First Avenue (Manhattan)

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First Avenue (Manhattan)

First Avenue is a north-south thoroughfare on the East Side of the New York City

New York City

The City of New York is the List of United States cities by population in the United States, while the New York metropolitan area ranks among the List of urban areas by population....
borough

Borough (New York City)

New York City is one of the largest cities in the world, and it is segmented into boroughs for various reasons. A borough is a unique form of government which administers the five fundamental constituent parts that make up the History of New York City ....
of Manhattan

Manhattan

Manhattan is one of the five borough of New York City, located primarily on Manhattan Island at the mouth of the Hudson River.With a United States Census of 1,620,867 living in a land area of 22.96 square miles , Manhattan, coextensive with New York County, is the most population density county in the United States, w...
, running from Houston Street

Houston Street (Manhattan)

Houston Street is a major east-west thoroughfare in Lower Manhattan Manhattan. It runs crosstown across the full width of the borough of Manhattan, from Pier 40 on the Hudson River, through the Port Authority Truck Terminal on Greenwich Street, Manhattan, to the East River, and serves as the boundary between the neighborhoods of Greenwich...
northbound for over 125 blocks before terminating at the Willis Avenue Bridge

Willis Avenue Bridge

The Willis Avenue Bridge is a swing bridge that carries northbound road traffic over the Harlem River between the New York City borough of Manhattan and the Bronx, United States....
into The Bronx

The Bronx

The Bronx is the northernmost of the Five Boroughs of New York City and the newest of the 62 Administrative divisions of New York#county of New York State....
at the Harlem River

Harlem River

The Harlem River is a navigable tidal strait in New York City, United States that flows 8 miles between the East River and the Hudson River , separating the borough of Manhattan and the Bronx....
near East 127th Street. South of Houston Street, the roadway continues as Allen Street

Allen Street (Manhattan)

Allen Street is a street in the New York City borough of Manhattan which runs north-south through the Lower Manhattan neighborhood of Chinatown , and the Lower East Side, and is continued north of Houston Street as First Avenue ....
south to Canal Street

Canal Street (Manhattan)

Canal Street is a major street in New York City, crossing lower Manhattan Manhattan to join New Jersey in the west to Brooklyn in the east ....
. Traffic on First Avenue runs northbound (uptown) only.

First Avenue passes through a variety of mostly residential neighborhoods.

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Encyclopedia

First Avenue is a north-south thoroughfare on the East Side of the New York City

New York City

The City of New York is the List of United States cities by population in the United States, while the New York metropolitan area ranks among the List of urban areas by population....
borough

Borough (New York City)

Manhattan

Houston Street (Manhattan)

Willis Avenue Bridge

The Bronx

The Bronx is the northernmost of the Five Boroughs of New York City and the newest of the 62 Administrative divisions of New York#county of New York State....
at the Harlem River

Harlem River

Allen Street (Manhattan)

Canal Street (Manhattan)

42nd Street (Manhattan)

42nd Street is a major crosstown street in the New York City borough of Manhattan, known for its theaters, especially near the intersection with Broadway at Times Square....
and 45th Street, it borders the United Nations headquarters

United Nations headquarters

The United Nations Headquarters is a distinctive complex in New York City that has served as the headquarters of the United Nations since its completion in 1950....
complex, and four lanes are underground.

Like all of Manhattan's major north-south Avenues, First Avenue was proposed as part of the Commissioners' Plan of 1811

Commissioners' Plan of 1811

File:NYC-GRID-1811.pngThe Commissioners' Plan of 1811 was a proposal by the New York Legislature adopted in 1811 for the orderly development and sale of the land of Manhattan between 14th Street and Washington Heights, Manhattan....
for Manhattan, which designated 12 broad north-south Avenues running the length of the island. The southern portions of the Avenue were cut and laid out shortly after the plan was adopted. The northern sections of the Avenue would be graded and cut through at various intervals throughout the 19th Century as the northward development of the island demanded.

The IRT Second Avenue Line

IRT Second Avenue Line

The IRT Second Avenue Line was an elevated railway in Manhattan, New York City, United States, operated by the Interborough Rapid Transit Company until city takeover in 1940....
ran above First Avenue from Houston Street

Houston Street (Manhattan)

23rd Street (Manhattan)

23rd Street is a large thoroughfare across the New York City borough of Manhattan. It runs from river to river across Manhattan, carrying two-way traffic....
before turning left at 23rd and then right onto Second Avenue

Second Avenue (Manhattan)

Second Avenue is an avenue on the East Side of the New York City borough of Manhattan extending from Houston Street at its south end to the Harlem River Drive at 128th Street at its north end....
. The El was torn down in 1942.

A Trip Up First Avenue

Starting in the south, First Avenue passes through the East Village

East Village, Manhattan

The East Village is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It lies east of Greenwich Village, south of Gramercy, Manhattan and Peter Cooper Village?Stuyvesant Town, and north of the Lower East Side, Manhattan....
, once a predominantly German then Jewish neighborhood, now a trendy area populated mostly by young professionals. Leaving the East Village First Avenue runs by a succession of large urban development projects that sit on what used to be a working industrial waterfront. Stuyvesant Town

Stuyvesant Town

Peter Cooper Village?Stuyvesant Town is a large private residential development on the East Side of the borough of Manhattan in New York City....
and Peter Cooper Village

Peter Cooper Village

Peter Cooper Village is a residential development in the New York City borough of Manhattan, which is located east of Gramercy Park, between First Avenue and Avenue C , stretching between 20th Street and 23rd Street s....
, two middle income housing developments, fill the east side of the avenue from 14th to 23d Streets. A Veterans Affairs hospital, the Bellevue Hospital Center

Bellevue Hospital Center

Bellevue Hospital Center, founded in 1736, is the oldest public hospital in the United States. It is located in New York City and has been the site of countless milestones in the history of medicine....
, and NYU Medical Center fill the blocks from there to 34th. Between 42d and 47th, the avenue runs past United Nations Headquarters

United Nations headquarters

The United Nations Headquarters is a distinctive complex in New York City that has served as the headquarters of the United Nations since its completion in 1950....
and is called United Nations Plaza, with four lanes running in the First Avenue Tunnel to divert traffic from the Plaza.

Crossing under the Queensboro Bridge

Queensboro Bridge

The Queensboro Bridge, also known as the 59th Street Bridge, is a cantilever bridge over the East River in New York City that was completed in 1909....
and entering the Upper East Side

Upper East Side

The Upper East Side is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, between Central Park and the East River. The Upper East Side is within an area surrounded by 59th Street, 96th Street, Central Park, and the East River....
, First Avenue runs through a number of residential areas of varying character and income, and serves as one of the main shopping streets of the Yorkville

Yorkville, Manhattan

Yorkville is a neighborhood within the Upper East Side of the borough of Manhattan in New York City. Yorkville's northern, eastern and western boundaries include: the East River on the east, 96th Street on the north, Third Avenue on the west and 79th Street to the south....
neighborhood, historically a German and Hungarian neighborhood, today a mix of upper middle class residents. Much of the housing in this area was built for lower income immigrants in the 19th Century, therefore compared to the rest of the Upper East Side, the older buildings along First Avenue are relatively affordable today (relatively being the key word here). In this area First Avenue is also known as "Bedpan Alley" (a play on "Tin Pan Alley

Tin Pan Alley

Tin Pan Alley is the name given to the collection of New York City-centered History of music publishings and songwriters who dominated the American popular music of the United States in the late 19th century and early 20th century....
") because of the large number of hospital

Hospital

A hospital is an institution for health care providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment, and often but not always providing for longer-term patient stays....
s located nearby.

Crossing 96th Street

96th Street (Manhattan)

96th Street is a major two-way street in East and West Harlem, which is a part of the New York City borough of Manhattan, running from the East River at the Franklin D....
, First Avenue runs through Spanish Harlem

Spanish Harlem

Spanish Harlem, also known as El Barrio and East Harlem, is a predominantly low income neighborhood in Harlem, a neighborhood of New York City, in the north-eastern part of the borough of Manhattan....
, a historically Puerto Rican neighborhood. Before Puerto Rican migration in the 1950s, much of this area was populated by Italians and known as "Italian Harlem". First Avenue in Italian Harlem was the site of a major open-air pushcart market in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries. There is still a small Italian enclave in the Pleasant Valley section of East Harlem, between 114th and 120th Streets. The northern reaches of First Avenue, north of roughly 110th Street have also seen a significant increase in Mexican residents.

First Avenue crosses the Harlem River

Harlem River

Willis Avenue Bridge

The Bronx

The Bronx is the northernmost of the Five Boroughs of New York City and the newest of the 62 Administrative divisions of New York#county of New York State....
.

First Avenue in the Movies

The opening scene of Ghostbusters 2 was filmed at the intersection of First Avenue and 77th Street.