Wall Street in New York City

Wall Street is an eight-block long street located in the Financial District in Downtown Manhattan running northwest to southwest from Broadway to South Street.

Wall Street has become known as the location and representation of the American financial markets. Wall street is the foundation of financial institutions in American and as a result New York City as a whole can be considered as the most economically influential and powerful city not only in America, but in the world. There is a vital reason why that statement is not outrageous, which is that two of the largest stock exchanges measured by total market capitalization are located on Wall Street in New York City.

The first stock exchange is the New York Stock Exchange, which is located at 11 Wall Street and is the larger and older of the two; having a market capitalization of $19.3 trillion and was founded in 1792.

The second stock exchange is the Nasdaq (National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations) Stock Market and has a market capitalization of $6.8 trillion.

Apart from the financial institutions on Wall Street, there are landmarks on Wall Street that distinguish itself as an iconic and significant street in New York City.

Federal Hall, located on 26 Wall Street, built in 1842 was the first capital of the United States, which held important events such as George Washington’s Inauguration and the first introduction of the Bill of Rights; but Federal Hall is now a museum displaying particular facets of George Washington’s time as President of the United States.

Located on 48 Wall street, not too far from Federal Hall, is the Museum of American Finance, established in 1988, which America’s only independent museum committed to the history of finance in the United States. It is fitting that the only museum fully dedicated to finance is located within the former headquarters of the Bank of New York.

Moreover, on the theme of financial landmarks, located on 33 Liberty St is the Federal Reserve Bank of New York; only a 4 minutes walk from Wall Street. The Federal Reserve Bank of New York, the biggest and most influential reserve bank, is one of the 12 different reserve banks spread around the United States.

The financial institutions within Wall Street are one of the most influential in the financial and economic world, consequently the companies on Wall Street are also one of the richest in the world.

As a result of that wealth, on September 17th, 2011 a movement by the name of Occupy Wall Street began, in which a group of people were protesting the economic inequality worldwide. This movement gained worldwide attention where their most famous slogan was “We are the 99%” directing criticism to the wealthiest 1% and the economic disparity between them and the remainder of the population. The movement was based in Zuccotti Park, located north of Trinity Church on 75 Broadway.