is home to/the home of

[englishhobby]

Please help me to better understand the difference in meaning (if any) between is home to and the home of.


As far as I understand, its first, literal, meaning of "is home to" is "where somebody lives". For example: Antarctica is home to penguins (= where penguins live).


But I am a bit confused with the second, metaphorical, meaning of the expression "is home to". For example: This city is home to many universities. Does this imply only the present state of things or also the fact that many universities were founded there? Does it simply mean "There are many universities in this city" or does it embrace a bigger idea like "A lot of universities were founded here, some of them do not exist any more, while some of them still exist." Or should we use "the home of" for the described meaning?
:?:

 

[MikeNewYork]

I don't see a metaphor in your second. Either there are many universities there or there aren't. If there used to be many universities there but they have close, then use the past tense.

 

[englishhobby]

Thank you, and does "is home to" mean the same as "the home of"?

 

[MikeNewYork]

They are similar and often interchangeable.