New York City Street Grid: Avenues, Streets, and Exceptions
Manhattan's Commissioners' Plan of 1811 imposed a rigid orthogonal grid north of Houston Street – one of history's most influential urban designs.
Grid Mechanics
Avenues (North–South)
- Numbered 1–12 (east to west).
- 1st Ave (East Village) → 12th Ave (West Side Highway).
- Width: 100 ft (30 m) typical.
- Named avenues: Park Ave (4th), Madison Ave, Lexington Ave (between 3rd/4th), Broadway (diagonal).
Streets (East–West)
- Numbered 1–228 (south to north).
- 1st St (East Village) → 228th St (Inwood).
- Width: 60 ft (18 m) typical.
- Blocks: ~264 ft (80 m) N–S; ~900 ft (274 m) E–W (long blocks).
Major Exceptions
| Feature | Description | Impact |
|---|
| Broadway | Diagonal SW–NE; original Native trail | Creates "bowtie" plazas (Times Sq, Herald Sq, Union Sq) |
| Central Park | 59th–110th St, 5th–8th Ave (1857) | Interrupts grid; 4 transverse roads only |
| Greenwich Village | Pre-grid organic streets | Named, winding (W 4th, W 10th, etc.) |
| Financial District | Pre-1811; narrow, irregular | Wall St, Broad St, Stone St |
| Stuyvesant Town / Peter Cooper Village | Superblocks (1940s) | No through streets |
Outer Boroughs
- Brooklyn/Queens: Separate grids (some aligned, some not).
- Bronx: Grid extends north; Jerome Ave = "5th Ave" equivalent.
- Staten Island: No grid; suburban curvilinear.
Navigation Tips
- Even numbers = south/east sides of streets/avenues.
- Cross-street calculator: For building # on avenue: (Block × 100) + 1. E.g., 500 5th Ave = 40th–41st St.
- Subway stations named for cross-streets (e.g., "42 St–Grand Central").
Wanderlust World