New York is a bustling metropolis on the east coast of the United States and one of the most influential and multicultural cities in the world. The city is known for its spectacular skyline, international financial center, cultural heritage, cuisine and entertainment. The city not only thrives in the business sector, but also has a rich cultural and artistic heritage with world-class museums, galleries and music venues.
New York City’s streets are world-famous, and you’ve probably heard of them in books, movies, and TV shows. Here’s a quick guide to some of the most iconic New York City street names and their origins.
Wall Street
Wall Street is located in Lower Manhattan, New York City, and is one of the most famous financial districts in the world. This eight-block-long street is not only a symbol of the financial industry, but also carries a huge influence on the US economy and global financial markets. Today, Wall Street has become a gathering place for financial giants. Its history can be traced back to the early days of New York City.
Wall Street got its name from early Dutch settlers who called the street “de Waal Straat”. There are two main theories about the origin of the name. One theory is that it originated from a wall built by Peter Stuyvesant, the last Dutch colonist superintendent, on the northern border of the colony to keep out English rival settlers. Another theory is that Wall Street may have been named in honor of the 30 Walloon families who first settled on the island.
Broadway
Broadway is one of the most famous places in the United States and around the world for theatre and musical performances. Located on the island of Manhattan in New York City, this street is a famous street and home to world-renowned theatres and performing arts centres. The street has a rich history and unique origins. The name is translated from the Dutch phrase “brede weg”, which means “broad road”. Interestingly, Broadway not only runs the entire length of Manhattan, but also extends to the Bronx and even beyond the city limits until it ends in the town of Slippy Hollow, New York, with a total length of 18 miles.
Bowery
The Bowery is a historic street in Manhattan, New York City. The street is named after the Dutch word “bouwerij”, which means “farm”. It once closely connected the suburban farmland with the Wall Street area. Until 1807, the street was called Bowery Lane, but now it is called Bowery, without the need to add “street”, “avenue” or “boulevard”.
As Manhattan Island became urbanized, Bowery gradually became a prosperous commercial district. In the early 19th century, it began to attract many businesses and residents, forming a diverse community. The street was full of theaters, cafes, pubs and restaurants, attracting literary and artistic figures, artists and cultural celebrities.
Houston Street
Houstoun Street is a street in Manhattan that not only runs geographically across the island, but also has a unique history in terms of language and culture. In New York City, the street’s name is pronounced “HOW-ston” and was named after William Houstoun, who served as a delegate to the Continental Congress from Georgia from 1784 to 1786. The street was named after wealthy landowner Nicholas Bayard III, who owned the land at the time. William Houstoun was Bayard’s son-in-law.
Canal Street
Canal Street is a main east-west street in Manhattan, New York City, United States, running through Lower Manhattan, west to Jersey City, New Jersey (via the Holland Tunnel), and east to Brooklyn, New York City (via the Manhattan Bridge). It is the main street of Manhattan’s Chinatown, separating Chinatown from Little Italy, and is also the southern boundary of Soho and the northern boundary of Tribeca.
Canal Street was originally a canal, dug in the early 19th century to drain the heavily polluted Collector Pond into the Hudson River. Collector Pond was filled in around 1811 to form the current Canal Street.
Today, Canal Street is a bustling commercial district with relatively low shop rents. The eastern section is dominated by banks and jewelry stores, and is also the main jewelry business district in Manhattan’s Chinatown. Tourists and local residents often visit open-air markets and cheap stores, and despite frequent police raids, a large number of counterfeit goods are still sold here.
Avenue of the Americas
Although the name Avenue of the Americas is rarely used by New Yorkers, it has been the official name of Sixth Avenue since 1945, when the City Council, at the initiative of Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia, officially renamed it. The idea was to give the then-shabby avenue some dignity by naming it after the international organization, the Organization of American States, which is headquartered in Washington, D.C., and includes the United States, Canada, and Mexico, among its members.
Madison, Park and Lexington Avenues
Madison Avenue is named after its southernmost point, Madison Square, which was named after U.S. President James Madison.
Park Avenue was originally the route of the New York and Harlem Railroad. In 1950, the railroad tracks between 34th and 40th Streets were finally covered with iron fences and lawns, forming the section known as Park Avenue. The rest of the street later adopted the name, and today the avenue has wide medians and beautiful landscaping.
Lexington Avenue (often shortened to “Lexington” by New Yorkers) is named after the Battle of Lexington during the American Revolutionary War, which took place in Lexington, Massachusetts. Interestingly, Lexington Avenue was not part of the original 1811 city plan for Manhattan, but was proposed by lawyer and developer Samuel Ruggles, who wanted to increase the value of the land he owned in the area, so he built Lexington Avenue between East 14th Street and East 30th Street.
Maiden Lane
Two blocks north of Wall Street, there’s a very cute-sounding place called Maiden’s Lane. According to a 1911 New York Times article, it was originally called the Dutch ‘Maiden’s Path’ because girls in early Dutch times used to stroll along the creek, along a route that has been called ‘Maagde Paatje.'” Another theory is that the creek was where young girls and women did their laundry.
Christopher Street
Christopher Street was named after Charles Christopher Amos, the heir of British Admiral Sir Peter Warren. This famous West Village street received its name in 1799. It was located on the southern boundary of Warren’s estate. Amos’ name was also given to two other streets in the area: Charles Street still bears his name, but Amos Street was later renamed West 10th.
Steinway Street
Steinway Street is an important north-south thoroughfare in the Astoria area of Queens, New York City. It is named after the Steinway family, who established a piano empire in the second half of the 19th century. One of the founders of the Steinway Company, William Steinway (1835-1896), also had an important influence in the field of transportation. He played a key role in the excavation of the subway tunnel between Queens and Manhattan, dumping the excavated material into the East River, forming the area known today as Utant Island. In addition, he established a resort east of Astoria, which later evolved into LaGuardia Airport.
Utopia Parkway
In 1905 the Utopia Land Company purchased 50 acres of farmland between what were then the towns of Jamaica and Flushing. It planned to create a cooperative community for Jewish families who wanted to leave Manhattan’s Lower East Side, which was then a predominantly Jewish neighborhood. The company was unable to carry out its plans, but the neighborhood retained its optimistic name and lent it to the avenue that now runs through the neighborhood, Utopia Boulevard.
Arthur Avenue
Arthur Avenue is located in the northernmost part of the Bronx in New York City, USA. It is the “Little Italy” of the Bronx and the most Italian-flavored avenue in New York City. Arthur Avenue is not only the most Italian-flavored place, but also the place to taste Italian food. It is also the only avenue in New York City where you can buy authentic Italian sausages. It is widely welcomed and loved by everyone. The Italians who immigrated here still retain their long-standing traditions.
This street is not named after an Italian, but after Chester A. Arthur, the 21st President of the United States. In the Belmont area of the Central Bronx, a landowner who was an admirer of Arthur proposed to name the street after Arthur when the area was being built in the late 19th century.
There is a rich history and cultural background behind the names of New York streets, which bear witness to the evolution and development of the city. These stories give people a deeper understanding of the diversity and rich history of New York City, while also providing inspiration for the city’s future. If you want to know more about New York, you can visit popular attractions in New York and experience the city of New York in person.