View source for Boroughs of New York City

{{Short description|Administrative divisions of New York City}}
{{redirect|Five boroughs|the English boroughs controlled for a period by the Vikings|Five Boroughs of the Danelaw}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2024}}

[[File:5 Boroughs Labels New York City Map.svg|thumb|right|300px|
{{legend|#4DAF4A|1. [[Manhattan]] (New York County)}}
{{legend|#FFFF33|2. [[Brooklyn]] (Kings County)}}
{{legend|#FF7F00|3. [[Queens]] (Queens County)}}
{{legend|#E41A1C|4. [[The Bronx]] (Bronx County)}}
{{legend|#984EA3|5. [[Staten Island]] (Richmond County)}}
Note: [[John F. Kennedy International Airport|JFK]] and [[LaGuardia Airport|LGA]] airports are both located in Queens (marked by brown).]]

The '''boroughs of New York City''' are the five major governmental districts that comprise [[New York City]]. They are [[the Bronx]], [[Brooklyn]], [[Manhattan]], [[Queens]], and [[Staten Island]]. Each borough is coextensive with a respective [[Administrative divisions of New York (state)#County|county]] of the [[New York (state)|State of New York]]: The Bronx is Bronx County, Brooklyn is Kings County, Manhattan is New York County, Queens is Queens County, and Staten Island is Richmond County.

All five boroughs of New York came into existence with the creation of [[City of Greater New York|modern New York City]] in 1898, when New York County (then including the Bronx), Kings County,  Richmond County, and part of Queens County were consolidated within one municipal government under a [[New York City Charter|new city charter]]. All former municipalities within the newly consolidated city were dissolved.

New York City was originally confined to Manhattan Island and the smaller surrounding islands that formed New York County. As the city grew northward, it began annexing areas on the mainland, absorbing territory from [[Westchester County, New York|Westchester County]] into New York County in 1874 ([[West Bronx]]) and 1895 ([[East Bronx]]). During the 1898 consolidation, this territory was organized as the Borough of the Bronx, though still part of New York County. In 1914, Bronx County was split off from New York County so that each borough was then coterminous with a county.

When the western part of Queens County was consolidated with New York City in 1898, that area became the Borough of Queens. In 1899, the remaining eastern section of Queens County was split off to form [[Nassau County, New York|Nassau County]] on [[Long Island]], thereafter making the borough and county of Queens coextensive with each other.

== Terminology ==
The term ''borough'' was adopted in 1898 to describe a form of [[administration (government)|governmental administration]] for each of the five fundamental constituent parts of the newly [[history of New York City (1898–1945)|consolidated city]]. Under the 1898 City Charter adopted by the New York State Legislature, a borough is a [[municipal corporation]] that is created when a county is merged with populated areas within it.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=oW4_AAAAYAAJ&pg=RA1-PA10 ''The Charter for the Greater New York, and Acts Supplementary Thereto, as Adopted by the State Legislature''], p. 10. ''[[Brooklyn Daily Eagle]]'', 1898. Accessed September 21, 2016.</ref> The limited powers of the boroughs are inferior to the authority of the [[government of New York City]], contrasting significantly with the powers of boroughs as that term is used in [[Borough (Connecticut)|Connecticut]], [[Borough (New Jersey)|New Jersey]], and [[Borough (Pennsylvania)|Pennsylvania]], where a borough is an independent level of government, as well as with borough forms used in [[Borough (United States)|other states]], in [[London boroughs|Greater London]], and [[Borough status in the United Kingdom|boroughs in the United Kingdom]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Golding |first=Susan |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DyfWFTA6fVkC&pg=PA197 |title=Growth Within Bounds: Planning California Governance for the 21st Century |last2=Barrales |first2=Ruben |date=January 2000 |publisher=DIANE Publishing |isbn=978-0-7567-0631-9 |language=en}}</ref>

==Background==
{{NYC boroughs}}
New York City is often referred to collectively as the '''five boroughs''', which can unambiguously refer to the city proper as a whole, avoiding confusion with any particular borough or with the [[New York metropolitan area|Greater New York metropolitan area]]. The term is also used by politicians to counter a frequent focus on Manhattan and thereby to place all five boroughs on equal footing. In the same vein, the term ''outer boroughs'' refers to all of the boroughs excluding Manhattan, even though the geographic center of the city is along the Brooklyn–Queens border.
[[File:5 boros of NYC in 1814.jpg|right|thumb|The current five boroughs of Greater New York as they appeared in 1814. The Bronx was part of Westchester County, Queens County included modern Nassau County, Kings County had six towns, one of which was Brooklyn, and New York City is shown by hatching in lower Manhattan.]]

===Changes===
All five boroughs were created in 1898 during consolidation, when the city's modern boundaries were established.

The Bronx originally included parts of New York County outside of Manhattan that had previously been ceded by neighboring [[Westchester County, New York|Westchester County]] in two stages; in 1874 ([[Riverdale, Bronx|southern Yonkers]], and the towns of [[Kingsbridge, Bronx|Kingsbridge]], [[West Farms, Bronx|West Farms]], and [[Morrisania, Bronx|Morrisania]]) and then following a [[referendum]] in 1894 (towns of [[Westchester Square, Bronx|Westchester]], [[Williamsbridge, Bronx|Williamsbridge]], and the southern portion of [[Eastchester, New York|Eastchester]]).<ref>[http://web-static.nypl.org/exhibitions/midatlantic/geo_bronx.html "American Shores: The Bronx and Westchester"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240119013505/http://web-static.nypl.org/exhibitions/midatlantic/geo_bronx.html |date=January 19, 2024 }}, [[New York Public Library]]. Accessed January 18, 2024. "The area of Westchester County west of the Bronx River, made up of the towns of Morrisania, West Farms, and Kingsbridge, was annexed to the City of New York in 1874. The eastern part, made up of the town of Westchester and part of the town of Eastchester, was annexed in 1895."</ref> Ultimately in 1914, the present-day separate Bronx County became the most recent county to be created in the State of New York.<ref>[https://www.thirteen.org/bronx/history2.html "Birth of a Borough"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221010081853/https://www.thirteen.org/bronx/history2.html |date=October 10, 2022 }}, ''A Walk Through the Bronx''. Accessed January 3, 2024. "After consolidation in 1898, the twenty-third and twenty-fourth wards became the borough of the Bronx, which with Manhattan remained part of New York County (the other boroughs were already separate counties).... It was not until 1912, however, that the state legislature established the County of the Bronx as the sixty-second county in the state, effective January 1, 1914."</ref>

The borough of Queens consists of what formerly was only the western part of a then-larger Queens County. In 1899, the three eastern towns of Queens County that had not joined the city the year before—the towns of [[Hempstead, New York|Hempstead]], [[North Hempstead, New York|North Hempstead]], and [[Oyster Bay (town), New York|Oyster Bay]]—formally seceded from Queens County to form the new [[Nassau County, New York|Nassau County]].<ref>Williams, Keith. [http://ny.curbed.com/2015/10/20/9912148/how-queens-became-new-york-citys-largest-borough "How Queens Became New York City's Largest Borough"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160908003829/http://ny.curbed.com/2015/10/20/9912148/how-queens-became-new-york-citys-largest-borough |date=September 8, 2016 }}, [[Curbed]], October 20, 2015. Accessed September 21, 2016. "On April 28, 1898, the state Legislature approved the creation of a new county, which some in the eastern half of the former Queens County had wanted for nearly 60 years."</ref>

The borough of Staten Island, coextensive with Richmond County, was officially the borough of Richmond until the name was changed in 1975 to reflect its common appellation, while leaving the name of the county unchanged.<ref>Kaufman, Michael T. [https://www.nytimes.com/1974/08/28/archives/council-weighs-making-staten-island-official.html "Council Weighs Making 'Staten Island' Official"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171012151617/http://www.nytimes.com/1974/08/28/archives/council-weighs-making-staten-island-official.html |date=October 12, 2017 }}, ''[[The New York Times]]'', August 28, 1974. Accessed September 21, 2016. "Yesterday a committee of the City Council sought to right matters with a resolution that, if adopted by the full Council and approved by the Mayor, would have the borough's name officially changed to Staten Island.... The resolution only affects the name of the borough. The county would remain Richmond, in the way that the borough of Manhattan is the county of New York, and Brooklyn is the county of Kings."</ref>

==Description of the boroughs==
{{Further|Neighborhoods in New York City|List of parks in New York City}}

There are hundreds of distinct neighborhoods throughout the five boroughs of New York City, many with a definable history and character to call their own.

===Manhattan===
[[File:chinatown manhattan 2009.JPG|thumb|[[Chinatown, Manhattan|Chinatown]] in Manhattan, the most densely populated borough of New York City, [[List of United States cities by population density#New York City boroughs|with a higher density than any individual American city]]]]

[[Manhattan]] (co-extensive with New York County) is the geographically smallest and most densely populated borough. It is the symbol of New York City, as home to most of the city's [[skyscraper]]s and prominent landmarks, including [[Times Square]] and [[Central Park]]; and may be locally known simply as ''The City''.<ref name="ManhattanTheCity">{{cite web|url=http://gothamist.com/2012/05/21/do_you_refer_to_manhattan_as_the_ci.php|title=Do You Refer To Manhattan As "The City"?|date=May 21, 2012|publisher=Gothamist|author=Jen Carlson|access-date=August 23, 2017|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161025130428/http://gothamist.com/2012/05/21/do_you_refer_to_manhattan_as_the_ci.php|archive-date=October 25, 2016}}</ref><ref>Purdum, Todd S. [https://www.nytimes.com/1992/02/22/nyregion/political-memo-an-embattled-city-hall-moves-to-brooklyn.html "Political memo; An Embattled City Hall Moves to Brooklyn"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190501023520/https://www.nytimes.com/1992/02/22/nyregion/political-memo-an-embattled-city-hall-moves-to-brooklyn.html |date=May 1, 2019 }}, ''The New York Times'', February 22, 1992. Accessed August 23, 2017. ""Leaders in all of them fear that recent changes in the City Charter that shifted power from the borough presidents to the City Council have diminished government's recognition of the sense of identity that leads people to say they live in the Bronx, and to describe visiting Manhattan as 'going to the city.{{'"}}</ref> Manhattan's (New York County's) population density of 72,033 people per square mile (27,812/km<sup>2</sup>) in 2015 makes it the [[County statistics of the United States#Population density|highest of any county in the United States]] and [[List of United States cities by population density#New York City boroughs|higher than the density of any individual U.S. city]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Mann |first1=Camille |last2=Valera |first2=Stephanie |url=https://weather.com/travel/news/worlds-most-crowded-islands-photos-20130624?pageno=4#/4 |title=10 Most Crowded Islands in the World |publisher=The Weather Channel |access-date=March 28, 2016 |archive-date=April 9, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160409061527/https://weather.com/travel/news/worlds-most-crowded-islands-photos-20130624?pageno=4#/4 |url-status=live }}</ref> Manhattan is the cultural, administrative, and [[financial center]] of New York City and contains the [[headquarters]] of many major [[multinational corporation]]s, the [[United Nations Headquarters]], [[Wall Street]], and a number of important [[university|universities]]. Manhattan is often described by Americans as the cultural, financial, [[media (communication)|media]], and [[show business|entertainment]] capital of the world.<ref>[[Dan Barry (reporter)|Barry, Dan]]. [https://www.nytimes.com/2001/10/11/nyregion/nation-challenged-new-york-new-york-carries-but-test-its-grit-has-just-begun.html "A Nation challenged: in New York; New York Carries On, but Test of Its Grit Has Just Begun"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200324073334/https://www.nytimes.com/2001/10/11/nyregion/nation-challenged-new-york-new-york-carries-but-test-its-grit-has-just-begun.html |date=March 24, 2020 }}, ''[[The New York Times]]'', October 11, 2001. Accessed November 20, 2016. "A roaring void has been created in the financial center of the world."</ref><ref>{{cite news|author= Sorrentino, Christopher|url= https://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/16/nyregion/thecity/16toug.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1|title= When He Was Seventeen|work= The New York Times|date= September 16, 2007|access-date= December 22, 2007|archive-date= April 17, 2009|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090417053830/http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/16/nyregion/thecity/16toug.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1|url-status= live}} "In 1980 there were still the remains of the various downtown revolutions that had reinvigorated New York's music and art scenes and kept Manhattan in the position it had occupied since the 1940s as the cultural center of the world."</ref><ref>{{cite news|author=Bumiller, Elisabeth|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/10/08/nyregion/pope-s-visit-cardinal-pope-s-important-ally-cardinal-shines-high-hierarchy.html|title=The Pope's visit: the cardinal; As Pope's Important Ally, Cardinal Shines High in Hierarchy|work=The New York Times|date=October 8, 1995|access-date=December 18, 2007|archive-date=January 20, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120120144044/http://www.nytimes.com/1995/10/08/nyregion/pope-s-visit-cardinal-pope-s-important-ally-cardinal-shines-high-hierarchy.html|url-status=live}} "As the Archbishop of the media and cultural center of the United States, Cardinal O'Connor has extraordinary power among Catholic prelates."</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20100406/manhattan/manhattan-may-be-media-capital-world-but-not-for-ipad-users|title=Manhattan May Be the Media Capital of the World, But Not For iPad Users|author=Michael P. Ventura|publisher=DNAinfo|date=April 6, 2010|access-date=June 11, 2017|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170804015340/https://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20100406/manhattan/manhattan-may-be-media-capital-world-but-not-for-ipad-users|archive-date=August 4, 2017}}</ref><ref name=ManhattanMediaEntertainmentCapital>{{cite web|url=https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2017/05/first-nyc-pridefest-will-televised/|title=ABC will broadcast New York's pride parade live for the first time|author=Dawn Ennis|publisher=LGBTQ Nation|date=May 24, 2017|access-date=June 4, 2017|archive-date=July 28, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170728213225/https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2017/05/first-nyc-pridefest-will-televised/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Most of the borough is situated on [[Manhattan Island]], at the mouth of the [[Hudson River]]. Several small islands are also part of the borough of Manhattan, including [[Randall's Island]], [[Wards Island]], and [[Roosevelt Island]] in the [[East River]], and [[Governors Island]] to the south in [[New York Harbor]]; [[Liberty Island]], on which the [[Statue of Liberty]] stands, is a Manhattan [[exclave]], as is the original portion of [[Ellis Island]].<ref name=Islands>[http://law.justia.com/codes/new-york/2006/new-york-city-administrative-code-new/adc02-202_2-202.html New York City Administrative Code Section 2-202 Division into boroughs and boundaries thereof – Division Into Boroughs And Boundaries Thereof.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180104013839/https://law.justia.com/codes/new-york/2006/new-york-city-administrative-code-new/adc02-202_2-202.html |date=January 4, 2018 }}, Justia. Accessed January 18, 2024. "The borough of Manhattan shall consist of the territory known as New York county, which shall contain all that part of the city and state, including that portion of land commonly known as Marble Hill and included within the county of New York and borough of Manhattan for all purposes pursuant to chapter nine hundred thirty-nine of the laws of nineteen hundred eighty-four and further including the islands called Manhattan Island, Governor's Island, Bedloe's Island, Ellis Island, Franklin D. Roosevelt Island, Randall's Island and Oyster Island..."</ref> Manhattan Island is loosely divided into [[Lower Manhattan|Lower]], [[Midtown Manhattan|Midtown]], and [[Upper Manhattan|Uptown]] regions. Uptown Manhattan is divided by Central Park into the [[Upper East Side]] and the [[Upper West Side]], and above the park is [[Harlem]]. Marble Hill was part of the northern tip of Manhattan Island, but the [[Harlem River Ship Canal]], dug in 1895, separated it from the remainder of Manhattan.<ref name="canal">[[Christopher Gray (architectural historian)|Gray, Christopher]]. [https://www.nytimes.com/1988/03/06/realestate/streetscapes-spuyten-duyvil-swing-bridge-restoring-a-link-in-the-city-s-lifeline.html "Streetscapes: Spuyten Duyvil Swing Bridge; Restoring a Link In the City's Lifeline"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200116001257/https://www.nytimes.com/1988/03/06/realestate/streetscapes-spuyten-duyvil-swing-bridge-restoring-a-link-in-the-city-s-lifeline.html |date=January 16, 2020 }}. ''[[The New York Times]]'', March 6, 1988. Accessed January 18, 2024. "At some point, the wooden bridge was replaced by an iron one, certainly by 1895 when the Spuyten Duyvil Creek and the Harlem River were widened and joined as the Harlem River Ship Canal, linking the East and Hudson Rivers."</ref> Before World War I, the old channel was filled in and Marble Hill became part of the mainland.<ref>Jackson, Nancy Beth. [https://www.nytimes.com/2003/01/26/realestate/if-you-re-thinking-living-marble-hill-tiny-slice-manhattan-mainland.html "If You're Thinking of Living In/Marble Hill; Tiny Slice of Manhattan on the Mainland"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190328073616/https://www.nytimes.com/2003/01/26/realestate/if-you-re-thinking-living-marble-hill-tiny-slice-manhattan-mainland.html |date=March 28, 2019 }}, ''[[The New York Times]]'', January 26, 2003. Accessed January 18, 2024. "The building of the Harlem River Ship Canal turned the hill into an island in 1895, but when Spuyten Duyvel Creek on the west was filled in before World War I, the 51 acres became firmly attached to the mainland and the Bronx."</ref> After a May 1984 court ruled that Marble Hill was part of Bronx County (not New York County),<ref>Chambers, Marcia. [https://www.nytimes.com/1984/05/16/nyregion/judge-s-ruling-revives-dispute-on-marble-hill.html "Judge's Ruling Revives Dispute On Marble Hill"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240108215749/https://www.nytimes.com/1984/05/16/nyregion/judge-s-ruling-revives-dispute-on-marble-hill.html |date=January 8, 2024 }}, ''[[The New York Times]]'', May 16, 1984. Accessed January 8, 2024. "After a painstaking legal and historical analysis, Justice Peter J. McQuillan said rather, that Marble Hill lies in both. 'The conclusion is irresistible,' he said in a 36-page opinion, that Marble Hill is situated in the Borough of Manhattan, but is not part of New York County. By statute, he said, 'it is in Bronx County.' Contrary to what the Legislature may have thought when it redefined boundary lines for Manhattan in 1938 and again in 1940, it 'dealt only with boroughs and not counties,' the judge wrote. In short, the boundaries of New York County and Manhattan are not the same, he said."</ref> the matter was definitively settled later that year when the [[New York Legislature]] overwhelmingly passed legislation declaring the neighborhood part of both New York County and the Borough of Manhattan.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1984/06/27/nyregion/bill-would-clarify-marble-hill-s-status.html "Bill Would Clarify Marble Hill's Status"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240204182616/https://www.nytimes.com/1984/06/27/nyregion/bill-would-clarify-marble-hill-s-status.html |date=February 4, 2024 }}, ''[[The New York Times]]'', June 27, 1984. Accessed January 8, 2024. "The Assembly voted tonight to move the Marble Hill section of the Borough of Manhattan into New York County, thereby correcting a 46-year old mistake.... A dispute over Marble Hill followed, but the matter was mostly put to rest in 1938, when the boundaries of the Borough of Manhattan were shifted to include Marble Hill.... Tonight the Assembly voted 140 to 4 and joined the Senate in moving to change that, and the measure now goes to the Governor. It would be retroactive to Jan. 1, 1938."</ref><ref>[https://law.justia.com/cases/new-york/appellate-division-first-department/2007/2007-09955.html ''Montesano v New York City Hous. Auth.''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240108221245/https://law.justia.com/cases/new-york/appellate-division-first-department/2007/2007-09955.html |date=January 8, 2024 }}, Justia, as corrected through March 19, 2008. Accessed January 8, 2024. "Less than 10 weeks after the Boyd decision, the Legislature eliminated any doubt that the Borough of Manhattan and New York County were conterminous in this respect by specifically including Marble Hill in both the Borough of Manhattan and New York County, 'for all purposes,' retroactive to 1938 (L 1984, ch 939). The official map of the City of New York now shows that Marble Hill is located in New York County."</ref>

New York City's remaining four boroughs are collectively referred to as the outer boroughs.<ref>[[Frank J. Macchiarola|Macchiarola, Frank J.]] [https://www.city-journal.org/article/the-two-new-yorks "The Two New Yorks"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240119013506/https://www.city-journal.org/article/the-two-new-yorks |date=January 19, 2024 }}, ''[[City Journal]]'', Spring 1993. Accessed January 18, 2024. "I believe, however, that the most critical distinction is one that is seldom discussed and that cuts across lines of both race and class, separating New Yorkers on the basis of their political and social culture. The distinction is between what are in fact two 'boroughs,' Manhattan and outer borough New York. Both include people of all ethnic groups and various economic conditions."</ref>

===Brooklyn===
[[File:Greenpoint Houses.JPG|thumb|alt=A view down a street with rowhouses in brown, white, and various shades of red|Landmark nineteenth-century [[brownstone]]s in the [[Greenpoint, Brooklyn|Greenpoint Historic District]] of [[Brooklyn]], New York City's most populous borough]]

[[Brooklyn]] (co-extensive with Kings County), on the western tip of [[Long Island]], is the city's most populous borough. Brooklyn is known for its cultural, social, and ethnic diversity, an independent art scene, [[List of Brooklyn neighborhoods|distinct neighborhoods]], and a distinctive architectural heritage. [[Downtown Brooklyn]] is the largest central core neighborhood in the outer boroughs. The borough has a long beachfront shoreline including [[Coney Island]], established in the 1870s as one of the earliest amusement grounds in the country.<ref>{{cite book |last=Immerso |first=Michael |title=Coney Island: The People's Playground |publisher=Rutgers University Press |year=2002 |page=3 |isbn=0-8135-3138-1}}</ref> [[Marine Park (Brooklyn park)|Marine Park]]<ref name=LargestParksNYC/> and [[Prospect Park (Brooklyn)|Prospect Park]] are the two largest parks in Brooklyn. Since the early 2010s, Brooklyn has evolved into a thriving hub of [[entrepreneurship]] and [[high tech]]nology [[startup company|startup firms]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cbinsights.com/blog/brooklyn-hot-startup-list-investments/|title=19 Reasons Why Brooklyn Is New York's New Startup Hotspot|publisher=CB Insights|date=October 19, 2015|access-date=August 27, 2017|archive-date=April 9, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160409004353/https://www.cbinsights.com/blog/brooklyn-hot-startup-list-investments/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=BrooklynDesignHub/> and of [[postmodern art]]<ref name=BrooklynArt1>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/29/t-magazine/art/dustin-yellin-vr-google-tilt-brush-art.html|title=One Celebrated Brooklyn Artist's Futuristic New Practice|author=Alexandria Symonds|newspaper=The New York Times|date=April 29, 2016|access-date=August 27, 2017|archive-date=April 30, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160430133339/http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/29/t-magazine/art/dustin-yellin-vr-google-tilt-brush-art.html|url-status=live}}</ref> and [[design]].<ref name=BrooklynDesignHub>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/01/fashion/brooklyn-wearables-revolution.html?ribbon-ad-idx=5&rref=fashion&module=Ribbon&version=context&region=Header&action=click&contentCollection=Fashion%20%26%20Style&pgtype=article|title=Brooklyn's Wearable Revolution|author=Vanessa Friedman|newspaper=The New York Times|date=April 30, 2016|access-date=August 27, 2017|archive-date=August 27, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170827214557/https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/01/fashion/brooklyn-wearables-revolution.html?ribbon-ad-idx=5&rref=fashion&module=Ribbon&version=context&region=Header&action=click&contentCollection=Fashion%20%26%20Style&pgtype=article|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Queens===
[[File:Unisphere_in_summer.jpg|thumb|The [[Unisphere]] in [[Queens]], the most [[ethnic diversity|ethnically diverse]] urban area in the world<ref name=QueensMostDiverseWorld1/><ref name=QueensMostDiverseWorld2/>]]

[[Queens]] (co-extensive with Queens County), on [[Long Island]] north and east of Brooklyn, is geographically the largest borough, the most [[ethnic diversity|ethnically diverse]] county in the United States,<ref name="queensdiverse">{{cite news |last=O'Donnell |first=Michelle |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/04/nyregion/04fourth.html |url-access=subscription |title=In Queens, It's the Glorious 4th, and 6th, and 16th, and 25th&nbsp;... |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=July 4, 2006 |access-date=July 20, 2014 |archive-date=August 17, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220817102329/https://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/04/nyregion/04fourth.html |url-status=live }}</ref> as well as the most ethnically diverse urban area in the world.<ref name=QueensMostDiverseWorld1>{{cite news |url=http://traveltips.usatoday.com/queens-new-york-sightseeing-107156.html |title=Queens, New York, Sightseeing |author=Christine Kim, Demand Media |newspaper=USA TODAY |access-date=March 20, 2016 |archive-date=June 16, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160616145824/http://traveltips.usatoday.com/queens-new-york-sightseeing-107156.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=QueensMostDiverseWorld2>{{cite web |url=http://www.newyork.com/articles/neighborhoods/queens-72876/ |title=Queens |author=Andrew Weber |publisher=NewYork.com |date=April 30, 2013 |access-date=March 20, 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150513065643/http://www.newyork.com/articles/neighborhoods/queens-72876/ |archive-date=May 13, 2015  }}</ref> Historically a collection of small towns and villages founded by the [[Dutch people|Dutch]], the borough has since developed both commercial and residential prominence. [[Downtown Flushing]] has become one of the busiest central core neighborhoods in the outer boroughs. Parts of Queens such as [[Bellerose, Queens|Bellerose]] and [[Forest Hills, Queens|Forest Hills]] are relatively suburban in character. Queens is the site of [[Citi Field]], the [[baseball stadium]] of the [[New York Mets]], and hosts the annual [[US Open (tennis)|U.S. Open tennis tournament]] at [[Flushing Meadows-Corona Park]]. Additionally, two of the three busiest airports serving the New York metropolitan area, [[John F. Kennedy International Airport]] and [[LaGuardia Airport]], are located in Queens. (The third is [[Newark Liberty International Airport]] in [[Newark, New Jersey|Newark]], [[New Jersey]].)

===The Bronx===
[[File:Melrosebx1.JPG|thumb|[[The Bronx]], the northernmost borough of New York City and the only borough situated primarily on the United States mainland]]

[[The Bronx]] (co-extensive with Bronx County) is New York City's northernmost borough and is the only New York City borough that is part of the United States mainland (excluding some islands that are part of the borough). It is the location of [[Yankee Stadium]], the baseball stadium of the [[New York Yankees]], and home to [[Co-op City, Bronx|Co-op City]], the largest [[housing cooperative|cooperatively owned housing]] complex in the United States.<ref>{{cite news |last=Frazier |first=Ian |title=Utopia, the Bronx |magazine=The New Yorker |date=June 26, 2006 |url=http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2006/06/26/060626fa_fact_frazier |access-date=September 1, 2008 |archive-date=September 29, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929153729/http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2006/06/26/060626fa_fact_frazier |url-status=live }}</ref> It is also home to the [[Bronx Zoo]], the world's largest metropolitan zoo,<ref name=BronxZoo>{{cite web |url=http://www.bronxzoo.com/animals-and-exhibits.aspx |title= Animals & Exhibits |website=Bronx Zoo |publisher=Wildlife Conservation Society |access-date=March 20, 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150114073313/http://bronxzoo.com/animals-and-exhibits.aspx |archive-date=January 14, 2015 }}</ref> which covers {{convert|265|acre|ha}} and houses over 6,000 animals.<ref>{{cite book |last=Ward |first=Candace |title=New York City Museum Guide |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/New_York_City_Museum_Guide/FuWKuHbWnvIC?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PA72&printsec=frontcover |publisher=Dover Publications |year=2000 |isbn=0-486-41000-5 |page=72}}</ref> Directly to the zoo's north is the [[New York Botanical Garden]], a botanical garden and National Historic Landmark. [[Pelham Bay Park]] is the largest park in New York City, at {{convert|2,772|acre|ha}}.<ref name=LargestParksNYC>{{cite web|url=https://new-york-ny.knoji.com/10-largest-parks-in-new-york-city/|title=10 Largest Parks in New York City|author=Joe Dorish|publisher=ZipfWorks, Inc|access-date=March 20, 2016|archive-date=April 6, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160406110813/https://new-york-ny.knoji.com/10-largest-parks-in-new-york-city/|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Staten Island===
[[File:Staten Island Borough Hall sign.jpg|thumb|[[Staten Island Borough Hall|Borough Hall]] in the [[St. George, Staten Island|St. George]] neighborhood of [[Staten Island]], the most [[suburb]]an borough of New York City]]

[[Staten Island]] (co-extensive with Richmond County) is generally the most [[suburb]]an in character of the five boroughs. Staten Island is connected to Brooklyn by the [[Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge]] and to Manhattan by way of the [[Staten Island Ferry]], a free [[commuter]] ferry and popular tourist attraction which provides unobstructed views of the Statue of Liberty, [[Ellis Island]], and [[Lower Manhattan]]. In central Staten Island, the [[Staten Island Greenbelt]] spans approximately {{convert|2500|acres|km2|abbr=on}}, including {{convert|28|mi|km}} of walking trails and one of the last undisturbed forests in the city.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nynjtc.org/park/staten-island-greenbelt |title=Staten Island Greenbelt  |publisher=New York-New Jersey Trail Conference |access-date=October 28, 2010 |archive-date=April 29, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210429230830/https://www.nynjtc.org/park/staten-island-greenbelt |url-status=dead }}</ref> Designated in 1984 to protect the island's natural lands, the Greenbelt comprises seven city parks.

==Governance==
{{main article|Borough president}}
[[File:New York City Demographics 01 500px-yellowbrooklyn.png|thumb|Percentage of New York City population residing in each borough.
{{legend|000099|Manhattan}}
{{legend|FFDF3C|Brooklyn}}
{{legend|FF6600|Queens}}
{{legend|CC0000|The Bronx}}
{{legend|purple|Staten Island}}
Populations before 1898 are for the areas now enclosed in the present boroughs.]]

Since 1914, each of New York City's five boroughs has been coextensive with a county of New York State &ndash; unlike most [[City#United States|U.S. cities]], which lie within a single [[County (United States)|county]] or extend partially into another county, constitute a county in themselves, or are completely separate and [[Independent city (United States)|independent]] of any county.

Each borough is represented by a [[borough president]]. Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island each have a Borough Hall with limited administrative functions. The Manhattan Borough President's office is situated in the [[Manhattan Municipal Building]]. The Bronx Borough President's office used to be in its own [[Bronx Borough Hall]] but has been in the [[Bronx County Courthouse]] for decades. Since the abolition of the [[New York City Board of Estimate|Board of Estimate]] in 1990 (due to a [[Board of Estimate of City of New York v. Morris|1989 ruling]] of the [[United States Supreme Court|U.S. Supreme Court]]<ref>{{cite web |url-status=live |url=https://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/historics/USSC_CR_0489_0688_ZS.html |title=Board of Estimate of City of New York, et al., Appellants, v. Beverly Morris et al. Frank V. Ponterio, Appellant, v. Beverly Morris, Joy Clarke Holmes and Joanne Oplustil. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130924104029/https://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/historics/USSC_CR_0489_0688_ZS.html |archive-date=September 24, 2013 |id= 489 U.S. 688 |date=1989 |website=Legal Information Institute }}</ref>), the borough presidents have minimal executive powers, and there is no legislative function within a borough. Executive functions in New York City are the responsibility of the [[Mayor of New York City]], while legislative functions reside with the [[New York City Council]]. The borough presidents primarily act as spokesmen, advocates, and [[figurehead|ceremonial leaders]] for their boroughs, have budgets from which they can allocate relatively modest sums of money to community organizations and projects, and appoint the members of the 59 largely advisory [[Community boards of New York City|community boards]] in the city's various neighborhoods. The Brooklyn and Queens borough presidents also appoint trustees to the local [[New York City#Public library system|public library systems]] in those boroughs.

Being coextensive with an individual county, each borough also elects a [[district attorney]], as does every other county of New York State. While the district attorneys of Manhattan and Brooklyn are popularly referred to as "Manhattan D.A. [[Cyrus Vance, Jr.]]", or "Brooklyn D.A. [[Kenneth P. Thompson]]" by the media, they are technically and legally the district attorneys of New York County and Kings County, respectively. The same goes for Staten Island. There is no such distinction made for the district attorneys of the other two counties, Queens and the Bronx, since these boroughs share the respective counties' names. Because the five district attorneys are, technically speaking, state officials (since the counties are considered to be arms of the state government), rather than officials of the city government, they are not subject to the [[term limit]]ations that govern other New York City officials such as the mayor, the [[New York City Public Advocate]], members of the city council, or the borough presidents. Some [[Civil law (common law)|civil court]] judges also are elected on a borough-wide basis, although they generally are eligible to serve throughout the city.

In some document collections the boroughs used to be designated with a one-letter abbreviation: K for Brooklyn, M for Manhattan, Q for Queens, R for Staten Island (Richmond County), and X for the Bronx.<ref>{{Citation| publisher = AncestryLibrary.com| title = Births reported in the city of New York| accessdate = June 21, 2021| date = 1958| url = https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/imageviewer/collections/61457/images/47769_b353843-00000 |url-access=subscription }}</ref>

==Sixth borough==
{{Main article|Sixth borough}}

The term "sixth borough" is used to describe any of a number of places that have been [[metaphor]]ically called a part of New York City because of their geographic location, demographics (they include large numbers of former New Yorkers), special affiliation, or [[cosmopolitanism|cosmopolitan]] character. They have included adjacent cities and counties in the [[New York metropolitan area]] as well as in other states, [[territories of the United States|U.S. territories]], and foreign countries.<ref>{{cite web|last=Popik|first=Barry|title=Sixth Borough (Yonkers, Scarsdale, Fort Lee, Jersey City, Hoboken, Nassau County, Rockland County, S |publisher=Big Apple|date=January 24, 2006|url=http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/new_york_city/entry/sixth_borough_yonkers_scarsdale_fort_lee_jersey_city_hoboken_nassau_county_/|access-date=May 1, 2013|archive-date=April 6, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130406183138/http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/new_york_city/entry/sixth_borough_yonkers_scarsdale_fort_lee_jersey_city_hoboken_nassau_county_/|url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Walker |first=Ken |title=That Mythical Sixth Borough |publisher=Daily Newarker |date=May 10, 2007 |url=http://dailynewarker.com/2007/05/that-mythical-sixth-borough/ |access-date=May 1, 2013|url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131005210206/http://dailynewarker.com/2007/05/that-mythical-sixth-borough/|archive-date=October 5, 2013 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Carlsen |first=Jen |title=Poll: Where is New York's 6th Borough? |publisher=Gothamist |date=December 10, 2010 |url=http://gothamist.com/2010/12/03/poll_new_yorks_6th_borough.php |access-date=May 1, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140902131133/http://gothamist.com/2010/12/03/poll_new_yorks_6th_borough.php |archive-date=September 2, 2014  }}</ref> In 2011, New York Mayor [[Michael Bloomberg]] referred to the city's [[waterfront (area)|waterfront]] and waterways as a composite sixth borough during presentations of planned rehabilitation projects along the city's [[shore]]line,<ref>{{cite press release |title=Mayor Bloomberg and Speaker Quinn Unveil Comprehensive Plan for New York city's Waterfront and Waterways |publisher=NYCEDC |date=March 14, 2011 |url=http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcp/html/about/pr031411.shtml |access-date=May 1, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130314083046/http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcp/html/about/pr031411.shtml |archive-date=March 14, 2013  }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Rovzar |first=Chris |title=Mayor Bloomberg Attempts to Rebrand the 'Sixth Borough' |url=http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2011/03/mayor_bloomberg_attempts_to_re.html |work=New York Magazine |date=March 14, 2011 |access-date=November 28, 2012 |archive-date=April 29, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120429022938/http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2011/03/mayor_bloomberg_attempts_to_re.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Mainland |first=Alex |title=A Blog for the 'Sixth Borough' |newspaper=The New York Times |date=February 18, 2011 |url=http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/02/18/a-blog-for-the-sixth-borough/ |access-date=May 1, 2013 |archive-date=May 19, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130519065410/http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/02/18/a-blog-for-the-sixth-borough/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Yeh |first=Richard |title=City Reclaims Waterfront as 'Sixth Borough' |publisher=WNYC |date=March 14, 2011 |url=http://www.wnyc.org/blogs/wnyc-news-blog/2011/mar/14/city-reclaim-its-waterfront-assets-sixth-borough/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130615191632/http://www.wnyc.org/blogs/wnyc-news-blog/2011/mar/14/city-reclaim-its-waterfront-assets-sixth-borough/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=June 15, 2013 |access-date=May 1, 2013 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Sixth Borough Stories from New York's Waterfront |publisher=Columbia School of Journalism |year=2011 |url=http://sixthborough.org/ |access-date=May 1, 2013 |quote=The sixth borough. That's what Mayor Bloomberg calls the 578 miles of shore land that encircle the five boroughs of New York City. |archive-date=April 23, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130423074327/http://sixthborough.org/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Cunningham |first=Ryan A. |publisher=Metropolis Magazine |title=Will NYC have a 6th Borough? |date=January 22, 2012 |url=http://www.metropolismag.com/pov/20120122/will-nyc-have-a-6th-borough |access-date=May 1, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130208122833/http://www.metropolismag.com/pov/20120122/will-nyc-have-a-6th-borough |archive-date=February 8, 2013  }}</ref> including [[Governor's Island]] in the [[Upper New York Bay]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Studio Report The Speculation Studio: Governors Island, The Sixth Borough? |publisher=Urban Omnibus |date=January 11, 2012 |url=http://urbanomnibus.net/2012/01/studio-report-the-speculation-studio-governors-island-the-sixth-borough/ |access-date=May 1, 2013 |archive-date=April 8, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130408064726/http://urbanomnibus.net/2012/01/studio-report-the-speculation-studio-governors-island-the-sixth-borough/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[Hudson Waterfront]], in the [[U.S. state]] of [[New Jersey]], lies opposite Manhattan on the [[North River (Hudson River)|Hudson River]], and during the [[New Netherland|Dutch colonial era]], it was under the jurisdiction of [[New Amsterdam]] and known as [[Bergen, New Netherland|Bergen]]. [[Jersey City, New Jersey|Jersey City]] and [[Hoboken, New Jersey|Hoboken]], in New Jersey's [[Hudson County, New Jersey|Hudson County]], are sometimes referred to as the sixth borough, given their proximity and connections by [[PATH (rail system)|rapid transit PATH trains]] to the city.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/12/09/nyregion/cities-bright-lights-big-retail.html |work=[[The New York Times]] |first=Steve |last=Strunsky |title=CITIES; Bright Lights, Big Retail |date=December 9, 2001 |access-date=February 6, 2017 |archive-date=June 30, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170630173129/http://www.nytimes.com/2001/12/09/nyregion/cities-bright-lights-big-retail.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>Holusha, John. [https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D07EFDB123BF932A25753C1A96E958260 "Commercial Property / The Jersey Riverfront; On the Hudson's West Bank, Optimistic Developers"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081022191349/https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D07EFDB123BF932A25753C1A96E958260 |date=October 22, 2008 }}, ''[[The New York Times]]'', October 11, 1998. Accessed May 25, 2007. {{"'}}That simply is out of the question in midtown,' he said, adding that some formerly fringe areas in Midtown South that had previously been available were filled up as well. Given that the buildings on the New Jersey waterfront are new and equipped with the latest technology and just a few stops on the PATH trains from Manhattan, they become an attractive alternative. 'It's the sixth borough', he said."</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/21/nyregion/21stamford.html |work=The New York Times |first=Ken |last=Belson |title=In Stamford, a Plan to Rebuild an Area and Build an Advantage |date=May 21, 2007 |access-date=February 6, 2017 |archive-date=July 24, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180724063004/https://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/21/nyregion/21stamford.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Olear |first=Greg |title=The Sixth Borough A good look at Hoboken |publisher=The Copperator |date=December 2002 |url=http://cooperator.com/articles/689/1/The-Sixth-Borough/Page1.html |access-date=May 1, 2013 |archive-date=June 25, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130625233624/http://cooperator.com/articles/689/1/The-Sixth-Borough/Page1.html |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Fort Lee, New Jersey|Fort Lee]], in [[Bergen County, New Jersey|Bergen County]], opposite Upper Manhattan and connected by the [[George Washington Bridge]], has also been called the sixth borough. [[Yonkers, New York|Yonkers]], in Westchester County, is often referred to as the sixth borough as well.<ref>Lefkowitz, Melanie. [https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748704330404576291030180585192 "Bergen County's Fort Lee: Town With a View"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180904230002/https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748704330404576291030180585192 |date=September 4, 2018 }}. The Wall Street Journal. April 30, 2011. Accessed September 16, 2012.</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.northjersey.com/fortlee/Fort_Lee.html |title=Fort Lee grapples with questions on future development |author=Linh Tat |publisher=North Jersey Media Group Inc. |date=June 12, 2012 |access-date=September 16, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130723060351/http://www.northjersey.com/fortlee/Fort_Lee.html |archive-date=July 23, 2013  }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/09/realestate/fort-lee-nj-living-in-close-to-new-york-city-but-with-a-life-of-its-own.html|title=Living In Fort Lee, N.J. Close to the City, but With a Life of Its Own|date=September 7, 2012|work=The New York Times|author=Vera Haller|access-date=September 16, 2012|archive-date=September 13, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120913204820/http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/09/realestate/fort-lee-nj-living-in-close-to-new-york-city-but-with-a-life-of-its-own.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mcall.com/news/nationworld/pennsylvania/mc-new-yorkers-move-to-philly-20150329-story.html|title=More New Yorkers relocating to Philly|publisher=The Morning Call|date=March 29, 2015|access-date=August 27, 2016|archive-date=October 12, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161012133502/http://www.mcall.com/news/nationworld/pennsylvania/mc-new-yorkers-move-to-philly-20150329-story.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Flags of New York City]]
* [[List of counties in New York]]

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

{{Portal bar|New York City}}

{{Administrative divisions of New York}}
{{New York City}}

[[Category:Boroughs of New York City| ]]
[[Category:Government of New York City]]