Central Park fast facts

• Central Park initially opened in 1857, on 770 acres (3.1 km2) of city-owned land.
• Central Park receives approximately 25 million visitors annually.
• Central Park is the most visited urban park in the United States.
• While foliage in much of the park appears natural, it is in fact almost entirely landscaped.
• The 6 miles of drives within the park are used by joggers, bicyclists, skateboarders, and inline skaters.
• The real estate value of Central Park was estimated by the property appraisal firm, Miller Samuel, to be $528,783,552,000 in December 2005.
• In 2005, safety measures held the number of crimes in the park to fewer than 100 per year (down from approximately 1,000 in the early 1980s).
• Central Park was home to the largest concert ever on record. Country Superstar Garth Brooks performed a free concert in August 1997. About 980,000 attended the event, according to the FDNY.
• Central Park, home to over 25,000 trees, has a stand of 1,700 American Elms, one of the largest remaining stands of in the northeastern U.S., protected by their isolation from Dutch Elm Disease which devastated the tree throughout its native range.
• Over a quarter of all the bird species found in the United States have been seen in Central Park.
• Central Park constitutes its own United States census tract, number 143. According to Census 2000, the park's population is eighteen people, twelve male and six female, with a median age of 38.5 years, and a household size of 2.33, over 3 households.