Welcome to our July 2025 Map of the Month! This month's map, Manhattan New York, by Unique Media Incorporated, is one that at first glance may seem like an ordinary artistic depiction of a city. However, within the map lies a much deeper story. Each building in the city has a unique story to tell, all of them coming together to tell the story of Manhattan.
Pride Month is probably one of the most important celebrations within the queer community, but did you know that it got its start in New York City?
The origins of the pride parade and pride month can be found on a small street in the Greenwich Village district of Manhattan. Christopher St. and by extension Greenwich Village, is home to one of the most infamous gay bars in the world, The Stonewall Inn.
The criminalization of homosexuality led many gay establishments to operate sans liquor licenses, providing an open door for raids and police brutality. Like many gay establishments at the time, the Stonewall Inn was owned by the mafia. As long as they continued to make a profit, they cared very little about what happened to their clientele.
Due to the repeated and incessant raids by part of the police, many queer people began to fight back. On June 28th, 1969, the Stonewall Uprising had started. This six day period of resistance against police harassment and societal discrimination marked the beginning of the Queer Liberation Movement. Important figures like Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera who were both present at Stonewall, aided in the fight for the liberation of gay, trans and queer Americans all across the US. On June 28, 1970. On the one year anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising, the first Pride marches were held in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago.
Central Park was first planned in the 1840’s for the purpose of creating more greenspace as per the Commissioners’ Plan of 1811. This plan created the grid system of Manhattan that we all know of today. When construction began in 1857, many of the structures that were on the land were seized by eminent domain. One of these was a majority black settlement known as Seneca Village.
Another very important neighborhood on the island of Manhattan is the Financial District, also known as FiDi!
FiDi is the financial capital of not just the city of New York, but the entire world. Institutions such as the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), can be found here on the infamous Wall St., and public greenspaces like Battery Park and City Hall Park can be found here.
The beginnings of New York City can be found where FiDi now sits, where the Lenape, Delaware, Munsee and Algonquin peoples had settlements at and near the lower end of the island then known as Mannahatta. The arrival of the first European settlers began in the early 1600’s, with the Dutch purchasing the island from the indigenous peoples that inhabited the area and dubbing the new city with the name of New Amsterdam. Then in 1664 after being taken over by the British, the city’s name was changed to New York.
It played a prominent role in the nation’s early history, both militarily and politically. Congress met there (1785–90), and George Washington was inaugurated there in 1789 as the first U.S. president. In the 19th century, particularly following the opening of the Erie Canal in 1825, Manhattan developed as the heart of a prosperous and expanding metropolis. In 1898 Greater New York was formed when Manhattan was joined with the newly created boroughs of Brooklyn, Queens, Richmond (now Staten Island) and the Bronx.
From the Hudson River Greenway to FDR Drive, and from Battery Park all the way to Harlem and beyond, Manhattan will always be a famous island full of history and culture. The concrete jungle where dreams are made of. The island where actors, musicians, bankers, students and people from all different walks of life call home. In New York City, you can do it all!
We hope you enjoyed our July 2025 Map of the Month!
- Title: Manhattan New York
- Date: 1990
- Author/Publisher: Unique Media Incorporated
As with all of our Map of the Month features, if you’d like to learn more about this map or schedule a visit to explore our maps in person, please submit a Map and Geo Service Request. We’ll be sure to get back to you within two business days, but typically sooner.
-Robert Wickett, Map and GIS Assistant
Citations:
Story map cascade. (n.d.). https://www.loc.gov/ghe/cascade/index.html?appid=90dcc35abb714a24914c68c9654adb67
Research guides: LGBTQIA+ Studies: A Resource Guide: 1969: The Stonewall Uprising. (n.d.).
https://guides.loc.gov/lgbtq-studies/stonewall-era
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. (2025, June 18). Manhattan | History, map, population, & points of interest. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/place/Manhattan-New-York-City