A century of change, as seen in a 1891 map on the left and a current satellite image on the right. Many of today's coastal homes and streets -- and JFK Airport -- are atop former wetlands.
Made by
Steven Melendez, John Keefe and Louise Ma. Follow us @datanews, email us here.
Historic map
Map courtesy of the David Rumsey Map Collection,
www.davidrumsey.com. "The Narrows to Jamaica Bay-Coney Island, north to Brooklyn. Copyrighted by Julius Bien & Co., 1890. (1891)" From the Atlas of the Metropolitan District and adjacent country comprising the counties of New York, Kings, Richmond, Westchester and part of Queens in the state of New York, the county of Hudson and parts of the counties of Bergen, Passaic, Essex and Union in the state of New Jersey ... From original surveys by J.R. Bien and C.C. Vermeule, the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey and the Geological Survey of New Jersey. Published by Julius Bien & Co. New York. 1891.
May courtesy of the David Rumsey Map Collection,
www.davidrumsey.com. "The Narrows to Jamaica Bay-Coney Island, north to Brooklyn. Copyrighted by Julius Bien & Co., 1890. (1891)" From the Atlas of the Metropolitan District and adjacent country comprising the counties of New York, Kings, Richmond, Westchester and part of Queens in the state of New York, the county of Hudson and parts of the counties of Bergen, Passaic, Essex and Union in the state of New Jersey ... From original surveys by J.R. Bien and C.C. Vermeule, the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey and the Geological Survey of New Jersey. Published by Julius Bien & Co. New York. 1891.
