New York City's Grid Turns 200

The street grid of New York City was born 200 years ago in an early map of the city.

1 minute read

March 22, 2011, 12:00 PM PDT

"Two hundred years ago on Tuesday, the city's street commissioners certified the no-frills street matrix that heralded New York's transformation into the City of Angles - the rigid 90-degree grid that spurred unprecedented development, gave birth to vehicular gridlock and defiant jaywalking, and spawned a new breed of entrepreneurs who would exponentially raise the value of Manhattan's real estate.

Today, debate endures about the grid, which mapped out 11 major avenues and 155 crosstown streets along which modern Manhattan would rise."

The grid was certified by the city's street commissioners on March 22, 1811.

FULL STORY: 200th Birthday for the Map That Made New York

Sunday, March 20, 2011 in The New York Times

History / Preservation Land Use New York New York City Maps Street Grids View More

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