History of New York City (1784–1854) as the financial and mercantile capital of the western hemisphere. The Great New York City Fire of 1845 destroyed 345 wooden buildings in the Financial District. The Hudson River Railroad (which grew into the New York Central) opened October 3, 1851; it extended the Mohawk and Hudson Railroad, the first railroad built in the state, south to New York City. The city and its nearby suburbs grew rapidly for several reasons. The natural harbor at the base of Manhattan, Brooklyn, and the New Jersey ports at Newark and Elizabeth provided almost unlimited capacity for trading ships and protection from storms.
West New York, New Jersey art havens such as Hoboken, Jersey City and Manhattan. People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with West New York include: West New York, New Jersey West New York is a town in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States, situated upon the New Jersey Palisades. As of the 2010 United States Census, the town's population was 49,708, reflecting an increase of 3,940 (+8.6%) from the 45,768 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 7,643 (+20.0%) from the 38,125 counted in the 1990 Census. West New York is one of the most densely