950s. Cargo containerization, the obsolescence of its waterfront piers, and soaring labour costs shifted business to the New Jersey side of the river after the 1960s, but at the beginning of the 21st century the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey still dominated the water trade of the northeastern United States.
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Left is a stack of chocolate chip cookies on an orange background, right is a stack of off-brand oreos on a blue background. Dessert, food, snack](https://cdn.britannica.com/47/271847-131-DD71DC79/Stack-of-chocolate-chip-cookies-and-a-stack-of-off-brand-Oreos-composite-image.jpg?w=200&h=200&c=crop)](https://www.britannica.com/quiz/the-dating-game-which-came-first-vol-2) [The Dating Game: Which Came First? Vol. 2](https://www.britannica.com/quiz/the-dating-game-which-came-first-vol-2) [![USA 2006 - 78th Annual Academy Awards. Closeup of giant Oscar statue at the entrance of the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles, California. Hompepage blog 2009, arts and entertainment, film movie hollywood](https://cdn.britannica.com/65/129465-131-8F637272/USA-Annual-Academy-Awards-Closeup-entrance-statue-2009.jpg?w=200&h=200&c=crop)](https://www.britannica.com/quiz/pop-culture-quiz) [Pop Culture Quiz](https://www.britannica.com/quiz/pop-culture-quiz) ![Britannica AI Icon](https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-179/images/chatbot/star-ai.svg?v=3.179.9) Contents Ask Anything [Entertainment & Pop Culture](https://www.britannica.com/browse/Entertainment-Pop-Culture) [Television & Radio](https://www.britannica.com/browse/Television-Radio) [TV & Radio Shows & Networks](https://www.britannica.com/browse/TV-Radio-Shows-Networks) CITE Share Feedback External Websites [![Friends](https://cdn.britannica.com/28/163528-050-2BCA9DC0/cast-Friends-Matt-LeBlanc-Lisa-Kudrow-Courteney.jpg?w=400&h=300&c=crop)](https://cdn.britannica.com/28/163528-050-2BCA9DC0/cast-Friends-Matt-LeBlanc-Lisa-Kudrow-Courteney.jpg) [Friends](https://cdn.britannica.com/28/163528-050-2BCA9DC0/cast-Friends-Matt-LeBlanc-Lisa-Kudrow-Courteney.jpg) The cast of Friends: (from left) Matt LeBlanc, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matthew Perry, Jennifer Aniston, and David Schwimmer. (more) # Friends American television series Homework Help Written and fact-checked by [Britannica Editors Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....](https://www.britannica.com/editor/The-Editors-of-Encyclopaedia-Britannica/4419) Britannica Editors Last updated Apr. 8, 2026 •[History](https://www.britannica.com/topic/Friends/additional-info#history) ![Britannica AI Icon](https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-179/images/chatbot/star-ai.svg?v=3.179.9) Britannica AI Ask Anything Table of Contents Table of Contents Ask Anything ## News • ['Ketamine Queen' gets 15 years in prison for selling Matthew Perry the drugs that killed him](https://www.britannica.com/news/683248/c7b577c45b47314fe1191392adac7b06) • Apr. 8, 2026, 4:47 PM ET (AP) Show less Friends, popular American television [sitcom](https://www.britannica.com/art/situation-comedy) that aired on the [NBC](https://www.britannica.com/money/National-Broadcasting-Co-Inc) network from 1994 to 2004. It won six [Emmy Awards](https://www.britannica.com/art/Emmy-Award), including outstanding [comedy](https://www.britannica.com/art/comedy) series, and from its second season until the end of its run maintained a top five or better Nielsen rating, hitting number one in its eighth season. [![Friends](https://cdn.britannica.com/01/235601-050-895651AA/Friends-cast-television-series-1994.jpg?w=300)](https://cdn.britannica.com/01/235601-050-895651AA/Friends-cast-television-series-1994.jpg) [Friends](https://cdn.britannica.com/01/235601-050-895651AA/Friends-cast-television-series-1994.jpg)The cast of the television series Friends (1994) included (from left) Jennifer Aniston, David Schwimmer, Courteney Cox, Matt LeBlanc, Lisa Kudrow, and Matthew Perry. (more) Friends was created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman and is about a group of six young adults who are either roommates or neighbours in [New York City’s](https://www.britannica.com/place/New-York-City) [Greenwich Village](https://www.britannica.com/place/Greenwich-Village). Much of the show takes place in the friends’ apartments as they visit one another. The program revolves around the characters’ individual and [collective](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/collective) search for sex, commitment, and meaning. The friends consist of three men and three women, whose varied personalities and shortcomings allow for both broad audience identification and abundant comedic moments. At the beginning of the show, Monica Geller (played by [Courteney Cox](https://www.britannica.com/biography/Courteney-Cox)) is a chef who often changes jobs and boyfriends in her search for the perfect match. Her brother, Ross ([David Schwimmer](https://www.britannica.com/biography/David-Schwimmer)), is a paleontologist and divorcé (three times over by the end of the series) with a child. He has a long-standing crush on Rachel Green ([Jennifer Aniston](https://www.britannica.com/biography/Jennifer-Aniston)), a fashion-minded woman who grew up in a wealthy family but works (for a time) as a barista at Central Perk, a café and popular meeting spot for the group. Eventually she lands a job with [Ralph Lauren](https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ralph-Lauren). Phoebe Buffay ([Lisa Kudrow](https://www.britannica.com/biography/Lisa-Kudrow)) is a ditsy masseuse and would-be musician with a quirky outlook on life. Joey Tribbiani ([Matt LeBlanc](https://www.britannica.com/biography/Matt-LeBlanc)) is a mostly struggling actor and [buffoon](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/buffoon) who often confides in Chandler Bing ([Matthew Perry](https://www.britannica.com/biography/Matthew-Perry)), a well-off statistics and data analyst who has terrible luck with women and in time develops an eye for Monica. Throughout the series, the friends live together or apart in different combinations. Awards And Honors: [Emmy Award](https://www.britannica.com/art/Emmy-Award) (Show more) On the Web: [BBC - The one about Friends still being most popular](https://www.bbc.com/news/education-47043831) (Mar. 28, 2026) (Show more) [See all related content](https://www.britannica.com/facts/Friends) As the show progressed, each character became a household name and each cast member a celebrity; they moved on to careers of varying success in motion pictures and television. The cast was renowned for its closeness and ensemble approach to their work on the series. The finale of Friends was watched by more than 52 million people. [Joey](https://www.britannica.com/topic/Joey-TV-series) (2004–06), a spin-off starring LeBlanc, was much less successful. The Friends theme song, “I’ll Be There for You,” performed by the Rembrandts, was a minor pop hit in its own right. In 2021 the cast returned for Friends: The Reunion, a TV special in which they discussed the show. [![Illustration of missing, anonymous person in group. Quiz thumb, Guess Who is Missing?](https://cdn.britannica.com/74/264874-131-21D625FD/missing-anonymous-person-illustration.jpg) Britannica Quiz Who’s Missing? Quiz](https://www.britannica.com/quiz/whos-missing-quiz) [The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica](https://www.britannica.com/editor/The-Editors-of-Encyclopaedia-Britannica/4419)This article was most recently revised and updated by [Amy Tikkanen](https://www.britannica.com/editor/Amy-Tikkanen/6393). ![Britannica AI Icon](https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-179/images/chatbot/star-ai.svg?v=3.179.9)Britannica AI chevron\_right Friends close [AI-generated answers](https://www.britannica.com/about-britannica-ai) from Britannica articles. AI makes mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. 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Opened in 1894. Remains an Important Traffic Route with 40,000 Crossings Every Day.](https://cdn.britannica.com/60/269560-131-B4CD857D/tower-bridge-over-river-thames-london-england.jpg?w=200&h=200&c=crop)](https://www.britannica.com/quiz/guess-the-city-by-its-river-quiz) [Guess the City by Its River Quiz](https://www.britannica.com/quiz/guess-the-city-by-its-river-quiz) [![Color map of United States. Color USA map. Color USA map. Color dot USA map. Hompepage blog 2009, history and society, geography and travel, explore discovery](https://cdn.britannica.com/00/129600-131-B2E19CFB/Color-map-USA-blog-geography-society-Hompepage-2009.jpg?w=200&h=200&c=crop)](https://www.britannica.com/quiz/anywhere-usa) [Anywhere USA](https://www.britannica.com/quiz/anywhere-usa) Related Questions - [Why is New York City important in the United States?](https://www.britannica.com/question/Why-is-New-York-City-important-in-the-United-States) - [What is the average temperature of New York City?](https://www.britannica.com/question/What-is-the-average-temperature-of-New-York-City) - [Who bombed Wall Street in 1920?](https://www.britannica.com/question/Who-bombed-Wall-Street-in-1920) - [What is the Statue of Liberty?](https://www.britannica.com/question/What-is-the-Statue-of-Liberty) - [Who sculpted the Statue of Liberty?](https://www.britannica.com/question/Who-sculpted-the-Statue-of-Liberty) ![Britannica AI Icon](https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-179/images/chatbot/star-ai.svg?v=3.179.9) Ask Anything Quick Summary [Geography & Travel](https://www.britannica.com/browse/Geography-Travel) [Cities & Towns](https://www.britannica.com/browse/Cities-Towns) [Cities & Towns M-O](https://www.britannica.com/browse/Cities-Towns-M-O) CITE Share Feedback External Websites [![Statue of Liberty](https://cdn.britannica.com/61/93061-050-99147DCE/Statue-of-Liberty-Island-New-York-Bay.jpg?w=400&h=300&c=crop)](https://cdn.britannica.com/61/93061-050-99147DCE/Statue-of-Liberty-Island-New-York-Bay.jpg) [Statue of Liberty](https://cdn.britannica.com/61/93061-050-99147DCE/Statue-of-Liberty-Island-New-York-Bay.jpg) The Statue of Liberty on Liberty Island in New York Bay in front of the New York City skyline. (more) # New York City New York, United States Homework Help Also known as: New Amsterdam, New Orange, New York, The City of New York, The Mayor, Alderman, and Commonality of the City of New York, the Big Apple[(Show More)](https://www.britannica.com/topic/Friends) Written by [George Lankevich Professor Emeritus, Bronx Community College, New York, New York. Author of American Metropolis: A History of New York City, and others.](https://www.britannica.com/contributor/George-Lankevich/4570) George Lankevich Fact-checked by [Britannica Editors Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....](https://www.britannica.com/editor/The-Editors-of-Encyclopaedia-Britannica/4419) Britannica Editors [History](https://www.britannica.com/place/New-York-City/additional-info#history) ![Britannica AI Icon](https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-179/images/chatbot/star-ai.svg?v=3.179.9) Britannica AI Ask Anything Quick Summary Table of Contents Table of Contents Quick Summary Ask Anything Top Questions ### Where is New York City located? New York City is located at the mouth of the Hudson River in southeastern New York state, which is in the northeastern section of the United States. ### What are the five boroughs of New York City? The five boroughs of New York City are Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx, Queens, and Staten Island. ### How long is the mayoral term in New York City? In New York City the mayor serves a four-year term and may hold office for a maximum of two consecutive terms. ### Why is New York City important in the United States? New York City is the largest and most influential American metropolis and the most populous and the most international city in the country. Located where the Hudson and East rivers empty into one of the world’s premier harbors, New York is both the gateway to the North American continent and its preferred exit to the oceans of the globe. ### What does the seal of New York City look like? The seal of the city of New York was adopted in 1686. It includes a beaver and a flour barrel, images that document the first major phase of Manhattan’s economic history, the fur trade and flour exports. ### What is the average temperature of New York City? The average temperature of New York City is about 31 °F (0 °C) in January and about 72 °F (22 °C) in June, but recorded temperature extremes range from −15 to 106 °F (−26 to 41 °C). The annual precipitation is 44 inches (1,120 mm). Because of New York’s moderate climate, the harbor rarely freezes. ## News • [New York subway stabbings leave 3 hurt as police shoot and kill knife-wielding man, officials say](https://www.britannica.com/news/412352/1cd670e7b0a302e2d51f851a74247bfd) • Apr. 11, 2026, 7:06 PM ET (AP) ...(Show more) [Democrats embrace DEI as 'American values' at National Action Network](https://www.britannica.com/news/412352/17a82fae76d362b751378c62c4e3d9f7) • Apr. 11, 2026, 12:05 AM ET (AP) [Former US Rep. Eliot Engel, who worked on foreign affairs for decades, dies at 79](https://www.britannica.com/news/412352/2e6b4423cdfc09acd5d364921b793ef0) • Apr. 10, 2026, 6:31 PM ET (AP) [Eric Adams, former 'international mayor' of NYC, becomes an honorary Albanian citizen](https://www.britannica.com/news/412352/de8d3acf07d7a6728f0e03d668d033d5) • Apr. 10, 2026, 4:19 PM ET (AP) [In his first 100 days, Mamdani brings a unique star power to New York City governance](https://www.britannica.com/news/412352/4588280d3f2cc5b369ff0ddcf3dbf29e) • Apr. 10, 2026, 3:47 PM ET (AP) Show less [![New York City's Central Park](https://cdn.britannica.com/70/20070-050-C2E2045C/Central-Park-Manhattan-New-York-City-apartment.jpg?w=300)](https://cdn.britannica.com/70/20070-050-C2E2045C/Central-Park-Manhattan-New-York-City-apartment.jpg) [New York City's Central Park](https://cdn.britannica.com/70/20070-050-C2E2045C/Central-Park-Manhattan-New-York-City-apartment.jpg)Central Park, Manhattan, New York City, flanked by the apartment buildings of the Upper East Side. (more) New York City, [city](https://www.britannica.com/topic/city) and port located at the mouth of the [Hudson River](https://www.britannica.com/place/Hudson-River), southeastern [New York](https://www.britannica.com/place/New-York-state) state, northeastern U.S. It is the largest and most influential American metropolis, [encompassing](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/encompassing) [Manhattan](https://www.britannica.com/place/Manhattan-New-York-City) and Staten islands, the western sections of [Long Island](https://www.britannica.com/place/Long-Island-New-York), and a small portion of the [New York state](https://www.britannica.com/place/New-York-state) mainland to the north of Manhattan. New York City is in reality a collection of many neighbourhoods scattered among the city’s five boroughs—[Manhattan](https://www.britannica.com/place/Manhattan-New-York-City), [Brooklyn](https://www.britannica.com/place/Brooklyn-borough-New-York-City), the [Bronx](https://www.britannica.com/place/Bronx-borough-New-York-City), [Queens](https://www.britannica.com/place/Queens-New-York), and [Staten Island](https://www.britannica.com/place/Staten-Island)—each exhibiting its own lifestyle. Moving from one city neighbourhood to the next may be like passing from one country to another. New York is the most populous and the most international city in the country. Its urban area extends into adjoining parts of New York, [New Jersey](https://www.britannica.com/place/New-Jersey), and [Connecticut](https://www.britannica.com/place/Connecticut). Located where the [Hudson](https://www.britannica.com/place/Hudson-county-New-Jersey) and [East](https://www.britannica.com/place/East-River) rivers empty into one of the world’s premier harbours, New York is both the gateway to the North American continent and its preferred exit to the oceans of the globe. Area 305 square miles (790 square km). Pop. (2010) 8,175,133; New York–White Plains–Wayne Metro Division, 11,576,251; New York–Northern New Jersey–Long Island Metro Area, 18,897,109; (2020) 8,804,190; New York–Jersey City–White Plains Metro Division, 12,449,348; New York–Newark–Jersey City Metro Area, 20,140,470. > [Did You Know?](https://www.britannica.com/topic/Whats-the-largest-US-city-by-population) > > Since the first U.S. census was held in 1790, New York has been the largest city in the [United States](https://www.britannica.com/place/United-States). How do other cities rank? [Find out in our list of the 25 largest U.S. cities.](https://www.britannica.com/topic/Whats-the-largest-US-city-by-population) ## Character of the city [![Statue of Liberty](https://cdn.britannica.com/56/10256-050-7F90918D/immigrants-country-Statue-of-Liberty-glimpses-Upper.jpg?w=300)](https://cdn.britannica.com/56/10256-050-7F90918D/immigrants-country-Statue-of-Liberty-glimpses-Upper.jpg) [Statue of Liberty](https://cdn.britannica.com/56/10256-050-7F90918D/immigrants-country-Statue-of-Liberty-glimpses-Upper.jpg)Statue of Liberty on Liberty Island in Upper New York Bay. (more) New York is the most ethnically [diverse](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/diverse), religiously varied, commercially driven, famously congested, and, in the eyes of many, the most attractive urban centre in the country. No other city has contributed more images to the [collective](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/collective) [consciousness](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/consciousness) of Americans: [Wall Street](https://www.britannica.com/money/Wall-Street-New-York-City) means finance, [Broadway](https://www.britannica.com/topic/Broadway-street-and-district-New-York-City) is synonymous with theatre, Fifth Avenue is automatically paired with shopping, Madison Avenue means the [advertising](https://www.britannica.com/money/advertising) industry, [Greenwich Village](https://www.britannica.com/place/Greenwich-Village) connotes bohemian lifestyles, Seventh Avenue signifies fashion, [Tammany Hall](https://www.britannica.com/topic/Tammany-Hall) defines machine politics, and [Harlem](https://www.britannica.com/place/Harlem-New-York) evokes images of the [Jazz Age](https://www.britannica.com/topic/Roaring-Twenties), African American [aspirations](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/aspirations), and slums. The word tenement brings to mind both the miseries of urban life and the upward mobility of striving immigrant masses. New York has more Jews than [Tel Aviv](https://www.britannica.com/place/Tel-Aviv-Yafo), more Irish than [Dublin](https://www.britannica.com/place/Dublin), more Italians than [Naples](https://www.britannica.com/place/Naples-Italy), and more [Puerto Ricans](https://www.britannica.com/place/Puerto-Rico) than [San Juan](https://www.britannica.com/place/San-Juan-Puerto-Rico). Its symbol is the [Statue of Liberty](https://www.britannica.com/topic/Statue-of-Liberty), but the metropolis is itself an icon, the arena in which [Emma Lazarus](https://www.britannica.com/biography/Emma-Lazarus)’s “tempest-tost” people of every nation are transformed into Americans—and if they remain in the city, they become New Yorkers. [![Why are New York City's bagels so good?](https://cdn.britannica.com/67/186967-138-21889250/chemistry-bagels-New-York-City.jpg?w=800&h=450&c=crop)](https://www.britannica.com/video/chemistry-bagels-New-York-City/-207474) Why are New York City's bagels so good?Discover the chemistry of what makes the bagels in New York City taste distinctive. (more) [See all videos for this article](https://www.britannica.com/place/New-York-City/images-videos) For the past two centuries, New York has been the largest and wealthiest American city. More than half the people and goods that ever entered the United States came through its port, and that stream of commerce has made change a constant presence in city life. New York always meant possibility, for it was an urban centre on its way to something better, a metropolis too busy to be [solicitous](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/solicitous) of those who stood in the way of progress. New York—while the most American of all the country’s cities—thus also achieved a reputation as both foreign and fearsome, a place where turmoil, [arrogance](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/arrogance), incivility, and cruelty tested the stamina of everyone who entered it. The city was inhabited by strangers, but they were, as [James Fenimore Cooper](https://www.britannica.com/biography/James-Fenimore-Cooper) explained, “essentially national in interest, position, pursuits. No one thinks of the place as belonging to a particular state but to the United States.” Once the capital of both its state and the country, New York surpassed such status to become a world city in both commerce and outlook, with the most famous skyline on earth. It also became a target for international terrorism—most notably the [destruction in 2001](https://www.britannica.com/event/September-11-attacks) of the [World Trade Center](https://www.britannica.com/topic/World-Trade-Center), which for three decades had been the most prominent symbol of the city’s global prowess. However, New York remains for its residents a conglomeration of local neighbourhoods that provide them with familiar cuisines, languages, and experiences. A city of stark contrasts and deep contradictions, New York is perhaps the most fitting representative of a diverse and powerful nation. [![United States Historical Flag: Stars and Stripes 1863 to 1865](https://cdn.britannica.com/10/153610-131-C3141C66/United-States-Historical-Flag-Stars-and-Stripes-1865.jpg) Britannica Quiz United States of America Quiz](https://www.britannica.com/quiz/united-states-of-america-quiz) ## The landscape ## The city site [![New York City metropolitan area](https://cdn.britannica.com/51/69551-050-4AEF503F/New-York-City-area.jpg)1 of 2](https://cdn.britannica.com/51/69551-050-4AEF503F/New-York-City-area.jpg) [New York City metropolitan area](https://cdn.britannica.com/51/69551-050-4AEF503F/New-York-City-area.jpg) (more) [![Central New York City](https://cdn.britannica.com/50/69550-050-B9DA3DCA/Central-New-York-City-borough-Manhattan-Park.jpg)2 of 2](https://cdn.britannica.com/50/69550-050-B9DA3DCA/Central-New-York-City-borough-Manhattan-Park.jpg) [Central New York City](https://cdn.britannica.com/50/69550-050-B9DA3DCA/Central-New-York-City-borough-Manhattan-Park.jpg)Central New York City, depicting the borough of Manhattan southward from Central Park. (more) Sections of the [granite](https://www.britannica.com/science/granite) bedrock of New York date to about 100 million years ago, but the [topography](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/topography) of the present city is largely the product of the glacial recession that marked the end of the [Wisconsin Glacial Stage](https://www.britannica.com/science/Wisconsin-Glacial-Stage) about 10,000 years ago. Great erratic boulders in Manhattan’s [Central Park](https://www.britannica.com/place/Central-Park-New-York-City), deep kettle depressions in Brooklyn and Queens, and the glacial moraine that remains in parts of the [metropolitan area](https://www.britannica.com/topic/metropolitan-area) provide silent testimony to the enormous power of the ice. Glacial retreat also carved out the waterways around the city. The [Hudson](https://www.britannica.com/place/Hudson-River) and [East](https://www.britannica.com/place/East-River) rivers, Spuyten Duyvil Creek, and Arthur Kill are, in reality, estuaries of the [Atlantic Ocean](https://www.britannica.com/place/Atlantic-Ocean), and the Hudson is tidal as far north as [Troy](https://www.britannica.com/place/Troy-New-York). The approximately 600 miles (1,000 km) of New York shoreline are locked in constant combat with the ocean, as it erodes the land and adds new sediments elsewhere. Although the harbour is constantly dredged, ship channels are continually filled with river silt and are too shallow for more modern deep-sea vessels. Explore Britannica Premium\! Smart, reliable knowledge for professionals, students, and curious minds everywhere. [SUBSCRIBE](https://premium.britannica.com/premium-membership/?utm_source=premium&utm_medium=inline-cta&utm_campaign=smart-2026) ![Penguin, ship, mountain, atlas](https://cdn.britannica.com/marketing/inline-left.webp) ![shohei ohtani, plants, andy wharhol art](https://cdn.britannica.com/marketing/inline-right.webp) ![Mobile](https://cdn.britannica.com/marketing/inline-mobile.webp?w=400) South of the rockbound terrain of Manhattan stretches a sheltered deepwater anchorage offering easy access to the Atlantic Ocean. In 1524 the Italian navigator [Giovanni da Verrazzano](https://www.britannica.com/biography/Giovanni-da-Verrazzano) was the first European to enter the harbour, which he named Santa Margarita, and he reported that the hills surrounding the vast expanse of New York Bay appeared to be rich in minerals; more than 90 species of [precious](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/precious) stone and 170 of the world’s minerals have actually been found in New York. Verrazzano’s daring expedition was [commemorated](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/commemorated) in 1964, when what was then the world’s longest suspension [bridge](https://www.britannica.com/topic/Verrazano-Narrows-Bridge) was dedicated to span the Narrows at the entrance to Upper New York Bay. Officially: the City of New York (Show more) Historically: New Amsterdam, the Mayor, Alderman, and Commonality of the City of New York, and New Orange (Show more) Byname: the Big Apple (Show more) [See all related content](https://www.britannica.com/facts/New-York-City) [![Walk through Central Park and the Garment District and hop a ferry past the Statue of Liberty in New York City](https://cdn.britannica.com/86/22286-138-066059AD/look-New-York-City-transportation-system-World-September-11-2001.jpg?w=800&h=450&c=crop)](https://www.britannica.com/video/look-New-York-City-transportation-system-World-September-11-2001/-18476) Walk through Central Park and the Garment District and hop a ferry past the Statue of Liberty in New York CityA look at New York City in the 1980s, showing activity in the Garment District and views of the public transportation system and the urban landscape, including the twin towers of the World Trade Center, which were destroyed in the September 11, 2001, terrorist attack. (more) [See all videos for this article](https://www.britannica.com/place/New-York-City/images-videos) Only the third largest American port at the time of the [American Revolution](https://www.britannica.com/event/American-Revolution), New York gradually achieved trade domination and by the mid-1800s handled more than half of the country’s oceangoing travelers and commercial trade. After 1900 New York was the world’s busiest port, a distinction it held until the 1950s. Cargo containerization, the [obsolescence](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/obsolescence) of its waterfront piers, and soaring labour costs shifted business to the New Jersey side of the river after the 1960s, but at the beginning of the 21st century the [Port Authority of New York and New Jersey](https://www.britannica.com/topic/Port-Authority-of-New-York-and-New-Jersey) still dominated the water trade of the northeastern United States. ![Britannica AI Icon](https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-179/images/chatbot/star-ai.svg?v=3.179.9)Britannica AI chevron\_right New York City close [AI-generated answers](https://www.britannica.com/about-britannica-ai) from Britannica articles. AI makes mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. Load Next Page Feedback Thank you for your feedback Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. verifiedCite While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Select Citation Style Britannica Editors. "Friends". Encyclopedia Britannica, 8 Apr. 2026, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Friends. Accessed 12 April 2026. Copy Citation Share Share to social media [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/BRITANNICA/) [X](https://x.com/britannica) URL <https://www.britannica.com/topic/Friends> External Websites - [BBC - The one about Friends still being most popular](https://www.bbc.com/news/education-47043831) - [CORE - The Personal is Professional on TV I'll Be There For You: Friends and the Fantasy of Alternative Families (PDF)](https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/162640302.pdf) - [WarnerBros.com - TV - Friends](https://www.warnerbros.com/tv/friends) - [Online Research at Cardiff - Friends Reconsidered: Cultural Politics, Intergenerationality, and Afterlive (PDF)](https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/116810/1/Friends%20Reconsidered.pdf) - [Education Resources Information Center - A Critical Look at the Discourse of Popular Television: The Case of Friends](https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED512734.pdf) - [Television Academy Interviews - "Friends"](https://interviews.televisionacademy.com/shows/friends) - [Television Encyclopedia - "Friends"](https://www.tvencyclopedia.org/tv-encyclopedia-6/friends) Feedback Thank you for your feedback Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. print Print Please select which sections you would like to print: verifiedCite While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Select Citation Style Lankevich, George. "New York City". Encyclopedia Britannica, 5 Nov. 2025, https://www.britannica.com/place/New-York-City. Accessed 12 April 2026. Copy Citation Share Share to social media [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/BRITANNICA/) [X](https://x.com/britannica) URL <https://www.britannica.com/place/New-York-City> External Websites - [CRW Flags - Flag of New York City, New York, United States](https://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/us-nyc.html) - [Official Site of the City of New York](https://www1.nyc.gov/) - [Official Tourism Site of New York City, New York, United States](https://www.nycgo.com/) - [PBS - American Experience - Historic New York](https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/new-york-historic/) - [United States History - History of New York City, New York](https://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h2122.html) Britannica Websites Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. - [New York City - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11)](https://kids.britannica.com/kids/article/New-York-City/353530) - [New York City - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)](https://kids.britannica.com/students/article/New-York-City/276080)
Readable Markdown	Top Questions ### Where is New York City located? ### What are the five boroughs of New York City? ### How long is the mayoral term in New York City? ### Why is New York City important in the United States? ### What does the seal of New York City look like? ### What is the average temperature of New York City? ## News • New York City, [city](https://www.britannica.com/topic/city) and port located at the mouth of the [Hudson River](https://www.britannica.com/place/Hudson-River), southeastern [New York](https://www.britannica.com/place/New-York-state) state, northeastern U.S. It is the largest and most influential American metropolis, [encompassing](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/encompassing) [Manhattan](https://www.britannica.com/place/Manhattan-New-York-City) and Staten islands, the western sections of [Long Island](https://www.britannica.com/place/Long-Island-New-York), and a small portion of the [New York state](https://www.britannica.com/place/New-York-state) mainland to the north of Manhattan. New York City is in reality a collection of many neighbourhoods scattered among the city’s five boroughs—[Manhattan](https://www.britannica.com/place/Manhattan-New-York-City), [Brooklyn](https://www.britannica.com/place/Brooklyn-borough-New-York-City), the [Bronx](https://www.britannica.com/place/Bronx-borough-New-York-City), [Queens](https://www.britannica.com/place/Queens-New-York), and [Staten Island](https://www.britannica.com/place/Staten-Island)—each exhibiting its own lifestyle. Moving from one city neighbourhood to the next may be like passing from one country to another. New York is the most populous and the most international city in the country. Its urban area extends into adjoining parts of New York, [New Jersey](https://www.britannica.com/place/New-Jersey), and [Connecticut](https://www.britannica.com/place/Connecticut). Located where the [Hudson](https://www.britannica.com/place/Hudson-county-New-Jersey) and [East](https://www.britannica.com/place/East-River) rivers empty into one of the world’s premier harbours, New York is both the gateway to the North American continent and its preferred exit to the oceans of the globe. Area 305 square miles (790 square km). Pop. (2010) 8,175,133; New York–White Plains–Wayne Metro Division, 11,576,251; New York–Northern New Jersey–Long Island Metro Area, 18,897,109; (2020) 8,804,190; New York–Jersey City–White Plains Metro Division, 12,449,348; New York–Newark–Jersey City Metro Area, 20,140,470. > [Did You Know?](https://www.britannica.com/topic/Whats-the-largest-US-city-by-population) > > Since the first U.S. census was held in 1790, New York has been the largest city in the [United States](https://www.britannica.com/place/United-States). How do other cities rank? [Find out in our list of the 25 largest U.S. cities.](https://www.britannica.com/topic/Whats-the-largest-US-city-by-population) ## Character of the city New York is the most ethnically [diverse](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/diverse), religiously varied, commercially driven, famously congested, and, in the eyes of many, the most attractive urban centre in the country. No other city has contributed more images to the [collective](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/collective) [consciousness](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/consciousness) of Americans: [Wall Street](https://www.britannica.com/money/Wall-Street-New-York-City) means finance, [Broadway](https://www.britannica.com/topic/Broadway-street-and-district-New-York-City) is synonymous with theatre, Fifth Avenue is automatically paired with shopping, Madison Avenue means the [advertising](https://www.britannica.com/money/advertising) industry, [Greenwich Village](https://www.britannica.com/place/Greenwich-Village) connotes bohemian lifestyles, Seventh Avenue signifies fashion, [Tammany Hall](https://www.britannica.com/topic/Tammany-Hall) defines machine politics, and [Harlem](https://www.britannica.com/place/Harlem-New-York) evokes images of the [Jazz Age](https://www.britannica.com/topic/Roaring-Twenties), African American [aspirations](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/aspirations), and slums. The word tenement brings to mind both the miseries of urban life and the upward mobility of striving immigrant masses. New York has more Jews than [Tel Aviv](https://www.britannica.com/place/Tel-Aviv-Yafo), more Irish than [Dublin](https://www.britannica.com/place/Dublin), more Italians than [Naples](https://www.britannica.com/place/Naples-Italy), and more [Puerto Ricans](https://www.britannica.com/place/Puerto-Rico) than [San Juan](https://www.britannica.com/place/San-Juan-Puerto-Rico). Its symbol is the [Statue of Liberty](https://www.britannica.com/topic/Statue-of-Liberty), but the metropolis is itself an icon, the arena in which [Emma Lazarus](https://www.britannica.com/biography/Emma-Lazarus)’s “tempest-tost” people of every nation are transformed into Americans—and if they remain in the city, they become New Yorkers. For the past two centuries, New York has been the largest and wealthiest American city. More than half the people and goods that ever entered the United States came through its port, and that stream of commerce has made change a constant presence in city life. New York always meant possibility, for it was an urban centre on its way to something better, a metropolis too busy to be [solicitous](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/solicitous) of those who stood in the way of progress. New York—while the most American of all the country’s cities—thus also achieved a reputation as both foreign and fearsome, a place where turmoil, [arrogance](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/arrogance), incivility, and cruelty tested the stamina of everyone who entered it. The city was inhabited by strangers, but they were, as [James Fenimore Cooper](https://www.britannica.com/biography/James-Fenimore-Cooper) explained, “essentially national in interest, position, pursuits. No one thinks of the place as belonging to a particular state but to the United States.” Once the capital of both its state and the country, New York surpassed such status to become a world city in both commerce and outlook, with the most famous skyline on earth. It also became a target for international terrorism—most notably the [destruction in 2001](https://www.britannica.com/event/September-11-attacks) of the [World Trade Center](https://www.britannica.com/topic/World-Trade-Center), which for three decades had been the most prominent symbol of the city’s global prowess. However, New York remains for its residents a conglomeration of local neighbourhoods that provide them with familiar cuisines, languages, and experiences. A city of stark contrasts and deep contradictions, New York is perhaps the most fitting representative of a diverse and powerful nation. [![United States Historical Flag: Stars and Stripes 1863 to 1865](https://cdn.britannica.com/10/153610-131-C3141C66/United-States-Historical-Flag-Stars-and-Stripes-1865.jpg) Britannica Quiz United States of America Quiz](https://www.britannica.com/quiz/united-states-of-america-quiz) ## The landscape ## The city site Sections of the [granite](https://www.britannica.com/science/granite) bedrock of New York date to about 100 million years ago, but the [topography](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/topography) of the present city is largely the product of the glacial recession that marked the end of the [Wisconsin Glacial Stage](https://www.britannica.com/science/Wisconsin-Glacial-Stage) about 10,000 years ago. Great erratic boulders in Manhattan’s [Central Park](https://www.britannica.com/place/Central-Park-New-York-City), deep kettle depressions in Brooklyn and Queens, and the glacial moraine that remains in parts of the [metropolitan area](https://www.britannica.com/topic/metropolitan-area) provide silent testimony to the enormous power of the ice. Glacial retreat also carved out the waterways around the city. The [Hudson](https://www.britannica.com/place/Hudson-River) and [East](https://www.britannica.com/place/East-River) rivers, Spuyten Duyvil Creek, and Arthur Kill are, in reality, estuaries of the [Atlantic Ocean](https://www.britannica.com/place/Atlantic-Ocean), and the Hudson is tidal as far north as [Troy](https://www.britannica.com/place/Troy-New-York). The approximately 600 miles (1,000 km) of New York shoreline are locked in constant combat with the ocean, as it erodes the land and adds new sediments elsewhere. Although the harbour is constantly dredged, ship channels are continually filled with river silt and are too shallow for more modern deep-sea vessels. Smart, reliable knowledge for professionals, students, and curious minds everywhere. [SUBSCRIBE](https://premium.britannica.com/premium-membership/?utm_source=premium&utm_medium=inline-cta&utm_campaign=smart-2026) ![Penguin, ship, mountain, atlas](https://cdn.britannica.com/marketing/inline-left.webp) ![shohei ohtani, plants, andy wharhol art](https://cdn.britannica.com/marketing/inline-right.webp) ![Mobile](https://cdn.britannica.com/marketing/inline-mobile.webp?w=400) South of the rockbound terrain of Manhattan stretches a sheltered deepwater anchorage offering easy access to the Atlantic Ocean. In 1524 the Italian navigator [Giovanni da Verrazzano](https://www.britannica.com/biography/Giovanni-da-Verrazzano) was the first European to enter the harbour, which he named Santa Margarita, and he reported that the hills surrounding the vast expanse of New York Bay appeared to be rich in minerals; more than 90 species of [precious](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/precious) stone and 170 of the world’s minerals have actually been found in New York. Verrazzano’s daring expedition was [commemorated](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/commemorated) in 1964, when what was then the world’s longest suspension [bridge](https://www.britannica.com/topic/Verrazano-Narrows-Bridge) was dedicated to span the Narrows at the entrance to Upper New York Bay. Officially: the City of New York Historically: New Amsterdam, the Mayor, Alderman, and Commonality of the City of New York, and New Orange Byname: the Big Apple Walk through Central Park and the Garment District and hop a ferry past the Statue of Liberty in New York CityA look at New York City in the 1980s, showing activity in the Garment District and views of the public transportation system and the urban landscape, including the twin towers of the World Trade Center, which were destroyed in the September 11, 2001, terrorist attack. [See all videos for this article](https://www.britannica.com/place/New-York-City/images-videos) Only the third largest American port at the time of the [American Revolution](https://www.britannica.com/event/American-Revolution), New York gradually achieved trade domination and by the mid-1800s handled more than half of the country’s oceangoing travelers and commercial trade. After 1900 New York was the world’s busiest port, a distinction it held until the 1950s. Cargo containerization, the [obsolescence](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/obsolescence) of its waterfront piers, and soaring labour costs shifted business to the New Jersey side of the river after the 1960s, but at the beginning of the 21st century the [Port Authority of New York and New Jersey](https://www.britannica.com/topic/Port-Authority-of-New-York-and-New-Jersey) still dominated the water trade of the northeastern United States.
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