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Of the approximately eight million people in New York City, fewer than half were born in New York State, according to American Community Survey data from 2005 to 2009. Though the U.S. Census Bureau doesn’t count who was actually born in the city, it’s a common anecdote that no one ever meets anyone who was actually born here.

Almost three million New Yorkers, a little over a third of the city’s population, are born in other countries, according to the same data. Many others are born in other states, U.S. territories or  in upstate New York.

Here, six New Yorkers, two born in other states and four born in other countries, recount their journeys to the Big Apple. They answer the question: What is it like to be an outsider and live in the melting pot?

Click the picture above or the link below to hear their stories.

Journey To NYC