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SecureRandomNumber t1_jcvwxki wrote

Reply to comment by collegedropoutclub in Nieuw Amsterdam around 1662 - currently known as New York City, United States by MidnightCh1cken

It might have been an old time version of industrial zoning. Smiths produce lots of noise, smoke, and are a fire hazard. Or maybe it was to attract customers coming to the city by horse or cart who needed a horseshoe or a wheel fixed.

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TonyzTone t1_jcwm1ye wrote

I don’t think a lot of people were traveling by horse or cart. North of the Wall Street wall was untamed land with little road infrastructure controlled by various native tribes and confederations.

If you were traveling to the closest colony at the time (either Massachusetts Bay or New Haven), you’d almost certainly do it by ship.

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