Why New York City and the Northeast?

She is home to one of every five Americans. Some 65 million people live here. She is the third most densely populated area in the world. National Geographic calls her a megalopolis. She is the most influential region in our nation. Centers of commerce, education, media, and politics dominate her landscape. She is the northeast.

Towering above this region is one city. She boasts some 22 million people in 3 states, 15 counties, and 1500 municipalities. She is to our day what Rome was to the first century. Washington DC is the capital of our nation. This metropolis is the capital of our world. She is New York City.

There is no city like New York. Though other cities may compete in areas like finance or fashion, education or power, no city excels in all of them like New York. She is the influencer of influencers. It is no accident that the 9/11 terrorists made her a target. What happens in New York impacts the northeast, our nation, and the world.

In an age of increasing urbanization, it is time to get serious about our major cities. And there is no other city more populous and powerful, more influential and important than the Big Apple.