Where could you find a map on the development of New York city as a site?

Answer 1

Kevin, if you are asking about the settlement (that is, population size at any given spot of ground) of the current 5 boroughs, I will refer you to the NYC Dept. of City Planning's public "bookstore" on Reade St. in Manhattan. They sell a fascinating color-coded map that shows population growth by date/territory. The oldest portions of the city -- the Battery, and the original settlements of Kings Co., for example -- are one color; the next wave of settlements are another, and so on, from colonial times to the present. This map may be online somewhere, but I'm not sure. If you're asking about municipal boundaries, I don't know of a one-stop map to serve your needs -- there are several in different sources that cover different periods. But I can walk you through it and you can make your own. From the colonial period NYC essentially consisted of Manhattan Island. In 1874 the portion of today's Bronx that was west of the Bronx River was annexed to NYC. (It was unceremoniously called the Annexed District at the time; borough names came later.) In 1895 the eastern portion was added. In 1898 NYC's acreage was expanded fivefold with a gesture known as the consolidation of Greater New York. Brooklyn (then an independent city), Staten Island and Queens were added to the map. This is when the five boroughs we know today -- and their names -- were born. The boundaries of 1898 were altered slightly a year later (1899) when Nassau Co. was created on Long Island; a portion of land (about 15 sq. miles, I think) was taken from the eastern edge of Queens and given to the Nassau Co. Bear in mind that this is an overview of the expansion of the city. I am omitting details regarding possession of river islands and minor boundary adjustments.