Manhattan hasn’t been the sole borough of NYC since the late 1800’s. The Bronx was annexed in 1870s, and Staten Island, Queens, and Brooklyn were consolidated into NYC in 1898. At the time, the City of Brooklyn was considered to be as thriving of a city as the City of New York and many people weren’t happy with the consolidation, calling it “The Great Mistake of ‘98”. But since then, New York City is comprised of 5 boroughs: Staten Island, Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx.