New+York+City

Section 7 – New York City: Where Buildings Touch the Sky
On clear days, visitors to the top of the Empire State Building can see parts of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and Massachusetts, as well as New York.

We are in New York City. More than 8 million people live here. It is the largest city in America.

New York City has always been a city of immigrants. The Dutch were the first Europeans to settle here. People from other parts of Europe and Africa followed. Together, they made New York City a city of many cultures, or ways of life.

Today, people still come to New York City from all over the world. Just listen to people talking on the streets. You will hear English, Spanish, Chinese, Arabic, Russian, Hebrew, Italian, Korean, and many other languages.

Are you wondering how New York City finds room for all of these people? The answer is—up in the air! A hundred years ago, New Yorkers began building **[|skyscrapers]** **[** **skyscraper:** **a very tall building]**. People live and work in these very tall buildings.

The Empire State Building is one of New York City’s most famous skyscrapers. This office building has 102 stories, or floors. Visitors can go to the very top of the building and look out at the view. You could climb the 1,860 stairs. But I suggest that you take the elevator.

Interactive Ellis Island Tour