New York - Times Square

Formerly Longacre Square, Times Square was named in 1904 after the New York Times tower. The newspaper first posted current headlines along its famous moving sign--the world's first--in 1928. Long the heart of the Theater District, Times Square fell into decay during the Depression when many theaters shut down only to be replaced by sleaze palaces that proliferated until the nineties.

The city cleaned up the area by inviting corporations such as Disney to move into the area. Today, Times Square has become a much safer place, day and night, with shopping, theaters and restaurants galore, not to mention its mammoth billboards.