Blog #3- City of Tourists

The construction of the Erie Canal is when it all started.  The Erie Canal was completed in 1825.  With the Erie Canal being opened it, it led to rapid improvement of transportation which moved people and goods.  It opened the world up to the Industrial Revolution.   New York City was now going into a time of massive economic and industrial growth. (1860’s) They now had international trade, transportation, labor supply, etc. Technology just kept growing and growing.  They even came across their first banking system in 1861.  They had their first stocks, checks and money loans for the first time.

As the economy and industrial grew, so did the people.  The population of New York City kept increasing by the year.  It was now known as the city of tourists.  The land along with population was also growing.  Manhattan’s first public park, Central Park opened up in 1859. 

Apart from using the Erie Canal as transportation, New York City now had public train stations.  Everyone now traveled with subway trains; it was more efficient and quicker.  Unlike today, each subway line was owned by its own company.  The train lines were all separate, but now today most of it is owned by the MTA.

To earn profit in New York, they had to get cheap labor.  Women worked long hours for no kind of money.  They made at least thirty cents a day for a fifteen hour shift.  Unlike today, they did not get paid for overtime or get benefits.

Overall, New York City has changed a lot.  Manhattan was no longer covered in wetlands.  Every corner you look, or any direction rather, you would see a tall sky scrapper.  Buildings are covered on every block.  The technology increased drastically.  Everywhere you look, there’s technology.  That’s what makes New York City the “City of Tourists.”

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