Times Square is a major intersection in Manhattan, a borough of New York City,
at the junction of Broadway and Seventh Avenue and stretching from West 42nd to West 47th Streets. The Times Square area consists of the blocks between Sixth
and Eighth Avenues from east to west, and West 40th and West 53rd Streets from
south to north, making up the western part of the commercial area of
Midtown Manhattan.
Formerly named Longacre Square, Times Square was renamed after the Times
Building (now One Times Square) in April 1904. Times Square, sometimes known
as the "Crossroads of the World," has achieved the status of an iconic world
landmark and has become a symbol of New York City. Times Square is principally
defined by its spectaculars, animated, digital advertisements.
The intersection of Broadway and 42nd Street, at the south-east corner of Times Square, is the Eastern Terminus of the Lincoln Highway, the first road across the United States of America.
The theaters of Broadway and the huge number of animated neon and LED signs have long made them one of New York's iconic images, and a symbol of the intensely urban aspects of Manhattan. Times Square is the only neighborhood with zoning ordinances requiring building owners to display illuminated signs.
The density of illuminated signs in Times Square now rivals that of Las Vegas.
Officially, signs in Times Square are called "spectaculars", and the largest of them are called "jumbotrons." In 1992, the Times Square Alliance (formerly the Times Square Business Improvement District, or "BID" for short), a coalition of city government and local businesses dedicated to improving the quality of commerce and cleanliness in the district, started operations in the area.
Times Square now boasts attractions such as ABC's Times Square Studios, where Good Morning America is broadcast live, an elaborate Toys "Я" Us store, and competing Hershey's and M&M's stores across the street from each other, as well as restaurants such as Ruby Foo's (Chinese food), the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company (seafood), Planet Hollywood Restaurant and Bar(Theme Restaurant) and Carmine's (Italian) along with a number of multiplex
movie theaters. It has also attracted a number of large financial, publishing, and media firms to set up headquarters in the area. A larger presence of policehas improved the safety of the area.
