New York City's history is as legendary as one might expect from a city that looms so large in today's popular culture. The region was inhabited by Lenape Indians and saw the first European, Florentine Giovanni da Verrazano, arrive in New York Bay in 1524. However, it was not until 1609 that Henry Hudson would claim the land for the Dutch East India Company.

The potential of the area was seen by the Dutch who began to trade gold for furs in 1610. In 1621, they sought to monopolize trade in the Americas by granting a charter to the Dutch West India Company. In 1623 Dutch emigrants were the first to arrive in what would eventually blossom into Manhattan. The settlement would become known as New Amsterdam, the name originating with James Stewart, the Duke of York. A large piece of land including the New Amsterdam colony was gifted to him in 1664 by his brother, Charles II of England. The area's first director-general, Peter Minuit, reputedly purchased the island from the Native Americans for goods worth $24. (Some believe the actual worth of the goods was closer to $600. Either way, minuit got quite the bargain.)

The coming years would be turbulent for the settlement, with violence flaring up periodically between the settlers and the natives. Tensions also escalated between the Dutch and English, ultimately culminating in a war that finally ended in 1674. New York was occupied by British forces for most of the Revolutionary War as its poorly trained colonial militia was easily defeated early in the fighting, and the city would thrive under English control for the next century. Tensions began to escalate again in the 1760s due to British taxes such as the Towsend Act and Stamp Act. A year after the Boston Tea Party, New York would imitate Boston, dumping tea into the Hudson River.

During the 19th century, New York's population began to grow, shooting from 65,000 in 1800 to 250,000 in 1820. The Civil War saw more conflict in the city as poor immigrants grew angry at the rich people who could pay $300 to avoid being drafted. However, the city weathered these trials, and immigration led to vast growth during the rest of the century. The first skyscrapers began to tower above the city as mansions began to appear along Fifth Avenue to house the city's newly made millionaires.

By 1880, more than 1.1 million people lived in the city, mostly in tenements. The city suffered the societal and cultural consequences of such living conditions. Despite opposition, the charter was approved for "Greater New York" in 1897. The five boroughs of Manhattan (New York County), Borough of The Bronx, Brooklyn (Kings County), Queens (Queens County) and Staten Island (Richmond County) became Greater New York. New York became the world's second largest city with a population of over three million, behind only London. High-rises began to develop. The triangular Flatiron Building at the intersection of 23rd and Broadway was completed in 1902. The city's first high-rise, it was known for creating unusual wind patterns at ground-level.

The influx of immigrants through Ellis Island continued to swell the population, which reached 7 million by 1930. Today it is estimated that more than half of the population of the United States is descended from ancestors who entered the country through the NYC harbor. All of this immigration created challenges, however, as racial tensions, crimes and drugs plagued the city and politicians did nothing to curb the businesses leaving the city. In 1970, only an influx of federal cash saved the city from bankruptcy.

Recent years have seen an impressive transformation as crime has been brought under control and areas such as Central Park have become popular destinations for tourists instead of drug dealers.

A discussion of today's New York City would be incomplete without mentioning the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Today, however, construction abounds on the World Trade Center site, and the city and its residents show a clear commitment to rebuilding and thriving despite the losses suffered.

Sources:
( http://www.lonelyplanet.com )

( http://www.nyc.gov )