I'm looking for the features that make it popular such as water, economic development and such.
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It's in a good location as a port because it is on the ocean in a natural harbor sort of and on the mouth of the Hudson river, so a lot of trade goods went through there, which led to industrialization and expansion. Nowadays, it's just big because it's big. Most of the jobs there are in the service sector, so the bigger the city gets, the more people are needed to do those jobs, thus causing exponential expansion. Also, it's really important in economics and politics because of its size. C and other answerers should remember that "what" and "why" are two different words. Stating that it's the biggest city in America does not answer the "why" part of the question, it just makes you look like a lazy asshole because you aren't explaining anything.
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Back when America first started out (we're talking when Britain was still in power), New York was a royal colony, and lots of people were sent over. Needless to say, population grew over time due to people having children and lots of immigrations. Later when businesses started, people came to New York City because it was a good place for business due to tariff/tax laws and it's location of being close to the water, along with the fact that there was a good audience to do business with. When the Industrial Revolution occurred, industries started popping up, and more people came either to start industrial business or to find a job and work for pay/shelter. Like before, families spurted and population multiplied. The descendants of all of those people as well as others still moving to NYC for opportunity is why you have such a high population today.
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....because its New York City.
Its the biggest city in America.
Its the biggest city in America.