"Five Boroughs" redirects here. For the Mercian area of this name during the tenth and eleventh centuries see Five Boroughs of the Danelaw.

New York City one of the largest cities in the world is composed of five boroughs. Each borough now has the same boundaries as the county it is in. County governments were dissolved when the city consolidated in 1898 along with all city town and village governments within each county. A borough is a unique form of governmental administration for each of the five fundamental constituent parts of the consolidated city. Technically under New York State Law a "borough" is a municipal corporation that is created when a county is merged with the cities towns and incorporated villages within it.citation needed It differs significantly from other borough forms of government used in Connecticut New Jersey Pennsylvania other states Greater London and elsewhere. Background The Five Boroughs of New York City: 1: Manhattan 2: Brooklyn 3: Queens 4: The Bronx 5: Staten Island New York's Five Boroughs at a Glance Jurisdiction Population Land Area Borough of County estimate for 1 July 2009 square miles square km 1. Manhattan New York 1629054 23 59 2. Brooklyn Kings 2567098 71 183 3. Queens Queens 2306712 109 283 4. The Bronx Bronx 1397287 42 109 5. Staten Island Richmond 491730 58 151 City of New York 8391881 303 786 State of New York 19541453 47214 122284 Source: United States Census Bureau123 The percentage of New York City population residing in each borough (from bottom to top): 1. Manhattan 2. Brooklyn 3. Queens 4. The Bronx and 5. Staten Island. (Populations before 1898 are for the areas now enclosed in the present boroughs.)

New York City is often referred to collectively as the Five Boroughs; the term is used to refer to New York City as a whole unambiguously avoiding confusion with any particular borough or with the greater metropolitan area. It is often used by politicians to counter a focus on Manhattan and to place all five boroughs on equal footing. The term Outer Boroughs refers to all the boroughs excluding Manhattan (although the geographic center of the city is along the Brooklyn/Queens border).

Unlike most American cities which lie within a single county extend partially into another county or constitute a county in themselves each of New York City's five boroughs is coextensive with a county of New York state.

All boroughs were created in 1898 during consolidation when the city's current boundaries were established. The Borough of Bronx was originally the parts of New York County that had been previously ceded by Westchester County until Bronx County was created in 1914. The Borough of Queens originally consisted of just the western part of a larger Queens County until Nassau County was created by the secession from Queens County of the three eastern towns in 1899. The Borough of Staten Island was officially the Borough of Richmond until the name was changed in 1975 to reflect its common appellation.

Each borough is represented by a Borough President and with the exception of Manhattan has a borough hall (the same functions and others reside in the Manhattan Municipal Building). Since the abolition of the Board of Estimate in 1990 (due to a 1989 ruling of the U.S. Supreme Court4) the borough president now has minimal executive powers and there is no legislative function within a borough. Most executive power is exercised by the Mayor of New York City and legislative functions are the responsibility of the members of the New York City Council. Because they are counties each borough also elects a District Attorney as does every other county of the state. Some civil court judges are also elected on a borough-wide basis although they are generally eligible to serve throughout the city. References U.S. Census Bureau Population Division Table 5. Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Minor Civil Divisions in New York Listed Alphabetically Within County: April 1 2000 to July 1 2009 (SUB-EST2009-05-36) and Table 1. Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places Over 100000 Ranked by July 1 2009 Population: April 1 2000 to July 1 2009 (SUB-EST2009-01) Release Date: June 2010 retrieved on July 31 2010 County and City Data Book:2007 (U.S. Census Bureau) Table B-1 Area and Population retrieved on July 12 2008. New York County (Manhattan) was the nation's densest-populated county followed by Kings County (Brooklyn) Bronx County Queens County and San Francisco California. American Fact Finder (U.S. Census Bureau): New York by County - Table GCT-PH1. Population Housing Units Area and Density: 2000 Data Set: Census 2000 Summary File 1 (SF 1) 100-Percent Data retrieved on February 6 2009 Cornell Law School Supreme Court Collection: Board of Estimate of City of New York v. Morris Cornell Law School. Accessed September 11 2008. See also Flags of New York City's boroughs Marble Hill Manhattan v d eNew York City The Five Boroughs: Brooklyn  Manhattan  The Bronx  Queens  Staten Island History  Neighborhoods  Architecture  Skyscrapers  Tourism  Attractions  Culture  Books  Arts  Parks  Cuisine  Dialect  People  Music  Sports  Media  Economy  Corporations  Education  Schools  Government  Mayor  Central Park  Council  Fire  Police  Landmarks  Crime  Elections  Geography  Harbor  Gardens  Flag  Environment  Demographics  Enclaves  Transportation  Hospitals  Lists  Images  Portal New York metropolitan area  New York State  United States