Borough (New York City)
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New York City is one of the largest cities in the world, and it is segmented into boroughs for various reasons. A borough is a unique form of government that administers the five fundamental constituent parts of the consolidated city. It differs significantly from other borough forms of government used in other parts of the Tri-State Region and elsewhere in the United States. Technically, under New York Law, a "borough" is a municipal corporation that results whenever a county is merged with the cities, towns, and incorporated villages that are located within the county.
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[edit] Background
New York City is often referred to collectively as the Five Boroughs. This term is used to refer to New York City as a whole unambiguously, avoiding confusion with any particular borough or with the greater metropolitan area. It is often used by politicians to counter a focus on Manhattan and to place all five boroughs on equal footing. The term Outer Boroughs refers to all the boroughs excluding Manhattan even though the geographic center of the city is along the Brooklyn/Queens border.
Unlike most American cities, which lie within a single county, extend partially into another county, or constitute a county in themselves, each of New York City's five boroughs is coextensive with a county of New York state:
- The Borough of The Bronx is Bronx County.
- The Borough of Brooklyn is Kings County.
- The Borough of Manhattan is New York County.
- The Borough of Queens is Queens County.
- The Borough of Staten Island is Richmond County.
All boroughs were created in 1898 during consolidation, when the city's current boundaries were established. The Borough of The Bronx was originally the parts of New York County that had been previously ceded by Westchester County, until Bronx County was created in 1914. The Borough of Queens originally consisted of the western part of Queens County, until Nassau County was created out of the three eastern towns in 1899. The Borough of Staten Island was officially the Borough of Richmond until the name was changed in 1975 to reflect its common appellation.
Each borough is represented by a borough president and, with the exception of Manhattan, has a borough hall (the same functions, and others, reside in the Manhattan Municipal Building). Since the abolition of the Board of Estimate in 1990 (due to a 1989 ruling of the U.S. Supreme Court[1]) the borough president now has minimal executive powers, and there is no legislative function within a borough. Most executive power is exercised by the mayor of New York, and legislative functions are the responsibility of the members of the New York City Council. Because they are counties, each borough also elects a district attorney, as does every other county of the state. Some civil court judges are also elected on a borough-wide basis, although they are generally eligible to serve throughout the city.
[edit] Marble Hill
Marble Hill, a small enclave that is physically located on the North American mainland and that appears to be part of the Bronx, is actually part of Manhattan. After an increase in ship traffic in the 1890s, the Army Corps of Engineers constructed the Harlem River Ship Channel. This rendered Marble Hill an island bounded by the canal to the south and the original course of the Harlem River to the north. The old river channel was filled in 1914, linking Marble Hill to the North American mainland. A subsequent agreement between the respective borough presidents decreed that this neighborhood would henceforth be deemed to be part of the Borough of the Bronx.[citation needed] However, the agreement was never enacted by the legislature, so this enclave remains part of New York County.
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[edit] The Sixth Borough
Although there are only five boroughs, a number of areas near and far have been rhetorically identified as New York City's "Sixth Borough". Places to which the "sixth borough" appellation have been applied include New Jersey (especially Hudson County, New Jersey[2] or Newark, New Jersey[3]); Nassau County, New York[4]; Philadelphia[5]; South Florida[citation needed] and even Israel.[6] The only proposal to merit any formal consideration was a 1934 bill submitted by a New York City alderman that suggested merging Yonkers into New York City as a sixth borough.[7]
[edit] See also
- Five Burghs, of the Danelaw
- To the Five Boroughs, a 2004 album by Beastie Boys
[edit] References
- ^ Cornell Law School Supreme Court Collection: Board of Estimate of City of New York v. Morris, Cornell Law School. Accessed September 11, 2008.
- ^ Holusha, John. "Commercial Property / The Jersey Riverfront; On the Hudson's West Bank, Optimistic Developers", The New York Times, October 11, 1998. Accessed May 25, 2007. That simply is out of the question in midtown, he said, adding that some formerly fringe areas in Midtown South that had previously been available were filled up as well. Given that the buildings on the New Jersey waterfront are new and equipped with the latest technology and just a few stops on the PATH trains from Manhattan, they become an attractive alternative. It's the sixth borough, he said.
- ^ Vitullo-Marton, Julia. "And the Next ‘Sixth Borough' Is... Newark", The New York Sun, September 28, 2006. Accessed June 19, 2007. " Mr. Banker said he believes the Booker administration wants to create a middle-class residential community downtown. If that happens, Newark may well displace Philadelphia as New York's sixth Borough."
- ^ Harris, Seth. "One Problem Equals Many Answers: Dems Fight Illegal Housing in Nassau", Long Island Press, July 20, 2005. Accessed May 25, 2007. "Suozzi agrees that illegal housing is giving areas such as Elmont a city-like atmosphere. “They are turning Hempstead into the sixth borough of New York City,” he says.
- ^ Pressler, Jessica, "Philadelphia Story: The Next Borough", New York Times, August 14, 2005. Accessed June 10, 2007.
- ^ Haberman, Clyde. "All Politics Of the Mideast Is Local," The New York Times, March 3, 2006. Accessed May 25, 2007. "WHEN it comes to politics, New York is a six-borough city. Borough No. 6 is what the rest of the world calls the Middle East, specifically Israel and the Palestinian territories."
- ^ "ADDING OF YONKERS TO CITY IS SOUGHT; Alderman Jacobs Says He Will Present Bill Seeking Merger as a Sixth Borough.", The New York Times, November 3, 1934. Accessed August 26, 2007. "Merging the city of Yonkers with New York City as a sixth borough was proposed last night by Alderman Elias H. Jacobs, Washington Heights Democrat, who said he would introduce a local bill in the Board of Aldermen branch of the Municipal Assembly at its next meeting on Nov. 13."
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