9 special facts about New York that you probably don't know yet

Manhattan is a journey of discovery with more surprises than you might have thought possible. Of course you don’t go on a trip unprepared, so that’s why we would like to give you a number of special facts that make Manhattan so unique.

Manhattan’s Unlikely Population Density

Big cities have always attracted people. Mostly because of the job opportunities and the fact that you have everything at hand. The downside is the population density. With a population density of 26,939/km2, Manhattan is one of the most densely populated areas on Earth. In fact, if the population density were the same everywhere as Manhattan, the entire world population would fit in New Zealand. Even clearer, if Manhattan had the same population density as Alaska, Manhattan would be home to only 28 people.

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No windows, but yes nuke-proof

It makes sense that every building in Manhattan has windows, except for one building. 33 Thomas Street is where you’ll find a futuristic building that has no windows, but can withstand the effects of a nuclear disaster. Not so surprising when you consider that this building was built in 1974 during the Cold War.

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Landing with a stolen plane in the heart of the city

We know that in an emergency you can land a plane on the Hudson River, but what you may not know is that in 1956 the pilot Tommy Fitz landed his plane in the middle of the city, right in front of the cafe where he likes had his drinks. That he was extremely drunk is a understatementit is special.

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The Eruv of Manhattan

In the Netherlands it is a totally unknown tradition, but in America, where there is a large Jewish community, the Eruv is well known. The tradition is a result of Jewish laws which, among other things, prohibit the transportation of goods on the Sabbath day. In order to meet the desire for more freedom of movement, the Eruv was devised, a separate area within which goods may be transported during the Shabbat. In fact, it is nothing more than a wire that is twisted at a height of six meters around a number of posts in order to delineate a certain area. The special thing about the Eruv of Manhattan is the cost, it costs no less than one hundred thousand dollars on an annual basis to maintain it.

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An investment of $16

The Native Americans sold what is now Manhattan at the time (around 1600) for the extremely low amount of sixteen dollars. If they had invested this amount, they might now have enough money to buy back the entire area. This sixteen dollars, with an annual return of eight percent, would have provided sufficient capital. Of course they didn’t, but it’s a fun fact.

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China and the copy of Manhattan

It will not sound completely unknown to your ears that the Chinese like to imitate products. The Western protection of brand names has no value whatsoever in the largest communist country and so the Chinese copy happily. Likewise with Manhattan. It was once China’s biggest dream to have a financial center with some charisma and so they coolly copied Manhattan. The town of Tianjin was chosen as the location and the Chinese built on their own. However, a small problem arose until the financing proved insufficient to complete the project. What remained can be guessed at: an unfinished whole that somewhat resembles the Big Apple, including the Rockefeller Center and the famous Hudson River.

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America’s Richest Church

Some are quick to attribute Manhattan’s prosperity to divine intervention. Judging by the extremely wealthy Trinity Church, you would be inclined to believe this. With over 56,656 square feet of land and a whopping $38 million in annual revenue, this is America’s richest church. The total wealth of this community is approximately $2 billion.

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The vault with the largest gold supply

It should come as no surprise that Manhattan is the preferred location for many countries to entrust their national gold reserves to, after all, it is the home of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. What you may not know is that this institution’s vault is so large that it can hold over 25 percent of the world’s gold supply. So that’s pretty impressive.

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A business license of only $298,500 per year

Doing business in Manhattan is a matter of investing. That goes for any business, but doing business in Manhattan is pretty pricey – even for a mobile hot dog stand. It costs the owner of a hot dog vending truck a whopping $298,500 a year in licensing fees to be able to sell his hot dogs. With such amounts, you therefore not only wonder what the annual turnover is, but also what the price of a hot dog is. If you have worked up an appetite, stop by this special company. In most cases, you’ll find it near Fifth Avenue and East 62nd Street.

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9 special facts about New York that you probably don’t know yet

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