Properties of soils in small green spaces in the "inner city" section of urban areas are often neglected by soil survey and soil scientists.To characterize soil conditions in the urban core of the New York City Metropolitan area,soil profiles in 27 vegetated sites in Manhattan were examined.Sample sites were evenly distributed across the island and included small landscaped courtyards,lawn-covered border strips,and cemeteries.Land use history was examined in site selection to avoid areas of former industrial activity and/or potential waste disposal.Each pedon was classified to the series level based largely on parent material characteristics,particle size class,and drainage class.Soil samples from two depths at each site were analyzed to determine "urban background" levels of 46 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and 23 metals.Heat-stable or black carbon and total organic carbon were measured along with some basic soil properties,including pH,cation exchange capacity and exchangeable cations,soluble salts,and percent calcium carbonate.Almost 50% of the soils were coarse-loamy,well drained,and formed in human transported materials (fill) with less than ten percent (by volume) human artifacts.Slightly more than 25% were loamy-skeletal and formed in fill with construction debris.Mean values of 16 priority pollutant PAHs and most metals were greater in surface than subsurface horizons.Benzo(a)pyrene concentrations in surface horizons ranged from 70 to 2000μg kg-1; concentrations of Pb and Hg ranged from 48 to 891 mg kg-1 and 0.14 to 3.3 mg kg-1,respectively.Total organic carbon contents ranged from 1.1 to 10.6% in surface horizons,and from 0.5 to 6.9% in subsurface horizons.Black carbon ranged from 10 to 100% of the total organic carbon.