-New York-
The New York metropolitan area, often referred to as the Tri-State Area, is the most populous metropolitan area in the United States and is also one of the most populous in the world. The metropolitan area is defined by the Office of Management and Budget as the New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, NY-NJ-PA Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), with an estimated population of 18,815,988 as of 2007. The MSA is further subdivided into four metropolitan divisions. The 23-county metropolitan area includes ten counties in New York State, including the five boroughs of New York City, the two other counties of Long Island, and three in the lower Hudson Valley, twelve counties in Northern and Central New Jersey, and one county in northeastern Pennsylvania. The largest urbanized area in the United States is at the heart of the metropolitan area, the New York–Newark, NY–NJ–CT Urbanized Area (with a population of 17,799,861 as of the 2000 census).
The metropolitan area is partly defined by the areas from which people commute into New York City. The city is served by three primary commuter train systems plus Amtrak.
The Long Island Rail Road (LIRR), the busiest commuter railroad in the United States[2], is operated by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), an agency of New York State. It has two major terminals at Pennsylvania Station in Midtown Manhattan and Flatbush Avenue in Downtown Brooklyn, with a minor terminal at Long Island City station and a major transfer point at Jamaica station in Queens.
Metro-North Railroad (MNRR), the second busiest commuter railroad in the United States[2], is also operated by the MTA, but in conjunction with the Connecticut Department of Transportation and New Jersey Transit. Its major terminal is Grand Central Terminal. Trains on the Port Jervis Line and Pascack Valley Line terminate at Hoboken Terminal; commuters may transfer at Secaucus Junction for New Jersey Transit trains to New York Pennsylvania Station.
New Jersey Transit (NJT), the third busiest commuter railroad in the United States by passenger miles and also third in trips when direct operated and purchased transportation services are both included (fourth if only direct operated are included) [2], is operated by the New Jersey Transit Corporation, an agency of New Jersey, in conjunction with Metro-North and Amtrak. A map of the system can be found here. It has major terminals at Pennsylvania Station in Manhattan, Hoboken Terminal in Hoboken, and Pennsylvania Station in Newark, with a major transfer point at Secaucus Junction. New Jersey transit also operates a light rail system in Hudson County, as well as the Newark Light Rail.
Amtrak's Northeast Corridor offers service to Philadelphia, New Haven, and other points between and including Boston and Washington, D.C.
New Jersey Transit, Academy Bus, Coach USA, Adirondack Trailways (under the names of New York Trailways, Pine Hill Trailways, as well as Adirondack Trailways) and several other companies operate commuter coaches into the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Manhattan, and many other bus services in New Jersey. Bus services also operate in other nearby counties in the states of New York and Connecticut, but most terminate at a subway terminal or other rail station.
Since its foundation as the mercantile colony of New Netherland the metropolitan area has been noted for ethnic diversity. Beginning in the later 19th century, the New York Area was in large degree divided among Italians, Irish, German, and Jewish populations. The Polish and Lebanese also established small communities. Thanks to successive waves of immigration, begun in earnest in the 19th century and continuing today, the area's diversity continues to grow. The states of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut are all ranked among the top 10 fastest-growing immigration states in America, and great numbers of recent immigrants from across Latin America, East Asia, and the Caribbean now call the New York metropolitan area home. While prominent ethnic neighborhoods in the region are too numerous to list, there are multiple neighborhoods with large Dominican, Puerto Rican, Colombian, Ecuadorian, Mexican, Chinese, Filipino, Russian, Korean, Indian, Pakistani, Italian, Irish, and Polish communities. The cuisines of virtually every major ethnic group on the planet are at least partially represented in the area, with the culinary landscape of New York changing slightly from year to year as new arrivals settle in.
The New York metropolitan area hosts a religious diversity in line with its ethnic diversity. Houses of worship exist for numerous Christian denominations, especially Catholicism but also various churches within both Eastern Orthodoxy and Protestantism. New York has a large Jewish population, is a major center of Orthodox Judaism and is home to the headquarters of many Hasidic movements, particularly in the borough of Brooklyn. Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism, Sikhism, Taoism, and many other religions have formal houses of worship in the area. Along with these religions, there are also many people who practice no religion at all.
*Small Note: A lot come from good old wikipedia.*
