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Table of Contents
Times Square on 42nd Street, Broadway, and Seventh Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, is a busy commercial intersection, a popular tourist destination, an entertainment center, and a neighborhood. With a large number of pedestrian visitors per day, it is the most visited place in the world.
See the fact file below for more information on Times Square, or alternatively, you can download our 30-page Times Square worksheet pack to utilize within the classroom or home environment.
Key Facts & Information
Early History
- Three tiny streams joined close to the intersection of 10th Avenue and 40th Street when Manhattan Island was first inhabited by the Dutch, who named it the “Great Kill.”
- After passing through the low-lying Reed Valley, which is home to fish and waterfowl, the Great Kill then drained into a deep harbor in the Hudson River at the location of present-day 42nd Street.
- As the highland to the south and east became recognized as Longacre, the name was kept in a little hamlet called Great Kill that developed into a hub for manufacturing carriages.
- The territory belonged to John Morin Scott, a leader of the New York militia who served under George Washington before and during the American Revolution. The location of Scott’s manor residence, now 43rd Street, was surrounded by agricultural land and equestrian facilities.
- It became one of John Jacob Astor’s favorite properties in the first half of the 19th century. As the city quickly expanded uptown, Astor gained a second fortune by selling lots to hotels and other real estate companies.
- It became one of John Jacob Astor’s favorite properties in the first half of the 19th century. As the city quickly expanded uptown, Astor gained a second fortune by selling lots to hotels and other real estate companies.
- The region had evolved into the hub of New York’s horse carriage industry by 1872. The area had not previously been named; thus, the city authorities called it Longacre Square in honor of Long Acre in London, the location of the city’s horse-and-carriage trade center. The American Horse Exchange was also there, and it was owned and operated by William Henry Vanderbilt. It was renamed the Winter Garden Theatre in 1910.
- Longacre Square earned the colorful moniker the “Thieves Lair” for its low-rent reputation as an entertainment area when Lower Manhattan’s more lucrative trade and industry pushed residences, theatre, and prostitution northward from Tenderloin District.
- Different groups of indigenous people from the North Coast region made the redwood forests and other surrounding environments their home. According to archaeological evidence, the Tolowa, Whilkut, Nongatl, Mattole, and Sinkyone were Athabascan communities that had arrived during the previous millennium. A pre-existing population that had been present in the region for thousands of years longer had been displaced or merged with the Yurok and Wiyot when they arrived a few centuries earlier.
- The natives had wise beliefs, vast knowledge, and an understanding of the natural world. They formed customs and languages and belonged to many different tribes. Despite the diversity, no one tribe dominated over the rest.
- The environment provided multiple food sources for its people. This included elk, deer, and fish from the oceans and rivers.
- The people also thrived on nuts, berries, and seeds. They were well-skilled and efficient in fishing and hunting. Gathering methods were also practiced. Their way of life was deeply linked to their spiritual awareness of natureβs balance.
- The natives built homes from planks that were split from fallen redwood trees. The planks used to build the house were believed to be the body of one of the Spirit Beings.
- Spirit Beings were thought to belong to a supernatural race who lived in the redwood region before humans and taught people how to live correctly.
- According to Gotham: A History of New York City to 1898, by historians Edwin G. Burrows and Mike Wallace,” by the early 1890s, this once sparsely settled stretch of Broadway was ablaze with electric light and thronged by crowds of middle- and upper-class theatre, restaurant, and cafe patrons.” Oscar Hammerstein, I built the Olympia, the first theater on the square.
- Moreover, Adolph S. Ochs, the publisher of The New York Times, relocated the newspaper’s headquarters to a new tower on 42nd Street at Longacre Square in 1904, replacing the Pabst Hotel, which had been there for less than ten years after it first opened in November 1899.
- In 1913, The New York Times relocated to open-plan offices one mile west of the square until selling the structure in 1961. The Allied Chemical Building replaced the earlier Times Building in 1963. It is famous for the Times Square Ball descent on its roof every New Year’s Eve and is now known as One Times Square.
- The seediness of the district, mainly because of its go-go bars, sex shops, peep shows, and adult theaters, has become a notorious symbol of the city’s deterioration from the 1960s until the early 1990s. The New York Times referred to 42nd Street along Seventh and Eighth Avenues as “the worst” in town as early as 1960.
Geography
- Times Square functions as a town square, although it is not geometrically a square; it has two triangles arising approximately south and north from 45th Street, where Seventh Avenue intersects Broadway.
- West 42nd Street, West 47th Street, 7th Avenue, and Broadway form the neighborhood’s boundaries.
- Times Square has a bowtie shape because Broadway runs diagonally through the vertical and horizontal street grid of Manhattan set out by the Commissioners’ Plan of 1811.
- The southern triangle, below 45th Street, is known as Times Square, but the northern triangle is known as Duffy Square. It was dedicated to World War I deacon Father Francis P. Duffy of the 69th New York Infantry Regiment in 1937 and now serves as a memorial to him.
- In addition, there is a statue of songwriter and performer George M. Cohan, and the TKTS special offers ticket booths for Broadway and off-Broadway theaters. Times Square, more particularly the intersection of Broadway and 42nd Street, also serves as the eastern terminus of the Lincoln Highway.
Rehabilitation and Development
- Today, Times Square is home to attractions like the ABC Times Square Studios, wherein Good Morning America is televised live, as well as rival Hershey’s and M&M’s stores that are right next to one another and numerous multiplex cinemas.
- The neighborhood also has eateries like the Italian restaurant Carmine’s, the seafood restaurant Bubba Gump Shrimp Company, and theme eateries Planet Hollywood Restaurant and Bar. Large financial, publishing, and media companies have also chosen the area as their new headquarters. The area is now safer due to an increased police presence.
- One of New York’s most recognizable images is the Broadway theaters and the vast number of moving neon and LED signs, representative of Manhattan’s strongly metropolitan character.
- The only district in New York City with this requirement, such signage has been made mandatory by zoning rules since 1987, requiring building owners to show illuminated signs. Instead of the usual maximum limit, the neighborhood has fewer lights.
- Times Square matches Las Vegas in terms of the number of illuminated signs. In official language, the signs are referred to as “spectaculars,” and the largest as “jumbotrons.”
- The principles outlined in a rehabilitation program by New York Governor Mario Cuomo in 1993 were followed by the implementation of this signage legislation.
- The Toshiba billboard directly beneath the New Year’s Eve ball drop, the curved seven-story NASDAQ sign at the NASDAQ MarketSite at 4 Times Square on 43rd Street, and the curved Coca-Cola sign positioned beneath another large LED display owned and operated by Samsung are all notable pieces of signage.
- Daktronics, the manufacturer of LED displays, created both the Coca-Cola sign and the Samsung LED displays. For example, on December 4, 2008, Times Square’s first eco-friendly billboard operated by solar and wind power was turned on. At 18,000 square feet, the 20 Times Square advancement will have the world’s biggest LED signage in Times Square when completed.
Major Events
- On February 26, 2009, Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced that starting Memorial Day 2009, lanes of traffic along Broadway from 42nd Street to 47th Street would be de-mapped and converted into pedestrian plazas as just a trial until at least the end of the year.
- The same thing occurred in Herald Square between 33rd and 35th Streets. The goal was to relieve traffic jams on the midtown grid.
- The outcomes were monitored closely to determine whether the project was successful and should continue. Bloomberg also stated that he believed the street closure would make New York more livable by reducing emissions, reducing pedestrian-vehicle accidents, and improving traffic flow.
- Several incidents have occurred in Times Square:
- A small bomb exploded early on March 6, 2008, causing minor damage but no injuries. Following the discovery of a car bomb on May 1, 2010, Times Square was evacuated from 43rd to 46th Streets. It was discovered to be a botched attack.
- An estimated 330,000 people pass through Times Square daily, many of them tourists, while over 460,000 pedestrians walk through the square, making it the most visited place in the world. In 2013, it had more visitors than any other Disney theme park, with 128,794,000 visitors between March 2012 and February 2013.
- The annual New Year’s Eve ball drop takes place in Times Square. Around one million revelers pack the square for New Year’s Eve celebrations, doubling the area’s daily visitor count.
- Thousands of police officers usually patrol the New Year’s Eve celebrations. Typically, the festivals generate a lot of trash. On New Year’s Day 2014, the New York City Department of Sanitation approximated that they had cleared over 50 short tons of trash from the New Year’s celebration, employing 190 employees from their crews and the Times Square Alliance.
- The arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City in 2020 reduced the number of visitors to Times Square. In late 2020, approximately 108,000 pedestrians visited Times Square each day, compared to 380,000 before the pandemic. From March to October 2020, 26 of the 46 hotels in the area closed, as did 39 of 151 shops and 84 of 162 eateries.
Outstanding Landmarks
- Times Square is a bustling intersection of art and commerce, with dozens of advertisements vying for viewers’ attention, including electric, neon, and illuminated signs and “zipper” news crawls. Among the notable examples are:
- Coca-Cola advertisement
- The Disney Store
- One Fashion
- 21st Century Fox (formerly Virgin Megastores)
- New York Hard Rock Cafe
- M&M’s Universe
- MTV
- Hollywood Boulevard
- Times Square Palladium
- Revlon
- Moreover, Times Square Studios is primarily used for ABC News and ESPN shows, including Good Morning America. For instance, since 2008, ticket booth prices have been reduced because of the TKTS or the Theatre Development Fund.
- Times Square is also a permanent sound art installation by Max Neuhaus between 45th and 46th Streets.
Times Square Worksheets
This fantastic bundle includes everything you need to know about Times Square across 30 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use worksheets about Times Square on 42nd Street, Broadway, and Seventh Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City.
Complete list of included worksheets:
- Times Square Facts
- Fact or Fiction?
- Fill to Complete
- Popular Landmarks
- Write Your Thoughts!
- #Partyinthe_USA!
- Color It Lively!
- If You Really Knewβ¦
- Between Two Roads
- ON THE GO NEWS
- Times SQUARE
Frequently Asked Questions
What is famous about Times Square?
Times Square is New York’s most iconic spot, with its neon lights and billboards illuminating the city. However, at Broadway and 7th Avenue crossroads lies a vibrant hub that offers an array of activities for all kinds – from bars to theaters, restaurants to museums – there’s something for everyone in Times Square!
Why is it called Times Square?
In 1904, the bustling intersection of Longacre Square was officially renamed Times Square when The New York Times newspaper relocated to a building in the area. Yet within just several years, the publication decided to relocate again and leave its namesake behind.
Why do tourists visit Times Square?
To explore the vibrant, eclectic culture of New York City. From street performers and protestors to family-friendly restaurants and attractions, there is something for everyone in this bustling crossroad.
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Use With Any Curriculum
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