1940s - War and a Changing City - 1940s – War and a Changing City

World War II impacts daily life on the Upper West Side, which had regular air raid drills and wardens ensuring aparments complied with that practice. The Army practiced maneuvers in Sheep’s Meadow in Central Park. The decade also saw a big increase in immigration from Puerto Rico, where newly arrived American factories were taking over farmland and pushing out local workers. Many reacted to the rising unemployment by seeking manufacturing jobs in New York City. Newly enacted rent control laws also allowed a degree of affordability for these and other tenants seeking a foothold in the neighborhood.