New York was first reached by European explorers led by Giovanni da Verrazzano in 1524, and later more fully explored and claimed for the Dutch by Henry Hudson in 1609.

Who “discovered” New York?

  • Long before Europeans arrived, the region was home to Indigenous peoples, including the Lenape, Iroquoian, and Algonquian groups, who had lived there for thousands of years.
  • The first known European to enter New York Bay was the Italian navigator Giovanni da Verrazzano, sailing for France in 1524, who named the area Nouvelle AngoulĂȘme (New AngoulĂȘme).
  • In 1609, English explorer Henry Hudson, working for the Dutch East India Company, sailed into New York Harbor and up the river that now bears his name, leading to lasting Dutch claims and settlement (New Netherland / New Amsterdam).

Quick Scoop: layered “discovery”

  • If the question is “who discovered New York City for Europe,” historians usually point to Verrazzano’s 1524 voyage as the first recorded European contact with the harbor area.
  • If the question is “who led to New York’s colonization,” Henry Hudson’s 1609 expedition is often highlighted because it directly led to Dutch control and the founding of New Amsterdam, the seed of modern New York City.
  • From a modern perspective, many scholars stress that Europeans did not truly “discover” New York, since Indigenous nations already knew, named, and used the land and waters long before any European ships appeared.

TL;DR: Indigenous peoples were there first; Verrazzano is credited with the first European visit in 1524, and Hudson with the voyage that set up Dutch New Amsterdam in 1609.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.