New York City The Big Apple

The Beginning: Four hundred years ago, Manhattan Island was the home of the Algonquin Indians. In 1609, a man called Henry Hudson came up the river to Manhattan. He was British but he was on a Dutch ship, The Half Moon. Today the river is called the Hudson River. In 1626, a Dutchman called Peter Minuit came to Manhattan, and he paid the Indians about twenty-four dollars for the island. Minuit put up some houses, and called the little town New Amsterdam. By 1647, about 500 people lived in New Amsterdam, and the Governor was a Dutchman called Peter Stuyvesant. But in 1664, the British took the town from the Dutch and changed its name to New York. Then came the War of Independence (1776-1783) a war between the British and some of the people of North America. When it finished in 1783, the British left and George Washington was made the first president of the United States of America. In 1790, about 33, 000 people lived in New York, but then millions more men and woman began to come to America from all over the world.

They all wanted to be part of the new country, and many of them came to live in New York. At first they came from Germany and Ireland, then later on from Italy, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Russia, Africa, and China. The new People of New York worked hard, and many of them helped to build the first skyscrapers and bridges. These New Americans? often lived in the same streets with other people from their own country. Today, New York has parts called Chinatown and Little Italy. Ellis Island was the first stop for New Americans? when they came to New York. All the ships Bringing People from Europe to America stopped here. The Brooklyn Bridge opened on 24 May, 1883. Why the Big Apple: People often called New York The Big Apple?. Why? In the 1920s and 1930s jazz musicians all wanted to work New York. There are a lot of apples on the tree, ? they said, but when you take New York city, you take The Big Apple! ? Yes, everybody wanted some of The Big Apple and they want some today, too!

New York Population: New York City has more than 7 million inhabitants. It is twice as large as Los Angeles, which is the second largest city in America. Manhattan is the most densely settled district (the district with the most people per square mile). Brooklyn and the Bronx are also crowded districts. New York has had to start a massive program of building since the 50s and 60s to house its large population.

Contrasts in Income: In New York there is a sharp division between rich and poor. The rich tend to live in Manhattan and many of the poor in Brooklyn and the Bronx. The average income in Manhattan is 2. 3 times higher than in Brooklyn. Street Kids: New York is an exciting place, but also a dangerous one. Every year more than 2, 000 people are murdered, and every day there are hundreds of robberies and burglaries. The contrast between the rich and the poor is amazing. There are beggars in front of the most expensive shops, and there are ...