1. NYC is the most culturally diverse city on the planet–a whopping 700+ languages are spoken here
2. With over 2.8 million rentable square feet, the Empire State Building has its very own ZIP code (10118)
3. In 1975, someone bought a 7-acre private island in the East River for just $10–imagine that today as Manhattan’s median rents soar higher than ever before
4. America’s first pizzeria has served slices in Manhattan’s Little Italy for 120 years
5. One in every 22 New Yorkers is a millionaire
6. With a population exceeding 8 million, NYC is home to roughly 1 out of every 38 Americans
7. The longest street in NYC stretches from Manhattan to Albany and dates back to 1855
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8. NYC’s shortest street, on the other hand, is only 63 feet long
9. The narrowest apartment in NYC is only 8 feet 7 inches wide
10. Statistically, you’re 10 times more likely to be bitten by a New Yorker than by a shark
11. People used to only be allowed to move in NYC on one single day
12. It’s illegal to pee on pigeons (yes, this is actually a bizarre NYC law you probably never heard of)
13. The NYC subway system alone is home to an estimated 15,000 life forms–a significant portion of them are bacteria and other microorganisms
14. On May 17th, 1884, showman and circus founder P.T. Barnum marched 21 elephants and 17 camels across the Brooklyn Bridge to prove the bridge’s stability to New Yorkers
15. The martini was invented in the Knickerbocker Hotel bar (according to some legends)
16. On May 4th, 1626, Dutch colonist Peter Minuit purchased Manhattan with goods totaling about $24–adjusted for inflation, this equals roughly $1,000 today (yes, less than your rent)
17. NYC is home to the world’s second tallest skyline
18. New York City’s population is larger than that of 38 U.S. states
19. If Brooklyn were its own city, it would be the fourth most populous city in America
20. New York City has 520 miles of coastline, which is longer than the coastlines of Miami, Boston, Los Angeles, and San Francisco combined