text: BARUCH COLLEGE PUTS FACTS AND FIGURES TO NEW YORK CITY LORE
  NYCdata Site Provides Details on Nearly Every Aspect of Life in
  Big Apple; Most Recent Section Explores "Uniquely New York" Festivals, Parades, Events
  NEW YORK, NY, Oct. 1, 2010 – Renowned for its research on New York and New Yorkers, Baruch College has just launched the definitive compilation of the city's parades, festivals, games and entertainment—events that could only happen here. Uniquely New York is the newest section of NYCdata, the College's comprehensive data breakdown of New York City, created and overseen by the Weissman Center for International Business in the Zicklin School of Business. Uniquely New York offers the facts, the fun and the history behind such iconic celebrations as the Ninth Avenue Food Festival, the Easter Parade on Fifth Avenue, the Mermaid Parade in Coney Island and the Empire State Building Run-Up. Even lesser-known happenings, like the Beefsteak Party—a men-only exercise in gluttony that originated in Manhattan and Brooklyn in the late 18th century—are given their due. Examples of some of the New York wonders that are featured include:
  The Halloween Parade, which is now the largest Halloween celebration in the world with more than 2 million spectators, was started by a puppet-maker in 1973 as a neighborhood walk through Greenwich Village for his children and friends.
  New York City's Five Boro Bike Tour is the largest recreational cycling event in the United States, with some 30,000 bicyclists participating on the 42-mile ride through all the boroughs and across five major bridges.
  The New York Botanical Garden's Train Show, held every holiday season from late November to mid-January, showcases a mini-city featuring 140 scaled replicas of New York City landmarks—all made of plant parts.
  First launched in late 2004, NYCdata was created as a public service, with detailed data on every conceivable aspect of New York City—population and geography, including maps of all five boroughs with neighborhoods and community districts clearly delineated; climate; business activity; labor and employment; fiscal data; public safety; housing; education; culture; sports; social services; and more. Updates to the site are made every six months. Most recently, additions to Chapter 18, "Largest Cities in the U.S. and Worldwide," the one chapter that looks beyond New York City, include information on each of the Summer and Winter Olympic Games held from 1896 through 2010, with links to the names of all medaled winners in every competition.
  Visitors to NYCdata will also discover:
  New York City is getting hotter: The average temperature in 2009 (54 degrees) was about 4 degrees warmer than in 1910 (50.10 degrees).
  Only 49% of New York City residents speak English at home.
  There are 292 distinct neighborhoods in New York City.
  Average weekday ridership of NYC mass transit in 2008 was more than 8 million.
  The Bronx had the largest population increase between 2000 and 2008, surging 22.7%, while Manhattan's population declined by 9.4%.
  How we spend our money: Compared to the rest of the country, New Yorkers in 2008 spent more money on food (with the exception of dairy products); alcohol; housing; education; and public transportation. The rest of the country spent more than New Yorkers on tobacco; health care; entertainment; reading; vehicle purchases; and gas and motor oil. Even with fewer cars, though, New Yorkers spent more on "other vehicle expenses."
  "No matter what you're searching for—be it leading firms, cultural institutions or colleges—or whether you're a New York City resident, a tourist planning a trip or an executive looking to move your company to New York City, you will find a treasure trove of information at NYCdata that will provide guidance to help you meet your objectives," said Eugene J. Sherman, Fellow of the Weissman Center for International Business and Director of NYCdata.
  The idea for NYCdata came from Terrence Martell, Director of the Weissman Center for International Business and Saxe Distinguished Professor of Finance in the Zicklin School of Business.
  Check out NYCdata at http://www.baruch.cuny.edu/nycdata/index.html.
  Baruch College is a senior college in the City University of New York (CUNY) with a total enrollment of more than 16,000 students, who represent 160 countries and speak more than 100 languages. Ranked among the top 15% of U.S. colleges, Baruch College is regularly recognized as among the most ethnically diverse colleges in the country. Through its three schools—the School of Public Affairs; the Weissman School of Arts and Sciences; and the Zicklin School of Business, the largest AACSB-accredited business school in the nation—Baruch College offers a variety of undergraduate and graduate degrees that reflect the college's foundation in the liberal arts and its strong focus on management and public affairs. Baruch College dates back more than 160 years to the founding in 1847 of the Free Academy, the first free public college in the nation. As a public institution with a tradition of academic excellence, Baruch College offers accessibility and opportunity for students from every corner of New York City and from around the world.