NYC is famous for many things–from its iconic buildings and gorgeous parks to, of course, its pizza and bagels we all love to take pride in and chow down on.
But did you know it’s also home to the most famous street in the world? And, it also happens to be the longest street in NYC!
May we present to you…drumroll, please…Broadway!
Now we all know Broadway begins at the southern tip of Manhattan and makes its way through the entirety of the city we call home, but did you know it reaches all the way to Albany?!
Stretching 150 long miles, only roughly 15 miles of those call Manhattan their home.
The history of Broadway, the longest street in NYC:
NYC first acquired the land in 1855, known then as Bloomingdale Road, and, historically, most of the lower portion of Broadway is said to had followed the routes of the Wickquasgeck Trail of the Munsee Lenape and Wappinger peoples.
When the Dutch arrived at the beginning of the 17th century, this road became even more relevant. The arrival of the European immigrants to Harlem and New Amsterdam used Broadway as a connection between their settlements, and once New Amsterdam changed its name to New York and power passed from the Dutch to the British, the street was officially referred to as Broadway.
(Speaking of: did you know there’s also a Haarlem in the Netherlands?!)
Though, of no surprise to any, Broadway didn’t always look like it does today.
From 1867 to 1869, the road underwent a redesign, modeled after the Champs Elysées in Paris.
Intended to raise area property values and employ workers laid off once Central Park was completed, the road featured a 160-foot-wide walkways, rows of elm trees, and 30-foot-wide landscaped medians with walk-through malls.
The road itself was originally unpaved, though in 1890 it was paved, quickly becoming a go-to for bikers. And with that came the development of hotels and apartments.
Nine years later, in 1899, the road was formally named Broadway.
The malls along the road we see today were established in 1904, though have since been redesigned to include iron fences, curbs, sitting areas, subway vents, and trees and shrubs.
During a renovation which took place between 1980-1993, most of the walk-through malls were converted to green malls, and many of the original oak trees were replaced with other species. Most of the trees that line Broadway today date to this era of reconstruction, although some still date to the 1930s.
Broadway today:
Today, we know Broadway as being lively and bustling, and, being it’s the longest street in NYC, essentially the heart of New York City.
From endless theaters and museums such as the National Museum of the American-Indian to parks and squares Broadway is much more energetic than it used to be, and we wouldn’t want it any other way.
On the flip side NYC’s shortest street is only 63 feet long!