In January of 2011, New York City celebrated the completion of the 30-year renovation of Times Square. In the 1970s and 80s, Times Square was home to pornography, prostitution and drug dealing and many of the billboards around the square were blank. Today, the area is the center of a thriving theater district with many family friendly shops and restaurants. At its beginning however, Times Square was not at the center of the city at all.

In 1902, the owner of the New York Times purchased a plot of land on 42nd street between Broadway and Seventh Avenue, in what the city then called Long Acre Square. Two years later, the company finished construction on a 25-story tower. At the time, it was the second tallest building in the world. In the early 20th century, this area was very far uptown from the heart of the city and the newspaper's competitors mocked the paper as being too far from the action to cover the news properly. The city officially renamed the crossroads Times Square on April 8, 1904 and theatrical and residential development quickly followed the Times uptown to 42nd and 43rd Streets.

Throughout the 20th century, Times Square has been the location of many civil demonstrations including that of overworked chorus girls in the late 1910s, unemployed workers during the Great Depression, and young men opposing the start of the Vietnam War.

The famous New Year's Eve ball first dropped in 1938. Some thought no one would show to see it. Yet, crowds came, stopping traffic and streetcars in their tracks. The crowds still come to see the lights and the shows, reinforcing the intersection's long-held nickname, The Crossroads of the World.

Narrative researched and written by University of West Florida Public History Graduate Student, Malina Suity.