Times Square is so named because of the newspaper the New York Times. The area, which has only recently been a square, was called something else for a time.

New York City is one of America's older cities. In the 19th Century, what we now call Times Square was called Longacre Square. It was named that because it was in the thick of the city's carriage-making district and London had a carriage-making-district street named Long Acre Street.

The name change came in 1904, when Adolph Ochs, who was then the owner of the Times, was looking to promote his newly build headquarters on 43rd Street, at the south end of the intersection. Ochs appealed to then-Mayor George B. McClellan, Jr., who agreed. The Times Building now has an address of One Times Square.

As well, Times Square hasn't always really been a square. It now is the area bounded by 42nd Street, 47th Street, 7th Avenue, and Broadway. But that area hasn't always been exclusively a public space.

Many people through the years have referred to Times Square as "The Great White Way" (because of the preponderance of bright lights) and "The Crossroads of the World" (because so many people from so many countries end up there).

Today, Times Square is famous for its tall buildings, its tall advertising signs, its pedestrian-friendly layout, and an immensely popular New Year's Eve celebration.

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