Borough Manhattan, New York. What are its features?

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

New York is a dream city for every inhabitant of our planet. Despite the fact that it is not the capital, is not considered the largest in terms of area and does not have ancient sights, its population is growing every second.

If you also want to become a resident of this metropolis, you will be interested to know what Manhattan itself is like. New York is, in fact, popular precisely because of him.

What is New York like?

We will not once again say that the city is the largest and most popular metropolis in the world, but will immediately move on to its administrative division. It is divided into five areas, which are most often called boroughs: Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, Staten Island and the Bronx.

All of them, with the exception of the first, are predominantly residential, some of them are former ghettos, in others crime flourishes. In other words, unremarkable American settlements that no one in their right mind would think of flying thousands of miles to.

But New York City's Manhattan borough, which is the smallest and at the same time the most populous, is the complete oppositeto all other four boroughs.

On this tiny island, all the sights of the city are concentrated, which are not only its face, but also the face of all America. The richest and most influential people in the world live here, millions of people from different parts of the world come here to become we althier and more successful. The world's tallest skyscrapers are being built in Manhattan and incredibly colorful parties are being held.

History of the area

The most popular borough of the brightest metropolis in the world began its existence back in 1609. It was then that Captain Henry Hudson first sailed to the shores of modern Manhattan. Following him went the Dutch discoverers, who founded a city on the island called New Amsterdam.

Becoming friends with the local Indian population, they began not only to actively build up the territory of the island, but also came up with a second name for it, different from the official one at that time. The word was borrowed from the same Indians and sounded like "manna-hata", which means "hilly island". The name "New Amsterdam" was later changed to "New York". Manhattan, however, remained untouched, and took root as the official name of the very heart of this large and multifaceted metropolis.

Dividing Manhattan

Just like New York itself, Manhattan is divided into districts. Officially, their number is equal to twelve, but local residents divide it into six parts. Among them are the following: Lower (South or Downtown), Middle or Midtown, CentralPark, West Side or Upper West, East Side or Upper East and Uptown or Upper Manhattan.

New York is also divided into so-called small areas, and its most populous district is no exception. In Manhattan, the most famous "small" arrays are Times Square, Chinatown, Financial District, Greenwich Village, Harlem, Little Italy and others.

Additionally, we also note that the streets of Manhattan are also characterized by a special structure. For its entire territory, excluding Downtown, a rectangular grid is inherent. Those roads that stretch along the island are called "avenues", and those that cross them are called "street". Almost all streets are numbered, the main one - Fifth Avenue - divides the island into west and east.

Lower Manhattan

New York City originated from this area. Today, Downtown is considered the heart of this metropolis, here in some places there are ancient sights, but the area is mostly built up with skyscrapers. Broadway is considered its main street. The Downtown area also boasts such attractions as Wall Street, Chinatown, Little Italy, Greenwich Village. It is worth remembering that Lower Manhattan was hit hard on September 11, 2001, when the Twin Towers were destroyed.

Midtown and Central Park

The central part of the city is the focus of the most popular skyscrapers. Among them are the Empire State Building, Rockefeller Center, Chrysler Building and others. Midtown is the business center of New York, where they sitofficials and bankers, large companies and stock exchanges conduct their work.

Next to this area is Central Park - the greenest place in the city. Manhattan residents and tourists regularly come here to relax. The park is considered one of the most beautiful and largest in the world.

East Side and West Side

The areas that surround Central Park on both sides are completely residential. Western - West Side, is considered a haven for representatives of culture. Various actors, artists, writers and other representatives of the arts buy real estate in this area.

On the other side of the bay is the East Side - the most elite residential area in New York, where mostly businessmen and politicians live. Housing here is the most expensive in America.

Uptown

Upper Manhattan has had a bad reputation for a long time. This area served as a ghetto for black US citizens, and the crime rate there was considered the highest in the city. These days, Uptown is gradually acquiring a civilized appearance. But, in the old fashioned way, tourists and locals who have nothing to do with it still bypass the area.

Lost in translation

Special attention should be paid to how New Yorkers call Manhattan. The fact is that often the rest of the districts that are part of the city are not recognized as "islanders", since they are not so prestigious and suitable for chic life. That's why for them Manhattan- all of New York, and everything outside of this tiny island can no longer bear this name.

Initially, this trend took place only in everyday life. But soon it was officially decided to ascribe to Manhattan the status of a separate state - the state of New York. For example, Staten Island is located in New Jersey, unlike Manhattan.