America's Most Visited Place: Times Square - NYC, NY (Est. 1904)

Times Square in NYC, New York is the most visited place in America. In fact Times Square is the most visited place in the world. Annual visitors are recorded at an estimated 50 million. Times Square is New York’s most famous landmark and is the liveliest area in the city. Initially known as Long Acre (also spelled Longacre) Square, it had an unsavory reputation as the center of illicit activity in the 1890s. Though earlier in the 19th century it had been both a commercial and a residential area. It was renamed in 1904 for The New York Times, which opened its new offices in the Times Tower on the square (though it would outgrow them by 1913).  

At the turn of the 20th century, a number of impressive theatres were established on 42nd Street, and by the second decade of the century the Times Square and Broadway area had become arguably the most famous entertainment district in the country, partly because of the square’s central location and because situated beneath it was a large station for the newly constructed subway. During this period it earned the nickname “Crossroads of the World.”  Since the late 20th century the tenants in Times Square buildings have been required by law to display eye-catching signs, and, as a result, the area remains a flashing, nonstop feast for the eyes. Times Square is the center of the Theatre District, which is bounded roughly by Sixth and Eighth avenues to the east and west, respectively, and by 40th and 53rd streets to the south and north, respectively.  

Throughout the years sophisticated technology was used for the square’s ball drop as the tradition came to include live television broadcasts that shared the experience with tens of millions of people across the United States. The spot attracts nearly a million visitors every year to watch the famous New Year’s Eve ball drop. Today it is still the most visited place in the world.