| History of New York City |
|---|
 Manatus Map of the New York–New Jersey Harbor Estuary in the 17th century |
| Lenape and New Netherland, to 1664 New Amsterdam British and Revolution, 1665–1783 Federal and early American, 1784–1854 Tammany and Consolidation, 1855–1897 (Civil War, 1861–1865) Early 20th century, 1898–1945 Post–World War II, 1946–1977 Modern and post-9/11, 1978–present |
| See also |
| Timelines:New York City • Manhattan • Bronx • Brooklyn • Queens • Staten Island Transportation Category |
New York City has seen a cycle of modest boom and a bust in the 1980s, a major boom in the 1990s, and mixed prospects since then. This period has seen severe racial tension, a dramatic spike and fall of crime rates, and a major influx of immigrants growing the city's population past the eight million mark. TheSeptember 11 attacks on theWorld Trade Center in 2001 had a lasting impact on the city that continues to reverberate to the present.
Compared to the 1970s, the 1980s were a time of restrained optimism in New York. The boom onWall Street was fueling the speculative real estate market, and unemployment numbers dropped noticeably. Koch successfully balanced the city's budget ahead of schedule, allowing the city to re-enter the bond market and raise cash, effectively ending the city's financial crisis by 1981. However, the city's reputation for crime and disorder was still very much a part of New Yorkers' daily lives.[1][2][3] MayorEd Koch repeatedly warned that filth, crime, and racial tensions were weakening the city. He put a high priority on rebuilding neighborhoods and infrastructure. One result was that gentrification brought new businesses to decrepit neighborhoods and converted low-end rental housing to co-ops and condos that attracted young upscale professionals and business people. Koch's energetic efforts brought enormous attention from the media, but critics condemned his attacks on his opponents as "crazy," "wackos," and "radicals" and alleged he was racially divisive.[4]
For years enormous attention followed the criminal trials resulted when a woman known as theCentral Park Jogger was badly beaten and raped.[5] The illegal drug trade flourished, causing the murder rate to soar, and dividing the city into areas ruled by different drug lords. It became known as thecrack epidemic.[6] TheNew York City Subway fell victim to a crime epidemic that saw more crimes being committed on the subway each year than in any other subway system around the world.[7]
Homelessness became a serious problem during the 1980s,[8] specifically in the last two ofEdward Koch's three terms as mayor (1978–1990). The city outlaweddiscrimination againstgay and lesbian people in such matters as employment and housing in 1986.[9] In 1989, Koch was defeated byDavid Dinkins in theDemocratic Party primary in his bid for a fourth term, and then Dinkins narrowly defeatedRepublicanRudolph Giuliani in the general election to become the city's first-ever black mayor.[10] Crime began a 15-year decline in 1990 during Dinkins's administration, but a combination of continued racial strife (such as that in theCrown Heights Riot in 1991),[11][12] and an extremely weak economy (in January 1993 the city'sunemployment rate reached 13.4 percent, the highest level of joblessness seen there since theGreat Depression)[13] caused Dinkins' popularity to seriously decline (including a threat by residents ofStaten Island tosecede from the city, where in a 1993 referendum, 65% voted to secede, but implementation was blocked in theState Assembly).[14]
On February 26, 1993, a truck bombdetonated in a basement garage ofWorld Trade CenterTower One. The 1,336 pounds (606 kg)urea nitrate–hydrogen gas enhanced device[15] was intended to knock the North Tower (Tower One) into the South Tower (Tower Two), bringing both towers down and killing tens of thousands of people.[16][17] It failed to do so, but did kill six people and injured more than a thousand.[18]
Mayor Dinkins faced considerable opposition from members of the police force, which escalated into a 1992police riot, at which his political rivalRudolph Giuliani addressed the crowd. In late 1993, David Dinkins was defeated by Giuliani in his bid for reelection.[19]
The city rebounded in the mid- and late 1990s due to the steady expansion of the national economy and theWall Streetstock market boom[20] that took place concomitantly, as well as the precipitous drop in crime, although stubbornly high unemployment remained a local problem. MayorRudolph Giuliani, a former federal prosecutor, is credited by many for revitalizingTimes Square[21][22] and making the city more "liveable" by cracking down on crime.[23] Changes in the worldwide economy during this time proved to be especially favorable to New York because of its highly developed transportation and communications infrastructure, as well as its massive population base. Over the course of the decade, the city's image transformed from being one of a bygone, decaying metropolis to one of the world's preeminent "global cities."[24]
As for sports, 1994 saw a great chapter in the city's sports history, with theNew York Rangers finally winning theirfirst Stanley Cup since 1940[25][26] and theNew York Knicks making it to theNBA Finals, where they lost in seven games to theHouston Rockets, at the same time.[27][28][29]
The Knicks made it to the NBA Finals again in1999, where they lost in five games to theSan Antonio Spurs.[30] TheNew York Yankees began a dynasty led by manager (and New Yorker)Joe Torre winning the World Series in1996,[31][32][33]1998,[34]1999,[35] and2000.[36]
On September 11, 2001, Islamic terrorist hijackers linked to thejihadist organizationAl-Qaeda piloted twohijackedpassengerairliners into each of the twin 110 storyWorld Trade Center towers. The airplanes, designated for transcontinental flights and therefore fully loaded with jet fuel, were hijacked mid-flight and intentionally crashed into the towers in the early morning hours of September 11. The crashes caused massive structural damage during impact, ripping gaping holes into the towers, and ignited raging fires, that caused both weakened towers to collapse in less than two hours. Together witha simultaneous attack onthe Pentagon inArlington, Virginia, anda failed plane hijacking that resulted in a plane crash inShanksville, Pennsylvania,2,977 victims died in the attacks.[37]
The 9/11 attacks led to a temporary exodus of business fromLower Manhattan to places such asMidtown Manhattan,Jersey City, andBrooklyn, as well as elsewhere, along with the need to reposition the broadcasting antennas of several television channels.[38] About 430,000 job-months and $2.8 billion in wages were lost in the three months after the attacks. The economic effects were mainly on the economy's export sectors.[39] The city's GDP was estimated to have declined by $27.3 billion for the last three months of 2001 and all of 2002. The U.S. government provided $11.2 billion in immediate assistance to thegovernment of New York City in September 2001, and $10.5 billion in early 2002 for economic development and infrastructure needs.[40]
Hundreds of thousands of tons of toxic debris containing more than 2,500 contaminants, including known carcinogens, were spread across Lower Manhattan due to the collapse of the Twin Towers.[41][42] Exposure to the toxins in the debris is alleged to have contributed tofatal or debilitating illnesses among people who were at ground zero.[43][44] The Bush administration ordered theEnvironmental Protection Agency (EPA) to issue reassuring statements regarding air quality in the aftermath of the attacks, citing national security, but the EPA did not determine that air quality had returned to pre-September 11 levels until June 2002.[45] Many otherclosings, evacuations, and cancellations followed the attack, either out of fear of further attacks or respect for the tragedy. Cleanup of theWorld Trade Center site was completed by the end of May 2002.[46]
On November 12, 2001,American Airlines Flight 587 crashed into theBelle Harbor neighborhood ofQueens shortly after takeoff fromJohn F. Kennedy International Airport, killing all 260 people on board and five others on the ground. It was the second-deadliest aviation incident involving anAirbus A300, afterIran Air Flight 655, and the second-deadliest aviation incident to occur on U.S. soil, afterAmerican Airlines Flight 191. In terms of single-airplane crash incidents that were ruled accidental and not criminal, as of March 2014, no incident since then has surpassed that death toll, though before 2001 there had been deadlier incidents of this type. Although initially feared to be another act of terrorism,[47][48][49][50] the crash was eventually found to have been caused by pilot error.[51]
Billionaire media baronMichael Bloomberg, a Republican, was elected mayor in 2001, and reelected in 2005 and 2009. He used a statistical, results-based approach to city management, appointing city commissioners based on their expertise and granting them wide autonomy in their decision-making. Breaking with 190 years of tradition, he implemented whatNew York Times political reporterAdam Nagourney called a "bullpen" open office plan, similar to aWall Street trading floor, in which dozens of aides and managerial staff are seated together in a large chamber. The design is intended to promote accountability and accessibility.[52]
Over the next ten years, a wave of public- and private-sector building projects reshaped large sections of the city, and a residential construction boom has resulted in permits being issued for over 25,000 new residential units every year. While the2012 Summer Olympics ultimately went toLondon, New York was among the finalists andthe campaign resulted in a plan to replaceShea Stadium with anew stadium, as well as anextension of the 7 subway service.[53][54]
New York City was affected by the2003 North America blackout on August 14, 2003, at 4:11 PM, leaving the city without electricity for over a day. Unlike in theNew York City blackout of 1977, there was no major looting.
However, during the blackout,Verizon's emergency generators failed several times, leaving theemergency services number9-1-1 out of service for several periods of about a quarter-hour each. New York City's311 information hotline received over 175,000 calls from concerned residents during the weekend.Amateur radio operators attached to New York CityARES provided a backup communications link to emergency shelters and hospitals. Amateur radiorepeaters were supplied with emergency power and remained functional. Many major U.S. networks (CBS,NBC,ABC, andFOX) and some cable TV networks (such asHBO,MTV, andNickelodeon) were unable to broadcast because of the lack of electricity in the New York City area, but back-up stations inDallas and flagship transmitters there made it possible for prime-time television to be broadcast. (ABC chose instead to cover the news fromWashington, D.C. during the blackout).[55]
Hurricane Irene brought a destructivestorm surge to New York City on the evening of August 24–25, 2011. InManhattan, theHudson River flooded in theMeatpacking District.[56]Long Beach andFreeport, both of which experienced serious flooding, were among the worst-hit towns on Long Island,[57] and many roads were left impassable. The workers atGround Zero in Lower Manhattan worked to make the World Trade Center site hurricane-proof, and escaped major damage, just missing the tenth anniversary of 9/11.[57] The winds knocked down many trees and power lines, leaving almost 350,000 homes and businesses without power inNassau andSuffolk counties.[58]
Hurricane Sandy brought another destructive storm surge to New York City on the evening of October 29, 2012, flooding numerous streets, tunnels and subway lines in Lower Manhattan and other areas of the city and cutting off electricity in many parts of the city and its suburbs.[59] City public schools closed for four days.[60]CUNY andNYU canceled all classes and campus activities for October 30.[61] TheNew York Stock Exchange was closed for trading for two days, the first weather closure of the exchange since 1985.[62] It was also the first two-day weather closure since the GreatBlizzard of 1888.[63] TheEast River overflowed its banks, flooding large sections ofLower Manhattan.Battery Park had a water surge of 13.88 ft.[64] Seven subway tunnels under the East River were flooded.[65] TheMetropolitan Transportation Authority said that the destruction caused by the storm was the worst disaster in the 108-year history of the New York City subway system.[66] Sea water flooded the Ground Zero construction site.[67] Over 10 billion gallons of raw and partially treated sewage were released by the storm, 94% of which went into waters in and around New York and New Jersey.[68] In addition, a four-story Chelsea building's facade crumbled and collapsed, leaving the interior on full display; however, no one was hurt by the falling masonry.[69]
Bloomberg was term-limited; after his third term, he could not run again in 2013.Bill de Blasio won the subsequentmayoral election, and was sworn into the mayor's office on January 1, 2014, by former PresidentBill Clinton.[70]
In 2017, atransit crisis was declared after years of deferred maintenance on the city's subways, buses, and railroads.[71]Congestion pricing was proposed as a result of the crisis.[72] A subway "action plan"[73] and a "genius challenge" were also announced as possible solutions.[74]
On October 31, 2017, a mandrove a pickup truck into theHudson River Park's bike path inTribeca betweenHouston Street andChambers Street, killing at least eight people and injuring at least 15.[75] Most of those who were hit were bike riders.[76][77]
The city was in a state of lockdown between March 22 and June 8, 2020, amidst theCOVID-19 pandemic. By April 2020, New York City was experiencing the most deaths of any locality in thecoronavirus pandemic in New York State, which itself had the highest number of confirmed coronavirus cases of any state in theUnited States;[78] at the time, one-third of total known U.S. caseswere in New York City.[79] By May, New York governorAndrew Cuomo had announced a four-phase reopening plan for regions in New York state, including New York City.[80] Phase 1 of reopening in New York City began on June 8.[81] The region reached its last phase of reopening six weeks later, on July 20.[82] Between the city's first recorded case and the Phase 4 reopening, New York City had recorded more than 218,000 COVID-19 cases, including 18,787 deaths directly attributed to the disease.[83]
COVID-19 cases and transmission decreased significantly between June and September 2020. However, by the beginning of October 2020, twenty ZIP Codes were identified as cluster areas, which contained 26% of all positive cases in the state at the time.[84] In response, the governor's office announced what they called "direct enforcement" of COVID-19 related restrictions in high-risk neighborhoods.[85]
During the pandemic, a federal judge blocked MayorBill de Blasio from enforcing restrictions on religious organizations to 25% of attendance capacity when other establishments operated at 50% of capacity.[86][87] A federal lawsuit alleging religious discrimination began in June by Catholic priests and Jewish congregants against GovernorAndrew Cuomo and Mayor de Blasio.[88][89][90] Mayor Bill de Blasio apologized to the Orthodox Jewish community for his handling of the shutdown.[91][92]
On 2 November 2021, Democratic candidateEric Adams won the New York City mayoralelection. Incumbent Mayor Bill de Blasio was term-limited and ineligible to run for re-election.[93]
On 1 January 2022, Eric Adams was sworn in as mayor of New York City.[94]
As of October 2023, more than 130,600 migrants had arrived in New York City since the spring of 2022. Themigrant crisis in New York City was called a humanitarian crisis by Mayor Eric Adams. Many of the migrants have beenVenezuelans who had crossed the southern border from Mexico, continuing their trip to New York City, partly with the help of officials in Texas. As of October 2023, more than 65,400 migrants were staying in NYC homeless shelters.[95]
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