Tribeca

Tribeca is a neighborhood in Lower Manhattan in New York City. Its name is a short way of saying "Triangle Below Canal," referring to the shape of the area. It is bounded by Canal Street, West Street, Broadway, and Chambers Street.

The area started as farmland and later became a place for homes. Over time, it changed into a busy area for selling goods and then became a favorite spot for artists, actors, models, business people, and other famous folks.

One special event in Tribeca is the Tribeca Festival. It began after the September 11 attacks to help bring the neighborhood back to life after it was damaged by the terrible events that day.

Tribeca is part of Manhattan Community District 1 and has ZIP Codes 10007 and 10013. The neighborhood is kept safe by the 1st Precinct of the New York City Police Department.

Name

Tribeca is a neighborhood in New York City whose name is a special short form, much like other neighborhoods such as SoHo, NoHo, and DUMBO. The name "Tribeca" started in the early 1970s and originally described a smaller area that looked like a triangle on maps. Over time, the name grew to cover a larger part of the city.

History

The area now known as Tribeca was originally farmed by Dutch settlers who came to what is now New Amsterdam. The land stayed with the same family for many years before being passed to new owners. Later, it became part of a large area given to Trinity Church by Queen Anne in 1705.

Over time, Tribeca grew from a quiet residential area into a busy commercial center. Many streets were named after important families. As ships and trains helped bring goods, the neighborhood became a place for markets, factories, and stores. The building of subways and highways changed the area even more.

In more recent times, old factories were turned into homes and studios for artists. After facing challenges, Tribeca became a popular and fashionable place to live, known for its art, shops, and restaurants. Today, it is one of the safest and most desired neighborhoods in New York City.

Demographics

Tribeca is part of a larger area called SoHo-TriBeCa-Civic Center-Little Italy. In 2010, about 42,742 people lived there. Most people in this area are White, with many also being Asian.

The area has a high life expectancy, with many people aged between 25 and 44. It is a well-off area, with higher incomes and lower poverty rates compared to the rest of New York City. Fewer people struggle to pay rent here than in other parts of the city.

Places

Tribeca has many old buildings that were once used for work but are now homes and special spaces, much like the buildings in the nearby SoHo area. In the 1800s and early 1900s, Tribeca was an important place for trading cloth and cotton.

Some famous buildings in Tribeca include the old Textile Building, made in 1901, and the Powell Building from 1892. Other well-known spots are the New York Telephone Company building with its unique design, and the old New York Mercantile Exchange.

In the late 1960s and 1970s, many young artists moved into Tribeca because the big, open spaces were cheap and quiet. One writer, Jim Stratton, wrote a book about his experiences fixing up these old buildings.

• 32 Avenue of the Americas, a beautiful Art Deco building, was once where AT&T managed its long-distance calls.
• 388 Greenwich Street, an office building, is where Citigroup does some of its important financial work.
• Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC) is part of the City University of New York. Its campus is between Chambers Street and N. Moore Street. After being damaged in the September 11, 2001, attacks, Fiterman Hall was rebuilt.
• Holland Tunnel, which connects New York to New Jersey, has its entrances and exits in the northwest corner of Tribeca, near St. John's Park.
• Hook & Ladder Company No. 8, a fire station still in use, was where parts of the Ghostbusters movies were filmed. You can see movie memorabilia inside. The movie Hitch with Will Smith also filmed there.
• Hudson River Park, a big park along the Hudson River, runs from 59th Street down to Battery Park. It goes through several neighborhoods, including Tribeca. This 550-acre park was created to replace the old West Side Highway.
• Kitchen, Montross & Wilcox Store, a special building from 1861, is recognized as important to the city's history.
• 401 Greenwich Street is where modern bowling began.
• Metropolitan College of New York is a private college located on Canal Street.
• New York Academy of Art is a private art school for graduate students.
• New York Law School, founded in 1891, has been in Tribeca since 1962.
• Nutopian Embassy, at 1 White Street, was once the embassy for John Lennon and Yoko Ono's imaginary country, Nutopia. Built between 1805 and 1825, it is now a restaurant.
• Stuyvesant High School, one of New York City's top high schools, is located in nearby Battery Park City. A special bridge, the Tribeca Bridge, was built to help students cross West Street safely.
• Verizon Building, built between 1923 and 1927, was turned into homes in 2016.
• Washington Market Park, a park bounded by Greenwich, Chambers, and West Streets, is popular with children for its large playground. The park also has community gardens and events.

Historic districts

In 1991, 1992, and 2002, four historic areas in Tribeca were officially recognized for their special history:

• Tribeca West – designated May 7, 1991
• Tribeca East – designated December 2, 1992
• Tribeca North – designated December 8, 1992
• Tribeca South – designated December 8, 1992
• Tribeca South Extension – designated November 19, 2002

Police and crime

Tribeca and Lower Manhattan are watched over by the 1st Precinct of the NYPD, based at 16 Ericsson Place. In 2010, this area was ranked among the safer places in the city for its size. By 2018, the number of serious crimes like attacks and thefts was lower than in many other parts of New York City. Over the years, from 1990 to 2018, the total amount of crime in this precinct dropped greatly.

Fire safety

Tribeca has two fire stations to keep the area safe. One station, Engine Company 7/Ladder Company 1/Battalion 1, is at 100 Duane Street. Another station, Ladder Company 8, which was featured in the Ghostbusters movies, is located at 14 North Moore Street. These stations help protect the neighborhood.

Health

In Tribeca and Lower Manhattan, there are fewer early births and births to teenage mothers compared to the rest of the city. The area also has fewer people without health insurance.

The air in Tribeca and Lower Manhattan has more tiny particles that can be harmful than the city average. More people in this area smoke than the city average, but fewer people are obese, diabetic, or have high blood pressure. Most residents eat fruits and vegetables daily, and many describe their health as good or better. The closest big hospital is NewYork-Presbyterian Lower Manhattan Hospital.

Post offices and ZIP Codes

Tribeca is part of two main ZIP Codes. Most of the area uses 10013, but the very southern blocks are in 10007. The Jacob K. Javits Federal Building is in 10278. The United States Postal Service runs two post offices close to Tribeca: the Federal Plaza Station at 26 Federal Plaza and the Canal Street Station at 350 Canal Street.

Education

Tribeca and Lower Manhattan have many people with college educations. In 2018, about 84% of adults aged 25 and older had gone to college or had even higher education. This is much higher than in the rest of New York City. Students in Tribeca and Lower Manhattan also do well in school. Math skills improved from 61% in 2000 to 80% in 2011, and reading skills went up a little too.

Fewer students in Tribeca and Lower Manhattan miss a lot of school days compared to the rest of the city. About 96% of high school students finish on time, which is better than the city’s average of 75%.

Schools

The New York City Department of Education runs these public schools nearby:

• PS 150 (grades PK-5)
• PS 234 Independence School (grades K-5)

Libraries

The New York Public Library has two branches nearby. The New Amsterdam branch is at 9 Murray Street near Broadway. It opened in 1989. The Battery Park City branch is at 175 North End Avenue near Murray Street. It finished building in 2010 and is the library’s first LEED-certified branch.

Notable people

Tribeca has been home to many famous people over the years. Some well-known individuals include playwright Edward Albee, avant-garde artist Laurie Anderson, and actress Jennifer Connelly. The neighborhood has also attracted musicians like The Edge from U2 and Jay-Z, as well as filmmakers such as Robert De Niro and M. Night Shyamalan.

Actors like Daniel Craig, who played James Bond, and Meryl Streep, one of Hollywood's most respected actresses, have also lived in Tribeca. The area has a mix of artists, writers, and entertainers, making it a vibrant community.

Robert De Niro and Jane Rosenthal helped bring attention to the area by producing the television series TriBeCa in 1993 and starting the Tribeca Film Festival in 2002.

In popular culture

The TV show Wizards of Waverly Place features a school called "Tribeca Prep," but the scenes were actually filmed at P.S. 40 on East 20th Street, between First Avenue and Second Avenue in Gramercy Park. Another show, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, mentioned a "Tribeca High School" in one of its episodes. The local radio station WHTZ has its studio in this area. In a book called Winds of Salem from the Witches of East End series, a powerful character lives in Tribeca.

A car called the Subaru Tribeca was named after this neighborhood. It started being made in 2005 but stopped being sold in the United States in 2012.