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Surrounded by the Hudson River,
Broadway, Houston and 14th Streets, the Village is
the birthplace of the bohemian spirit and home to
students of New York University, off-Broadway actors,
and residents who work in Upper Manhattan. In the
1790s, the area’s country estates were divided
and sold to large landowners. Weavers, sail makers,
and craftspeople moved into modest homes along paths
surrounding the large estates. Far removed from the
congested city center, Greenwich Village became an
escape for New Yorkers fleeing the smallpox and yellow
fever epidemics of the 1820s. In the 1830s, wealthy
families built large houses, but soon moved uptown
leaving middle-class, Anglo-Dutch families to live
between the industrial plants along the Hudson. As
wealthy families left, their large brownstone homes
were divided into smaller apartments. Writers soon
took advantage of the affordable housing in Greenwich
Village, among them Edgar Allan Poe, Walt Whitman,
and Mark Twain.
Today, Greenwich Village is an area
where tourists rub shoulders with artists, intellectuals
and students; the town comes alive at night with theatres,
nightclubs, and cafes, but is serene by day with quaint
shops and street musicians.
Links:
Village Alliance Website
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