New York is one of the most famous cities in the world. From The Empire State Building to the Statue of Liberty, everyone knows at least something about The Big Apple. But, did you know any of these 10 New York City fun facts?
- The meaning behind The Big Apple
- The languages of New York
- The story of the Statue of Liberty
- The length of the Subway system
- The Empire State Building
- New York’s coastline
- Rich New Yorkers
- The Pizza Principle
- The whispering gallery
- The New York City library
The meaning behind The Big Apple
New York City is lovingly known by many as The Big Apple. There are many rumours about how this nickname came about, including a nod to the Great Depression when prior financiers would sell apples to make money. The first published use of the term was in the 1920’s when sports writer John J Fitzgerald used the phrase to describe New York’s horse racing track. It wasn’t until the 1970’s that the name The Big Apple began to be widely used in reference to New York itself.
The languages of New York
There are over 800 different languages spoken in New York, making it one of the most linguistically diverse cities in the world. As a result of the cities’ rich immigration history, Only 51% of its residents solely speak English, the other 49% are bilingual. The second most popular language in New York is Spanish, followed by Chinese and Russian.
The story of The Statue of Liberty
The Statue of Liberty is arguably New York’s most notable landmark. Standing 83 metres tall, The Statue of Liberty is a historic American landmark that millions marvel at every year. The statue arrived in New York in 1885, in 214 crates and 350 pieces. It was a gift from France to celebrate America’s centennial celebration. Interestingly, the statues iconic arm holding the torch arrived in America a decade earlier in 1876. It was put on display at the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia to raise money for the construction of the whole statue.
The length of the Subway system
New York’s Subway system is one of the largest urban mass transportation systems in the world. Each year, approximately 1,727,366,607 passengers use the underground system, consisting of 34 lines and 469 stops. If you were to travel to every stop on the system, without leaving the Subway, it would take you 21 hours and 49 minutes.
The Empire State Building
The Empire State Building is another of New York’s famous landmarks. Standing 102 stories high in Midtown Manhattan, it has been a New York highlight since 1930. Despite being a notable NYC landmark, The Empire State building is very unlucky. There is a 1 in 9 million chance of being struck by lightning twice in your lifetime. The Empire State Building is struck 23 times every year!
New York’s coastline
When you think about American coastlines, New York will not be the first place you think about. That being said, New York actually has a coastline of 520 miles, which is longer than the coasts of Miami, Boston, Los Angeles, and San Francisco combined.
Rich New Yorkers
New York is the only city in the world that is home to more than 100 billionaires. There are actually 113 billionaires currently living in the city, the richest of which is former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg, who has an estimated net worth of $60.1 billion. Asides from the billionaires, there are also more than 380 million millionaires living in New York City.
The Pizza Principle
For over 50 years the average price of a Subway ride and the average price of a slice of pizza has been relatively the same. Whenever one of the prices goes up or down, so does the other. Economists have lovingly named this the Pizza Principle.
The whispering gallery
Grand Central Terminal is a commuter rail terminal in Midtown Manhattan and home to the whispering gallery. If you were to stand at one corner of the platform and have a friend stand at a diagonal corner to yourself you will be able to whisper to each other. This secret conversation can happen because of the perfectly curved arches that make up the platform.
The New York City Library
The New York City Library is the third biggest library in the world and the second biggest library in America. It is home to 50 million books and when the library first opened in 1911 it was the largest marble building ever built in America. Today 3.5 million people inhabit the library and explore its extensive collections.
If you are in the New York City area don’t forget to book your Laundryheap dry cleaning service. Use the code FIRST10 to get $10 off of your first order. To book your slot head to the Laundryheap website or download the free Laundryheap app.
