If you close your eyes and think of cities with movers and shakers, the top 10 most populated cities like Tokyo, Delhi and Cairo may come to mind. But in the United States, New York City is often the first one that comes up. Whether that’s because of the publishing houses, the history of hip-hop, Broadway or the food, there are a number of reasons to want to live in NYC. But what about the other 61 cities in New York? Where’s the best place to live in New York for those who are looking for more than just the hustle and bustle, and those who are looking for a little bit of both?
10 Historical Facts About New York
In a state with a history of entrepreneurs, activists, hip-hop pioneers and artists, tourists may never have time to see all of the sights. new New York homeowners (or tenants) will have a to-do list a mile long. Here are 10 suggestions to start crossing off the list when you get there.
- Although information about her New York City home is scarce, Lyda Newman was the third Black woman to ever receive a patent. In the late 1800s, most hairbrushes were made using animal hair, but the material was too soft for thicker hair types. Newman created a brush with synthetic fibers that was more durable, easier to clean and had a button so hair debris could be emptied out of the back of the brush.
- The African Burial Ground National Monument, located in the Civic Center area of Lower Manhattan, houses the remains of more than 419 Africans from the 17th and 18th centuries. This is considered New York’s oldest African-American cemetery.
- Bayard Rustin, an openly gay man and advocate during the Civil Rights Movement, lived in apartment 9J, building 7, in the Penn South complex in Chelsea from 1962 to his death in 1987. While he lived there, he was the lead organizer of the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom and took part in other social justice campaigns. With the support of the NYC LGBT Historic Sites Project, his home was listed on the New York State Register of Historic Places in 2015 and the National Register of Historic Places in 2016.
- On August 11, 1973, in the Morris Heights section of the Bronx at 1520 Sedgwick Ave., a historic party took place. The recreation room of this 18-story apartment building became the birthplace of hip-hop, courtesy of Clive “DJ Kool Herc” Campbell, the host and DJ Kool Herc’s little sister Cindy Campbell, and the master of ceremonies Coke La Rock. In 2021, a congressional resolution was passed, officially declaring the 102-apartment building as the birthplace of the genre.
- In East Harlem, onlookers can admire the Graffiti Hall of Fame. For more than a decade, graffiti and murals from street artists have been created from all over the world inside and outside of the playground’s fence.
- When visitors enter the Children’s Museum of Oswego, they’re also entering the former destination where two enslaved men in Maryland escaped for freedom. Charles Smith, one of the enslaved men, ran a business in the basement of this building from 1854 until his death in 1882 at 70. Tudor Grant, the other man, opened a shop in 1857. Grant, who was a noted abolitionist, helped other enslaved people escape to Canada, possibly using his nearby shop as a harbor.
- Harlem’s Holcombe Rucker Park, popularly known as The Rucker or the “Madison Square Garden of the playground,” is the location where a world-famous tournament takes place in Harlem. The best basketball prospects and street ballers compete. The first tournaments began under Holcombe Rucker, a teacher and playground director from Harlem, in the late 1940s.
- The Seneca Village Project, founded in 1998 (and in today’s Central Park), was created to raise awareness about a middle-class, free black community that resided there. Visitors will see a plaque commemorating the site where Seneca Village once stood.
- Sounds of Brazil (SOB’s), located in the lower Manhattan neighborhood of SoHo, was opened by owner and director Larry Gold in June 1982. Gold opened the venue with the goal of educating patrons about Afro-Latino Diaspora. In the ’90s, SOB’s hip-hop presence was co-signed by appearances from Wu-Tang Clan, DMX, Yasiin Bey (formerly known as Mos Def), KRS-One, Tribe Called Quest and Talib Kweli. In the 2000s came R&B and hip-hop artists Drake, Kanye West, Kendrick Lamar and Jill Scott.
- The Colored Musicians Club in Buffalo is one of the oldest continually operating Black musicians’ clubs in the country and houses the offices of Buffalo Local 533, an early Black union of musicians. The Club was also the recipient of a 2019 New York State Historic Preservation Award and part of Buffalo’s Michigan Street African American Heritage Corridor.
Most Populated Neighborhoods in New York
New York City takes the number one spot for most populated city in the state of New York, with approximately 8.09 million last year. Hempstead is second with 783,355 followed by Brookhaven (487,160); Islip (335,258); Oyster Bay (297,155); Buffalo (273,720); North Hempstead (235,357); Babylon (216,046); Yonkers (206,544); and Rochester (206,078). In New York City, the population decreased between April 2020 and July 2023, specifically in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island. Manhattan, on the other hand, had the largest population decline in the first 15 months during the pandemic, but it started to grow back by July 2021 and has been increasing ever since.
Best Job Markets in New York
While creatives may think New York is the go-to place for the arts, some of the most successful careers in New York have nothing to do with music, movies, live plays or painting. Top jobs include chief executives, nurse anesthetists, oral and maxillofacial surgeons, ophthalmologists (except pediatric), financial managers, neurologists, psychiatrists, sales managers, and computer and information systems managers. Along with all other types of physicians, the criminal justice system has also proven to be a lucrative career in New York, including for judges, magistrates and lawyers. Creative careers such as art directors, makeup artists, sculptors and painters are further down the list in between the top 30 to top 70 highest-paying jobs.
If you’re trying to find the best places to live in NY, consider your own occupation and what it might mean for relocating your career. Doing your research and seeing what’s hiring in a particular city, borough, or neighborhood may help you form a decision.
Cost of Living in New York
Not all cities (and boroughs) are created equally. Someone who moves to Manhattan with an annual salary of $50,000 would need to make $31,099 in Queens to have the same standard of living. Someone who lived in Buffalo while making $50,000 would have to make $72,374. Even cities outside of New York that are on the pricier side to live in, such as Seattle, still have to make a pretty penny ($61,088) to live a $50,000 lifestyle. Chicagoans may be in for sticker shock too, with that $50,000 lifestyle from the Midwest costing approximately $70,965 in New York. A Los Angeles resident would have less catching up to do with the same salary; this person would only need $53,897 to live the same lifestyle.
Lifestyles in New York
The majority of the people in New York have been able to afford living there with just a high school diploma (83.7%) versus a bachelor’s degree (41%). There are career opportunities for marginalized groups, too, including 44,795 women-owned employer businesses; 63,995 minority-owned businesses; and 3,453 veteran-owned businesses. Non-minority groups thrive here as well, with 126,574 men-owned businesses; 118,498 non-minority-owned businesses and 180,415 non-veteran-owned businesses. Singles looking for even safer places to live may want to check out Niagara Falls, Buffalo, Salamanca, Dunkirk, Medina, Olean, Jamestown, Lackawanna, Albion or Elmira. While New York is a blue state, it is also the home of both NYC Mayor Eric Adams and Attorney General Letitia James, proving the diversity of leaders who reside here.
Crime Rates While Living in New York
The state of New York has some work to do when it comes to improving on crime rates, which can impact what you may consider to be the best places to live in NY. With a D- score, it also scores an F in violent crime and property crime. The state is aware of this unwanted reputation and has made some progress. New York City Police Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch announced that 2024 had an almost -3% reduction in overall index crime, which equates to 3,662 fewer incidents and thousands of fewer victims of violence and disorder across the five boroughs. Northern New Yorkers generally consider the northwest part of the city to be safer.
Frequently Asked Questions
What part of NYC is the safest to live in?
While NYC’s Crime Grade score is a D-, some locations have far lower crime rates, such as Bedford Town.
What is the most affordable place to live in NYC?
The New York side of Niagara Falls is the cheapest place to live in the state, and being this close to a view of the 2,500-foot body of water and the river below (170 feet deep) is an added bonus.
What is a decent salary to live in New York?
Each borough has its own livable salary. A new resident may find the rates in any of the boroughs startlingly expensive or doable, depending on their lifestyle before they arrived, but the median salary is $79,713.
