Population, business activity have rebounded in last decade
Tribeca and other neighborhoods of Lower Manhattan are thriving. Photo courtesy of Peter Comitini/Creative Commons
We at Gotham Brokerage Co., Inc., joined the rest of the nation and much of the world in solemnly commemorating the 10th anniversary of 9/11. But it meant something extra to us, and to the people who live and work around us.
The World Trade Center site is our neighbor. It’s just across Broadway, about five blocks west of our office on William Street. When the terrorists hijacked those planes and flew them into the WTC towers, they attacked America, of course — but they also attacked something more intimate, the place where we do business: Lower Manhattan.
That’s why we at Gotham walk a little taller when we think about how the lower tip of the island has regenerated in the last decade.
Manhattan’s southern tip, the section below Canal Street, has added 26,800 residents in the last decade. More companies operate now in Lower Manhattan than on Sept. 11, 2001, and those firms employ nearly as many people.
What’s amazing, and what’s been especially gratifying to see all around us, is that Lower Manhattan has in some ways surpassed what it was. The population has nearly doubled since the 2000 Census, which makes the resurgence even sweeter.
Young families drawn by high-performing schools and new school construction form the backbone of the rebirth. “The new schools were absolutely critical,” Julie Menin, chairwoman of the local community board, said in a recent Wall Street Journal article.
After the attacks, we along with our neighbors who stayed, organized and planned, and newcomers attracted by waterfront access and tax incentives for home buyers and developers began to repopulate the neighborhoods, slowly. Public and private investors pumped $30 billion worth of building and other projects into Lower Manhattan.
We’ve been here all along, and we’re not going anywhere. We want to help the people who were already here, those who just came and those who are thinking about moving to Lower Manhattan get peace of mind that comes with affordable home, business and auto insurance.
Gotham has written policies in New York City for more than 50 years, serving clients throughout the Tri-State area. As a brokerage, we work with multiple underwriters and insurance companies to help tailor your coverage and keep costs down.
For a free quote and consultation, call or email us or visit our website at gothambrokerage.com. Or come by our office, 156 William St., suite 1202, Lower Manhattan, New York, N.Y.
