new york, often called new york city (nyc), is the largest city by population in the united states. it is at the southern end of the state of new york. new york's population is similar to chicago in illinois with over 8 million people currently living in it, and over 22 million people live in the bigger new york metropolitan area. it is the financial capital of the u.s. since it is home to the nation's stock market, wall street, and the one world trade center.