New York City

• Type: Metropolis, City
• Location: State of New York, United States of America
• Owner/Residents: Predominantly No-Majs, with a significant hidden community of American Witches and Wizards. Notable residents in the 1920s included Tina Goldstein, Queenie Goldstein, and Jacob Kowalski.
• Key Features: Headquarters of the Magical Congress of the United States of America (MACUSA); a strict separation between magical and non-magical societies enforced by Rappaport's Law (in the 1920s); home to the New York Ghosts Quidditch team (Pottermore).

New York City is a major American metropolis with a bustling No-Maj population and a historically secretive wizarding community. While the city itself does not appear in the seven original novels, its magical side is extensively detailed in supplementary materials, particularly the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them film series and writings on the Pottermore/Wizarding World website. In the 1920s, the magical community of New York operated under the extreme secrecy mandated by Rappaport's Law, which strictly forbade fraternization between wizards and No-Majs. This was a response to historical breaches of the International Statute of Secrecy and created a climate of suspicion and fear. The governing body for American wizards, the Magical Congress of the United States of America (MACUSA), established its headquarters within the city's Woolworth Building in 1892, hidden from non-magical eyes by powerful Enchantments. (Pottermore) The city's wizarding society in this era included hidden establishments such as The Blind Pig, a speakeasy that catered to a diverse clientele of wizards and magical creatures. (Fantastic Beasts)

New York City is not mentioned in the accounts of Harry Potter's life and the Second Wizarding War. Its primary significance in the wider wizarding world comes from the events of December 1926, which are chronicled in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. The city became the site of a major magical incident upon the arrival of Magizoologist Newt Scamander. A mix-up of suitcases with a No-Maj named Jacob Kowalski led to the escape of several magical beasts from Newt's enchanted suitcase. This breach of secrecy brought Newt to the attention of disgraced Auror Tina Goldstein. Simultaneously, the city was being terrorized by a powerful and destructive Obscurus. The anti-witchcraft group, the New Salem Philanthropic Society, led by Mary Lou Barebone, used the ensuing chaos to stoke fear against the magical community. The Obscurus was eventually revealed to be Credence Barebone, whose destructive rampage caused widespread damage and killed the No-Maj senator Henry Shaw Jr. The crisis culminated in a massive battle in a subway station, where the Obscurus was seemingly destroyed by MACUSA Aurors. The incident also exposed the true identity of MACUSA's Head of Magical Security, Percival Graves, as the dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald in disguise. To repair the catastrophic breach of the International Statute of Secrecy, a city-wide memory modification was performed. Using Swooping Evil venom diluted in a rainstorm created by Frank the Thunderbird, the memories of the city's entire No-Maj population were erased, with wizards from MACUSA repairing all physical damage. (Fantastic Beasts)

• Magical Congress of the United States of America (MACUSA): The seat of the American wizarding government, magically concealed within the Woolworth Building. (Fantastic Beasts)
• Woolworth Building: A prominent No-Maj skyscraper that serves as the public facade for the MACUSA headquarters. An enchanted archway provides entry to the magical government's main hall. (Fantastic Beasts)
• Goldstein Residence: A brownstone apartment in the city that was home to sisters Tina and Queenie Goldstein. (Fantastic Beasts)
• The Blind Pig: A subterranean wizarding speakeasy and bar run by the Goblin Gnarlak, requiring a password for entry. (Fantastic Beasts)
• Steen National Bank: A No-Maj bank where Newt Scamander first encountered Jacob Kowalski, and where a Niffler escaped and caused chaos. (Fantastic Beasts)
• City Hall Subway Station: The site of the final confrontation between MACUSA Aurors, Newt Scamander, and the Obscurus of Credence Barebone. (Fantastic Beasts)

New York City and its magical community are creations of J.K. Rowling for the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them screenplay and film series, marking the first major exploration of the wizarding world in the United States of America. The setting of 1920s New York introduced new terminology to the lexicon, most notably `No-Maj` (short for 'No-Magic') as the American equivalent of the British term `Muggle`. The historical context of Prohibition in the United States inspired the creation of a magical speakeasy, The Blind Pig. (Fantastic Beasts) It is important to note that New York City plays no role and is not mentioned in the original seven Harry Potter novels. All information regarding its place in the wizarding world is derived from the Fantastic Beasts films, their screenplays, and supplementary writings by J.K. Rowling on the Pottermore/Wizarding World website.