Broadway

Broadway, one of the principal business thoroughfares of New York City, extending in a generally north-south direction. The street is most famous as the center of the city’s large theater district. Laid out in the early 17th century by the Dutch, Broadway grew in length as the city developed from a small settlement on the southern tip of Manhattan Island. It now extends 27 km (17 mi) to the city's northern boundary in the Bronx. In lower Manhattan, where it passes through the financial district, Broadway is the traditional route over which national heroes and distinguished guests are escorted in ticker-tape parades, typically held on a section of the avenue known as the Canyon of Heroes. Broadway enters the heart of the commercial and garment district at Herald Square on 34th Street. The traditional theater district is located between 42nd Street, where Broadway passes through Times Square, and 50th Street. This stretch is one of the most highly concentrated entertainment centers in the United States and includes official Broadway theaters, smaller off-Broadway playhouses, movie theaters, restaurants, and bars. The city of New York undertook a major revitalization and development effort in the theater district in the 1980s and 1990s. Also located on Broadway are Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts and Columbia University (1754).