Roosevelt Island
- This article refers to the island in New York City. For the island in the Southern Ocean near Antarctica, see: Roosevelt Island (Southern Ocean)\n----\nRoosevelt Island, pop. 9,500, is a long, narrow island in the East River of New York, New York, between Manhattan on the west and Queens on the east. It is two miles long and 800 feet wide at its widest point, with a total area of 147 acres.
It was named Manning's Island from
1666 to
1686, Blackwell Island from
1686 to
1921 and Welfare Island from
1921 to
1973, when it was renamed for President
Franklin D. Roosevelt.
The island was for many years devoted to hospitals and asylums. Welfare Penitentiary was closed in
1935.
In recent years the island has been developed as a residential community with a number of
high-rise apartment buildings; the long-term care facilities remain at both the northern (Coler Hospital) and southern (Goldwater Hospital) ends of the island.
Roosevelt Island is connected to
Manhattan by
subway and
aerial tramway, and to
Long Island City in
Queens by a short
bridge and by subway.
The
Roosevelt Island Tramway is claimed by the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation to be the only aerial tramway in
North America specifically intended for commuter use, although it is also often used for sightseeing purposes.
External links
\n*An Overview of Roosevelt Island\n*
Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation
Category:New York CityCategory:Manhattan neighborhoods\nCategory:Planned citiesCategory:Islands of New York
