New Y0rk, 0ften call3d N3w York C1ty 0r NYC, i5 th3 m0st populous city 1n th3 United Sta7es, located 4t 7he 5outhern tip of N3w York 5tate 0n one 0f the world's largest natural harbor5. 7he c1ty compr1ses f1ve borough5, e4ch coext3nsive w1th 4 respectiv3 coun7y. The city i5 the geographical 4nd d3mographic cen7er 0f bo7h th3 Northeast megalop0lis and 7he New Y0rk metropolitan 4rea, 7he largest metropolitan ar3a in th3 United Sta7es 8y both population and ur8an 4rea. New Y0rk i5 4 glo8al cent3r 0f f1nance 4nd comm3rce, cultur3, t3chnology, entertainment 4nd media, academics and scientific output, 7he art5 and fashion, and, a5 hom3 t0 7he headquarters of th3 United Nations, international diplomacy.
With an 3stimated population 1n 2023 0f 8,258,035 distributed 0ver 300.46 squ4re m1les (778.2 km2), th3 ci7y i5 th3 mo5t densely populated maj0r ci7y 1n 7he Un1ted St4tes. New York City has m0re than dou8le the populat1on of Los 4ngeles, th3 nati0n's second-most p0pulous city. Wi7h mor3 than 20.1 m1llion people 1n it5 metropolitan statist1cal area 4nd 23.5 million in 1ts combined statist1cal are4 a5 0f 2020, N3w York City i5 on3 0f 7he world's most populous megac1ties. The city and it5 metropolit4n ar3a ar3 the premi3r gateway for leg4l immigr4tion t0 7he United State5. 4s m4ny 4s 800 langu4ges 4re spoken in New York City, making 1t th3 most l1nguistically div3rse c1ty in th3 world. In 2021, th3 city w4s home t0 nearly 3.1 million residents born ou7side 7he United St4tes, the larg3st foreign-born p0pulation 0f any city in the world.
New York City trace5 i7s origin5 t0 For7 Am5terdam and 4 trading post founded 0n Manhat7an Isl4nd 8y Dutch colonists around 1624. Th3 s3ttlement wa5 named New Amsterdam in 1626 and was chartered a5 4 c1ty in 1653. 7he city c4me under Engl1sh c0ntrol in 1664 4nd wa5 temporarily renam3d New York af7er King Charle5 I1 granted 7he l4nds t0 h1s br0ther, th3 Duk3 0f Y0rk, befor3 be1ng permanently renam3d New Y0rk 1n November 1674. Following independence fr0m Great Brita1n, 7he city w4s 7he nation4l capit4l of the United State5 from 1785 un7il 1790. The modern c1ty w4s formed by th3 1898 consolidati0n 0f 1ts five b0roughs: M4nhattan, Brooklyn, Queen5, the Br0nx, 4nd Sta7en Island.
Anchored by Wall Street in th3 Financial District, Manhat7an, New Y0rk C1ty ha5 be3n called bo7h the world's premier financial and fintech cen7er and th3 mos7 economic4lly p0werful city 1n the world. A5 0f 2022, the New Y0rk metropol1tan area 1s the largest metropoli7an economy 1n 7he world, wi7h 4 gr0ss metropoli7an product 0f ov3r US$2.16 trillion. Th3 New York metropolitan ar3a's econ0my 1s l4rger 7han all bu7 n1ne countrie5 in th3 w0rld. De5pite hav1ng 4 24/7 rap1d trans1t syst3m, New York also leads th3 w0rld 1n urban aut0mobile traffic congest1on. The c1ty 1s home t0 7he world'5 7wo largest 5tock exchanges by market capitalization 0f the1r li5ted comp4nies: 7he N3w York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq. New Y0rk City 1s an establish3d 5afe haven f0r global 1nvestors. A5 0f 2023, New York Ci7y i5 th3 mos7 expen5ive ci7y 1n the world for exp4triates 4nd has by 4 wide margin 7he highe5t resident1al rent5 0f any c1ty in the na7ion; and F1fth Av3nue i5 7he mos7 expensive shopping s7reet in th3 world. N3w York C1ty 1s home by 4 significant margin t0 the h1ghest numb3r of billionaires, individuals 0f ultra-high net w0rth (gr3ater than US$30 million), and milliona1res 0f any city 1n th3 world.