When people think of the most iconic city in the United States, New York City is what comes to mind. As the most populous city in the country (8.5 million people), New York City has the world’s two largest stock exchanges and is known for having some of the world’s most renowned educational facilities. 

An aerial view of New York City, Brooklyn Bridge Park and the East River

If you are interested in studying in the United States, take a deeper look into one of the country’s most exciting and diverse cities: New York City.

Big Apple logo

The “Big Apple”

New York City has many nicknames, one of them being the “Big Apple.” The origin of this nickname is often disputed, but many believe it originated in the 1920s from John J. Fitz Gerald, a sports writer for the New York Morning Telegraph. 

New York City’s Broadway

Located in the southeastern region of the state of New York, the city is known for many of its landmarks, including Carnegie Hall, the Empire State Building, Broadway and the Statue of Liberty. These were all popular attractions for the 56 million tourists that visited the city in 2014, generating approximately $61 billion dollars in revenue.

The Statue of Liberty and the lower Manhattan skyline

New York City is also one of the most diverse cities in the entire nation. Generations of immigrants from all over the world have made New York City their home over the past few centuries. 

New York’s Little Italy

Chinatown and Little Italy are two of the numerous ethnic neighborhoods in the city that contain restaurants, shopping centers and other cultural offerings for anyone that would like to experience their particular culture.

The iconic New York Yankees baseball cap

Play ball

New York City is also known for being the home to some of the world’s most successful sports franchises. The city has a total of eleven sports teams in the five major professional sports leagues in the United States, winning a collective 53 league championships. Twenty-seven of those championships belong to baseball powerhouse, the New York Yankees. The only two sports teams to never win a championship in New York City are the New York Red Bulls and New York City FC, which was recently founded in 2013. These two soccer teams have greatly contributed to the growing popularity of soccer in the United States.

A crowded sidewalk on 5th Avenue

Business is booming

New York City is also the center for global business and commerce activity. It contains some of the world’s most successful finance, retail, world trade, real estate and media organizations, as well as the two largest stock exchanges: the New York Stock Exchange and NASDAQ. With so many business opportunities in the city, many entrepreneurs and young professionals use the city and its resources as a starting point for their careers.

Central Park in uptown Manhattan

“The City That Never Sleeps”

In addition to being called the “Big Apple,” New York City is known as being “The City That Never Sleeps.” Similar to Los Angeles, California, New York City is full of action-packed entertainment attractions. Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall and Central Park are three venues within city limits that are constantly hosting concerts and other live shows, attracting millions of attendees. New York City also features the Broadway Theater District for those interested in live theater. Broadway sold a record $1.36 billion worth of theater tickets in 2014. 

The New York University (NYU) campus borders Washington Square Park 

Earning a world-class education

New York City is known around the world for its educational facilities, bringing in more non-local students than any other city in the country. Approximately 594,000 students are studying at the more than 100 universities and colleges in the city. A few of the most prestigious universities include Columbia University, New York University, Pace University, St. John’s University, and the New York Institute of Technology. The city also offers an abundance of smaller universities and colleges for students looking for different educational settings.

NYC townhouses

Finding your new home

Students can find endless housing opportunities in the city. Not every student chooses to live on campus, especially in a city as large as New York. If you choose to live in an off-campus apartment, you’ll need to find reliable furniture that is also affordable. Furniture rental is an economical and hassle-free way to furnish your home. CORT, the leading provider of furniture rental in the U.S., furnishes thousands of student apartments with furniture and accessories, with rental packages starting as low as $99 per month. 

42nd Street in Midtown Manhattan

With a city that is so large and full of life, it can be hard to process all of its offerings. If you are interested in learning more about the “Big Apple,” take some time to research this incredible city. For more information on CORT’s furniture rental solutions, please visit CORT.com. 

A young man taking in the NYC skyline

New York City fun facts:

• New York City has more people than 39 of the 50 states in the United States.
• Approximately 1 in every 38 people living in the United States live in New York City.
• Approximately 47 percent of New York City’s residents speak a language other than English at home. 
• New York City was the United States capital before it was moved to Philadelphia and then Washington D.C.
• On a clear day, the Empire State Building offers 80 miles of visibility, allowing you to see New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
• Times Square is named after the New York Times, the most circulated newspaper in the United States.

Heart NYC

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Colleges, universities and boarding schools in or near New York City:

Adelphi University

 

College of Staten Island of the City University of New York

 

Fordham University

 

Hunter College

 

La Guardia Community College, City University of New York

 

New York University

 

Pace University

 

Queens College of the City University of New York

 

Rockland Community College, State University of New York

Ross School

Stony Brook University

 

by Yu Wu and CORT.