2024 marks the 400th anniversary of the founding of New Amsterdam, a North American Dutch settlement now known as New York City. Over the course of its history, our city has grown from a small colony to one of the most influential cities in the world.
BSGE students, because they live in New York City, have a wildly different experience of childhood and growing up than most other kids in New York State and in the US do.
Different is far from bad, however; some of the things that make NYC unique— according to a 10th grader at Baccalaureate— are also what make it great. “The amount of things going on… always surprises me,” she says, but her favorite thing about the city is “the experience…there is so much going on at once!”
This student has lived in New York City her whole life, but others discuss the differences between the city and the place they were born. One student who lived on a Navajo reservation until she was 2 and still visits it on a yearly basis says, “NYC is a lot busier…and a lot noisier…[but] it is also much easier to get around and there is easily accessible clean water.” Another student also mentioned how easy it is to get around the city, saying “people in the city usually walk around or use the train or bus” instead of taking a car.
Of the many things New York is known for, public transportation and water quality are high up on the list. Our city is home to the largest public transport agency on the continent according to the MTA, and NYSDEC rates the city’s tap water as some of the best in the US. Some consider great water quality to be the reason why NYC pizza and bagels are so delicious.
Because of our extensive public transport system, children and young adults experience substantially more freedom in terms of what their opportunities are: “I can take the train miles away to thousands of shops…I can do anything here, it is freeing”, one 10th grader says, with another adding that “all the stuff you can do” was the best thing about the city.
Of course, all of these factors each contribute to the overall feel of NYC and are great perks in their own right. New York City, however, only grew so fast because of its importance as a port city, and this informed much of its character.
By the 1800s, New York City’s reputation as a commercial hub attracted immigrants from all around the world looking for a better lot in life, and because of this it became one of the most populous cities in the world, and one of the most diverse. Many iconic New York foods, neighborhoods, and traditions would never have happened without multicultural influences.
Many BSGE students recognize NYC’s diversity as a huge part of what makes it the city it is today, saying that they love the diversity in cuisine they get and that “NYC is so unique because of its diversity of foods, cultures, music…[T]he combined cultures make it like no other.”
It’s been exactly 400 years since the Dutch first came to New York, and of course our city is completely different now. Whether it is the bustling pace, walkability, water quality, or diversity that differentiates the city from others, it is no question that there is nowhere quite like here.
