In most of America, a single county contains multiple cities and towns. But the city of New York is made up of five counties. So what county is Manhattan in? Unsurprisingly, that would be New York County. In fact, each of New York City’s five boroughs corresponds to its own county:
Manhattan = New York County
Brooklyn = Kings County
Queens = Queens County
Staten Island = Richmond County
The Bronx = Bronx County
While there is a centralized government for NYC, each of the boroughs has a certain amount of autonomy. Each also has representation in the city government. They’re recognized as their own counties primarily for judicial/legal reasons. For a deep dive into the geographical history, let’s get to know how each county came to be.
When people think of New York City, they typically think of Manhattan. It was the city’s first borough and county. The 23-square-mile island was originally given the name “Mannahatta” (meaning “island of many hills”) by the indigenous Lenapes. It was renamed “Nieuw Amsterdam” by the Dutch and then “New York” by the British.
Manhattan quickly became the nation’s center of economic and political power. It was even the first capital of the United States. But in the late 19th century, Chicago began outpacing Manhattan. To stay competitive, Manhattan decided to expand. It incorporated its surrounding counties into the larger municipality of New York City, with itself as New York County. That’s why the answer to “What county is Manhattan in?” isn’t simply “Manhattan.”
The expansion was a smart move. Manhattan has a current population of 1.6 million, which nearly doubles from the influx of daily commuters. It also serves as the center of the US publishing, financial, and theater industries, among others. And it attracts millions of tourists annually — 66.6 million in 2019.
As you’d expect, this is a desirable place to live if you want to be in the center of everything. But it isn’t cheap. According to the StreetEasy Data Dashboard, as of August 2021, the median asking price for a home in Manhattan is $1.4 million. And the median asking rent is $3,100 per month.
Manhattan Rentals Under $3K on StreetEasyArticle continues below
Carnegie Hill
119 East 96th Street
$2,600No Fee
1 |
1
Central Harlem
253 West 134th Street
$2,300No Fee
Studio |
1
East Village
63 East 7th Street
$3,000No Fee
Studio |
1
East Harlem
1790 Third Avenue
$3,000No Fee
Studio |
1
Central Harlem
252 West 132nd Street
$2,895No Fee
Studio |
1.5
Central Harlem
17 West 125th Street
$2,700No Fee
1 |
1
Central Harlem
48 West 138th Street
$1,900No Fee
Studio |
1
Lenox Hill
509 East 77th Street
$2,800No Fee
1 |
1
Lower East Side
173 Ludlow Street
$2,595No Fee
Studio |
1
Morningside Heights
45 Tiemann Place
$2,750No Fee
1 |
1
Upper West Side
319 West 76th Street
$2,825No Fee
Studio |
1
Sutton Place
1073 First Avenue
$3,000No Fee
1 |
1
Manhattan Homes Under $1M on StreetEasyArticle continues below
Washington Heights
775 Riverside Drive
$799,000
2 |
2
Upper East Side
129 East 82nd Street
$925,000
2 |
1
Battery Park City
2 South End Avenue
$620,000
1 |
1
Sutton Place
225 East 57th Street
$725,000
1 |
1
Sutton Place
303 East 57th Street
$550,000
1 |
1.5
Midtown South
372 Fifth Avenue
$695,000
1 |
1
Yorkville
1760 Second Avenue
$875,000
1 |
1
Hamilton Heights
725 Riverside Drive
$617,000
1 |
1
Upper West Side
331 West 85th Street
$599,000
1 |
1
Marble Hill
156 West 228th Street
$799,000
7 |
4
Murray Hill
77 Park Avenue
$950,000
1 |
1
Washington Heights
870 Riverside Drive
$850,000
4 |
2
What County Is Brooklyn In?
In its early history, Brooklyn was just one of many small villages settled by the Dutch. They called it “Breukelen” after a town in the Netherlands that is likewise situated along a river. When the British took over, they Anglicized the name to “Brooklyn” and consolidated the surrounding villages into Kings County, after King Charles II.
The introduction of ferry service in 1814 allowed Manhattan workers to live in the more affordable Brooklyn and commute. This led to a population boom in Kings County, helping Brooklyn to become the third-largest city in the country by the mid-19th century. The completion of the Brooklyn Bridge in 1883 made commuting even easier. So when Manhattan first came courting, Brooklyn was not overly enthusiastic about being incorporated. It eventually joined New York City in 1898.
Today, Brooklyn is the most populous of NYC’s boroughs with 2.59 million residents spread across 69.4 square miles. The median asking rent here is $2,650 as of August 2021, while the median asking sale price is $925,000.
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Sunset Park
417 49th Street
$2,499No Fee
2 |
1
Prospect Lefferts Gardens
1242 Nostrand Avenue
$2,500No Fee
2 |
1
Ditmas Park
1326 Ocean Avenue
$2,030No Fee
Studio |
1
Weeksville
1443 Lincoln Place
$2,700No Fee
2 |
1
Bushwick
38 Cooper Street
$2,400No Fee
1 |
1
Cobble Hill
255 Pacific Street
$2,500No Fee
1 |
1
Clinton Hill
1000 Fulton Street
$2,300No Fee
Studio |
1
Kensington
318 East 9th Street
$2,500No Fee
2 |
1
Flatbush
373 East 28th Street
$2,700No Fee
2 |
1
Bay Ridge
416 68th Street
$1,995No Fee
1 |
1
Crown Heights
814 Saint Johns Place
$2,600No Fee
1 |
1
Crown Heights
1598 Pacific Street
$2,300No Fee
1 |
1
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Ocean Hill
1420 Herkimer Street
$725,000
6 |
3
Coney Island
601 Surf Avenue
$595,000
2 |
1
Kensington
150 Ocean Parkway
$785,000
2 |
2
Midwood
759 East 10th Street
$279,000
1 |
1
Kensington
599 East 7th Street
$629,000
2 |
2
Prospect Lefferts Gardens
59 Hawthorne Street
$650,000
1 |
1
Sheepshead Bay
3235 Emmons Avenue
$259,000
1 |
1
Stuyvesant Heights
42 Rochester Avenue
$725,000
2 |
2
Canarsie
10831 Avenue N
$899,000
3 |
2
Downtown Brooklyn
235 Adams Street
$649,000
1 |
1
Brownsville
131 Grafton Street
$650,000
4 |
3
Fort Hamilton
9201 Shore Road
$379,000
1 |
1
What County Is Queens In?
Just as Kings County was named after King Charles II, Queens County was named after his wife, Queen Catherine. But unlike other boroughs, Queens addresses can be tricky. For example, Queens residents typically list their neighborhood on mailing addresses rather than their borough or county name. (So “Astoria, NY,” as opposed to “Queens, NY.” There are multiple theories on how this came to be.
Another quirk is the hyphen in Queens street addresses. (For example, 79-01 35th Avenue.) Here’s an easy decoder: The first number is the nearest cross street. In this case, it’s 79th Street. The second number is how far up the block the building is from that cross street. The “01” in this example indicates that it’s the first building, and likely on the corner. With all that info right in the address itself, it’s virtually impossible to get lost!
That’s a good thing, since Queens is a sprawling 178 square miles — the largest borough by far. It’s home to 2.29 million residents, with a median asking price of $599,999 as of August 2021. The median asking rent is $2,250.
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Flushing
132-24 Maple Avenue
$1,875No Fee
1 |
1
Ridgewood
1916 Harman Street
$2,500No Fee
1 |
1
Astoria
27-35 21st Street
$2,204No Fee
Studio |
1
Rego Park
98-19 64th Avenue
$2,050No Fee
1 |
1
Ditmars-Steinway
21-23 27th Street
$2,300No Fee
1 |
1
Woodside
53-31 Woodside Avenue
$2,400No Fee
1 |
1
Astoria
31-67 37th Street
$1,899No Fee
1 |
1
Woodside
69-02 Woodside Avenue
$1,750No Fee
1 |
1
Ditmars-Steinway
21-14 29th Street
$2,399No Fee
1 |
1
Astoria
31-76 46th Street
$2,000No Fee
1 |
1
Forest Hills
109-20 Queens Boulevard
$2,450No Fee
1 |
1
Rego Park
61-25 98th Street
$2,400No Fee
1 |
1
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Whitestone
150-31 Twelfth Avenue
$508,000
1 |
1.5
Whitestone
150-31 Twelfth Avenue
$490,000
1 |
1
Forest Hills
72-81 113th Street
$410,000
2 |
1
St. Albans
121-48 Grayson Street
$749,000
4 |
2.5
Little Neck
61-23 255th Street
$209,888
1 |
1
Bay Terrace (Queens)
207-23 Darren Drive
$648,000
1 |
1
Forest Hills
66-01 110th Street
$235,000
1 |
1
Rego Park
98-10 64th Avenue
$299,000
1 |
1
Broad Channel
21 Van Brunt Road
$449,000
3 |
2
Jackson Heights
35-31 78th Street
$535,000
1 |
1
Jamaica Estates
198-11 Dunton Avenue
$220,000
1 |
1
Forest Hills
63-61 Yellowston Boulevard
$439,000
2 |
1
What County Is Staten Island In?
The Dutch called it “Staaten Eylandt,” but the British renamed it “Richmond” after the Duke of Richmond. Because of the continued usage of “Staten Island,” however, the borough was renamed that in 1977. It retains “Richmond” as the borough’s county name.
Fun fact: This 59-square-mile island was the object of a tug of war between New Jersey and New York for nearly 200 years! Each state disputed the other’s jurisdiction over Staten Island’s surrounding waters until the borders were finally settled in 1833. By the late 19th century, the quiet fishing and farming community was in need of substantial infrastructure investments. Thus, residents agreed to consolidate with NYC in 1898 by a margin of 5 to 1.
But that’s not the end of the story. Over the years, the scrappy island with a population of nearly 475,000 often changed its mind. It has tried to secede from NYC multiple times, very nearly succeeding in 1993. The latest attempt was in 2019, but that also came to naught.
Staten Island is extremely affordable compared to other boroughs. The median asking rent here as of August 2021 is $1,950. The median asking sale price is $659,000.
Staten Island Rentals on StreetEasyArticle continues below
Princes Bay
91 Finlay Avenue
$1,999No Fee
2 |
1
Grasmere
65 Parkinson Avenue
$2,500No Fee
3 |
2
Saint George
5 Stuyvesant Place
$3,200No Fee
1 |
1
Saint George
5 Stuyvesant Place
$2,400No Fee
Studio |
1
Saint George
30 Daniel Low Terrace
$1,500No Fee
1 |
1
Saint George
90 Bay Street Landing
$4,800No Fee
3 |
2.5
Saint George
90 Bay Street Landing
$3,850No Fee
2 |
2.5
Stapleton
8 Navy Pier Court
$2,255No Fee
Studio |
1
Stapleton
7 Navy Pier Court
$2,395No Fee
Studio |
1
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Saint George
350 Richmond Terrace
$299,888
1 |
1
Huguenot
71 Dover Green
$678,000
4 |
2.5
Port Richmond
12 Dubois Avenue
$675,000
5 |
2
Tompkinsville
67 Van Duzer Street
$999,000
9 |
3
Saint George
350 Richmond Terrace
$278,000
2 |
1
Mariners Harbor
61 Union Avenue
$688,000
3 |
1.5
Mariners Harbor
32 Union Avenue
$850,000
4 |
3.5
Rosebank
91 Lynhurst Avenue
$625,000
3 |
2
New Springville
1440 Forest Hill Road
$598,888
3 |
1.5
Saint George
90 Bay Street Landing
$1,200,000
2 |
2
Elm Park
2528 Richmd Terrace
$478,000
3 |
2.5
Shore Acres
20 Cliff Street
$359,000
2 |
2
What County Is the Bronx In?
Despite a dense population of 1.4 million, the Bronx manages to squeeze in some of the city’s largest swaths of green space. Its 57 square miles contain the New York Botanical Garden and Van Cortlandt Park. It’s also home to iconic destinations like Yankee Stadium and the Bronx Zoo.
The last of the boroughs to join NYC, the Bronx is also the only one that’s not part of an island. It’s named for Jonas Bronck, who established a Dutch settlement in 1639 and amassed a whopping 500 acres. No wonder early residents referred to the area as “Bronck’s Land,” which eventually morphed into “the Bronx.”
But unlike the other boroughs, the Bronx didn’t start out as its own county. NYC began annexing parcels of Westchester County in 1874. By 1898, the boundaries of the Bronx were taking shape. But it was still considered part of New York County until 1912, when it was established on its own as Bronx County.
The first subway connecting Manhattan to the Bronx opened in 1904. Subsequent subway lines allowed for an influx of new residents eager to commute to Manhattan from a more affordable area. The median rent in the Bronx is $2,075 as of August 2021. And the median asking sale price is $479,000, the lowest of all five boroughs.
Bronx Rentals Under $2,300 on StreetEasyArticle continues below
Wakefield
752 East 227th Street
$1,700No Fee
Studio |
1
North New York
133 Brown Place
$2,175No Fee
1 |
1
Riverdale
3636 Fieldston Road
$2,200No Fee
1 |
1
Castle Hill
2010 Bruckner Boulevard
$1,600No Fee
Studio |
1
Concourse
111 Tudor Place
$2,100No Fee
2 |
1
Crotona Park East
1425 Longfellow Avenue
$1,645No Fee
1 |
1
University Heights
2305 Sedgewick Avenue
$1,495No Fee
1 |
1
Concourse
1515 Grand Concourse
$1,984No Fee
1 |
1
North New York
541 Union Avenue
$1,450No Fee
1 |
1
Concourse
1165 Morris Avenue
$1,600No Fee
1 |
1
Tremont
2191 Creston Avenue
$1,415No Fee
Studio |
1
Concourse
731 Gerard Avenue
$1,525No Fee
1 |
1
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