The 50 Craziest Facts about NYC
NYC is home to roughly 1 out of every 38 Americans—but did you know it’s also the birthplace of the ice cream cone? With its culturally diverse population, New York City boasts a storied history unlike that of any other city. Check out these 50 obscure, fascinating, and downright strange NYC facts.
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There's a ZIP Code exclusively for the Empire State Building.
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With +800 spoken languages, NYC boasts more linguistic diversity than any other city.
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NYC's coastline is 520 miles. That's larger than the coastlines of Miami, Boston, LA, and SF combined!
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In 1975, someone bought a private island in the East River for a measly $10.
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Dutch colonial structures from 1642 are visible through a glass floor in the Financial District.
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NYC was the US's first-ever capital, enjoying the title for five years.
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Millionaires account for 1 out of every 21 New Yorkers.
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New York City is home to America's first pizzeria, Lombardi's, opened in 1905.
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NYC is home to roughly 1 out of every 38 Americans.
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The city has a literal gold digger, who makes +$600 weekly scouring sidewalk cracks for gold.
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Rather than search for a bathroom, some Times Square New Year's participants wear adult diapers.
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NYC boasts a total of 13,000 of its famous yellow taxis.
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The first item sent through the New York City Post Office's pneumatic tube system was a live cat.
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NYC's water supply is home to copepods, invisible and harmless crustaceans.
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At just barely 9 feet wide, 75 1/2 Bedford Street is NYC's narrowest house.
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NYC makes $120 million a year from the +7,000 parking tickets given to delivery trucks daily.
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The capital of New York State is not NYC but rather Albany.
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The unclaimed deceased in NYC are buried on an island known as Hart Island.
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You're 10 times more likely to be bitten by a New Yorker than a shark.
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Central Park is larger in area than the world's second-smallest nation, Monaco.
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If it were its own city, Brooklyn would be the fourth-largest city in the US. The same goes for Queens.
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Until the 1950s or so, people were allowed to move in NYC only on May 1.
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All lined up, NYC's subway tracks would stretch 722 miles in total.
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Leasing the space for a hot dog stand in Manhattan can cost as much as $362,000 per year.
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Until 1978, Pinball was banned in NYC, and the NYPD even orchestrated busts.
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The NY Federal Bank Reserve's vaults hold up to 25% of the world's gold bars.
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Park Avenue features a grate-covered 15-story hole between 36th and 37th streets.
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33 Thomas Street is a windowless skyscraper that can withstand nuclear fallout for 14 days.
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Only 40 (mega-rich) people in NYC live at an elevation above 800 feet.
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NYC's subway system is home to over 15,150 different life forms.
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Times Square accounts for 10% of NYC's jobs and 11% of its economic output.
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In NYC, you can find more than 6,000 high-rise buildings and 237 skyscrapers.
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Farting in a New York City church is a misdemeanor.
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If Texas had the same population density as NYC, the global population could fit in its borders.
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The Naked Cowboy, a Times Square performer, is estimated to rake in about $150,000 per year.
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Butt dials account for about 38% of New Yorkers' 911 calls.
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Washington Square, Madison Square, Bryant, and Union Square Parks were all formerly graveyards.
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To boost World War I recruitment, the Navy constructed a fully staffed ship right in the center of NYC.
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The Waldorf Astoria Hotel harbors a secret train platform.
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In 1884, 21 elephants were paraded across the Brooklyn Bridge to demonstrate its stability.
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Over half of NYC's crosswalk buttons haven't functioned since the late 1980s.
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English is not the primary language of half of New Yorkers.
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The Dutch purchased what is current-day Manhattan for about $1,000, adjusted for inflation.
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Skyscrapers are mostly in Midtown and Lower Manhattan because of the area's strong bedrock.
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NYC is the birthplace of the ice cream cone, eggs Benedict, and pasta primavera.
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NYC boasts over 3 million foreign-born residents, with more than 25% having arrived since 2000.
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In 1993, a 16-year-old illegally drove a subway train for more than 3 hours before he was caught.
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For 50 years, the cost of a slice of pizza in NYC and a subway ride have been roughly the same.
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Brooklyn has a superhero supply store with a cape fitting room and an invisibility testing center.