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(Wednesday, February 2, 1653) — New York, often called New York City or NYC, the most populous city in the United States with a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over 300.46 square miles, was incorporated today as New Amsterdam.

New York City traces its origins to a trading post founded on the southern tip of Manhattan Island by Dutch colonists in approximately 1624. The settlement was named New Amsterdam n 1626 and was chartered as a city in 1653.

The city came under English control in 1664 and was renamed New York after King Charles II of England granted the lands to his brother, the Duke of York. The city was regained by the Dutch in July 1673 and was renamed New Orange for one year and three months; the city has been continuously named New York since November 1674.

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New York City was the capital of the United States from 1785 until 1790 and has been the largest U.S. city since 1790.

With over 20.1 million people in its metropolitan statistical area and 23.5 million in its combined statistical area as of 2020, New York is one of the world’s most populous megacities, and over 58 million people live within 250 miles of the city.

New York City is a global cultural, financial, entertainment, and media center with a significant influence on commerce, health care, and life sciences, research, technology, education, politics, tourism, dining, art, fashion, and sports.

Home to the headquarters of the United Nations, New York is an important center for international diplomacy, an established safe haven for global investors, and is sometimes described as the capital of the world.