NYC's Five Boroughs (and Basic Terminology) Explained

About this episode

This episode provides an overview of New York City's five boroughs and essential terminology for travelers.

While many travelers to New York City envision Manhattan's popular landmarks, NYC is composed of five unique and culture-rich boroughs. We'll give a brief overview of each borough and dive into some important NY terminology to help you have a smoother exploration of the city. The five boroughs of New York City are: Manhattan Queens Brooklyn The Bronx Staten Island Each of the five boroughs in New York City has unique offerings, cultures, and history. But first, let's define 'borough'. What is a Borough? In 1898, the term borough was adopted to describe a form of governmental administration for each of the five fundamental constituent parts of the newly consolidated city. So while each borough has some of its own governance, its power is inferior to the authority of the government of the City of New York. Before 1898, each borough (mostly) was seen more as a county and did not fall within the city of New York. Interestingly, each borough is also its own county. The boroughs aren't autonomous cities within a city, but rather administrative divisions of a single municipal government. It explains why, for example, the Mayor of NYC has authority over all five boroughs, and why there's…

People in this episode

Hosts: Ashley Stagg, Devin Stagg

Topics covered

• New York City
• boroughs
• travel
• culture
• administration

Keywords

• boroughs
• New York City
• Manhattan
• Queens
• Brooklyn
• The Bronx
• Staten Island
• travel terminology

Mentioned in this episode

Places: New York City, Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, The Bronx, Staten Island

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