Where did New York come from?

New York originated from a settlement founded on the southern tip of Manhattan Island in 1624 by colonists of the Dutch Republic, who called the area they controlled "New Amsterdam". Following a series of conflicts with the British and Dutch, the region was ceded to the English in 1664 and renamed New York after King Charles II's brother and heir presumptive, James, Duke of York. The city subsequently became an important center of commerce, trade, and immigration and continued to grow and develop throughout the colonial period and beyond.