NYC launches interactive map of roughly 2,500 streets named for famed New Yorkers
- 2,496 streets and intersections bear the names of local legends such as Run D.M.C and poet Audre Lorde
- You can use the online tool to research your neighborhood or look up a prominent New Yorker by name
The intersection of West 140th Street and Malcolm X Boulevard in Harlem is co-named in honor of Lamont "Big L" Coleman, an American rapper and songwriter from the neighborhood.
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A new, interactive New York City street map is making history—or at least cataloging it.
The Department of Records and Information Services (DORIS) unveiled a map last week displaying the 2,496 streets and intersections named after famous New Yorkers. On it you’ll find the locations of street signs identifying famed locals such as poet Audre Lorde or the hip hop group Run D.M.C.
“Our city’s history is long and deep, and we need tools to remember those who came before us—whether their name is on a building or on a street sign—and why they’re being honored,” said City Council member Gale Brewer, who authored legislation mandating the online map. (Click on the X below to display the map.)
If you’ve ever wanted to live in the same neighborhood as a famous New Yorker—or just learn a little more about that extra street sign on your block—this is your opportunity. Accessible online, the map is a fun tool to learn more about your neighborhood’s notable past residents.
You can spot Audre Lorde Way at the intersection of East 68th Street and Lexington Avenue, honoring the Harlem-born poet and feminist known for her “tremendous influence on generations of activists,” the map notes. Or scroll over to the intersection of 205th Street and Hollis Avenue in Queens to find Run D.M.C JMJ Way, co-named for the legendary hip-hop trio.
In DORIS Commissioner Pauline Toole’s neighborhood of Park Slope, for example, the intersection of 12th Street and 7th Avenue is co-named after the New York journalist and author Pete Hamill—once the top editor of The New York Post and The Daily News.
“Our street map will let all New Yorkers and visitors know why the council honored the nationally recognized columnist, author and journalist for his extensive work and dedication covering New York City,” Toole said in a statement.
The map also includes some references to fictional celebrities, such as the corner of West 63rd and Broadway, which is designated as Sesame Street.
DORIS will add more names to the map as it works its way through the streets and intersections co-named before 2001, when the City Council co-named streets individually rather than in groups, Toole said. If a New Yorker notices an error in one of the biographies, they should report it to their council member, Toole added.
