NYC's Five Boroughs (and Basic Terminology) Explained

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:

1. Manhattan
2. Queens
3. Brooklyn
4. The Bronx
5. 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 one unified city budget, police department (NYPD), etc., even though each borough has its own Borough President and some local administrative functions.

In today's terms, a borough is one of the five distinct geographic regions of New York City including:

• Manhattan
• Queens
• Brooklyn
• The Bronx
• Staten Island

Each borough has multiple neighborhoods with distinct cultures and histories. We took to social media to get insights from borough residents, so you'll see their recommendations sprinkled throughout.

See our full write-up on our website for links to places we mentioned (sorry, we can't fit it all in a podcast description).

You'll Have to Check It Out - La Grande Boucherie in Midtown

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