History Main / NewYorkIsOnlyManhattan

* For a good 250 years, New York ''was'' only Manhattan. The original Dutch settlement of New Amsterdam (founded 1624), renamed New York when the English captured it in 1664, was on the southern tip of Manhattan Island. The communities of the Bronx, Staten Island, Brooklyn, and Queens were independent municipalities separate from New York City. (This is why Manhattan is still officially New York County.) Between 1874 and 1898 those outlying boroughs were merged with the old New York City to create what was then informally called "Greater New York".

* ''Series/LukeCage2016'' season 1 strictly limits itself to Harlem and the upper part of Manhattan. It gets particularly bad when you tie it in with ''Series/JessicaJones2015'' where Luke was the main love interest. At the end of the season, Luke decides to leave to reinvent himself. But not only does he not leave New York City, ''he doesn't even leave Manhattan.''

* ''Series/LukeCage2016'' strictly limits itself to Harlem and the upper part of Manhattan. It gets particularly bad when you tie it in with ''Series/JessicaJones2015'' where Luke was the main love interest. At the end of the season, Luke decides to leave to reinvent himself. But not only does he not leave New York City, ''he doesn't even leave Manhattan.''

* Averted in ''Series/{{CSINY}}'' as crimes happen in all five boroughs throughout the series' nine year run. There's even an episode in season 1 entitled "Tri-Borough" with cases spread across the city. Also, Det. Danny Messer is from Staten Island and Det. Flack is from Queens.

* Averted in the ''Literature/YoungWizards'' series. The protagonists live in Nassau County, on Long Island, and the series consequently spends quite a bit of time there. The entire second book is set in The Hamptons. (That said, the main action of the first book does take place on a day trip to Manhattan.)

* ''Series/EverybodyLovesRaymond'' averts this. The location is Lynbrook, Long Island.

UsefulNotes/NewYorkCity is made up of five boroughs: Queens, Brooklyn, the Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island. Of them however [[BigApplesauce Manhattan]] is the one that by far gets the most attention in fiction. New York ''[[UsefulNotes/NewYorkState State]]'' has it even worse.

->'''Bill''': "Wake up, Manhattan! Wake up, Brooklyn! Wake up... the other three boroughs!"
-->-- ''Series/NewsRadio''

[[folder:Film - Animation]]

[[folder:Film - Live Action]]

** ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheFirstAvenger'' stays largely within Brooklyn for the NYC parts, though the final scene and TheStinger (the latter a shortened scene from ''[[Film/TheAvengers2012 The Avengers]]'') are in Manhattan.
** ''Film/TheAvengers'' has the climax take place in Manhattan, but it's completely justified. [[spoiler:Aside from needing Stark Tower's power source for his plan, Loki wants to make a spectacle of his invasion and is invoking this to ensure visibility.]]

[[folder:Live Action TV]]

* The 80s ''WesternAnimation/StrawberryShortcake'' had a stand-in for Manhattan that ignored the rest of the city.

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Related to BritainIsOnlyLondon, which is a similar situation in a different country. Compare TokyoIsTheCenterOfTheUniverse. SoCalization is similar, except with the whole United States being assumed to be like Southern California. FultonStreetFolly deals with concentrating on Lower Manhattan in particular.

* Averted in ''Series/{{CSINY}}'' as crimes happen in all five boroughs throughout the series' nine year run. There's even an episode in season 1 entitled "Tri-Borough" with cases spread across the city. Also, Det. Danny Messer is from Staten Island.

* ''ComicBook/{{Deadpool}}'': The main stories in the comic of ''Deadpool'' all take place not only in Manhattan but within a 5 or 10 block Midtown area.

* Averted in ''Film/SaturdayNightFever'', which focuses on Brooklyn.
* Averted in the silent film ''Film/TheCrowd''. It mainly takes place in Manhattan however the characters do visit Coney Island in Brooklyn.
* Averted in the films within the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse. While Manhattan gets the majority of the focus, a sizable amount of the action does take place within the other boroughs.
** ''Film/IronMan2'' sticks to Queens whenever the plot heads to New York.
** ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheFirstAvenger'' stays largely within Brooklyn for the NYC parts, though the final scene and TheStinger (the latter a shortened scene from ''[[Film/TheAvengers2012 The Avengers]]'') are in Manhattan.
** ''Film/SpiderManHomecoming'' takes place mostly in Queens, while the climactic battle is fought on Coney Island in Brooklyn.

* Averted in the ''Literature/YoungWizards'' series. The protagonists live in Nassau County, on Long Island, and the series consequently spends quite a bit of time there. The entire second book is set in The Hamptons. (That said, the main action of the first book does take place on a day trip to Manhattan.)
* In ''Literature/CitiesInFlight'', the flying city of New York consists only of Manhattan.

* Invoked on ''Series/NewsRadio'' when Bill gives an editorial. He can only name Manhattan and Brooklyn by name.
* Averted in ''Series/TheKingOfQueens''. Which, [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin as it says on the label]], is set in and around Queens.

* ''Series/Daredevil2015'' primarily takes place in Hell's Kitchen, but it does have parts set elsewhere, such as in season 2 when Karen breaks into Frank Castle's house, which is clearly in Queens.
* ''Series/JessicaJones2015'' primarily takes place in Manhattan, but does avert this as large portions of the show do take place in other boroughs, primarily Queens.
* Averted by ''Series/BlueBloods''. The Reagan family is from Brooklyn, with Frank and Henry still living in the same house they grew up (and raised their kids) in, and Danny lives in Staten Island with his two boys. Jamie and Erin both live in Manhattan, though.
* Discussed at the start of an episode of ''The 1980s: The Deadliest Decade''. It juxtaposes the trendy, high-tech and fabulous world of 1983 "New York City" (Manhattan) with its neighbor, the nearby suburban (and sometimes rural) Long Island.

* Averted in ''Series/{{CSINY}}'' as crimes happen in all five boroughs throughout the series' nine year run. There's even an episode in season 1 entitled "Tri-Borough" with cases spread across the city. Also, Det. Danny Messer is from Staten Island.

* The first ''VideoGame/MidnightClub'' starts off in New York, but is limited to Manhattan. The only evidence that the other boroughs exist is that one of your rivals, Larry Muller, proudly states he's from Queens.
* ''VideoGame/TrueCrimeNewYorkCity'' takes place in New York City (as you can tell from the title). Once again, the city seems to be relegated to Manhattan. Debug mode reveals other areas of New York. They have named streets, vehicles and pedestrians, but no buildings. It's possible they were DummiedOut due to NYC being too large.

* In ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedIII'' Connor and Desmond only visit Manhattan, though in the former's case it's justified because during the 18th Century New York City ''was'' comprised solely of what would later be called Lower Manhattan.
* Averted in ''VideoGame/TheCrew'' where despite the game's version of NYC being condensed as part of a map spanning the entire United States, it managed to include the other boroughs (except Staten Island).
* ''VideoGame/TheDivision'' starts out in Brooklyn but the rest is in Manhattan.
* In ''VideoGame/LegoMarvelSuperHeroes'' the island of Manhattan is used as a conveniently well-defined location for everything to happen on. For this to work, the game's designers have moved some things to Manhattan that are normally situated in greater New York (such as the X-Mansion, which in the comics is upstate in Salem Center).

* PlayedWith in ''[[VideoGame/SpiderManPS4 Marvel's Spider-Man]]'': While the other four boroughs (and [[{{Joisey}} Jersey City]]) are acknowledged, gameplay is strictly limited to Manhattan.
* ''VideoGame/ParasiteEve'' takes place entirely within Manhattan while the finale takes place on a navy ship near the Statue of Liberty.

* Averted in an episode of ''WesternAnimation/{{Arthur}}'' where the characters visit NYC. They go to different boroughs and take real-world footage, though, at one point, a character does ask "What's the Bronx?"
* The 80s ''WesternAnimation/StrawberryShortcake'' had a stand-in for Manhattan that ignored the rest of the city.

* The Disney feature ''Disney/OliverAndCompany'' transpires almost entirely in Manhattan; the climax occurs on the Manhattan Bridge. Further, the opening scene is a slow pan of western Manhattan, and the closing scene is a zoom-out on Times Square.

UsefulNotes/NewYorkCity is made up of five boroughs: Queens, Brooklyn, the Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island. Of them however [[BigApplesauce Manhattan]] is the one that by far gets the most attention in fiction. New York ''State'' has it even worse.

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[[AC:{{Film}} - Animation]]

[[AC:{{Film}} - Live Action]]

[[AC: {{Literature}}]]

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[[AC: VideoGames]]

** The [[VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoClassic 2D Universe]] features a version of Liberty City that is most obviously modelled on New York, with counterparts to Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, and the Bronx: Brocklyn, Kings, Island City, and the Brix, respectively. While there's no counterpart to Staten Island, the smaller islands of Rikers (Law Island) and Roosevelt (Nixon Island) are depicted, along with a counterpart to New Jersey, New Guernsey.

** In the [[VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoIV HD Universe]] every borough except Staten Island and even part of New Jersey (in the form of Alderney) is represented.

[[AC: WesternAnimation]]

[[AC: Real Life]]
* For a good 250 years, New York ''was'' only Manhattan. The original Dutch settlement of New Amsterdam (founded 1624), renamed New York when the English captured it in 1664, was on the southern tip of Manhattan Island. The communities of the Bronx, Staten Island, Brooklyn, and Queens were independent municipalities separate from New York City. (This is why Manhattan is still officially New York County.) Between 1874 and 1898 those outlying boroughs were merged with the old New York City to create what was then informally called "Greater New York".

* ''Series/LukeCage2016'' strictly limits itself to Harlem and the upper part of Manhattan. It gets particularly bad when you tie it in with ''Series/JessicaJones'' where Luke was the main love interest. At the end of the season, Luke decides to leave to reinvent himself. But not only does he not leave New York City, ''he doesn't even leave Manhattan.''

[[AC: {{Literature}}]]
* Averted in the ''Literature/YoungWizards'' series. The protagonists live in Nassau County, on Long Island, and the series consequently spends quite a bit of time there. The entire second book is set in The Hamptons. (That said, the main action of the first book does take place on a day trip to Manhattan.)
* In ''Literature/CitiesInFlight'', the flying city of New York consists only of Manhattan.
* Subverted in ''Literature/AnnieOnMyMind''. Liza lives in Brooklyn while her girlfriend Annie lives in Manhattan. Liza mentions early on that she lives in a suburban-looking area that isn't much like people expect from NYC.

UsefulNotes/NewYorkCity is made up of five boroughs: Queens, Brooklyn, the Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island. Of them however [[BigApplesauce Manhattan]] is the one that by far gets the most attention in fiction. New York ''State'' has it even worse. Despite what fiction may lead you to think, Manhattan is actually the smallest of the boroughs (By land area; by population, it still lags well behind Brooklyn and Queens), and "New York City" is only a relatively small part of New York as a whole.

If a character comes from New York, they'll usually come from some portion of Manhattan, unless they come from a troubled background because then [[BrooklynRage Brooklyn]] and the Bronx are fair game.

* Alluded to in ''Series/SexAndTheCity'', where Miranda - and eternal Manhattanite like all four leads - is extremely apprehensive about the idea of moving to Brooklyn. Eventually averted as she decides to do it anyway.

UsefulNotes/NewYorkCity is made up of five boroughs: Queens, Brooklyn, The Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island. Of them however [[BigApplesauce Manhattan]] is the one that by far gets the most attention in fiction. New York ''State'' has it even worse. Despite what fiction may lead you to think, Manhattan is actually the smallest of the boroughs (By land area; by population, it still lags well behind Brooklyn and Queens), and "New York City" is only a relatively small part of New York as a whole.

* The Franchise/MarvelUniverse has this as a ZigZaggedTrope: While ''the majority'' of events that occur on New York visibly occur only on Manhattan, there are many heroes who live in other boroughs and thus occasionally had to deal with situations closer to home (example: ''Franchise/SpiderMan'' being a Queens native, ''ComicBook/CaptainAmerica'' taking pride in bring from Brooklyn).
* ''ComicBook/{{Deadpool}}'': The main stories in the comic of ''Deadpool'' all take place not only on Manhattan, but within a 5 or 10 block Midtown area.

** The [[VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoClassic 2D Universe]] features a version of Liberty City that is most obviously modelled on New York, with counterparts to Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, and the Bronx: Brocklyn, Kings, Island City and the Brix, respectively. While there's no counterpart to Staten Island, the smaller islands of Rikers (Law Island) and Roosevelt (Nixon Island) are depicted, along with a counterpart to New Jersey, New Guernsey.

* Averted in an episode of ''WesternAnimation/{{Arthur}}'' where the characters visit NYC. They go to different boroughs and take real-world footage, though at one point, a character does ask "What's the Bronx?"

UsefulNotes/NewYorkCity is made up of five boroughs: Queens, Brooklyn, The Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island. Of them however [[BigApplesauce Manhattan]] is the one that by far gets the most attention in fiction. New York ''State'' has it even worse. Despite what fiction may lead you to think, Manhattan is actually the smallest of the boroughs (By land area; by population, it still lags well behind Brooklyn and Queens), and "New York City" is only a relatively small part of New York as a whole. In video games, this is often due to New York City's sheer size making it hard to fit everything in.

* Invoked on ''Series/NewsRadio'' when Bill gives an editorial.
-->'''Bill:''' Wake up, Manhattan! Wake up, Brooklyn! Wake up... the other three boroughs!

* PlayedWith in ''[[{{VideoGame/SpiderManPS4}} Marvel's Spider-Man]]'': While the other four boroughs ([[{{MyFriendsAndZoidberg}} and]] [[{{Joisey}} Jersey City]]) are acknowledged, gameplay is strictly limited to Manhattan.

* PlayedWith in ''[[{{VideoGame/SpiderManPS4}} Marvel's Spider-Man]]'': While the other four boroughs ([[{{MyFreindsAndZoidberg}} and]] [[{{Joisey}} Jersey City]]) are acknowledged, gameplay is strictly limited to Manhattan.

* PlayedWith in ''[[{{VideoGame/SpiderManPS4}} Marvel's Spider-Man]]'': While the other four boroughs ([[{{MyFreindssAndZoidberg}} and]] [[{{Joisey}} Jersey City]]) are acknowledged, gameplay is strictly limited to Manhattan.