The city’s people are a diverse group of individuals from many nations who have influenced its history, culture, and economy. Learn about their lives and how they are shaping the future of New York. The city is home to millions of immigrants, both legal and illegal. It is also a place where a variety of cultures live side by side.
The Immigrant Experience
New York City has a long history of immigration. The city was built and rebuilt by people who came from other countries to work here.
Today, the city is home to a diverse group of immigrants who make up almost one-third of the population. Immigrants and their children are a critical part of our cultural, economic, and political lives.
In many ways, this is an exciting time to be an immigrant in New York. The city is full of opportunities to make new friends, explore the arts, and learn about other cultures.
The City’s Economy
A city’s economy is its primary engine of growth and prosperity. In fact, more than 80% of global GDP is generated in cities.
Economic growth in cities is often driven by economies of scale, particularly in education, health care, and transportation systems. Cities also have access to resources and talented people, which can help boost productivity and new ideas.
But the fundamentals of a successful urban economy are inextricably linked to its location advantage, and this is especially true for highly specialized sectors such as financial services and technology. New technologies can easily undercut a city’s advantages and threaten its long-term success, no matter how much it invests in high-tech infrastructure.
The Arts
The arts are a wide range of human activities that help people develop unique social, cultural, and personal identities and share values, impressions, judgments, ideas, visions, spiritual meanings, patterns of life, and experiences across time and space.
The term “art” can refer to common, popular, or everyday practices as well as more sophisticated, systematic, or institutionalized ones. These include the visual arts, performing arts, and music.
New York is a major center for artistic production and is home to many prestigious institutions and museums. The Sculpture Center, which is in Long Island City, is one of the best places to see modern sculpture.
The Environment
The environment is the foundation of our survival on Earth, a source of natural resources like water, medicine, clothing, and fossil fuels. It also supports biodiversity and offers remarkable beauty.
The human population, as well as the growth of our water supply, waste management system, transportation system, and food supply, have shaped New York’s environment. As a result, it is important for the people of New York to care about the environment and its well-being.
The environment is important for everyone, particularly those living in environmental justice communities, who are often disproportionately affected by pollution. To protect the health of these residents, we need strong laws that ensure clean air and a healthy environment for all people.
The Politics
New York is a city that has an outsized effect on how the rest of the country votes. The city government is dominated by the Democratic Party, which normally attracts majority support within the city in state, congressional, and presidential elections.
As the country has changed, the New York City region has become a key bellwether of national politics. This year, the Crossroads boroughs are likely to play an even bigger role in the Democratic primaries.
The Crossroads boroughs tend to vote for candidates from the establishment, but they will vote for progressives when the time is right. In 2018, Chelsea and the Upper West Side, which are both in different districts, gave Cuomo a mixed number of votes.
