NY · five boroughs / five counties · 8,804,190 (2020) · largest US city · Eastern time
New York, New York
New York City sits at the mouth of the Hudson River in the southeast corner of New York State. With 8,804,190 people in 2020 it is the largest city in the United States by more than four million.
- State
- New York
- County
- New York, Kings, Queens, Bronx, Richmond
- Population (2020)
- 8,804,190
- Rank
- 1st in the US
- Coordinates
- 40.71°N, 74.01°W
- Time zone
- Eastern
- Metro area
- about 20.1 million
- State capital
- No – Albany
Where New York is
New York City lies at 40.71°N, 74.01°W, where the Hudson River enters the Atlantic Ocean. It is the only US city made of five counties: Manhattan (New York County), Brooklyn (Kings), Queens, the Bronx and Staten Island (Richmond). Manhattan and Staten Island are islands, Brooklyn and Queens occupy the western end of Long Island, and only the Bronx is on the North American mainland. New Jersey is directly across the Hudson to the west; the state capital, Albany, is about 150 miles up the river to the north. The city is low-lying: most of it is under 50 feet above sea level, and its highest natural point, Todt Hill on Staten Island, is about 410 feet.
Population and rank
The 2020 Census counted 8,804,190 residents, the highest figure in the city's history and 1st among US cities. Brooklyn alone (2.7 million) would rank 4th in the country as a separate city, and Queens (2.4 million) would rank 5th. The New York–Newark–Jersey City metropolitan area, which spreads across New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, holds about 20.1 million people, also the largest metro in the country. Roughly 44 percent of the metro population lives inside the city limits, a high share for a US metro, reflecting the city's 300 square miles of dense, mostly apartment housing.
Geography
- Harbor and rivers — the Hudson River forms the western edge of Manhattan and the Bronx; the East River (a tidal strait, not a true river) separates Manhattan and the Bronx from Long Island; the Harlem River separates Manhattan from the Bronx.
- Islands — Manhattan (23 sq mi), Staten Island (58 sq mi) and the western tip of Long Island, plus Governors, Roosevelt, Rikers and Liberty islands.
- Terrain — bedrock schist close to the surface in Midtown and Lower Manhattan; glacial moraine forms the low ridges across Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island; Jamaica Bay and the Rockaway barrier beach face the Atlantic.
- Coast — about 520 miles of shoreline, more than any other US city. See US coastlines.
Nearest large cities
Philadelphia is under two hours away by road; Boston and Washington are each about four. Distances below are approximate driving miles from Midtown Manhattan.
| City | State | Road distance (mi) | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia | PA | 95 | SW |
| Baltimore | MD | 190 | SW |
| Boston | MA | 215 | NE |
| Washington | DC | 225 | SW |
| Pittsburgh | PA | 370 | W |
Is New York City the state capital?
No. The capital of New York State is Albany, 150 miles north on the Hudson. New York City served as the state capital until 1797 and was also the first capital of the United States under the Constitution (1789–1790). Today it is the largest city in the state by a factor of more than thirty; the next largest, Buffalo, has under 280,000 people.
Related maps
- New York state map — the whole state with counties and borders.
- Albany — the state capital, 150 miles up the Hudson.
- US cities map — the 50 largest cities on one map.
- Hudson River map.
- Nearby: Philadelphia, Boston, New Jersey, Connecticut.
- Middle Atlantic division · Eastern Time Zone.