Manhattan

Manhattan is the most emblematic borough of New York and forms a long, narrow island between the Hudson River and the East River. Its name comes from the Munsee Lenape term Manaháhtaan. The Dutch established Nieuw Amsterdam there in the 17th century, before the colony came under English control in 1664 and took the name New York.

Today, Manhattan brings together neighborhoods with very different characters. To the south, Lower Manhattan retains traces of the city's commercial origins with the Financial District, Wall Street, the Seaport, Chinatown and Greenwich Village. Further north, Midtown concentrates notably Times Square, Broadway, Rockefeller Center, Fifth Avenue and the Empire State Building. Central Park forms a vast green pause at the heart of the island, while the Upper West Side and the Upper East Side give northern Manhattan a more residential and cultural atmosphere.

Manhattan is also New York's main cultural and tourist center. It has an exceptional concentration of museums, theaters, performance venues, galleries, restaurants and historic sites. The borough notably has a very high concentration of museums and theater companies, which greatly contributes to its international influence.

Its architecture tells the story of several centuries of urban development: colonial buildings still preserved in some areas, 19th-century cast-iron buildings, Art Deco skyscrapers and contemporary towers compose a skyline that is constantly changing. From the Hudson or the East River, this succession of neighborhoods and skyscrapers forms one of the most recognizable urban panoramas in the world.

For visitors arriving by water, Manhattan also offers a completely different perspective. The skyline, the bridges, the docks, the ferries and maritime traffic allow one to discover the city from its original natural setting: the two rivers that surround it and the Port of New York. It is probably one of the best ways to understand why this island became the economic and commercial heart of the city.