When you hear someone mention New York as a location, you may not be certain if they mean it as a city or as a state.
Is New York a city? Or is New York a state?
New York is a state and New York City is a city.
New York City is a city located in the state of New York.
It can be confusing because they basically have the same name and are used interchangeably.
And as they say, New York, New York. The town so nice they named it twice.
Is New York City The Capital Of New York?
While New York City is located in the state of New York, and is arguably the most famous city in the state, NYC is not the capital of New York.
The capital of New York state is the city of Albany.
But New York City is the most populous city in the state of New York.
New York City Boroughs
Did you know that New York City is divided up into boroughs that are distinct pockets of this metropolis?
And these boroughs are their own cities independent of New York City.
The boroughs of New York City are:
- Queens
- Brooklyn
- The Bronx
- Manhattan
- Staten Island
Manhattan is the NYC borough that is home to New York City itself, which is where you will find Times Square, Wall Street, Broadway, and all of the popular Big Apple attractions.
Manhattan is the borough that is known colloquially as ‘The City’ by anyone remotely close to NYC, and by New Yorkers regardless of wherever they may live now.
Each borough is also its own unique county of the state of New York.
- Brooklyn is Kings county
- Manhattan is New York county
- Staten Island is Richmond county
- Bronx is Bronx county
- Queens is Queens county
Did you know: A Borough is a County that has been incorporated into a City.
Waterways Near New York City
Did you know that there are waterways going through and surrounding New York City?
On the East Coast you have the Atlantic Ocean.
The East River and the Hudson River are the two main waterways that are in New York City.
The Hudson River forms a border between NYC and New Jersey.
The East River runs from the lower part of Manhattan, to the Long Island Sound, and then on to the Atlantic Ocean.
States That Border New York State
If you don’t have a map of the U.S. nearby, and you don’t want to pull up Google maps, you may be curious about which states border the state of New York.
New York is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, and Connecticut on the east.
Pennsylvania and New Jersey are the other states that border New York state.
And Canada also touches the northern border of New York.
Final Word
New York is both a city and state, and you need more information to know if someone is talking about the state or the city.
New York City is also known as NYC or the Big Apple.