The
New York metropolitan area, also known as
Metropolitan New York,
Greater New York, or the
Tri-State Region, is the most populous
metropolitan area in the
United States and is also
one of the most populous in the world. The metropolitan area is defined by the U.S.
Office of Management and Budget as the
New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, New York-New Jersey-Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), with an estimated population of 18,815,988 (roughly 1 in 16 Americans) as of 2007. The MSA is further subdivided into four metropolitan divisions. The 23-county metropolitan area includes ten counties in
New York State (those coinciding with the
five boroughs of
New York City, the two counties of
Long Island, and three counties in the lower
Hudson Valley); twelve counties in
Northern and
Central New Jersey; and one county in northeastern
Pennsylvania. 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 the
2000 census).
Based on commuting patterns, the Office of Management and Budget also defines a wider region consisting of the New York metropolitan area plus five adjacent metropolitan areas. The area is known as the
New York-Newark-Bridgeport, New York-New Jersey-Connecticut-Pennsylvania Combined Statistical Area (CSA), with an estimated population of 21,961,994
as of 2007. About one out of every fifteen Americans resides in this region, which includes seven additional counties in New York, New Jersey, and
Connecticut, and is often referred to as the
Tri-state Area and less commonly the
Tri-State Region (leaving out
Pennsylvania). However, the New York City television
designated market area (DMA) includes
Pike County, Pennsylvania, although no part of Pennsylvania is considered to be part of the New York Metropolitan Area as far as local broadcasting, news, advertising and general public opinion.
This wider region includes the largest city in the United States (
New York City), the five largest cities in
New Jersey (
Newark,
Jersey City,
Elizabeth,
Paterson and
Trenton) and six of the seven largest cities in
Connecticut (
Bridgeport,
New Haven,
Stamford,
Waterbury,
Norwalk &
Danbury). The total land area of the extended metropolitan area is .
Components of the metropolitan area
New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, NY-NJ-PA Metropolitan Statistical AreaNew York-White Plains-Wayne, NY-NJ Metropolitan DivisionNassau-Suffolk, NY Metropolitan DivisionNewark-Union, NJ-PA Metropolitan DivisionEdison-New Brunswick, NJ Metropolitan Division
Rest of the New York-Newark-Bridgeport, NY-NJ-CT-PA Combined Statistical Area
The counties and county groupings constituting the New York metropolitan area are listed below with 2007 U.S. Census Bureau estimates of their populations.
New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, NY-NJ-PA Metropolitan Statistical Area (18,815,988)
- * Kings County (Brooklyn), NY (2,986,235)
- * New York County (Manhattan), NY (1,593,200)
In addition to the New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, NY-NJ-PA Metropolitan Statistical Area, the following Metropolitan Statistical Areas are also included in the New York-Newark-Bridgeport, NY-NJ-CT-PA Combined Statistical Area (total pop. 21,903,623):
The area is frequently categorized and referenced according to geographic factors:
- Long Island (Divided by water from other three suburban regions, but not including Kings and Queens Counties, which, though technically on Long Island, are part of New York City)
- North Jersey (Metropolitan areas found in the state of New Jersey; divided by state line and water from rest of area)
- Hudson Valley (Lower Hudson Valley suburbs of Westchester, Putnam and Rockland Counties; and Mid-Hudson exurbs of Dutchess, Orange and Ulster Counties; features strictly controlled development north of I-287)
- Connecticut (Only Fairfield, New Haven and Litchfield Counties are metropolitan; divided by state line)
All five areas can be (and often are) further divided. For instance, Long Island can be divided into the South and North Shores (usually when speaking about Nassau County), Western Suffolk, and the East End. The Hudson Valley and Connecticut are sometimes grouped together and referred to as the Northern Suburbs, largely because of the shared usage of Metro-North Railroad.
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.
Urban areas of the region
The combined statistical area is a multicore metropolitan region containing several
urban areas.
Principal cities
The following is a list of
principal cities in the New York-Newark-Bridgeport Combined Statistical Area with 2005 U.S. Census Bureau estimates of their population. Principal cities are generally those where there is a greater number of jobs than employed residents.
- New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island MSA
- Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk MSA
- Poughkeepsie-Newburgh-Middletown MSA
- Torrington Micropolitan Area
Transportation
Commuter rail
The metropolitan area is partly defined by the areas from which people commute into New York City. The city is served by three primary
commuter rail systems plus
Amtrak.
thumb|right|An [[Acela Express train going to New York City. The Acela Express is the first and only
high-speed rail service in the country.]]
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. It has two major terminals at
Pennsylvania Station in
Midtown Manhattan and
Flatbush Avenue in
Downtown Brooklyn, with a minor terminal at
Long Island City station and a major transfer point at
Jamaica station in
Queens.
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. Its major terminal is
Grand Central Terminal. Trains on the
Port Jervis Line and
Pascack Valley Line terminate at
Hoboken Terminal; commuters may transfer at either
Secaucus Junction for New Jersey Transit trains to New York Pennsylvania Station or at
Hoboken Terminal for
PATH trains into Manhattan.
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 only 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 . It has major terminals at
Pennsylvania Station in Manhattan,
Hoboken Terminal in
Hoboken, and
Pennsylvania Station in
Newark, with a major transfer point at
Secaucus Junction. New Jersey transit also operates a light rail system in
Hudson County, as well as the
Newark City Subway.
Amtrak's
Northeast Corridor offers service to
Philadelphia,
New Haven, and other points between and including
Boston and
Washington, D.C.Major stations in the metropolitan area are:
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):
Additionally, the
Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, an agency of the states of
New York and
New Jersey, operates the
PATH system. This heavy rail transportation service serves the counties of
New York,
Hudson and
Essex. A map can be found .
Major highways
Some of the major freeways/expressways carrying commuter traffic in and out of New York City are:
Commuter bus
New Jersey Transit,
Academy Bus,
Coach USA,
Adirondack Trailways (under the names of New York Trailways, Pine Hill Trailways, as well as Adirondack Trailways) and several other companies operate commuter coaches into the
Port Authority Bus Terminal in Manhattan, and many other bus services in New Jersey. Bus services also operate in other nearby counties in the states of New York and Connecticut, but most terminate at a subway terminal or other rail station.
Major airports
The metropolitan area is served by three major airports.
The following smaller airports are also in the metro area and provide daily commercial service:
See also
Demographics
Ethnic diversity
Since its foundation as the mercantile colony of
New Netherland the metropolitan area has been noted for ethnic diversity. Beginning in the later 19th century, the New York Area was in large degree divided among
Italians,
Irish,
German,
Jewish, and
Chinese populations. The
Polish and
Lebanese also established small communities.
Thanks to successive waves of immigration, begun in earnest in the 19th century and continuing today, 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
Latin America,
East Asia, 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
German,
Jewish,
Dominican,
Puerto Rican,
Cuban,
Colombian,
Ecuadorian,
Mexican,
Chinese,
Filipino,
Russian,
Albanian,
Korean,
Indian,
Pakistani,
Bangladeshi,
Italian,
Irish, and
Polish communities. The cuisines of virtually every major 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
Eastern Orthodoxy and
Protestantism. New York has a large
Jewish population, is a major center of
Orthodox Judaism and is home to the headquarters of many
Hasidic movements, particularly in the borough of
Brooklyn.
Hinduism,
Islam,
Buddhism,
Sikhism,
Taoism, and many other religions have formal houses of worship in the area. Along with these religions, there are also many people who practice no religion at all.
Culture
Sports teams
Listing of the
professional sports teams in the New York metropolitan area
See also
