By Jessica Morelock
Famous for its rich cultural history, Greenwich Village is a primarily residential area of Lower Manhattan in
New York City. Once a gathering spot for starving artists, aspiring folk musicians and Beat writers, Greenwich Village offers a more laid-back atmosphere, with shorter buildings and smaller streets than much of the rest of New York.
Geography
Greenwich Village is the small area of land that lies east of the Hudson River and west of Broadway and bound by 14th Street on the north and Houston Street on the South.
History
Prior to Dutch settlement in the 1630s and English settlement in 1670, Native Americans primarily fished on the swampland that is now called Greenwich Village. After New York City experienced a bout of yellow fever in the early 1800s, residents fled to Greenwich Village to escape the epidemic and many stayed. Between the early 1800s and the 1970s, Greenwich Village grew into an enclave of Bohemian culture.
Features
The center of Greenwich Village is Washington Square, which is surrounded by the campus of New York University. Many writers and artists call Greenwich Village home.
Identification
Visitors to Greenwich Village recognize the European feel of the area. The buildings are much shorter than the sprawling skyscrapers that are uptown, and the street layout can be unpredictable because the original design was preserved instead of following the grid pattern used in the rest of New York City.
Pseudonyms
Greenwich Village is many times referred to as "the Village" or the "West Village." The "East Village" is not part of the original Greenwich Village, and many New Yorkers still refer to it as the Lower East Side.
Notable Neighbors
Writers such as Mark Twain, O. Henry and Edgar Allen Poe, and musicians such as Bob Dylan and Joan Baez have lived in Greenwich Village.
Resources
About the Author:
Jessica Morelock began her professional writing career in 2007, after a three-year stint as a producer and co-host on Sirius Satellite Radio. She has also worked for the airline industry and as a travel agent. She completed a bachelor's degree in political science at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities.
