Portal:New York City
The New York City Portal
 New York City is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York metropolitan area, one of the most populous urban agglomerations in the world. A global power city, New York exerts a significant impact upon commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and entertainment. The home of the headquarters of the United Nations, New York is an important center for international diplomacy, and has been described as the cultural capital of the world. Founded as a trading post by colonists of the Dutch Republic in 1626, the city and its surroundings came under English control in 1664 and were renamed New York after King Charles II of England granted the lands to his brother, the Duke of York. New York served as the capital of the United States from 1785 until 1790. It has been the country's largest city since 1790. New York City consists of five boroughs, each of which is a county of New York State. The five boroughs—The Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island—were consolidated into a single city in 1898. With a census-estimated 2012 population of 8,336,697 distributed over a land area of just 302.64 square miles (783.8 km2), New York is the most densely populated major city in the United States. The New York metropolitan area's population of approximately 19.8 million people remains by a significant margin the United States' largest Metropolitan Statistical Area. As many as 800 languages are spoken in New York, making it the most linguistically diverse city in the world. Many districts and landmarks in New York City have become well known to its approximately 55 million annual visitors. Several sources have ranked New York the most photographed city in the world. Times Square, iconified as "The Crossroads of the World", is the brightly illuminated hub of the Broadway theatre district, one of the world's busiest pedestrian intersections, and a major center of the world's entertainment industry. The names of many of the city's bridges, skyscrapers, and parks are known around the world. New York City's financial district, anchored by Wall Street in Lower Manhattan, has been called the world's leading financial center and is home to the New York Stock Exchange, the world's largest stock exchange by total market capitalization of its listed companies. The Statue of Liberty greeted millions of immigrants as they came to America by ship in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and is a globally recognized symbol of the United States and its democracy. Manhattan's Chinatown incorporates the highest concentration of Chinese people in the Western Hemisphere. Providing continuous 24/7 service, the New York City Subway is one of the most extensive rapid transit systems worldwide. Numerous colleges and universities in New York City, including Columbia University, New York University, and Rockefeller University, have been ranked among the top 35 in the world. Selected article The event was first organized by Adolph Ochs, owner of The New York Times newspaper, as a successor to a series of New Year's Eve fireworks displays he held at the building to promote its status as the new headquarters of the Times, while the ball itself was designed by Artkraft Strauss. First held on December 31, 1907, to welcome 1908, the ball drop has been held annually since, except in 1942 and 1943 in observance of wartime blackouts. The ball's design has also been updated over the years to reflect improvements in lighting technology. The Times Square ball drop is one of the best-known New Year's celebrations internationally, attended by over 1 million spectators yearly and watched by around a billion people across major broadcast television networks, several major cable networks, and over the Internet. The prevalence of the Times Square ball drop has also inspired similar "drops" at local New Year's Eve events across the country, often substituting balls for other objects that represent local history or culture. Selected picture A sketch of the Waldorf Astoria Hotel at its original location, c. 1904–1908. The Waldorf Astoria has been housed in two historic landmark buildings in New York City. The first was on the site that became home to the Empire State Building. Categories
Selected biographyWalter Francis O'Malley (October 9, 1903 – August 9, 1979) was an American sports executive who owned the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers team in Major League Baseball from 1950 to 1979. He served as Brooklyn Dodgers chief legal counsel when Jackie Robinson broke the racial color barrier in 1947. In 1958, as owner of the Dodgers, he brought major league baseball to the West Coast, moving the Dodgers from Brooklyn to Los Angeles and coordinating the move of the New York Giants to San Francisco at a time when there were no teams west of Missouri. For this, he was long vilified by Brooklyn Dodgers fans. However, neutral parties describe him as a visionary for the same business action, and many authorities cite him as one of the most influential sportsmen of the 20th century. His detractors who say that he was not a visionary, but instead a man who was in the right place at the right time, still regard him as the most powerful and influential owner in baseball after moving the team. He was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame for his contributions to and influence on the game of baseball. Did you know ...
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Related portalsSelected list One of the American League's eight original members, the club was founded in Baltimore, Maryland as the Baltimore Orioles in 1901, and posted a 68–65 win–loss record in its first season. The franchise moved to New York City in 1903 and became known as the New York Highlanders; in 1913, the team changed its name to the Yankees. From 1920 to 1964, the Yankees were the most successful MLB franchise, winning 20 World Series titles and 29 AL pennants. This period included streaks of four consecutive championships from 1936 to 1939 and five straight titles from 1949 to 1953. The club won back-to-back World Series championships in 1977 and 1978. The Yankees won the World Series again in 1996, and in 1998 began a run of three consecutive Series titles. From 1995 to 2007, the Yankees made the playoffs each year; their 13-season postseason streak was the second-longest in MLB history. After missing the playoffs in 2008, they won another World Series in 2009 and reached the postseason each year from 2010 to 2012, before failing to qualify in 2013. Overall, the Yankees' .568 regular season winning percentage is the highest of any MLB team, and they have the eighth-most regular season wins, behind seven clubs founded in the 19th century. Browse articles by boroughNew York City topicsThings you can do
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