Times Square

Formerly named Longacre Square, Times Square was renamed in April of 1904 after the Times Building (the onetime home of The New York Times) at 42nd Street and Broadway. Later that year the first electrified advertisements started to appear. With the advent of the new subway system the area grew as the city was rapidly expanding northward and Time Square found itself in the center of what was becoming a hub of entertainment and upscale institutions.

The atmosphere surounding the area has been always charged with vice and corruption especially since the Great Depression era of the 1930's. But things really started to decline from the 1960's up until the 1980's. It was in the 80's that thing started to turn around for the better. A commercial building boom was underway in the area which set the stage for a concerted 'clean up' effort spearheaded a few years later by then mayor Rudolph Giuliani. Since that point Times Square has become much more tourist friendly, safer and cleaner.

Sometimes known as the "Crossroads of the World," it has become a focal point for tourists from all over the world and is renowned for its spectacular digital advertisements that line the main corridors along Broadway and Seventh Avenue. The former New York Times headquarters, now known as One Times Square, at 42nd St. and Broadway, is the staging area for the annual New Year's Eve ball drop. It is a tradition that began in 1908 and is visited every year by hundreds of thousands of spectators.