Manhattan: Difference between revisions

{{about|the New York City borough}}

{{good article}}

Present-day Manhattan was originally part of [[Lenape]] territory.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last1=Burrows |first1=Edwin G. |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/47011419 |title=Gotham : a history of New York City to 1898 |last2=Wallace |first2=Mike |publisher=Oxford University Press |others=Mike Wallace |year=1998 |isbn=978-0-585-36462-9 |location=Oxford |pages=6–7 |oclc=47011419}}</ref> European settlement began with the establishment of a [[trading post]] by [[Dutch colonization of the Americas|Dutch colonists]] in 1624 on southern Manhattan Island; the post was named [[New Amsterdam]] in 1626. The territory and its surroundings came under English control in 1664 and were renamed New York after King [[Charles II of England]] granted the lands to his brother, the [[James II of England|Duke of York]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/kingston/colonization.htm |title=KINGSTON Discover 300 Years of New York History DUTCH COLONIES |publisher=National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior |access-date=April 7, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081123001850/http://www.nps.gov/nr//travel/kingston/colonization.htm |archive-date=November 23, 2008 |url-status=live }}</ref> New York, based in present-day [[Lower Manhattan]], served as the [[List of capitals in the United States#Capitals of the US|capital of the United States]] from 1785 until 1790.<ref name=senate>{{cite web |url=https://www.senate.gov/reference/reference_item/Nine_Capitals_of_the_United_States.htm |title=The Nine Capitals of the United States |publisher=[[United States Senate]] |access-date=April 7, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160320084755/https://www.senate.gov/reference/reference_item/Nine_Capitals_of_the_United_States.htm |archive-date=March 20, 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[Statue of Liberty]] in [[New York Harbor]] greeted millions of arriving immigrants [[History of immigration to the United States#1850 to 1930|in the late 19th century]] and is a world symbol of the United States and its ideals.<ref>{{cite web |title=Statue of Liberty |work=World Heritage |publisher=UNESCO World Heritage Centre 1992–2011 |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/307 |access-date=April 7, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120828142117/http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/307/ |archive-date=August 28, 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref> Manhattan became a borough during the [[consolidation of New York City]] in 1898, and houses [[New York City Hall]], the seat of the [[Government of New York City|city's government]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/25/nyregion/the-reporters-of-city-hall-return-to-their-old-perch.html |title=The Reporters of City Hall Return to Their Old Perch|author=Michael M. Grynbaum|newspaper=The New York Times|date=May 24, 2012|access-date=December 5, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170625035720/http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/25/nyregion/the-reporters-of-city-hall-return-to-their-old-perch.html |archive-date=June 25, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> The [[Stonewall Inn]] in [[Greenwich Village]], part of the [[Stonewall National Monument]], is considered the [[Stonewall riots|birthplace]] of the modern [[gay rights movement]], cementing Manhattan's central role in [[LGBT culture in New York City#Manhattan|LGBT culture]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nps.gov/diversity/stonewall.htm |title=Workforce Diversity The Stonewall Inn, National Historic Landmark National Register Number: 99000562|publisher=National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior |access-date=July 2, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306222059/http://www.nps.gov/diversity/stonewall.htm|archive-date=March 6, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.northjersey.com/news/2012_Presidential_Election/Obama_inaugural_speech_references_Stonewall_riots.html|title=Obama inaugural speech references Stonewall gay-rights riots|publisher=North Jersey Media Group Inc|date=January 21, 2013|access-date=July 2, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130530065722/http://www.northjersey.com/news/2012_Presidential_Election/Obama_inaugural_speech_references_Stonewall_riots.html|archive-date=May 30, 2013}}</ref> It was also the site of the [[World Trade Center (1973–2001)|World Trade Center]], which was [[collapse of the World Trade Center|destroyed]] during the [[September 11 attacks|September 11 terrorist attacks]].

 

 

 

==History==

[[File:Mulberry Street NYC c1900 LOC 3g04637u edit.jpg|thumb|Manhattan's [[Little Italy, Manhattan|Little Italy]] on the [[Lower East Side]], {{Circa|1900|lk=no}}]]

 

 

Despite the [[Great Depression]], some of the world's tallest skyscrapers were completed in Manhattan during the 1930s, including numerous [[Art Deco]] masterpieces that are still part of the city's skyline, most notably the Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building, and [[GE Building|30 Rockefeller Plaza]].<ref>{{cite web | title=Skyscraper boom tied to market crash | website=Real Estate Weekly | date=February 19, 2014 | url=http://rew-online.com/2014/02/19/skyscraper-boom-tied-to-market-crash/ | access-date=April 11, 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180412083536/http://rew-online.com/2014/02/19/skyscraper-boom-tied-to-market-crash/ | archive-date=April 12, 2018 | url-status=dead | df=mdy-all }}</ref> A postwar economic boom led to the development of huge housing developments targeted at returning veterans, the largest being [[Stuyvesant Town–Peter Cooper Village]], which opened in 1947.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1947/08/01/archives/stuyvesant-town-to-get-its-first-tenants-today.html "Stuyvesant Town to Get Its First Tenants Today"], p. 19, ''[[The New York Times]]'', August 1, 1947. Accessed December 4, 2023.</ref><ref>[https://www.stuytown.com/guides/stuytown/history "A History of StuyTown & Peter Cooper Village"], ''Stuytown'', January 12, 2019. Accessed December 27, 2023. "Construction of StuyTown took place between 1945-1947, encompassing 110 buildings and 11,250 apartments."</ref> The [[United Nations]] relocated to a new [[headquarters of the United Nations|headquarters]] that was completed in 1952 along the East River.<ref>[https://www.un.org/en/visit/about-us About Us], [[United Nations]]. Accessed December 27, 2023. "Construction began on UN Day (24 October) 1949 and was completed in 1952. Since then, the iconic buildings have gracefully 'hovered' over the East River, using the natural landscape to emphasize the brilliance of the 'glass curtain' wall of the Secretariat (the first of its kind in Manhattan), like a beacon of light to the world."</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://fultonhistory.com/highlighter/highlight-for-xml?altUrl=http%3A%2F%2Ffultonhistory.com%2FNewspapers%252021%2FCortland%2520NY%2520Standard%2FCortland%2520NY%2520Standard%25201951%2FCortland%2520NY%2520Standard%25201951%2520-%25200266.pdf|title=UN Moves Into New Building In NYC Today|last=[[Associated Press]]|date=January 8, 1951|work=Cortland Standard|access-date=December 21, 2017|page=1|via=[[Old Fulton New York Postcards]]}}</ref><ref>[[A. M. Rosenthal|Rosenthal, A. M.]]. [https://www.nytimes.com/1951/05/19/archives/un-vacates-site-at-lake-success-peace-building-back-to-war-output.html "U.N. Vacates Site at Lake Success; Peace Building Back to War Output"], ''[[The New York Times]]'', May 19, 1951. Accessed December 27, 2023.</ref>

{{main|Demographics of Manhattan}}

[[File:Broadway Crowds (5896264776) crop.jpg|thumb|[[Broadway (Manhattan)|Broadway]] in [[Midtown Manhattan]]. As of the [[2020 United States census|2020 U.S. census]], Manhattan was the most densely populated [[municipality]] in the United States.|alt=Looking at crowds down Broadway]]

 

{{Historical populations|state=collapsed

===={{Anchor|Streets|Roads and Streets}}Streets and roads====

{{See also|List of numbered streets in Manhattan|List of eponymous streets in New York City}}

 

According to the original Commissioner's Plan, there were [[155th Street (Manhattan)|155]] numbered crosstown streets,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/23/realestate/23scap.html |title=Are Manhattan's Right Angles Wrong, by Christopher Gray |website=[[The New York Times]] |date=October 23, 2005 |access-date=May 11, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130502035251/http://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/23/realestate/23scap.html |archive-date=May 2, 2013 |url-status=live |last1=Gray |first1=Christopher }}</ref> but later the grid was extended up to the northernmost corner of Manhattan Island, where the last numbered street is [[220th Street (Manhattan)|220th Street]], though the grid continues to 228th Street in the borough's [[Marble Hill, Manhattan|Marble Hill]] neighborhood.<ref>[https://thegreatestgrid.mcny.org/greatest-grid/north-of-central-park North of Central Park: Revising the Grid], [[Museum of the City of New York]]. Accessed December 1, 2023.</ref><ref name=NYT2002>Boland, Ed Jr. [https://www.nytimes.com/2002/08/18/nyregion/fyi-414514.html "F.Y.I.: By the Numbers"], ''[[The New York Times]]'', August 18, 2002. Accessed December 1, 2023. "Q. What is the highest numbered street in New York City?... The highest numbered street in Manhattan is 228th Street, but that is in Marble Hill, a section of Manhattan north of the Harlem River. The highest numbered street on Manhattan Island is 220th Street in Inwood. The northbound numerations that begin in Manhattan continue through the Bronx until New York City meets Yonkers at West 263rd Street."</ref> Moreover, the numbering system continues even in [[the Bronx]], north of Manhattan, despite the fact that the grid plan is not as regular in that borough, whose last numbered street is 263rd Street.<ref name=NYT2002/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://gis.nyc.gov/doitt/nycitymap/ |title=New York City Map |publisher=NYC.gov |access-date=May 7, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170731043934/http://gis.nyc.gov/doitt/nycitymap/ |archive-date=July 31, 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Fifteen crosstown streets were designated as {{convert|100|ft|m}} wide, including [[34th Street (Manhattan)|34th]], [[42nd Street (Manhattan)|42nd]], [[57th Street (Manhattan)|57th]] and [[125th Street (Manhattan)|125th]] Streets,<ref>[http://www.library.cornell.edu/Reps/DOCS/nyc1811.htm Remarks of the Commissioners for laying out streets and roads in the City of New York, under the Act of April 3, 1807] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070610165318/http://www.library.cornell.edu/Reps/DOCS/nyc1811.htm |date=June 10, 2007 }}, [[Cornell University]]. Accessed May 2, 2007. "These streets are all sixty feet wide except fifteen, which are one hundred feet wide, viz.: Numbers fourteen, twenty-three, thirty-four, forty-two, fifty-seven, seventy-two, seventy-nine, eighty-six, ninety-six, one hundred and six, one hundred and sixteen, one hundred and twenty-five, one hundred and thirty-five, one hundred and forty-five, and one hundred and fifty-five—the block or space between them being in general about two hundred feet."</ref> which became some of the borough's most significant transportation and [[shopping]] venues. [[Broadway (Manhattan)|Broadway]], following the route of a [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] trail, is the most notable of many exceptions to the grid, starting at [[Bowling Green (New York City)|Bowling Green]] in Lower Manhattan and continuing north for {{Convert|13|mi}} into the Bronx at Manhattan's northern tip.<ref>[https://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/NY-01-061-9060 Broadway], [[Society of Architectural Historians]]. Accessed December 30, 2023. "Broadway is a 13-mile roadway running from the southern tip to the northernmost point of the island of Manhattan.... Predating the Commissioners' Plan of 1811, Broadway was initially a Native American trading trail running the length of Manhattan. Various indigenous peoples living on the island—including Lenni Lenape, Delaware Lenape, and Wickquasgeck—used the route, known as the Wickquasgeck Trail, to exchange goods with each other."</ref> In much of Midtown Manhattan, Broadway runs at a diagonal to the grid, creating major named intersections at [[Union Square (New York City)|Union Square]] ([[Park Avenue|Park Avenue South/Fourth Avenue]] and 14th Street), [[Madison Square]] ([[Fifth Avenue]] and 23rd Street), [[Herald Square]] ([[Sixth Avenue]] and 34th Street), [[Times Square]] ([[Seventh Avenue (Manhattan)|Seventh Avenue]] and 42nd Street), and [[Columbus Circle]] ([[Eighth Avenue (Manhattan)|Eighth Avenue]]/[[Central Park West]] and 59th Street).<ref>[https://urbandesignforum.org/grow-the-green-line/ "Grow the Green Line"], Urban Design Forum, February 26, 2018. Accessed December 30, 2023. "Broadway today is an anomaly, unneeded for vehicular traffic, that cuts through a standardized urban form. It is an extra street modulating an otherwise functioning grid. However, it is the only road that connects four of the most important public spaces in the city: Union Square, Madison Square, Herald Square, and Times Square; each found where this diagonal route crosses an avenue and marks a major street."</ref><ref>[https://www.nps.gov/thrb/learn/historyculture/union-square.htm Union Square], [[Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace]]. Accessed December 30, 2023. "New York's famed thoroughfare Broadway is responsible for some of the city's most famous parks. The irregularity of Broadway's span created space for Union Square, Madison Square, Herald Square, Times Square, and Columbus Circle.... Therefore Broadway does not run parallel to the north-south avenues of the grid. Broadway runs diagonally, intersecting other avenues and slicing uniform rectangles into small awkward blocks."</ref>

 

 

Another consequence of the strict grid plan of most of Manhattan, and the grid's skew of approximately 28.9&nbsp;degrees, is a phenomenon sometimes referred to as [[Manhattanhenge]] (by analogy with [[Stonehenge]]).<ref name=Manhattanhenge>{{cite news | last=Silverman | first=Justin Rocket | title=Sunny delight in city sight | newspaper=[[Newsday]] | date=May 27, 2006 | url=http://www.newsday.com/news/sunny-delight-in-city-sight-1.502140 | quote='Manhattanhenge' occurs Sunday, a day when a happy coincidence of urban planning and astrophysics results in the setting sun lining up exactly with every east-west street in the borough north of 14th Street. Similar to Stonehenge, which is directly aligned with the summer-solstice sun, "Manhattanhenge" catches the sun descending in perfect alignment between buildings. The local phenomenon occurs twice a year, on May 28 and July 12... | access-date=May 11, 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180803194424/https://www.newsday.com/news/sunny-delight-in-city-sight-1.502140 | archive-date=August 3, 2018 | url-status=live }}</ref> On May 28 and July 12, the sunset is aligned with the street grid lines, with the result that the sun is visible at or near the western horizon from street level.<ref name=Manhattanhenge/><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.naturalhistorymag.com/city_of_stars/19_sunset_34th.html |title=Special Feature—City of Stars: Sunset on 34th Street Along the Manhattan |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080516005443/http://www.naturalhistorymag.com/city_of_stars/19_sunset_34th.html |archive-date=May 16, 2008 |work=[[Natural History (magazine)|Natural History]] |access-date=September 4, 2006 }}</ref> A similar phenomenon occurs with the sunrise on the eastern horizon on December 5 and January 8.<ref>Morris, Hugh. [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/north-america/united-states/new-york/articles/what-is-manhattanhenge-and-where-best-when-does-it-happen/ "Manhattanhenge is coming: what is it, and how can I see it?"], ''[[The Daily Telegraph]]'', May 31, 2019. Accessed December 30, 2023. "It is worth noting that the time when the rising sun aligns with Manhattan's streets, around December 5 and January 8, on either side of the winter solstice, is also known as Manhattanhenge but nobody seems that fussed about it. Poor Winter"</ref>

The [[FDR Drive]] and [[Harlem River Drive]], both designed by controversial New York master planner [[Robert Moses]],<ref>Kennicott, Philip. [https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/09/AR2007030900449.html "A Builder Who Went to Town: Robert Moses Shaped Modern New York, for Better and for Worse"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180721221818/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/09/AR2007030900449.html |date=July 21, 2018 }}, ''[[The Washington Post]]'', March 11, 2007. Accessed April 30, 2007. "The list of his accomplishments is astonishing: seven bridges, 15 expressways, 16 parkways, the West Side Highway and the Harlem River Drive..."</ref> comprise a single, long [[limited-access highway|limited-access]] [[Parkway (New York)|parkway]] skirting the east side of Manhattan along the [[East River]] and [[Harlem River]] south of [[Dyckman Street]]. The [[Henry Hudson Parkway]] is the corresponding parkway on the West Side north of [[57th Street (Manhattan)|57th Street]].

 

Being primarily an island, Manhattan is linked to New York City's outer boroughs by numerous bridges, of various sizes. Manhattan has fixed [[highway]] connections with [[New Jersey]] to its west by way of the [[George Washington Bridge]], the [[Holland Tunnel]], and the [[Lincoln Tunnel]], and to three of the four other New York City boroughs—[[the Bronx]] to the northeast, and [[Brooklyn]] and [[Queens]] (both on [[Long Island]]) to the east and south. Its only direct connection with the fifth New York City borough, [[Staten Island]], is the [[Staten Island Ferry]] across [[New York Harbor]], which is free of charge. The ferry terminal is located near [[Battery Park (New York)|Battery Park]] at Manhattan's southern tip. It is also possible to travel on land to Staten Island by way of Brooklyn, via the [[Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge]].