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
Lincoln Square
68 West 69th Street
$2,495No Fee
Studio |
1
Washington Heights
444 West 167th Street
$2,950No Fee
2 |
1
East Village
542 East 11th Street
$2,600No Fee
Studio |
1
East Village
249 East 2nd Street
$2,395No Fee
Studio |
1
Hudson Heights
854 West 180th Street
$3,000No Fee
3 |
2
East Village
205 Avenue B
$2,295No Fee
Studio |
1
Yorkville
408 East 88th Street
$2,800No Fee
1 |
2
Lenox Hill
1470 First Avenue
$3,000No Fee
Studio |
1
Central Harlem
2299 Adam C Powell Boulevard
$1,595No Fee
Studio |
0
East Harlem
163 East 99th Street
$1,925No Fee
1 |
1
East Village
223 Second Avenue
$2,650No Fee
Studio |
1
East Harlem
164 East 112th Street
$2,990No Fee
2 |
1
Manhattan Homes Under $1M on StreetEasyArticle continues below
Carnegie Hill
154 East 97th Street
$375,000
1 |
1
Washington Heights
779 Riverside Drive
$649,000
1 |
1
Upper West Side
204 West 92nd Street
$774,995
1 |
1
Murray Hill
23 East 37th Street
$495,000
1 |
1
Turtle Bay
310 East 46th Street
$899,000
1 |
1
Upper West Side
204 West 92nd Street
$999,000
1 |
1
Lenox Hill
55 East 76th Street
$950,000
2 |
1
West Village
815 Greenwich Street
$929,000
1 |
1
Beekman
434 East 52nd Street
$785,000
1 |
1
Lenox Hill
124 East 79th Street
$925,000
1 |
1
Lenox Hill
405 East 63rd Street
$595,000
1 |
1
East Village
107 Avenue A
$949,000
1 |
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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Coney Island
1 Ocean Drive
$2,581No Fee
1 |
1
Prospect Park South
60 Turner Place
$2,000No Fee
Studio |
1
Stuyvesant Heights
859 Herkimer Street
$2,300No Fee
1 |
1
Flatbush
236 East 23rd Street
$2,000No Fee
2 |
1
Coney Island
1 Ocean Drive
$2,525No Fee
1 |
1
Greenwood
168 21st Street
$2,500No Fee
1 |
1
Fort Greene
107 South Elliott Place
$2,500No Fee
Studio |
1
Windsor Terrace
21 East 4th Street
$2,500No Fee
Studio |
1
Greenpoint
47 Russell Street
$2,450No Fee
Studio |
1
Gravesend
265 Quentin Road
$1,870No Fee
1 |
1
Bedford-Stuyvesant
100 Jefferson Avenue
$2,500No Fee
1 |
1
Gravesend
1701 West 3rd Street
$1,870No Fee
1 |
1
Brooklyn Homes Under $950K on StreetEasyArticle continues below
Fort Hamilton
8701 Shore Road
$449,000
1 |
2
Homecrest
2170 Brigham Street
$174,000
1 |
1
Downtown Brooklyn
189 Bridge Street
$805,000
1 |
1.5
Marine Park
2184 Ryder Street
$779,000
3 |
2
Canarsie
1518 Canarsie Road
$925,000
6 |
3
Coney Island
501 Surf Avenue
$770,000
2 |
1.5
Fort Hamilton
338 101st Street
$675,000
2 |
2
Ocean Hill
210 Hull Street
$450,000
2 |
1
Fort Hamilton
185 Marine Avenue
$259,000
1 |
1
Windsor Terrace
1139 Prospect Avenue
$885,000
1 |
1
Cypress Hills
114 Shepherd Avenue
$899,000
6 |
3
Ditmas Park
1115 Dorchester Road
$379,990
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.
Queens Rentals Under $2,500 on StreetEasyArticle continues below
Maspeth
59-25 71st Street
$2,300No Fee
1 |
1.5
Ditmars-Steinway
37-09 23rd Avenue
$2,500No Fee
1 |
1
Astoria
32-63 36th Street
$2,500No Fee
1 |
1
Astoria
37-01 30th Avenue
$2,400No Fee
1 |
1
Astoria
32-82 30th Street
$2,395No Fee
1 |
1
Jackson Heights
34-36 70th Street
$2,200No Fee
1 |
1
Woodside
65-25 Roosevelt Avenue
$2,300No Fee
1 |
1
Briarwood
139-21 85 Drive
$1,600No Fee
Studio |
1
Astoria
34-10 42nd Street
$2,099No Fee
1 |
1
Kew Gardens
83-83 118th Street
$2,195No Fee
1 |
1
Jamaica Estates
87-24 Midland Parkway
$2,100No Fee
1 |
1
Jamaica Estates
87-24 Midland Parkway
$1,700No Fee
Studio |
1
Queens Homes Under $750K on StreetEasyArticle continues below
Rego Park
65-18 Austin Street
$701,390
2 |
2
Rego Park
65-18 Austin Street
$641,650
1 |
1
Jackson Heights
79-01 35th Avenue
$399,000
1 |
1
Maspeth
52-41 72 Place
$649,898
2 |
1
Oakland Gardens
220-33 73rd Avenue
$305,000
2 |
1
Astoria
24-75 38th Street
$420,000
1 |
1
Ditmars-Steinway
21-16 35th Street
$385,000
2 |
1
Astoria
33-34 Crescent Street
$500,000
2 |
1
Jamaica
109-48 164th Street
$729,000
3 |
2.5
Forest Hills
100-11 67 Road
$330,000
1 |
1
Flushing
29-30 138th Street
$319,000
1 |
1
Arverne
450 Beach 65th Street
$599,000
3 |
2
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
Saint George
4 Nicholas Street
$2,500No Fee
2 |
1
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
Todt Hill
29 Schmidts Lane
$3,995No 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
Staten Island Homes on StreetEasyArticle continues below
South Beach
65 Jerome Avenue
$749,999
2 |
1.5
Woodrow
17 Deserre Avenue
$988,000
4 |
2.5
Emerson Hill
37 Douglas Road
$1,300,000
3 |
4
Graniteville
483 Willow Road East
$399,000
2 |
1.5
Egbertville
141 Beacon Avenue
$1,199,000
4 |
4
Port Richmond
25 Orange Avenue
$688,000
3 |
2
Great Kills
141 Abingdon Avenue
$865,000
4 |
2.5
Mariners Harbor
101 Benjamin Drive
$475,000
2 |
1.5
South Beach
249 Norway Avenue
$669,000
3 |
2.5
Dongan Hills
408 Garretson Avenue
$588,800
2 |
2
Tottenville
21 Sprague Avenue
$1,880,000
6 |
4
Westerleigh
278 College Avenue
$1,200,000
7 |
4
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
Bedford Park
222 East 202nd Street
$1,725No Fee
2 |
1
Bedford Park
222 East 202nd Street
$1,625No Fee
1 |
1
Riverdale
5730 Mosholu Avenue
$1,750No Fee
Studio |
1
Mott Haven
228 East 135th Street
$2,277No Fee
1 |
1
Tremont
2020 Grandconcourse
$1,775No Fee
Studio |
1
Mott Haven
228 East 135th Street
$2,254No Fee
1 |
1
Mott Haven
228 East 135th Street
$2,145No Fee
1 |
1
Mott Haven
276 Grand Concourse
$2,256No Fee
Studio |
1
Mott Haven
276 Grand Concourse
$2,033No Fee
Studio |
1
Spuyten Duyvil
511 West 232nd Street
$2,100No Fee
1 |
1
Riverdale
5700 Arlington Avenue
$1,650No Fee
Studio |
1
Riverdale
5775 Mosholu Avenue
$2,300No Fee
1 |
1
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