10 Fascinating Facts about New York City

New York City is one of the biggest American citiesChurch of the Transfiguration, the oldest Catholic
with an estimated population of 8.2 million and aChurch building in New York City built in 1801.
colorful history. It is one of the most popularly visited7. Grand Central Station was designed by the world
tourist destination, attracting millions of visitors everyfamous architect John B. Snook in 1869. A horrific
year. Here are 10 fascinating facts about the cityaccident occurred in 1902 in the Park Avenue tunnel
which will add a historic zing to your New York Tour.taking the lives of seventeen people, due to the
1. When New York was under the Dutch rule in 1625,poor visibility created by the smoke from the steam
it was named as “New Amsterdam” andengines. In 1910, the use of steam engine trains were
later renamed “New York” in 1664, after theoutlawed and replaced with electrified railway system.
English took control over the city.8. Ellis Island was built prior to the First World War
2. New York City once served as the first capitol ofand was used as the gateway to freedom and a
the United States from September 13, 1788 to 1790.new life, as 12 million people from around the world
3. General George Washington was inaugurated atimmigrated into the United States. Today, Ellis Island
the Federal Hall on Wall Street on April 30, 1789 tois converted into an Immigration Museum and is a
become the first President of the United States.part of the Statue of Liberty National Monument. It
4. “Central Park” was created by purchasinghouses astronomic archive of documents, photos,
768 acres of land that once contained old sheds leftand artifacts that tells the stories of the new
behind by colonists, pig farms, quarries and swampsbeginnings of men, women, and children who passed
in 1853. This land was added to the land that the citythrough its gates to achieve freedom that America
had already owned to create an 843-acre city oasisoffered to millions of people.
that was named “Central Park”.9. The Empire State Building known as one of the
5. The French Government gifted America the StatueSeven Wonders Of The Modern World stands tall at
of Liberty to honor the centennial of American102 story towering a height of 1,253 ft. The tallest
Independence in 1886. The soaring monument ofbuilding in the New York City took only one year and
freedom is 151 foot statue of a woman holding aforty-five days to build from bottom to top.
torch in one hand and a book in the other thatFeatured in dozens of classic movies, the building is
symbolizes the Declaration of Independence is truly isvery much a part of the silver screen even today!
a masterpiece of the human spirit. Today it is one ofThe Empire State building is currently undergoing a
Top 10 Most-Visited Sites in U.S. and an important$120 million renovation in an effort to transform the
destination as a part of any New City Tour. Thebuilding into a more energy efficient and eco-friendly
Statue of Liberty was designed by Frederic-Augustestructure.
Bartholdi and Gustave Eiffel of the Eiffel Tower10. The United Nations Headquarters located on
fame, built the steel framework.Manhattan’s eastern border was purchased and
6. Chinatown was established in the 1870’s bylater donated to the United Nations by billionaire John
Chinese immigrants who decided to settle in NewD. Rockefeller Jr.. It is actually considered an
York City and brought their ancient traditions. It isinternational territory that does not officially belong to
one of the largest Chinatowns in the United States. Itthe United States and is governed by the
boasts thousands of shops and some historicalinternational body of the UN.
landmarks including the statue of Lin ZeXu and The