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What’s the history of the Upper East Side? The Upper East Side, also abbreviated as UES, was developed in the 19th century when the Boston Post Road and the New York Harlem Railroad brought some commercial development to the area. This area became affluent because of where this neighborhood...

What’s the history of Harlem? The first settlements were between 1637 and 1639 when Native Americans lived in this area. The economy began to boom in 1868 when the railroad began being constructed. In 1910, the black community made up 10 percent of the population, but by 1930, they...

Upper Manhattan technically includes the area of Washington Heights and Inwood, but for the purpose of his article, we will discuss what there is to do on the south side of Upper Manhattan. Grant’s Tomb Officially called General Grant National Memorial is Ulysses S. Grant’s final resting place. Is...

What’s the history of Washington Heights? The land was mainly untouched until 1856 when the first house was built. In the early 1900s, after homes were built, many Irish, European Jews, and Greeks started to move to this area. By the late 1930s, more than 20,000 refugees from Germany...

What’s the history of Inwood? Inwood is located at the Northernmost point of the Manhattan island. The legend goes that it was bought for 60 Dutch guilders and some trinkets. In 1895, an amusement park was enacted until it was changed to be a seating area for Highbridge Park....

What’s the history of Brighton Beach? Brighten Beach was first bought from the Native Americans in 1645 for a gun, a blanket, and a kettle. The name came from a group of businessmen who named it as an allusion fro the English resort town of Brighton. In the late...

What’s the history of Sheepshead Bay? Sheepshead Bay was a secluded fishing and farming town until the 1840s when many people drawn to this area for summer vacation. More development came in 1877 when the Sheepshead Bay Race Track was constructed. It was used until horse race betting became...

What’s the history of Crown Heights? Contact was made with inhabitants in 1524. In 1637, colonists began moving to the Long Island location to begin living in the new land. Beginning in the early 1900s, upper-class individuals began building homes in this area. After 1900, the neighborhood was mainly...

What’s the history of Park Slope? It was first colonized through the 17th century. A lawyer bought land to sell to developers in the 1850s. “Old Stone House,” a landmark for this area, was reconstructed in 1930 because it was destroyed in 1897. Baseball played a prominent role in...

What’s the history of Bay Ridge? It was first purchased by Willem Adriaenszen in 1636. This area was mainly farmland until the 1840’s when people began moving to the area. The name “Bay Ridge” came along because of the prominent view of the bay from a high ridge. Houses...