> There were more people living in Manhattan in 1920 than 2020 I didn't know that, but it makes sense, given the immigration and building patterns of the era.

> There were more people living in Manhattan in 1920 than 2020 I didn't know that, but it makes sense, given the immigration and building patterns of the era. There were even more people living in Manhattan in 1910 than in 1920 (over 600,000 more than today). I'm not sure if this does anything except support the point I am making, though. Can more people be squeezed into Manhattan than are currently living there? Sure. You might not even need to bring back the squalid tenement buildings. But isn't the primary reason that there are fewer people living in Manhattan today because they tore down the tenements in order to build office towers? Although only 1.6 million people live in Manhattan, during the work day the population swells to almost 4 million when you account for commuting workers. > and the average building height was higher then too. I am honestly surprised to read this, and I have trouble believing that it is true. Do you have a source for this?