The Big Apple
10 lesser-known facts about New York City
Image: eFlexion
You might think there’s nothing new to say or discover about New York City. A center of finance, arts, culture, international diplomacy, and the most populous city in America, New York is a world of its own, chaotic and ever-changing, but rooted in tradition and history . Here are 10 facts you might not know about the city that never sleeps.
1
A diverse city
Anyone who has ever set foot in New York City knows that it’s a highly diverse city, with ties to communities from all over the world. Around 35% of New Yorkers are foreign-born, and around 800 different languages are spoken every day in the city. This is not only the result of the millions of immigrants who have arrived there since the 19th century, but also the city’s status as a financial and cultural hub that attracts residents from around the globe.
2
The Big Apple’s name origins
Ever wondered why New York City is nicknamed the Big Apple? It has nothing to do with the fruit, but rather with horse racing. In the 1920s, John J. Fitz Gerald, a sports journalist, overheard a group of New Orleans stable hands call New York’s race tracks the "big apple", because they offered the biggest prizes . Fitz Gerald started a column in the New York Morning Telegraph titled "Around the Big Apple", and the nickname stuck.
3
An island city
Is New York City on an island or on the mainland? There is no straight answer to this question. New York comprises five boroughs —The Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island— of which only one (The Bronx) is strictly part of the mainland. As for the rest, they are located across three different islands : Manhattan and Staten Island are islands of their own, while Brooklyn and Queens are located on Long Island, a much, much larger landmass which belongs only partially to New York City.
4
The building with its own zip code
Can a building have its own zip code? It sure can, if this building is a skyscraper in one of the most populous cities in the world. The Empire State Building, located at 350 Fifth Avenue (at 33rd and 34th Streets), is not only one of New York’s most famous landmarks, but it also houses dozens of businesses and offices. For this reason, the U.S. Postal Service has given the building a ZIP code of its own, NY 10118. While the Empire State Building is not the only New York building with its own code (there are 42 others), it is certainly the most famous.
5
The first pizzeria in America
It’s impossible to imagine New York City without its pizza scene, so it’s only fitting that t he first licensed pizza place in America was founded in this city. In 1897, Italian immigrant Gennaro Lombardi opened a small grocery store in Little Italy, Manhattan, where he sold "tomato pies" (a pizza with cheese first and tomato on top). In 1905, he acquired the first official permit for a pizza place in America, which opened under the name Lombardi's Pizza.
6
The "pizza principle"
The average New Yorker is used to riding the subway and buying pizza by the slice, but they might not have noticed the price similarities between these two things. First observed in the 1960s, the "pizza principle" states that the price of a plain slice of cheese pizza is roughly equal to the cost of a subway ride , and that these two prices will usually rise in tandem.
7
The "wall" in Wall Street
Most people know that the Wall Street financial district in New York City took its name from an actual street, but where did the street get its name? Well, from a wall. In 1653, when New York City was still New Amsterdam, the Dutch colonial authorities built a wooden wall along the northern border of the settlement , as protection against British and Native American attacks. After the British took control of the area in 1699, the deteriorated wall was taken down, and a road was built where the wall stood, aptly named "Wall Street".
8
Why yellow taxis?
To say "New York City" is synonymous with saying "yellow taxi", but taxis in the city used to be a different color. When motorized taxicabs replaced horse-drawn carriages in 1907, their official colors were red and green. In 1915, after a university study discovered that yellow was the easiest color to spot at a distance, taxi companies started painting their fleets in that color , but it wasn’t until 1967 that New York City officially required all licensed taxis to be "school bus yellow" or a similar shade. In 2013, green taxicabs (also known as "Boro taxis") were introduced to address the shortage of yellow taxis in the outer boroughs and in upper Manhattan.
9
No honking allowed
Traffic noise in a city as huge and populous as New York is unavoidable, and this includes honking. But did you know that honking, unless there’s a pressing emergency, is illegal? Rules concerning honking have existed in New York since the 1930s, but this doesn’t mean they are always followed or enforced . Per the city’s code, blowing your car horn is acceptable in emergencies, but not to rush traffic along, express anger, or as a greeting, all things that might carry a fine ranging from $350 to $2,500. However, despite traffic agents, noise cameras, and fines, honking is still prevalent in New York’s daily sounds.
10
Moving day
New York City’s housing market is cutthroat, but imagine how much worse it would be if you (and everyone else in the city) were only allowed to look for a new place to live three months out of the whole year? For a long time, this was the norm. Stemming from an old Dutch custom where all leases expired on May 1st, landlords would notify their tenants about rent increases or their lease ending on February 1st. For the next three months, tenants all across the city would look for a new place, and all moves would be done on May 1st, also known as "moving day". Down the line, an extra "moving day" was added in October to reduce the chaos caused by the tradition, which died out around WWII.
