The Bronx has come a long way since the 1970s. From a symbol of urban decay to a bustling hub of development, investment, and population growth, the Bronx has experienced a remarkable transformation over the past few decades. Public and private investments have helped create new businesses, which in turn have contributed to the borough's revitalization and renewal efforts. In 1981, the film Fort Apache, The Bronx used the stark image of the Bronx for its plot.
Since the consolidation of New York City in 1898, the Bronx has been governed by the New York City Charter, which establishes a strong system of mayors and councils. An important part of the last part of the book is set in the tumultuous trial that took place at the Bronx County Courthouse. Major projects along the coast, such as the Harlem River Yard, Bronx Point, and several housing complexes, will dramatically transform the South Bronx shoreline and provide accessibility to a shoreline that has been underused since the late 1900s and that has been inaccessible to Bronx residents. The expansions of the New York City subway contributed to the increase in population due to the arrival of thousands of immigrants to the Bronx, leading to a significant boom in residential construction. In the 1990s, New York City began closing large public high schools in the Bronx and replacing them with small high schools. The Hudson River separates the Bronx to the west from the Alpine, Tenafly, and Englewood cliffs in Bergen County, New Jersey; the Harlem River separates it from Manhattan Island to the southwest; the East River separates it from Queens to the southeast; and to the east, Long Island Sound separates it from Nassau County, on the west of Long Island.
The South Bronx has become a hotspot for investors and is awaiting completion of major infrastructure and development projects that will radically transform this neighborhood in coming years. Bronx's stark urban life had appeared in movies even before, with depictions of Bronx joy, a loud, flatulent sound of disapproval, which New York Yankees fans supposedly made for first time. The publisher and co-editor of The Riverdale Press, Bernard Stein, won Pulitzer Prize for editorial writing for his editorials on issues from Bronx and New York City in 1998. Like northernmost part of Upper Manhattan, mountainous terrain of West Bronx leaves grid of relatively free-style streets. Of 289 census tracts in Bronx District, 7 lost more than 97% of their buildings to fires and abandonment between 1970 and 1980; in 44 other areas, more than 50% of their buildings suffered same fate. On January 1st 1898, consolidated city of New York was born which included the Bronx as one of five distinct districts (at same time the Bronx territory moved from Westchester County to New York County which already included Manhattan and the rest of New York City before 1874). The 1983 film Escape from the Bronx, also known as Bronx Warriors 2 and Escape 2000, an Italian B-series film best known for its appearance in the television series Mystery Science Theater 3000, depicted the Bronx's stark urban life. Since its separation from New York County on January 1st 1914 the Bronx has had its own criminal court system and its own district attorney - who is directly elected by popular vote - just like each of the other 61 counties in New York State.
The borough has come a long way since its founding over a century ago. From its tumultuous history to its current state as an area undergoing rapid development and growth - both public and private - it is clear that this borough is an integral part of New York City's history.
