Manhattan

Central New York City

Manhattan, New York, c. 1900

Manhattan, borough of New York City, coextensive with New York county, in southeastern New York state, U.S. The borough, mainly on Manhattan Island, spills over into the Marble Hill section on the mainland and includes a number of islets in the East River. It is bounded by the Hudson River (west), Harlem River and Spuyten Duyvil Creek (northeast), East River (east), and Upper New York Bay (south). Manhattan is often mistakenly deemed synonymous with New York City.

Alfred Fredericks: The Purchase of Manhattan Island

In 1626 Peter Minuit, the first director general of New Netherland province, is said to have purchased the island from the local Indians (variously characterized by historians as having belonged to the Lenape, Delaware, Munsee, or Algonquin people) probably with trade goods valued at 60 guilders, then worth about 1.5 pounds (0.7 kg) of silver. The English took possession in 1664, the island having already been incorporated as the city of New Amsterdam in 1653. Renamed New York City when transferred to the British, it played a prominent role in the nation’s early history, both militarily and politically. Congress met there (1785–90), and George Washington was inaugurated there in 1789 as the first U.S. president. In the 19th century, particularly following the opening of the Erie Canal in 1825, Manhattan developed as the heart of a prosperous and expanding metropolis. In 1898 Greater New York was formed when Manhattan was joined with the newly created boroughs of Brooklyn, Queens, Richmond, and the Bronx.

Manhattan is considered one of the world’s foremost commercial, financial, and cultural centres. It is renowned for its many points of interest. Among these are Broadway, one of the world’s best-known streets; the financial district of Wall Street; skyscrapers such as the Empire State Building; Greenwich Village, Harlem, and Central Park; the United Nations headquarters; and various cultural and educational institutions, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Metropolitan Opera House, the Museum of Modern Art, Columbia University, two branches of the City University of New York, and New York University. Pop. (2000) 1,537,295; (2010) 1,585,873.