New York City Guide: Walking In Times Square - Travel & Discover

By the late 1990s, Times Square had once again become a symbol of Manhattan's vitality. The only zone in the city where tenants are required to display big, bright signs. It is located at Broadway and 7th Avenue, and extends from West 42nd Street to West 47th Street. Shuffling down Broadway through the crush of tourists gaping into TV studios, and creating their necks for a glimpse of the latest giant billboard, it's hard to remember that this gaudy enclave was once home to sex shops, and the highest crime rate in New York City. While Times Square has changed drastically in the past decade, a reputation for razzle-dazzle and spectacle attached itself to the area from its very inception. Formerly Longacre Square, Times Square entered the nation's consciousness in 1904, when it was renamed after the New York Times building that became the cornerstone of the new district. Just a few short years before, the crossroads of Broadway and 7th Avenue was considered a dangerous place where only those of ill repute would venture. The Great White Way is a phrase known worldwide used to describe Broadway's profusion of theaters in Times Square. Rocky but always glamorous, Broadway and its theaters have an inseparable relationship stretching back over 100 years. Times Square became the premier theater district in the United States during the First World War, a time when films were becoming a big part of popular culture. With the rise of movies, many theaters were opened around the city, and especially in the square, leading to the creation of the Times Square we know today.