25 Interesting/Fun Facts about New York City

New York CityPhoto by Vidar Nordli-Mathisen on Unsplash

It's world-famous. In movies, in books, on clothing, and just about everything else you can imagine, New York City is definitely the most famous city in the world. And being the melting pot of all cultures means New York also has a lot of interesting/weird things you might want to know about.

So, below are 25 interesting facts about New York City. Some you might already know of, some may be new to you. Without any further ado, here they are;

1. New York City, not Washington D.C., was the first capital of the United States of America. The Residency Act of 1790 put the nation’s capital in current-day Washington.
2. The New York City library is home to more than 50 million books. As such, it’s the third largest library in the world and the second-largest in the United States behind the Library of Congress.
3. New York City has the largest Jewish population outside of Israel, the largest Chinese population outside of Asia, and the largest Puerto Rican population of any city in the world.
4. More than 800 languages are spoken in New York City. As a result, it is the most linguistically diverse city in the world.
5. Times Square is named after The New York Times. Originally, it was known as Longacre Square until The Times moved there in 1904.
6. The first pizzeria in the US was opened in New York and till today, Lombardi’s still serving one of the best pizzas in the US.
7. New York City’s Federal Reserve Bank has the largest gold storage in the world. The vault, which holds more than 7,000 tons of gold bars or roughly $90 billion dollars, is 80-feet below ground.
8. The oldest building in New York City dates back to 1642. Known as Wyckoff Farm, the house, which is located in Brooklyn, is now a museum dedicated to the city’s Dutch heritage.
9. More than 18 million people live in New York City. That means 1 in every 38 people in the United States calls this bustling city home.
10. Albert Einstein’s brain and eyeballs are kept in a safe box in New York City.
11. The United Nations headquarters was established in New York City in 1952 after World War II.
12. France gifted the Statue of Liberty to the United States in 1886 for its centennial celebration. The statue was shipped as 350 pieces in 214 crates and took 4 months to assemble at its current home on Ellis Island.
13. Oysters were so popular in New York in the 19th century that the shells were used to pave Pearl Street. They were also used for lime for the masonry of the Trinity Church.
14. The narrowest house in NYC is in the West Village: 75 1/2 Bedford Street is just over 9 feet wide.
15. New York City has 520 miles of coastline. That’s more than the coasts of Miami, Boston, Los Angeles, and San Francisco combined.
16. The iconic Empire State Building has its own zip code — 10118.
17. UPS, FedEx, and other commercial delivery companies receive up to 7,000 parking tickets a day which results in about $120 million in revenue for the City.
18. The Bronx was named after Jonas Bronck, who was the first European to settle in the region in 1639. Later “Bronck” was changed to “Bronx”
19. New York City is home to the most billionaires in the world. And, there are more than 380,000 millionaires in the City.
20. The average rent price is around $3500 a month.
21. If Brooklyn was its own city, instead of a borough of New York City, it would be the fourth largest city in the United States.
22. The Statue of Liberty was a gift to the US from France for America’s centennial celebration in 1886. It was then shipped as 350 pieces in over 200 crates and took more than four months to assemble.
23. The Central Park Mall was originally designed to let wealthy New Yorkers stroll, socialize and show off their fancy duds.
24. There is a secret train platform in the Waldorf Astoria hotel.
25. It can cost over $289,000 for a one-year hot dog stand permit in Central Park.

Do you know of some other interesting facts about New York City? You can write about them in the comments below.