New York City is a place full of stories. When George Washington was sworn into office, New York City was the capital of the U.S. Washington actually served at Federal Hall where Wall Street is now located. It was at Federal Hall in New York City that the Bill of Rights was drafted and the Constitution was ratified. Before the city became the nation’s capital, there were less than 30,000 people living there. Philadelphia actually had a larger population than New York City at the time.
In 1790 the population of New York City had surpassed that of Philadelphia. Today, NYC has over 8 million people living there and is twice the size of the U.S.’s second largest city, Las Angeles. The Big Apple shares a lot of firsts along with being the first capital of the U.S. For instance, the first pizzeria was opened in NYC in 1895 and toilet paper was invented there in 1857. Coney Island has the oldest amusement park in the U.S. and Ellis Island was the first place for many immigrants to land in the U.S.