Old City New York

New York City in the 20th Century

 

The 20th century began and ended with NYC being the cultural and financial capital of the world. In 1900 the City had 3.4 million inhabitants and it included its five boroughs: the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island, as established in 1898. New York was also the busiest port in the world and the world's second largest city after London. The great waves of European immigrants coming to New York, the development of the city's infrastructure, and the incredible construction boom of the next thirty years all contributed to the city's prominence. By the year 2000, the City's population had grown by 2.4% to eight million.

The City's development momentum shifted to Midtown Manhattan with the opening of the first subway line in 1904, passing through Times Square, also taking the main theaters and initiating a hotel boom in the area. The opening of the Williamsburg Bridge, in 1903, and the Manhattan Bridge, in 1909, further connected Manhattan to Brooklyn.

In the first decades of the 20th century several skyscrapers changed the Manhattan's skyline, some of them were the tallest in the word. This continued until the early 1930s, as the stock market crash of 1929 changed the course of the world economy. The economy improved in the second half of the 1930s, but World War II took over all priorities until 1945.

In the 1950s, civil rights movement gained momentum. New York City's population decreased from 7.89 million residents in 1950 to 7.78 million in 1960, with increasing suburbanization in the New York metropolitan area. The United Nations Headquarters was completed in 1952. Broadway was still glamorous and the cityscape was in continuous transformation.

The sixties were marked by cultural revolution. Social movements for peace took over the streets, civil rights, specially for African American people and women's rights. In 1965, the Supreme Court ruled that it was unconstitutional for the government to prohibit married couples from using birth control.

The oil crisis dictated the economy of the 1970s and big cars left the streets. There was an increase in crime and the City barely avoided defaulting on its fiscal obligations and declaring bankruptcy. In 1977, the New York City blackout lasted for 25 hours, during which black and Hispanic neighborhoods fell prey to destruction and looting.

In the late 20th century, New York City was still great, but not as great as before. Other cities in the world were growing faster and stronger. The century ended with the bursting of the dot-com bubble.

 

Copyright © Geographic Guide - NYC in 20th Century.

 

Old City of New York

 

 

New York City 20th century

 

Financial District NY

 

Times Square in 1938, looking south from 47th St. Vintage postcard.

 

Majestic Theatre Broadway

 

West 42nd Street

 

Greenwich Hotel

 

Lyceum Theatre New York

Original structure of the Lyceum Theatre.

 

More pages about NYC in 20th century:

20th Century Skylines of NYC

Maps of NYC - 20th Century

New York City in the Fifties

New York City in the Sixties

Lower Broadway, First Half of 20th Century

Broadway, City Hall Park to Union Square

5th Avenue - Washington to Madison squares

5th Avenue - Fifth Avenue at Madison Square

5th Avenue - Madison Square to 59th Street

5th Avenue - Fifth Avenue at Central Park

 

Park Avenue fifties

 

Veterans Hospital

 

Hotels Fifth Avenue

 

Market Session

 

Madison Ave.

 

Skyscrapers NYC

 

Southern Tip

 

Kyxby hotel

 

Lowell Hotel

 

Downtown Manhattan

 

Union Square West NYC

 

West 59th Street

 

NYC Southern Manhattan

 

Royale Theatre

 

Snow Storm

 

Shubert Theatre Broadway

 

Ned NoMad hotel

 

U.S. Sub-Treasury Building

 

Loews Regency New York Hotel

 

Southern Tip Manhattan

 

Park Avenue sixties

 

Hotel 57

 

Broadway Six Avenue

 

Trump Hotel

 

Maiden Lane

 

Skyscrapers NY

 

Chatham Square

 

Crowne Plaza Times Square

 

Marble Collegiate Church NYC

 

75 Wall Street

 

Gershwin Theatre

 

St. James Theatre

 

Royalton Hotel

 

Mail and Express Building

 

Mark Hotel

 

Sanctuary Hotel New York

 

Richard Rodgers Theatre

 

Hudson Theatre

 

Music Box Theatre Broadway

 

Ed Sullivan Theater

 

New York City 19th century

 

Carnegie Hall NYC

 

New York City in the 20th Century

 

Maps NYC