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.
Oakland Park (Jersey City, New Jersey) Oakland Park (Jersey City, New Jersey) Oakland Park was a ballpark in Jersey City, New Jersey. It was used by the New York Giants for their first two home games in 1889. The park was opened in the spring of 1888, as the new home of the Jersey City minor league club. The Jersey City club disbanded in July 1890, but the park continued to be used by other local teams for several years. It was located on a block bounded by Oakland Avenue (northwest); Hoboken Avenue (southwest); Bonner (now Baldwin) Avenue (southeast); and Fleet Street (northeast). Newspaper accounts in