New York City — a city known for Times Square, Central Park, and commanding skyscrapers — didn't always look like the way it does today.
Approximately 20,500 years ago, during the Ice Age, a mile-thick sheet of ice covered the region's land, which formed the bedrock of the city.
Now home to 8.5 million residents and counting, NYC's five boroughs have changed a lot.
Take a look at the maps, paintings, and historical photographs that show the journey of the Big Apple.
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New York City started as a 1,000-feet-thick sheet of ice about 20,500 years ago. The glacier, which formed the area's bedrock, carved out the city's topography we know today.
Source: NYC Parks
In Central Park, you can still see the boulders left by these former glaciers.
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During the precolonial era (before the 16th century), bands of the Native American tribe Lenape — the original, native New Yorkers — inhabited the area, which they named Lenapehoking. They made use of its flourishing waterways for fishing, hunting trips, and trade.
Source: National Museum of the American Indian
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