New York - East Village

The East Village was home to wealthy families such as the Astors and the Vanderbilts in the nineteenth century until they moved uptown. In fact, the area got its start when the Stuyvesant family located here in the late eighteenth century. By 1900, immigrant Irish, Germans, Jews, Poles, Ukrainians and Puerto Ricans moved into the area. Attracted by the low rents, the beats, then the punks and later the punks moved into the East Village. Today, the area still is home to cutting edge music clubs and theaters. Alphabet City, named after the Avenues A, B, C and D, is being redeveloped, but can be a dubious place at night.