The famous Manhattan skyline as seen from La Lutta NMC’s studio in Chelsea.

Manhattan, with a population of 1,537,195, is home to 234,698 Blacks/African Americans, 143,863 Asians and Pacific Islanders, 2,465 American Indians and Native Alaskans, and 417,816 Hispanics.

Name derives from the Indian tribe living here when the Dutch arrived; the word translates as "small island" or "hilly island" Settled by the Dutch West India Company. Early colonists depended on trade for survival; Indian cereals were a staple of their diet. In its infancy, New Amsterdam was known as a "corrupt, mismanaged company town" The British seized power in 1664, naming the colony after James, Duke of York