city the commercial financial trading and cultural heart of a great nation the united states of america to many of the world's peoples new york city and the united states are one of the same skyscrapers traffic filled thoroughfares and crowded sidewalks are thought of as typically american a monument to our nation's restless energy to our passion for things big and great for new york is both a big city and a great city the largest city of the western hemisphere second largest in the world it is home to almost eight million people and to millions of americans it has become the symbol of our country what is the story behind new york new york once a little dutch settlement the great today there are many answers to those questions and one of the most important lies in the city's location on that day  the year sixteen twenty six when the agents of the dutch west indian company paid the manhattan indians twenty four dollars for the island now named for them they did mainly for commercial reasons even than the advantages of the small trading posts geographical position were apparent it commanded the outlet of a broad river hudson navigable for many miles inland it boasted as the perp harbor sheltered deep water bays affording safe rank arranged for the largest astride an obvious route of trade that would someday connect the new world with the old and the most densely populated areas of north america with both central and south america and it dominated a back country a vast potential wealth in the short three hundred years of its history new york city has more than fulfilled the wildest expectations of its founders today the city comprises five districts or boroughs the island of manhattan remains the nucleus and center of interest of greater new york heart of the city's commercial and financial business the bronx sometimes called the borough of industries lies on the mainland to the north  across the river from manhattan lies the borough of brooklyn which in turn is flanked by the borough of queens both of these boroughs are on the southern end of long island and are for the most part residential in new york bay located near the new jersey shore in staten island which is known as the borough of richmond the least populated of the five boroughs richmond forms a connecting link in the overland motor routes leading from new york city to the western between staten island and manhattan ferry boats ply all day long carrying passengers automobiles trucks and bulk fre from the deck of one of these boats one may catch a glimpse of the great statue of liberty a figure that has stirred the emotions of countless immigrants to our shores here in new york harbor dock the ships of the world this magnificent watergate open the air around deep enough for the largest vessels and space is enough to hold the entire united states navy without obstructing normal traffic has been of great importance to our entire national economy without this natural advantage new york itself would never have advanced to its present position for waterborne commerce has contributed much to the growth of the city by every measure the proud of new york is the biggest and busiest in the world it is estimated that any six of the other leading parts of the globe could be placed within it and yet leave room to spare into ocean going craft touchy about ninety percent of all foreign ports bringing practically all of  manufactures jewelry gems chemicals coffee sugar and cocoa sent to this country over five thousand foreign ships docked here each year about one every half hour of each day carrying almost half the entire foreign trade of the united states the majority of the nation's important railroads as well as its major truck lines and of the port in some manner here they load and unload every conceivable kind of fr the freight cars alone entering and leaving the area each year could fill eight tracks across the continent from coast to coast in keeping with its position as the leading commercial city of the united states new york is also the financial center earl of our nation wall street and other streets of the financial district are deep narrow canyons of tall buildings the homes of the country great banking houses the continental bank the bankers trust company branches and agencies of foreign banks on pine street is one of the two largest banking institutions in the united states the chase national bank it is the new york stock exchange on broad street america's greatest securities market that perhaps typifies the business of the wall street district on the floor of the exchanges great hall stocks and bonds are bought and sold over a million phone calls a day are handled here and each transaction is carefully recorded to be communicated by telegraph radio and cable all over the world but commerce and finance are not the only occupations of new yorkers the city is a busy manufacturing area and the leading wholesale and retail trade and export center in the nation new york's clothing business the city's leading industry and fourth largest in the united states crowds the center of manhattan here are produce three out of four of the ready made coats and dresses and four out of five of the fur garments worn by american women the streets here are packed with trucks while through narrow traffic holes push boys guide hand trucks of metal pipe with clothing swaying from their racks clothing that is worn by millions of americans with more theaters schools libraries and museums  any other american city new york must be ranked as our nation's cultural leader the metropolitan museum of art perhaps the greatest center of classical art and learning in america exerts an influence that is worldwide while the museum of modern art exhibits displays of modern painting sculpture and photography and is the repository of a unique and valuable motion picture collection yet for all its imposing size and activity new york is a city of people and it is the city's people that make it great here in new york live people have over sixty different together work together play and go to school together in the tall apartment houses that lie in manhattan's park avenue live many of new york's wealthier residents one of the broadest of new york's thoroughfares it is the main artery of its locality it is constantly filled with noncommercial traffic buses drays and trucks are limited to traveling but two blocks in one direction in order to make delivery of goods possible the street itself is supported by gigantic steel stilts above a two story railroad yard leading to one of new york's major rail terminals the grand central station the borough of queens occupying part of long island is perhaps typical of new york's residential areas across the east river from manhattan it is rich by a number of bridges and tunnels among them the fifty ninth street or queensboro bridge and the queens midtown vehicular tunnel morning and evening as the residents of queens commute to and from their offices stores and places of employment in manhattan these arteries of travel are crowded with traffic in addition to private means of transportation the city of new york as enter burrowing into urban bus lines plying its streets well underground i'm in a simply operated electrical railway system spreads through four of the five boroughs with the trains leaving the subways in some areas to travel over the streets on giant steel elevated structures the people of new york may travel mile after mile on this integrated system on either local or express trains found the five cents for each trip by far the greatest numbers of new yorkers travel to and from work by means of the subways the elevated and the bus lines in the borough of queens the homes of the new yorkers may vary in size shape and type of construction they may be single homes or apartment buildings but regardless of type they are much like the homes of people living in the residential suburbs or any other large american city here one may see the same familiar supermarkets and the same familiar neighborhood schools and the same familiar milk truck and on certain days of the week even the same familiar family wash lines that one in countless cities across our nation but nearly ark again like any modern commercial industrial city has its less attractive areas manhattan's lower east side has been traditionally the district where live the poor people as well as the newly arrived immigrants the human story of the lower east side is a familiar chapter in the ethic of america here have lived the people whose hands built this the subways its bridges and its gaia scrapers its tenements and crowded streets magnify all the problems of big city life yet not all of the district is blighted far from its dark tenements have come generations of american workers men and women of many different national origins who have given their lives to the building of america and from it too there have emerged an amazing number of national figures great statesman like alfred e smith the onetime governor of new york state joe davidson jacobs dean sculptors of international reputation irving berlin composers whose songs all american sing housed in this historic imposing building is the executive branch of new york city's government like any other city new york has its elected and appointed officials charged with protecting the persons and property of the city near the city hall is located one of the most elaborate groups of civic buildings to be seen in any city outside of washington d c the municipal building one of the group is a magnificent structure forty stories high in these numerous buildings are located the headquarters of the various branches of city government the efficient fire department its men trained to protect life and property in the world's highest buildings its world fame police department whose members are numbered in the thousands it's public utilities of gas water electricity and central steam for heating buildings the largest municipal health and hospital system in the world and that's a remarkable department of sanitation which is responsible for the but the greatness of new york is perhaps most spectacularly seen in its buildings four here on the island of manhattan is the most impressive concentration of stone and steel masonry the world has ever known the vast number of people who have crowded into this district have made for a scarcity of land and the consequent high value of whatever land has been available while other cities of spread outward new york has been forced to build upward from the bay the skyline of commercial new york lower and midtown is an extraordinary spectacle and the effects of hundreds of towering buildings crowded together along the narrow island is one never to be forgotten tolerance to new york structures and the tallest in the world is the amazing empire state building ed rares its one hundred three story had one thousand two hundred fifty feet over the sidewalk below it has seven miles of elevator shafts and seventy three elevators which travels so fast that a passenger entering one of the street floor may reach the eightieth floor exactly one minute later one of the most famous hotels in the world is the waldorf astoria eighty percent of the building is over the tracks of the new york central and the new haven railroads and private railroad cars carrying guests of the hotel may be shunted to a special entrance located in the sub basements forty seven storeys high and containing twenty two hundred rooms the waldorf astoria hotel has been called new york's unofficial palace rockefeller center a group of buildings occupying three city blocks is the largest building project ever undertaken at one time by private capital it is a self contained city with business offices centers of international commerce theaters and it's own post office the central r c a building is an area the largest office building in the world and so large as rockefeller center itself that its estimated daily population is over one hundred fifty thousand people from the one room log cabin of a dutch traitor to the multi story buildings of midtown manhattan that is the story of new york our fabulous city a fascinating city new york is a great city for many reasons its strategic dia graphic location its tremendous harbor flanked by marine highway air and railroad tributaries have made the city one of the world's greatest transportation centers the commercial capital and the international trading capital of the united states here too is concentrated much of the banking wealth of our country for the city is the financial center of the wealthiest of the world's nations it is supreme among our cities in the volume of its retail trade which is diverse in interests and in the character of commodities there are materials for what you are drawn from the far reaches of the world sometimes only to be fabricated and subsequently redistributed in new form and diverse their actions like wires new york wholesale trade calls upon all parts of america and the world for supplies eggs from the middle west separates fruit from florida and california vegetables from the south in new england to feed the people of new york and the people of other countries it is one of the greatest manufacturing and processing areas of the nation the nation's foremost center of culture a city of museums a city processing hundreds of acres of public parks for the rest relics ation and help the rich millions of residents and thousands of annual visitors best known as central park in the borough of manhattan with its to its play grounds miles of shaded walks and drives and it's restful lakes near york with the most complex municipal school system in the world with churches of every denomination with homes a varied pattern ranging block by block along miles of street avenues and boulevards with multi story hotels to welcome business visitors and tourists buildings housing international and national communication systems it sounds upon thousands of young people who tomorrow like their parents before them will continue to create a great story the story of a great city the city of new york