Zehring 1

Lindsey Zehring

Prof. Barnes

English 1201

16 March 2021

Diving Into The Desires of New York City

Is New York City a desirable place to live, and if so, why is it so desired? New York

City has been a major city in the United States since the formation of this country. It has always

had a dense population containing members of all social classes. From the later part of the 18th

century to now it has attracted people of all age groups and ethnicities. It has proven to be a

socially accepting place filled with glorious entertainment, but it also presents its challenges such

as exceedingly high rent and further issues with population density.

A New York Times article on immigrants' impact on the city explained that Europeans

flooded the NYC area from the beginning, transforming it into the most diverse and populated

city. In 1860, 69% of voting-age New Yorkers were foreigners, and the influx of immigrants

through Ellis Island showed no signs of stopping. The many different ethnic groups came over

to the states due to political turmoil, famines, and massacres in their native countries. Once they

landed in NYC, each group separated into distinct occupations, created their own newspapers in

their home language, and created different churches. All of these different groups “managed to

conduct business even while speaking 18 different languages'' (Hymowitz).

Near the end of the 1800s, the population exceeded three million due to the incorporation

of the five boroughs: Manhattan, Queens, Bronx, Brooklyn, and Staten Island. In 1940, 37 years

after the first subway line was installed, there were “830 miles of running subway tracks, 500
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stations, 4,400 cars, and 1.9 billion riders per year” with a population of 7,455,000 people

(Zhang).

In 1969, an uprising in Manhattan known as Stonewall catalyzed the gay-rights

movement. On June 28th, 200 plus patrons of the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in Greenwich

Village, were involved in a riot after police raided the bar due to a Mafia that ran the tavern.

Customers and workers were being shoved into cop cars with no mercy which is what started the

fighting (Walsh).

At a New York City pride event an interview was conducted among a few of the kids

involved. Siblings Ethan and Wyatt who are both transgender travelled all the way from

Syracuse, Indiana to take part. Others such as the Wiley family came from Dallas Texas. Lily

Esdailes explained the significance of these events by stating that “Everyone gets to be

themselves for one day, and I love being able to experience that and not having to hide yourself

at all” (“Youth Express Themselves At New York Pride Event”).

According to an article on the true cost of living in NYC, the median rent in NYC for a

two bedroom apartment is $2499 a month, while the national median is $1175. On the other

hand, these high prices can often be a misconception due to the fact that areas outside of

Manhattan are much cheaper. The average price for a single family home in NYC is only

$403,900 which also comes with an added bonus seeing as homes in NYC raise in value by

4.52% annually (Wallace).

Saturday Night Live is a popular comedy show filmed in NYC and is home to many

famous comedians. Adam Sander, Chris Rock, David Spade, Tina Fey, and Amy Poehler, just to

name a few, all began very luxurious movie careers after their time spent on the SNL stage
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performing skits and stand-up. Places like SNL and Broadway attract all of those dreamers who

want to make it big just like everyone else (“Saturday Night Live”).

When Covid-19 first hit the city, a study was conducted on 18-35 year olds in public

hospitals in NYC who were infected with Corona. Results showed a 13.1% mortality rate for

young adults, but it is important to keep in mind these patients were of low socioeconomic status

and they “represent a considerable portion of the high-risk population typically reported for this

region.” These numbers may not seem high, but they only stand for a portion of the people living

in this city, older members have a much higher mortality rate (Altonen).

On September 11, 2001, a terrorist attack was launched against the United States,

targeting several locations but having the largest effect on New York City. Two planes were

hijacked by Osama Bin Laden’s terrorist organizations, known as Al Queida, and crashed into

each of the Twin Towers in a matter of minutes. President Bush reassured everyone by saying

that “Our country is strong. Terrorist acts can shake the foundation of our biggest buildings, but

they cannot touch the foundation of America'' (Bumiller).

Brownsville is considered the most dangerous place in Brooklyn. In a documentary about

the neighborhood, a man by the name of Prince has lived there for over 20 years and says that

many people struggle to have a roof over their heads and feed their families. Youths often turn to

violence and the police aren’t much help. The Brownsville projects are where 60% of crime

occurs and are often referred to as Baghdad (HeroinDVD).

Members of the Brownsville community agree that people need to change for real change

to happen. Not all of them feel unsafe in this area; in fact, teen Isaiah and his friend were

interviewed and said that they have lived there all of their life and have always thought it was fun

and they feel safe (CharlieBo313).

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New York is home to blues and R&B music. It also has theaters such as Carnegie Hall,

Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, New York City Ballet, and the Jazz Foundation of

America where people can attend performances. Another way that NYC is promoted through

music is in songs. Jay Z and Alicia Keys have a song titled “Empire State of Mind” and Taylor

Swift has a song title “Welcome to New York.” Both of these songs give off a good feeling

about the city. The positive vibes are so prevalent that it is a common setting in movies and

books (NYC Media & Entertainment Industry).

People from all over the country come to New York to study law, fashion, musical

theater, and every other major imaginable at one of 120 higher education institutions. Right in

the center of the city is Columbia University which is an Ivy League School. It is known for its

high academic standards and prominent Journalism School. Another popular school is New York

University, which is a private institution with locations all over the world, “including Abu Dhabi,

Shanghai, Africa, and Europe.”. The Juilliard School is also a well-known performing arts

school. It offered degrees solely in Dance, Music, and Drama, which shows just how many

people are pursuing those kinds of careers in New York City (Colleges in New York City).

New York City is home to The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) which provides many

job opportunities, both financial and those that support the workforce. According to the

Corporate Financial Institute, the NYSE “is the largest securities exchange in the world, hosting

82% of the S&P 500, as well as 70 of the biggest corporations in the world” (New York Stock

Exchange (NYSE) - Overview, History, Trading).

Health care workers are increasing in the city from a program called Mentoring in

Medicine (MIM). This is an after-school program that “promotes careers in health care for urban

youth.” It is a course offered once a week over a ten-week semester that teaches the body
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systems, takes kids on field trips, and does class projects. Students say it “improved their self-

confidence in their ability to succeed” (Holden).

Based on this information, New York City is an overall desirable place to live. It has

been attracting all sorts of people from the beginning of its formation and continues to do so.

NYC is known for welcoming the LGBT community plus up and coming entertainers seeking

out the business. It comes with its weaknesses, as does everything, which includes high rent and

higher risk of mortality during a once in a lifetime pandemic, but the pros outweigh the cons.

Overall, more information needs to be gathered on the other forms of entertainment and popular

sites as well as the history in order to create a full analysis to back the fact that NYC is a

desirable location.
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Works Cited

Altonen, Brian L., et al. "Characteristics, comorbidities and survival analysis of young adults
hospitalized with COVID-19 in New York City." PLoS ONE, vol. 15, no. 12, 2020, p.
e0243343. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints,
link.gale.com/apps/doc/A645383117/OVIC?u=dayt30401&sid=OVIC&xid=d5eb7558.
Accessed 6 Mar. 2021.

Bumiller, Elisabeth. “A Somber Bush Says Terrorism Cannot Prevail.” The New York Times,

The New York Times, 12 Sept. 2001, www.nytimes.com/2001/09/12/us/a-day-of-terror-the-

president-a-somber-bush-says-terrorism-cannot-prevail.html. Accessed 7 Mar. 2021.

CharlieBo313, director. BROWNSVILLE BROOKLYN HOOD / YOUTH INTERVIEW.

YouTube, YouTube, 29 Sept. 2019, www.youtube.com/watch?v=sS6y9v9C1nU. Accessed

27 Mar. 2021.

“Colleges in New York City.” Cappex, 2021, www.cappex.com/colleges-by-city/colleges-in-

new-york-city. Accessed 27 Mar. 2021.

HeroinDvD, director. Neva Eva Will: The Brownsville Documentary | Part One | FREE

DOCUMENTARY. YouTube, YouTube, 10 Dec. 2013, www.youtube.com/watch?

v=VzGfduylw2M. Accessed 27 Mar. 2021.

Holden, Lynne, et al. “After-School Program for Urban Youth: Evaluation of a Health

Careers Course in New York City High Schools.” Information Services & Use, vol. 35, no.

1/2, Jan. 2015, pp. 141–160. EBSCOhost, doi:10.3233/ISU-150773. Accessed 27 Mar. 2021.
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“New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) - Overview, History, Trading.” Corporate Finance

Institute, 26 Jan. 2021, corporatefinanceinstitute.com/resources/knowledge/trading-

investing/new-york-stock-exchange-nyse/. Accessed 11 April 2021.

“NYC Media & Entertainment Industry.” Telligent Marketing, Telligent Marketing LLC,

www.telligentmarketing.com/location/nyc-media-entertainment/. Accessed 27 Mar. 2021.

“Saturday Night Live.” Edited by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica, Encyclopædia

Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 2021, www.britannica.com/topic/Saturday-Night-

Live. Accessed 7 Mar. 2021.

Sraders, Anne, et al. “The 21 Best Stocks to Buy for 2021.” Fortune, Fortune, 3 Dec. 2020,

fortune.com/2020/11/20/best-stocks-to-buy-for-2021-airlines-health-care-green-energy-

banks-consumer-international/. Accessed 11 April 2021.

Wallace, Nick. “What Is the True Cost of Living in New York City?” SmartAsset,

SmartAsset, 29 May 2019, smartasset.com/mortgage/what-is-the-cost-of-living-in-new-york-

city. Accessed 7 Mar. 2021.

Walsh, Colleen. “Stonewall Then and Now.” The Harvard Gazette, 27 June 2019,

news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2019/06/harvard-scholars-reflect-on-the-history-and-legacy-

of-the-stonewall-riots/. Accessed 11 April 2021.

"Youth Express Themselves At New York Pride Event." Weekend All Things Considered, 29

June 2019. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints,

link.gale.com/apps/doc/A591791751/OVIC?u=dayt30401&sid=OVIC&xid=3575f326.

Accessed 6 Mar. 2021.

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Zhang, Myles, director. The New York City Evolution Animation. YouTube, YouTube, 25

Oct. 2018, www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6U7YFPrz6Y. Accessed 27 Mar. 2021.