What’s the difference between New York and New York City?
New Yorkers typically use the term "New York City" when talking about their city, while tourists simply say "New York". Here's what sets them apart!
New York refers to New York State
- Talk to locals in New York and you’ll quickly notice they make a clear distinction between New York and New York City. “New York” refers to New York State, while “New York City” refers to the city itself.
- Generally, a New Yorker will say “New York City” when talking about the city and use “New York” when referring to the state.
- Europeans don’t worry about this distinction. When a European tourist says they’re “going on vacation to New York,” they usually mean New York City. The same applies in newspapers, on television, and even on this site. For simplicity, “New York” consistently refers to the city, and we only add the word “State” when discussing the state itself. Europeans have made their own rule!
New York City refers to the city of New York
- The confusion between New York and New York City among visitors is partly because the city benefited directly from the famous “I Love NY” slogan. You’ll see it on countless t-shirts in souvenir shops. Yet this logo was actually designed to promote New York State, as I explain in my article about the history of the “I Love New York” logo. To properly represent the city, the slogan should have been “I Love NYC” instead!
- Here’s another detail that adds to the confusion: New York City is not the capital of New York State. The capital of New York State is the small city of Albany. It’s tiny compared to NYC—in 2024, Albany has just over 101,000 residents. Read my article explaining why New York City is not the capital of New York State.
