# What is the difference between New York, New York State and Newark? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 10, 2011, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-difference-between-new-york-new-york-state-and-newark/595804 "2011-09-10T06:30:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2011, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-difference-between-new-york-new-york-state-and-newark/595804/41 "2011-09-10T23:21:22Z")
It is easy to see why the topics of the OP would be confusing to someone who doesn’t live here. When I consider that, as a New Jersey resident, the questions of the OP are easy to answer, all I have to do is look across the pond in order to be humbled: [The Difference between the United Kingdom, Great Britain and England Explained](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNu8XDBSn10) (short YouTube video) I’m pretty sure that most of the things explained in the video (of which I have always been clueless), are obvious or at least well known to most Brits. ---
**Author:** ![Huerta88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/82dd89/32.png) [@Huerta88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Huerta88)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2011, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-difference-between-new-york-new-york-state-and-newark/595804/42 "2011-09-10T23:22:04Z")
> [@jasonh300](#): > > How does postal addressing work? If I’m sending something to the Empire State building, is it New York, NY or Manhattan, NY? New York, and before you ask, for no real good reason (although Manhattan (and each of the boroughs) is its own county – and the county is referred to as New York. Queens and the Bronx are called by their own names at the county level. Brooklyn is in (is) Kings County and Staten Island is Richmond County. ---
**Author:** ![brazil84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8491ac/32.png) [@brazil84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brazil84)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2011, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-difference-between-new-york-new-york-state-and-newark/595804/43 "2011-09-10T23:24:26Z")
> [@jasonh300](#): > > How does postal addressing work? If I’m sending something to the Empire State building, is it New York, NY or Manhattan, NY? It would be “New York, NY” I don’t know if there’s official backing for it, but the tradition is that mail going to The Bronx or Brooklyn has “Bronx, NY” or “Brooklyn, NY” in the address. If you are addressing a letter to Queens, you use the village/neighborhood. i.e. “Flushing, NY”; “Fresh Meadows, NY,” or “Long Island City, NY” And you omit “Queens.” For Staten Island, you normally say “Staten Island, NY” ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2011, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-difference-between-new-york-new-york-state-and-newark/595804/44 "2011-09-10T23:37:30Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > It may be of use to you to also know that New York City is NOT the capital of New York. That’s Albany. Which is where I live, and it is not East Bumblefuck, USA, it is actually quite a nice medium sized city. We have about 100K people. Most people live outside the city and commute in. I actually live in one of the surbubs, called Colonie - won an award for the Safest Municipality with a population under 75,000 in the country. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2011, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-difference-between-new-york-new-york-state-and-newark/595804/45 "2011-09-10T23:39:11Z")
> [@CheeseDonkey](#): > > There is also an Egypt, Mexico, Cuba and Jamaica, New York. And a Peru. ---
**Author:** ![Namkcalb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c89c15/32.png) [@Namkcalb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Namkcalb)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2011, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-difference-between-new-york-new-york-state-and-newark/595804/46 "2011-09-11T00:35:43Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > JFK is in New York City, though. 🙂 I thought he was in Arlington ---
**Author:** ![caveat\_lector](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ed655f/32.png) [@caveat\_lector](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/caveat_lector)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2011, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-difference-between-new-york-new-york-state-and-newark/595804/47 "2011-09-11T00:36:54Z")
Should you happen to arrive via Newark airport and plan to take the New Jersey Transit to ‘Penn Station’ to reach Manhattan, make sure to exit the train at New York Penn Station, not Newark Penn Station. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2011, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-difference-between-new-york-new-york-state-and-newark/595804/48 "2011-09-11T00:43:37Z")
> [@caveat\_lector](#): > > Should you happen to arrive via Newark airport and plan to take the New Jersey Transit to ‘Penn Station’ to reach Manhattan, make sure to exit the train at New York Penn Station, not Newark Penn Station. That’s not such a terrible mistake, because you can take the train from Penn Station to Penn Station. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2011, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-difference-between-new-york-new-york-state-and-newark/595804/49 "2011-09-11T01:04:22Z")
New York City is the Center of the Universe, yo, at least to those who live in and around it. Upstate NY has some medium size cities mostly struggling economically, and a whole lot of fields, trees, and farmland interspersed with housing developments and malls. A former NYC mayor once pooh-poohed Upstate NY as being a wasteland where you have to ‘drive 20 miles in your pickup truck to buy a Sears mens suit, or a gingham dress’. Some of us take our mom’s 50’s era gingham dresses down to Tha Big City and sell them to vintage stores for big bucks. 😛 So we have that. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2011, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-difference-between-new-york-new-york-state-and-newark/595804/50 "2011-09-11T01:08:42Z")
> [@salinqmind](#): > > New York City is the Center of the Universe, yo, at least to those who live in and around it. Upstate NY has some medium size cities mostly struggling economically, and a whole lot of fields, trees, and farmland interspersed with housing developments and malls. A former NYC mayor once pooh-poohed Upstate NY as being a wasteland where you have to ‘drive 20 miles in your pickup truck to buy a Sears mens suit, or a gingham dress’. Some of us take our mom’s 50’s era gingham dresses down to Tha Big City and sell them to vintage stores for big bucks. 😛 So we have that. Honestly, I read that last sentence as “some of us take our moms down to the Big City and sell them to vintage stores for big bucks.” I bet that would work even better! ---
**Author:** ![PaulParkhead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@PaulParkhead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PaulParkhead)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2011, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-difference-between-new-york-new-york-state-and-newark/595804/51 "2011-09-11T01:23:53Z")
> [@Ximenean](#): > > Heathrow is in fact within Greater London, the administrative entity of Middlesex having ceased to exist decades ago. The minutiae of London administrative divisions is probably a topic for another thread, though. On the first point, I see Heathrow is indeed located in LB Hillingdon. Interesting. I didn’t know that, thanks. On the second point, I agree. I’d find such a thread interesting, along with perhaps three other posters 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2011, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-difference-between-new-york-new-york-state-and-newark/595804/52 "2011-09-11T01:54:07Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > Which is where I live, and it is not East Bumblefuck, USA, it is actually quite a nice medium sized city. We have about 100K people. Most people live outside the city and commute in. I actually live in one of the surbubs, called Colonie - won an award for the Safest Municipality with a population under 75,000 in the country. I don’t buy that any of these are actually separate cities. If there is no end to the development, are they really separate? ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2011, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-difference-between-new-york-new-york-state-and-newark/595804/53 "2011-09-11T01:58:16Z")
I was surprised to learn recently that New York State borders Canada. That seems counter-intuitive, until you see how big an area the State actually has. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2011, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-difference-between-new-york-new-york-state-and-newark/595804/54 "2011-09-11T02:43:06Z")
> [@asterion](#): > > I don’t buy that any of these are actually separate cities. If there is no end to the development, are they really separate? They are separate cities according to the meaning of “city” under the law of the State of New York. They might not be separate cities under some other definition. Is there a particular definition you had in mind? ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2011, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-difference-between-new-york-new-york-state-and-newark/595804/55 "2011-09-11T04:29:12Z")
> [@asterion](#): > > I don’t buy that any of these are actually separate cities. If there is no end to the development, are they really separate? This would be (and is) a good argument for metropolitan consolidation, but when one pays taxes to, elects municipal officers for, and is obliged to obey the laws of, a certain town or village, the fact that its developments abut on those of a neighboring community is secondary to the legal aspects. There’s no ‘real’ difference between Nevada and California, for that matter – you can walk across the state line with impunity. Same principle applies to urban developments. ---
**Author:** ![Crawlspace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Crawlspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crawlspace)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2011, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-difference-between-new-york-new-york-state-and-newark/595804/56 "2011-09-11T05:11:52Z")
> [@anson2995](#): > > People tend to think of NYC as Manhattan, but the majority of NYC residents don’t actually live there. Brooklyn has 2.5 million residents, which would make it the third largest city in the US if you separate the boroughs. It is one of the most densely populated places on earth though. The difference even between Brooklyn and Manhattan is staggering. I think that’s why just about everyone in the Tri-State area, including New Yorkers, uses the term “The City” to refer to Manhattan only. I live on Long Island now, but if I want to go to Union Hall and drink some beers while playing bocce, I’d say I was going to Brooklyn (or Park Slope). If one of my friend’s bands is playing at Sullivan Hall, I’d say I was going into “The City” > [@friedo](#): > > That’s not such a terrible mistake, because you can take the train from Penn Station to Penn Station. 🆒 I used to do that all the time coming home from college. (Baltimore’s) Penn Station to (NYC) Penn Station, though oddly I’ve never taken a train to or from a Pennsylvania Station in Pennsylvania. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2011, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-difference-between-new-york-new-york-state-and-newark/595804/57 "2011-09-11T06:58:59Z")
To be exact, if you considered Manhattan as if it were a city by itself, it would be the fifteenth most densely populated city in the world, after seven cities in India, four cities in the Phillipines, and one city each in Indonesia, France, and Greece: > **[List of cities proper by population density](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cities_proper_by_population_density)** > > This is a list of cities worldwide by population density. The population, population density and land area for the cities listed are based on the entire city proper, the defined boundary or border of a city or the city limits of the city. The population density of the cities listed is based on the average number of people living per square kilometer or per square mile. This list does not refer to the population, population density or land area of the greater metropolitan area or urban area, n... > **[List of United States cities by population density](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_cities_by_population_density)** > > Population > The following is a list of incorporated places in the United States with a population density of over 10,000 people per square mile. As defined by the United States Census Bureau, an incorporated place is a place that has a self-governing local government and as such has been "incorporated" by the state it is in. Each state has different laws defining how a place can be incorporated. An "incorporated place" as recognized by the U.S. Census Bureau can designate a variety of places, s... ---
**Author:** ![DHMO](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecc23a/32.png) [@DHMO](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DHMO)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2011, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-difference-between-new-york-new-york-state-and-newark/595804/58 "2011-09-11T07:30:01Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > I was surprised to learn recently that New York State borders Canada. That seems counter-intuitive, until you see how big an area the State actually has. You never thought it odd that the American and the Canadian sides of Niagara Falls abut, on either side of the waterway between Lake Erie and Lake Ontario, and can be accessed from the American side in upstate New York, near Buffalo? ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2011, 7:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-difference-between-new-york-new-york-state-and-newark/595804/59 "2011-09-11T07:32:31Z")
> [@Huerta88](#): > > Yep. As is LaGuardia Airport (both in Queens, for the benefit of the OP). > > There is also another Newark that one might be more likely to run into than Newark, NY, though of course far much less likely to run into than Newark, N.J. > > It is in Delaware, and like Newark, N.J., it’s on I-95, the major highway connecting most of the Eastern Seaboard cities. Its natives will be quick to point out that it is pronounced differently – in N.J. it’s NEW-erk (or NEW-rk), in Delaware you want to say “new-ARK.” There is also a Newark, California, which is pronounced like the NJ not Delaware city, and a quick search revealed Newarks Ohio and Texas. I have no idea how they are pronounced. ---
**Author:** ![Crawlspace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Crawlspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crawlspace)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2011, 9:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-difference-between-new-york-new-york-state-and-newark/595804/60 "2011-09-11T09:31:35Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > To be exact, if you considered Manhattan as if it were a city by itself, it would be the fifteenth most densely populated city in the world, after seven cities in India, four cities in the Phillipines, and one city each in Indonesia, France, and Greece: > > [List of cities proper by population density - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cities_proper_by_population_density) > > [List of United States cities by population density - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_cities_by_population_density) Actually, if you want to be exact, the [population density of Manhattan,](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manhattan) 70,951 per square mile, would place it 11th in a list of most populous cities, if the island were a city unto itself. This of course speaks nothing of the daytime population of commuters, tourists, and day trippers which is by and large incalculable, but estimated to swell the population by [87%](http://money.cnn.com/2005/10/21/real_estate/buying_selling/daytime_population_cities/), giving it a population density of about 125,000 per square mile. 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-difference-between-new-york-new-york-state-and-newark/595804.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-difference-between-new-york-new-york-state-and-newark/595804.md?page=4)