History of New York City (1898–1945) overthrown in 1933 by reformers who elected and repeatedly re-elected Fiorello La Guardia. Heavy federal patronage helped convert the city to a stronghold of the New Deal Coalition and the model of heavy government spending on infrastructure. The modern five boroughs, comprising the city of New York, were united in 1898. That year, the cities of New York—which then consisted of present-day Manhattan and the Bronx—and Brooklyn were both consolidated with the largely rural areas of Queens and Staten Island. The total population was 3.4 million in 1900, leaping to 5.6 million in 1920 and leveling off at 7.9 million
Demographics of New York (state) The top ancestry groups in New York State are Italian American (15.8%), African American (14.4%), Hispanic (14.2%), Irish (12.9%), German (11.1%), English (6%), and Polish (5.27%). 1.5% of the state population is multiracial. New York contains the largest Puerto Rican population in the country, concentrated in parts of New York City such as the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Manhattan. New York also has the largest Dominican population in the country, concentrated in New York City's Upper Manhattan and the Bronx. New York City is home to many blacks, the majority with roots in the United States but a group which includes