NEW YORK (1010 WINS) – The oldest woman in the United States turns 114 Saturday and she lives right here in New York City.
Born in North Carolina in 1905, Alelia Murphy moved to Harlem in the 1920s to be a part of the Harlem renaissance.
The African American Caucus of the 1199SEIU union threw an early birthday party for Murphy at the state office building in Harlem on Friday night.
"We ask her, 'Grandma, you been here for a very long time,'" one of her granddaughters said. "And she said, 'I'm here because you all don't know how to live, I'm here to teach you all how to live and things to do."
Murphy's secret to a long life?
"She just told me she lives this long because she believes in God and she believes in taking good care of people," her visiting nurse, Natalie Mhlambiso, told PIX11.
Murphy lives with a granddaughter and a home health aide and leads an active life. She still handwrites her own Christmas cards.
Murphy says she never drank, but she does have a sweet tooth for foods like soda, ice cream and chocolate.
Only five women in Japan, and one in France, are older than Murphy. Her age has been confirmed by the Gerontology Research Group.
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