Broadway is an iconic location situated in New York. Broadway every day attracts hoards of tourists, who primarily visit the thriving theater industry associated with the area.
Broadway is a long avenue in New York. Broadway runs through the whole of the borough of Manhattan, from Bowling Green to Inwood, and continues onwards into Marble Hill, the Bronx and into Westchester County.
Broadway was originally known as the Wickquasgeck Trail and was carved by American Indians through the swamps and rocks of Manhattan. In the 17th century, it was developed into a main road and renamed Heerestraat by Dutch settlers, who used it as a way of traveling from New Amsterdam--situated at the Southern tip of Manhattan Island--to other areas. The English ultimately renamed the road Broadway.
Broadway is known for its theater attractions. The industry dates back to 1750, when Walter Murray and Thomas Kean founded the Theatre on Nassau Street. It presented Shakespearean plays and ballad operas. Now, there are around 40 theaters on Broadway. The Theater District, where most Broadway theaters are located, runs between 42nd and 53rd Streets in midtown Manhattan. The longest running show on Broadway is "The Phantom of the Opera," which debuted in 1988.
