New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1868-03-26
mn cPOWTU on NEW. yORK.

We confess an utter inability to grasp in
the fold of our affections so vast and compre
hcnsiye a charmer as the City of New York.
20 SAY nothing of the suburbs which perform
the function Of crinolne to the great metropo
lis The traveller may fall in love with Boston
for It's Common or its Fancuil Hall, or for the
regularity of its streets, the enterprise of
its people. or the extraordinary abundance of
its philosophers, OF the numbers and modesty
of its men of genius. We have met those who
were charmed with the rural simplicity of
Bennington aud Philadelphia, with the
cleanliness of Cincinnati, the piety Of
Denver. aud the purity of Chicago.
But we think the average mind sur
vcys New-York somewhat Us our average
vision apprchends the ocean, or the stars,
or the National debt, or Barnums giantess, or
the Rocky Mountains with a dim sense of
muchness, or as Milton would say, of immen
sity which begs to be excused from any warmer
sentiment than respectful admiration. We
may speak of the growth and prosperity
of New York, therefore, with as few bushes
rs a youth OF fifteen would exhibit in address
ing fat and fair lady of forty
New York was never under SO rapid, uniform,
and healthy growth in dimensions, wealth and
business as to-day Whatever has been thought
of its prosperity in past years, nothing has
cqualcd its prosperity during the past two years.
In the older business parts of the city there
are localities where this advance is obvious,
and others where there is comparatively little
change But throughout the entire sweep of
its thirty miles of suburbs, wherever outward
growth or greater cOmpactness is possible, acres
and miles Of ascending blocks of residences
attest the onward strides of the metropolis.
Localities which -four years ago were said
to be over built, and where buildings
would not rent for a fair interest on their cost,
and which were deemed too far from the cen
tiers OF business, have now advanced several
hundred per cent on their cost, and from their
rOOf-tops the eye can not reach the outer limits
of the area over which new blocks of resi-
dences are rapidly being erected and arc rented
more rapidly than they can be built. This is
especially true of the suburbs of Brooklyn,
which we are including as part of the one me-
tropois. In the vicinity of Central and Pros
pect Parks, in lower Westchcster County, East
cn New jersey, in Kings and Queens Coun
ties, of Long Island, and in Staten
Island, the same prodigious concentration OF
population and development of industry. com
merce, and wealth are going on. The metropolis
proper, which now embraces-wthin the cities
of New York, Brooklyn, Jersey City and Ilo-
bOkcn--a total population of million and
three-quarters and which constitutes the bust
ness residence of another quarter of million
distributed among its more distant suburbs,
gives every evidence that even this mighty
population will be doubled during the present
generation rendering New York the metropo-
lis not only Of the United States, but Of the
world.
We cannot regret, therefore, being obliged TO
chronicle the fact that "a the first OF May APP
proaches and our great annual Real Estate
Fair lasting from February until May, dis
poses of the homes of 80 large portion of
our population for the ensuing year, it becomes
apparent that real estate was never in so great
demand, never so steadily firm or rising as it il
now. Landlords who undertook to mark
up unfortunately the rents on all kinds
of property have indeed very properly
been compelled TO mark most Of il down
to its old rates for the ensuing year.
They have had no difficulty in renting at those
rates. There is moderately full supply OF
expensive houses, worth say from $1,000 TO
$4,000 year. both for sale aud to rent.