10 River Road #5K

About Roosevelt Island

Roosevelt Island is an anomaly among New York City neighborhoods, and that's exactly its charm. It's centrally located and isolated at the same time. The buildings themselves are architecturally homogenous, but residents hail from all countries and backgrounds. The island is just a stone's throw from the throngs of 57th Street but has just one commercial strip. And though it has changed over time, it has always felt outside the orbit of normal city life.

Throughout the 19th century, the island was principally occupied by hospitals. In the 1970s, it became a testing ground for new urban ideals and was redeveloped into a planned residential community, which explains those uniform brick high-rises and winding walkways. Roosevelt Island's earliest residents were looking for a quiet, simple slice of life within city limits. That appeal still holds today, even as new developments have risen and the Cornell Tech Campus looms over the southern part of the island.