"To Europe, she was America. To America, she was the gateway of the earth. But to tell the story of New York would be to write a social history of the world."
- H. G. Wells


Encyclopedia of NYC
by Kenneth T. Jackson

Supervised by the New York Historical Society, this is an incredibly well written reference to New York with hundreds of illustrations and over 4,000 alphabetical entries.

History and Politics of New York

Politics and Public Policy
Find out about our systems of government, how to have an effect on local issues, and how to contact the members of the current government of New York.

Geography and Origins
New York City is located on the Eastern Atlantic coast of the United States, at the mouth of the Hudson River. The city center resides at the exact location of 40 degrees, 42 minutes, 51 seconds N latitude, and 74 degrees, 0 minutes 23 seconds W longitude. New York City is made of five boroughs, each of which is a county. Brooklyn (Kings Co.) and Queens occupy the western portion of Long Island, while Staten Island (Richmond Co.) and Manhattan are compeletely on their own land masses. The Bronx, to the north, is attached to the New York State mainland.

"Discovery" and Settlement
New York was briefly (1789-90) the U.S. capital and was state capital until 1797. By 1790 it was the largest U.S. city, and the opening (1825) of the ERIE CANAL, linking New York with the GREAT LAKES, led to even greater expansion. In 1898 a new charter was adopted, making the city Greater New York, a metropolis of five boroughs.

Neighborhood Histories
Central Park | The Upper West Side | Chinatown

NYC Trivia
Origins of "The Big Apple", Vital Statistics, Strange facts...

NYC History Links


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