New York Street Grid

[loratliff]

Originally Posted by mmarani

I usually look for that awful telecom building you know the large one downtown without windows?

Is that what that building is? I've always wondered. I had thought maybe some Wall Street banker's prison. Either way, it's terrible.

[brooklynborndad]

Originally Posted by rlrl

same for Brooklyn and Queens

er no.

brooklyn does NOT continue the manhattan street grid. brooklyn has multiple street grids, a legacy, AFAIK, of the towns and villages from which brooklyn was formed.

There is a numbered streets and avenues grid (6th avenue and 15th street, for ex) from Park slope to sunset park, boro park, and bensonhurst. It continues in Bath beach, but with some streets numbered as "Bay 24th street" etc. It also continues in Bay Ridge, but at angles.

There is another grid east and west numbered streets with alphabetic avenues - East 5th street and Avenue J for ex - that extends through flatbush, midwood, gravesend, east flatbush, flatlands etc.

There are grids of named streets in prospect lefferts gardens, Crown heights, bed stuy that fit more or less well with the Flatbush grid.

[Walter Greenspan]

The streets in Brooklyn do not line up because each of the 2 cities and 6 towns in Kings County were independent municipalities and purposely decided to create street grids with different naming systems that did not line up with the adjoining city or town.

The Town of Gravesend was the only town where the streets run long north-to-south, all other cities and towns ran their streets long west-to-east. Gravesend was the only English town, all the others were Dutch.

Lady Deborah Moody, the founder of the Town of Gravesend created the first rectangular street grid system, which is still visible. For more info, see: Lady Moody Triangle Highlights - Lady Moody Triangle : New York City Department of Parks & Recreation

[grimace8]

i remember i told my mom i felt the entire city and subway system should be on a grid of perfect squares. hey i was in 5th grade and i wondered why it wasn't done that way 'from the start' ... lol. the look on her face was like 'kids say the darndest things' but i do remember she did include the word 'impossible' in her response

[grimace8]

useless factoid: greenpoint brooklyn (a mile north of williamsburg) has a botched alphabetical system in its northern reaches. i assume the original plan might've been an A-Z street naming plan, but what exists now is A-Q with L and P missing (i.e.: Ash, Box, Clay, Dupont, etc.)

http://www.gpsvisualizer.com/map_input?bg_map=google_map&form=google&google_wpt _filter_sort=0&google_zoom_level=8&sp_width=50km&s pecial=wikipedia&form:data=40.73802%2C%20-73.95481 then click 'draw the map', then click 'continue'

[raidgirl]

I am sure there are apps on smartphones to assist just like the subway maps.

[grimace8]

Originally Posted by raidgirl

I am sure there are apps on smartphones to assist just like the subway maps.

and they'll get better & better in the future.
jmo