Who Were the First Settlers of New York City?

From Lenape Homeland to New Amsterdam

Long before European arrival, the New York City area was inhabited by the Lenape, an Algonquian-speaking people who lived there for thousands of years.

The first European settlers were Dutch colonists who founded New Amsterdam on the southern tip of Manhattan Island in 1624. This settlement became the capital of New Netherland and later evolved into New York City after the English takeover in 1664.