- Manhattan- from Lenape Indian word Mannahatta, meaning, “island of many hills” (many of which were leveled to make way for the grid system). Manhattan was NYC until the consolidation of the five boroughs in 1898.
- New Amsterdam or Nieuw Amsterdam –founded in 1624 as a fur (mostly beaver) trading colony by the Dutch West India Company, officially purchased in 1626 famously for the alleged equivalent of $24 dollars (60 Dutch Guilders) and remained a Dutch colony until 1664.
- New York- Surrendered to the British in 1664 and controlled by them until 1783, New Amsterdam was renamed New York after the brother of King Charles ll, the Duke of York, and the future King James ll. In a 1667 treaty, NYC was exchanged with the Dutch for the more developed and richer English colony of Surinam (?). After the Revolution, NYC became the first capital of the USA and served as such from 1785- 90.
- Not that there’s anything wrong with being in Kansas anymore, but for those who may have become momentarily disoriented by the NYC whirlwind, this lower Manhattan sign is a reminder of where it is you aren’t , as Dorothy intuited. Although, since there is a Manhattan in Kansas (names after the one in NYC) theoretically you could be in both places at the same time. Extensive research discloses that other than the name, the two Manhattans have little in common.