In the month of January, over 100 years ago, the five boroughs of New York City were born. The exact date of when the term borough and their constituents became official was January 1st, 1898. The boroughs as we know them today were initially just small towns, villages, and at some point, their own separate cities such as Brooklyn, over 40 to some counts. The original New York City was only the southern tip of Manhattan. The battle to even merge Brooklyn was lengthy as the idea of a greater New York was supported by many, but also opposed as anti-consolidation forces believed it would end the autonomy of the city and the people there.

The city’s consolidation was brought by the preaching of lower taxes, greater services, and referendums in each town. Funnily enough, it was also proposed by the fear that Chicago would become the most populous city in the U.S. at the time. However, there were many times that the boroughs could have fallen apart due to feelings of autonomy, differences, or even which area is overall better. These feelings roamed for a while, but the idea of a better and greater city kept it united, and soon the boroughs became official!