Updates from “Mapping Historical New York: A Digital Atlas”

Gergely Baics, Barnard College
Rebecca Kobrin, Columbia University

Since the launch of our website in fall 2021, “Mapping Historical New York: A Digital Atlas” has presented at each SSHA conference. This year again, we want to bring to the conference the latest developments of our project, especially because we have major updates. The website’s first iteration included the 1850, 1880, and 1910 geocoded censuses for Manhattan and Brooklyn. By fall 2023, we plan to complete our work to geocode the 1940 census for all five boroughs, and integrate that data into the website as well. Simultaneously, we are moving backward in time, exploring the possibility to include the 1820 and 1790 censuses, with the intention to present a more rounded picture of the Black experience in New York, including the period of slavery and emancipation. This effort presents a new set of challenges, as the map sources, census data, and geocoding process are substantially different than for the later period. At the conference, we will discuss these two major updates, including results, methods, challenges, and next steps.

No extended abstract or paper available

 Presented in Session 225. The Social and Economic Landscapes of New York City and Beyond