George E. Hattorf 1880 in NYC

May 1 was moving day in New York, because most leases expired then.
By city law, all renters had to be out of their old house by 9 AM and into
the new one by noon. Streets were crammed with carts on the busiest day
of the year. People were leaving Manhattan for places like �Brooklyn, Williamsburg,
Jersey City, and Hoboken � owing to the enormous increase of rent and the
taxation, that is heavy, like a millstone around the necks of New Yorkers.�
Founded in 1848, the Tenant League agitated for more flexible leases because
the universal May 1 expiration served as an excuse for landlords to raise
rents annually. Bobbi --- On Tue 02/13, J b < johnbrene@hotmail.com > wrote:From: J b [mailto: johnbrene@hotmail.com]To: hannover-l@genealogy.netDate: Mon, 12 Feb 2007 22:42:37 -0800Subject: Re: [HN] George E. Hattorf 1880 in NYCPS. That "Moving Day" does sound crazy. The whole city, are you sure??? I could only picture the traffic jams. Holy you know what! lol

That is wild. But it validates what Art stated earlier (and I've heard hints of before, but wondered if indeed true). Just seems hard to fathom, in the largest city in the USA! Then again, what's the old saying: "Only in New York!"

Nice synopsis Bobbi.

Jb