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The New York metropolitan area is the most populous in the United States and the third most populous in the world (after Tokyo and Mexico City).

The 30-county metropolitan area includes the seven counties that constitute New York City and Long Island, thirteen counties in northern New Jersey, six counties north of New York City in New York State, three counties in southwestern Connecticut, and one county in northeastern Pennsylvania. The area is sometimes referred to as the Tri-state Area (leaving out Pennsylvania).

The metropolitan area is defined by the United States Census Bureau as the New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, NY-NJ-PA Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), with an estimated population (as of 2004) of 18,709,802. The MSA is further subdivided into four metropolitan divisions. The largest urbanized area in the United States is at the heart of the metropolitan area, the New York--Newark, NY--NJ--CT Urbanized Area (with a population of 17,799,861 as of 2000). Based on commuting patterns, the Census Bureau also defines a wider functional metropolitan area, the New York-Newark-Bridgeport, NY-NJ-CT-PA Combined Statistical Area (CSA) with an estimated population of 21,858,830 (as of 2004). This, when taken in proportion to population of the United States means that about one out of every fourteen Americans resides in this metropolitan area.

The New York metropolitan area includes the largest city in the United States (New York), the five largest cities in New Jersey (Newark, Jersey City, Paterson, Elizabeth and Trenton) and the largest city in Connecticut (Bridgeport).

The total land area of the extended metropolitan area is 11,842 sq. mi. (30,671 km²).

Components of the metropolitan area

The counties and county groupings comprising the New York metropolitan area are listed below with 2004 U.S. Census Bureau estimates of their populations.

New York-Newark-Bridgeport, NY-NJ-CT-PA Combined Statistical Area (21,858,830)

Census Bureau Rankings

Rank Combined Statistical Area States 2004
Population
1 New York-Newark-Bridgeport NY-NJ-CT-PA 21,858,830

Rank Metropolitan Statistical Area State(s) 2004
Population
1 New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island NY-NJ-PA 18,709,802
53 Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk CT 903,291
57 New Haven-Milford CT 845,694
73 Poughkeepsie-Newburgh-Middletown NY 663,747
132 Trenton-Ewing NJ 365,271
212 Kingston NY 181,779

Rank Micropolitan Statistical Area State 2004
Population
1 Torrington CT 189,246

The principal urban areas which are located within the metropolitan area are:

Rank Urbanized Area State(s) 2000
Population
1 New York--Newark NY--NJ--CT 17,799,861
42 Bridgeport--Stamford CT--NY 888,890
70 New Haven CT 531,314
90 Poughkeepsie--Newburgh NY 351,982
122 Trenton NJ 268,472
163 Waterbury CT 189,026
190 Danbury CT--NY 154,455
350 Hightstown NJ 69,977
435 Kingston NY 53,458

New York City and Long Island

New York City (2004 population of 8,168,338) is composed of the boroughs of:

Borough Coterminous
county 		Predominant
location 		2004
Population
Brooklyn Kings Long Island 2,475,290
Queens Queens Long Island 2,237,216
Manhattan New York Manhattan Island 1,562,723
The Bronx Bronx Mainland of the continent 1,365,536
Staten Island Richmond Staten Island 463,314

Most of four counties are located on Long Island (2004 population, including the small part of these counties not on Long Island, of 7,527,635)

County In New York City? 2004
Population
Kings Yes 2,475,290
Queens Yes 2,237,216
Suffolk No 1,475,488
Nassau No 1,339,641

Sixty-three percent of the population (13,730,534) lives in the 43% of the land area that is east of the Ambrose Channel/The Narrows/Hudson River.
Thirty-seven percent of the population (8,128,296) lives in the 57% of the land area that is west of the Ambrose Channel/The Narrows/Hudson River.

County Densities

County State Core Based Statistical Area 2004
Population 		Area
(miles²) 		Density
(people/mile²) 		Area
(km²) 		Density
(people/km²)
(as of 2000)
New York NY New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island 1,562,723 23 68,084 59.5 25,849.9
Kings NY New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island 2,475,290 70.6 34,930 182.9 13,480
Bronx NY New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island 1,365,536 42 32,492 108.9 12,242.2
Queens NY New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island 2,237,216 109.2 20,615 282.9 7,879.6
Hudson NJ New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island 606,240 47 12,984 121 5,036
Richmond NY New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island 463,314 58 7,923 151.5 2,929.6
Essex NJ New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island 796,684 126 6,310 327 2,427
Union NJ New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island 531,957 103 5,150 268 1,953
Nassau NY New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island 1,339,641 287 4,670 743 1798.5
Bergen NJ New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island 902,998 231 3,908 606 1,458
Passaic NJ New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island 500,427 185 2,704 480 1,019
Middlesex NJ New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island 785,095 310 2,535 802 935
Westchester NY New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island 942,444 433 2,177 1,121 824
Rockland NY New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island 293,626 174 1,685 451 636
Suffolk NY New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island 1,475,488 912 1,617 2,363 617
Mercer NJ Trenton-Ewing 365,271 226 1,615
Fairfield CT Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk 903,291 626 1,443
New Haven CT New Haven-Milford 845,694 606 1,396
Monmouth NJ New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island 636,298 472 1,348
Morris NJ New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island 488,173 469 1,041
Somerset NJ New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island 316,750 305 1,040
Ocean NJ New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island 553,251 636 869
Orange NY Poughkeepsie-Newburgh-Middletown 370,352 816 454
Putnam NY New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island 100,570 231 435
Dutchess NY Poughkeepsie-Newburgh-Middletown 293,395 802 366
Hunterdon NJ New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island 129,746 428 303
Sussex NJ New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island 152,218 521 292
Litchfield CT Torrington 189,246 920 206
Ulster NY Kingston 181,779 1,126 161
Pike PA New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island 54,117 547 99

Major cities

There are 10 cities in the New York Metropolitan Area that have a population greater than 100,000 (with 2004 U.S. Census Bureau incorporated place rank and population and county):

Rank City County State Metropolitan Statistical Area 2004
Population
1 New York Kings, Queens, New York, Bronx and Richmond NY New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island 8,104,079
65 Newark Essex NJ New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island 280,451
72 Jersey City Hudson NJ New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island 239,079
101 Yonkers Westchester NY New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island 197,126
148 Paterson Passaic NJ New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island 150,869
166 Bridgeport Fairfield CT Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk 139,910
187 New Haven New Haven CT New Haven-Milford 124,829
189 Elizabeth Union NJ New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island 124,724
194 Stamford Fairfield CT Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk 120,226
221 Waterbury New Haven CT New Haven-Milford 108,429

Other cities with populations between 50,000 and 100,000 in the New York metropolitan area include (incorporated places 2004 pop., CDP 2000 pop. - all in order of 2000 pop.):

City County State Metropolitan Statistical Area Population
Edison CDP Middlesex NJ New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island 97,687
Toms River CDP Ocean NJ New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island 86,327
Trenton Mercer NJ Trenton-Ewing 85,379
Norwalk Fairfield CT Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk 84,401
Clifton Passaic NJ New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island 79,944
Danbury Fairfield CT Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk 78,263
New Rochelle Westchester NY New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island 72,985
East Orange Essex NJ New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island 68,930
Mount Vernon Westchester NY New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island 68,321
Passaic Passaic NJ New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island 68,662
Union City Hudson NJ New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island 66,167
Bayonne Hudson NJ New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island 60,748
Irvington CDP Essex NJ New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island 60,695
Meriden New Haven CT New Haven-Milford 59,136
Hempstead Nassau NY New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island 53,145
Union CDP Union NJ New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island 54,405
Wayne CDP Passaic NJ New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island 54,069
Brentwood CDP Suffolk NY New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island 53,917
White Plains Westchester NY New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island 56,509
Levittown CDP Nassau NY New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island 53,067
West Haven New Haven CT New Haven-Milford 53,087
Milford city (balance) New Haven CT New Haven-Milford 52,726

Transportation

Commuter rail

The metropolitan area is partly defined by the areas from which people commute into the city. New York City is served by three primary commuter train systems plus Amtrak.

The Long Island Rail Road (LIRR), the busiest commuter railroad in the United States is operated by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), an agency of New York State. A map of the system can be found [http://mta.info/lirr/html/lirrmap.htm here.

Metro-North Railroad (MNRR), the second busiest commuter railroad in the United States is also operated by the MTA, but in conjunction with the Connecticut Department of Transportation and New Jersey Transit. A map of the system can be found [http://mta.info/mnr/html/mnrmap.htm here.

New Jersey Transit (NJT), the third busiest commuter railroad in the United States by passenger miles and also third in trips when direct operated and purchased transportation services are both included (fourth if ony direct operated are included) is operated by the New Jersey Transit Corporation, an agency of New Jersey, in conjunction with Metro-North and Amtrak. A map of the system can be found [http://www.njtransit.com/sf_tr_schedules_map.jsp?&cb=1139192246354 here. New Jersey transit also operates a light rail in Hudson and Bergen Counties. A map can be found here.

Amtrak's Northeast Corridor offers service to Philadelphia and New Haven.

Major stations in the metropolitan area are:

Station Railroad(s) County Type
Pennsylvania Station (New York) LIRR, NJT, Amtrak New York Terminal
Grand Central Terminal MNRR New York Terminal
Pennsylvania Station (Newark) NJT, Amtrak Essex Terminal and Transfer
Hoboken Terminal NJT Hudson Terminal
Flatbush Avenue LIRR Kings Terminal
Hunterspoint Avenue LIRR Queens Terminal
Jamaica Station LIRR Queens Transfer
Secaucus Junction NJT Hudson Transfer

The following table shows all train lines operated by these commuter railroads in the New York metropolitan area. New Jersey Transit operates an additional train line in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. (Shown counterclockwise from the Atlantic Ocean):

Line or Branch Railroad Counties Transfer Point(s) Terminal(s)
Far Rockaway LIRR Queens, Nassau Jamaica Station Pennsylvania Station (New York), Flatbush Avenue, Hunterspoint Avenue
Long Beach LIRR Nassau Jamaica Station Pennsylvania Station (New York), Flatbush Avenue, Hunterspoint Avenue
Montauk LIRR Suffolk Jamaica Station Pennsylvania Station (New York), Flatbush Avenue, Hunterspoint Avenue
Babylon LIRR Nassau, Suffolk Jamaica Station Pennsylvania Station (New York), Flatbush Avenue, Hunterspoint Avenue
West Hempstead LIRR Queens, Nassau Jamaica Station Pennsylvania Station (New York), Flatbush Avenue, Hunterspoint Avenue
Hempstead LIRR Queens, Nassau Jamaica Station Pennsylvania Station (New York), Flatbush Avenue, Hunterspoint Avenue
Main Line (Ronkonkoma) LIRR Nassau, Suffolk Jamaica Station Pennsylvania Station (New York), Flatbush Avenue, Hunterspoint Avenue
Port Jefferson LIRR Nassau, Suffolk Jamaica Station Pennsylvania Station (New York), Flatbush Avenue, Hunterspoint Avenue
Oyster Bay LIRR Nassau Jamaica Station Pennsylvania Station (New York), Flatbush Avenue, Hunterspoint Avenue
Port Washington LIRR Queens, Nassau Pennsylvania Station (New York)
New Haven MNRR, Shore Line East Westchester, Fairfield, New Haven Grand Central Terminal
Harlem MNRR New York, Bronx, Westchester, Putnam, Dutchess Grand Central Terminal
Hudson MNRR Bronx, Westchester, Putnam, Dutchess Grand Central Terminal
Pascack Velley MNRR, NJT Hudson, Bergen, Passaic, Rockland, Orange Secaucus Junction Pennsylvania Station (New York), Hoboken Terminal
Port Jervis/Main Line/Bergen County MNRR, NJT Hudson, Bergen, Passaic, Rockland, Orange Secaucus Junction Pennsylvania Station (New York), Hoboken Terminal
Montclair-Boonton NJT New York, Hudson, Essex, Passaic, Morris, Warren Secaucus Junction Pennsylvania Station (New York), Hoboken Terminal
Morris & Essex (Morristown Line and Gladstone Branch) NJT New York, Hudson, Essex, Union, Morris, Somerset, Warren Secaucus Junction Pennsylvania Station (New York), Hoboken Terminal
Raritan Valley NJT Hudson, Essex, Union, Middlesex, Somerset, Hunterdon Pennsylvania Station (Newark) Pennsylvania Station (Newark), Pennsylvania Station (New York), Hoboken Terminal
Northeast Corridor and Princeton Branch NJT, Amtrak New York, Hudson, Essex, Union, Middlesex, Mercer Pennsylvania Station (Newark) Pennsylvania Station (Newark), Pennsylvania Station (New York), Hoboken Terminal
North Jersey Coast NJT New York, Hudson, Essex, Union, Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean Pennsylvania Station (Newark), Pennsylvania Station (New York), Hoboken Terminal

Additionally, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey , an agency of the states of New York and New Jersey, operates the Port Authority Trans-Hudson Rail Service (PATH). This heavy rail transportation service serves the counties of New York, Hudson and Essex. A map can be found here.

Major highways

Automobile commuting routes into New York County (counterclockwise from the Atlantic Ocean). Routes may be adjusted based upon where in New York County the commuter is heading.

Counties Roads Route Crossing
Kings, Richmond Staten Island Expressway, Brooklyn-Queens Expressway I-278, I-478 Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel
Kings, Queens, Nassau, Suffolk Sunrise Highway, Southern State Parkway, Belt Parkway, Brooklyn-Queens Expressway NY-27/NY-908M/NY-907B/NY-907D/NY-907C, I-278, I-478 Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel
Queens, Nassau, Suffolk Long Island Expressway I-495 Queens-Midtown Tunnel
Queens, Nassau, Suffolk Northern State Parkway/Grand Central Parkway NY-908G/NY-907M Triboro Bridge
Bronx, Westechester, Fairfield, New Haven Connecticut Turnpike/New England Thruway/Bruckner Expressway I-95, I-278 Triboro Bridge
Bronx, Westechester, Fairfield, New Haven Wilbur Cross Parkway/Merritt Parkway/Hutchinson River Parkway, Bruckner Expressway CT-15/NY-907W/NY-908A, I-278 Triboro Bridge
Bronx, Westechester, Putnam, Dutchess I-84, I-684, Hutchinson River Parkway, Bruckner Expressway I-84, I-684, NY-907W/NY-908A, I-278 Triboro Bridge
Bronx, Westechester, Putnam, Dutchess Taconic State Parkway/Sprain Brook Parkway/Bronx River Parkway, Bruckner Expressway NY-987G/NY-987F/Westchester County-9987/ NY-907H, I-278 Triboro Bridge
Bronx, Westechester, Rockland, Orange New York State Thruway/Major Deegan Expressway I-87 Triboro Bridge
Bronx, Westechester Saw Mill River Parkway/Henry Hudson Parkway NY-987D/NY-9A Henry Hudson Bridge
Morris, Passiac, Bergen I-80 I-80 George Washington Bridge
Union, Morris, Somerset, Hunterdon I-78 I-78 Holland Tunnel
Middlesex, Mercer New Jersey Turnpike and US 1 I-95 and US 1 Lincoln Tunnel/Holland Tunnel
Monmouth, Ocean Garden State Parkway and New Jersey Turnpike and US 9 NJ 444 and I-95 and US 9 Holland Tunnel

Also of note, I-287 (Cross-Westchester Expressway/New York State Thruway/Middlesex Freeway) forms a partial beltway around the city.

Major airports

The metropolitan area is served by three major airports:

Airport IATA code ICAO code County State
John F. Kennedy International Airport JFK KJFK Queens New York
Newark Liberty International Airport EWR KEWR Essex New Jersey
LaGuardia Airport LGA KLGA Queens New York

And several midsize airports with regularly scheduled service on major airlines:

Airport IATA code ICAO code County State
Long Island MacArthur Airport ISP KISP Suffolk New York
Westchester County Airport HPN KHPN Westchester New York
Stewart International Airport SWF KSWF Orange New York

See also

Ethnic diversity

New York City has long been very ethnically diverse. In the 19th Century, the New York Area was in the main been divided among Italians, Irish, German, Polish, and Jewish populations. African Americans also have a long-standing presence in New York City, increasing particularly at the end of the 19th Century with the arrival of waves of internal migrants from the Southern United States.

Thanks to successive waves of immigration beginning in the early 20th Century the area's diversity continues to grow. The states of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut are all ranked among the top 10 fastest-growing immigration states in America, and great numbers of recent immigrants from across East Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean now call the New York metropolitan area home. While prominent ethnic neighborhoods in the region are too numerous to list, there are multiple neighborhoods with large Chinese, Russian, Korean, Indian, and Pakistani populations. The cuisines of virtually every ethnic group on the planet are at least partially represented in the area, with the culinary landscape of New York changing slightly from year to year as new arrivals settle in.

The New York metropolitan area hosts a religious diversity in line with its ethnic diversity. Houses of worship exist for numerous Christian denominations, especially Catholicism but also various churches within both Orthodoxy and Protestantism. New York has a large Jewish population, and is a major center of Conservative Judaism and Reform Judaism, and is home to the headquarters of many Hasidic movements, particularly in the borough of Brooklyn. Islam, Buddhism, Sikhism, Taoism, and many other world religions have formal houses of worship in New York.

Local politics

Individual politics in the New York Metropolitan area vary greatly, but coexisting in such a huge population of many diverse cultures and backgrounds requires a large amount of tolerance for differing worldviews. As a result, the residents of the Tri-state area are traditionally very liberal. More recently, the attacks of September 11th have made New Yorkers much more security-minded. Also, the spiraling crime rates and the inner-city crack cocaine epidemic of the 1970s and 80s gave New York City a reputation of ruthlessness and vice. The public backlash against this ushered in an era of strong policing and determined leadership under New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani in the mid to late 1990's. Through his guidance and not-so-polite methods of pushing through "quality of life" policing, coupled with Police Commissioner William J. Bratton's implementation of a more computer and data driven police force (known as COMPSTAT), violent crime in the city dropped to levels not seen since the 1950s. As a result, a new synthesis has begun to emerge across the metropolitan area. New Yorkers remain some of the most culturally liberal people in the United States, but many also now appreciate the need for practical policy measures that protect their way of life from terrorism, violent crime, and economic malaise.

Four of the city's five boroughs (Manhattan, the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Queens) are predominantly towards the Democratic Party, while one (Staten Island) trends Republican. The city has elected two Republican mayors, Rudolph Giuliani and Michael Bloomberg, consecutively since 1994. However, they are both liberal Republicans, or how it has become known New York Republican, as compared to the New York Conservative Party, which cross-endorses many more conservative Republicans in the state, especially statewide candidates and legislators. Despite this, the overwhelming majority of congressmen and city council members are Democratic. This divide reflects the diverse views held by New York City's millions of residents.

The urban areas of adjacent New Jersey are predominantly Democratic, including Hudson County (Jersey City, Hoboken), Essex County (Newark, the Oranges), and Passaic County (Paterson). The suburban areas of the New York metropolitan region are fairly evenly divided between communities that trend to the Democrats and those that favor Republicans-- at least in local and state politics. However, most of these suburbs have been trending strongly toward the Democrats in recent years, especially in Nassau, Suffolk, and Westchester, whereas the suburbs of many other cities are still strongly Republican. Nationally, there is a definite preference for the Democrats by people in the New York region.

Overall, Greater New York's voters voted for John Kerry, by 59.20% (4,772,314) to 39.67% (3,197,970) for George W. Bush in 2004. In details, New York City voters overwhelmingly favored Kerry by 75% (1,828,015) to 24% (587,534) for the incumbent, while suburban voters gave only a slim margin to the Democratic candidate, with 52.36% (2,944,299) of the vote for Kerry, to 46.42% (2,610,436) for Bush, though Kerry's margin in Westchester was among the largest anywhere in New York outside the city proper.

The New York City area is notoriously multifarious. While the city itself has some bad areas, and some of the inner metropolitan cities have poor reputations, the New York Metro Area is overall one of the safest areas to live in. Long Island, New York was rated the safest place to live per-capita in 2005, followed by Middlesex and Monmouth counties in New Jersey. New York City itself has been ranked by the Federal Bureau of Investigation as the safest big city in the United States in recent years. Much of this (especially in the inner city areas) can be credited to major "quality of life" initiatives passed in the 1990s; back in the 1970s the area had a reputation (exaggerated but not unfounded) as one of the most dangerous areas of the U.S. to live in. - The New York Metro area is also the second most expensive place to live in the United States, trailing behind only Boston, the city itself being the most costly, with many of its suburbs closely behind. Connecticut, where half of the state is considered a suburb of New York, is home to some of the most expensive and affluent areas in the world.

- Because of this the New York area is also very wealthy, and is expensive because it is so desirable to live in. Westchester County, New York, Fairfield County, Connecticut and Bergen County, New Jersey are among America's wealthiest counties -- and are all located just outside of Manhattan. - Despite New York's improving reputation, many families live in the suburbs and commute to jobs in the city. Most school districts in New York City itself and other nearby "inner-city" communities have a reputation for being unsatisfactory; however, many school districts in the wealthier suburbs are considered very effective and among the best in the entire country. In some of the Connecticut and especially the New Jersey suburbs, this is achieved with lower costs of living than the city itself (especially Manhattan).

References

  • *, Table 1.

See also

New York metropolitan area | New York

Grand New York | Greater New York

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "New York metropolitan area".

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