The Bronx

New York City has five boroughs or divisions. Manhattan is the smallest borough, but also the most known and center of New York City. Because Manhattan is an island, you can take a boat all the way around it. The Bronx is across the Harlem River from Manhattan. It is the only borough on the mainland. In other words, it is not an island or part of an island. Queens, across the East River from the Bronx, is the largest of the five boroughs. Queens is part of an island that is 118 miles long. That is why it is called Long Island. Brooklyn is just south of Queens and is also part of Long island. Staten Island is across New York Bay to the west of Brooklyn.

No matter where do you live in New York City, you are never far from a river, a bay, or even the ocean. Thanks to our harbor, NYC became an important port. In fact, it is the largest port in the United States.

The Algonquians, a Native American tribe, were the first people to live in NYC. In the Algonquian language Manahatta (now Manhattan) means “island of the hills”. Since then, many immigrants have populated NYC. In 1639 the colonist Jonas Bronk bought 500 acres of land from the Algonquians. Known as “Bronck’s Land”, it was later called the Bronx.

Until the late 1800s, the Bronx was an area of farms and villages. In the 1940s, immigrants moved to the suburbs. Today, the Bronx is home to many Hispanic people and it probably hosts them more than any other borough.

In the 1970s, the Bronx experienced poverty, run-down buildings, and increased crime. Nowadays, the Bronx has been made better by the work of community and church groups.

On November 4, 1989, New Yorkers made an historic decision. They gave African-American, Hispanics, Asians, and other ethnic groups a better chance to elect council members from their districts.

In 1997 the Bronx was named a winner of the All-American City Award. This award is given each year by the National Civic League to ten communities that have worked hard to solve their problems.