A true NYer I dont think needs to literally be from NYC, but from birth knows NYC is his calling.

I recall watching Sesame Street as a child wishing I could be so lucky as Big Bird and Oscar to live in the city.

And driving to Grandma's house in the Bronx was far more exciting than going to Disney World.

My father recalls when I was 6 he and my mom (both born and bred NYers-I was only born there) took me too see the Nutcracker at Lincoln Center and as we walked around I looked up to him and said "Daddy, I am a city girl!" He was so proud!

I always knew that NYC woud present the world I had been waiting for. I have been living in this diverse, urbane, hectic, & crazy place for a number of years now, and I feel more at home than ever.

A New Yorker is someone who truly enjoys NYC and thrives off its breathing streets. We are cosmopolitan yet humble, worldy yet always willing to learn more, and constantly on our feet.

Every one else, including those who "move in" for no reason other than getting ahead in whatever field, is just a tourist.