Roosevelt Island: Meaning (information, definition, explanation, facts)

This article refers to the island in New York City. For the island in the Southern Ocean near Antarctica, see: Roosevelt Island (Southern Ocean)

Roosevelt Island, pop. 9,500, is a long, narrow island in the East River of New York, New York, between Manhattan on the west and Queens on the east. It is two miles long and 800 feet wide at its widest point, with a total area of 147 acres.

It was named Manning's Island from 1666 to 1686, Blackwell Island from 1686 to 1921 and Welfare Island from 1921 to 1973, when it was renamed for President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

The island was for many years devoted to hospitals and asylums. Welfare Penitentiary was closed in 1935.

In recent years the island has been developed as a residential community with a number of high-rise apartment buildings; the long-term care facilities remain at both the northern (Coler Hospital) and southern (Goldwater Hospital) ends of the island.

Roosevelt Island is connected to Manhattan by subway and aerial tramway, and to Long Island City in Queens by a short bridge and by subway.

The Roosevelt Island Tramway is claimed by the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation to be the only aerial tramway in North America specifically intended for commuter use, although it is also often used for sightseeing purposes.