History of New York City New York City was discovered in 1524 by Giovanni da Verrazzano, an Italian explorer. Europeans started to settle there once a Dutch fur trading settlement was founded, and they gave it the name "New Amsterdam. Some time after, the island of Manhattan was purchased by Peter Minuit for what would be $1000 today. After it was purchased by him, the English conquered it in 1664 and finally gave it its name as of today, New York. It became the largest U.S. city by 1790.

History of New York City

Facts about New York City It is the largest city in the United States, with a population of over 8 million people Contrary to popular belief, Brooklyn is actually the most populated district of New York City, and Queens is the second, Manhattan is third As of 2005, over 170 languages were spoken in the city, and 36% of its population was born outside of the U.S.

Facts about New York City New York City is home to over 1700 parks, and the biggest is actually Pelham Bay Park located in the Bronx, not Central Park in Manhattan NYC has had the lowest crime rate of the 25 largest U.S. cities since 2005

Things to do in New York City Take a ferry to the Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island Visit the Empire State Building Go see the World Trade Center Memorial Buy buss passes and see all the different Manhattan neighborhoods by double decker bus See a Broadway play

Things to do in New York City Walk through Times Square Take a night time cruise on the Hudson River to see a great view of the skyline Shop on 5 th Avenue Visit Central park