This interactive map shows you what your NYC block looked like 400 years ago

At the New York Botanical Garden (NYBG), a team of scientists just published an interactive map that explores what all five boroughs of New York City looked like 400 years ago—and you can search for your own block. 

The map, called the Welikia Project, was made by the NYBG’s Urban Conservation team. It takes the city block by block, uncovering the history of flora, fauna, and Indigenous people that once lived in each area before it became an urban environment. The name “welikia” is borrowed from the Lenape people...