It is estimated that the total length of Broadway is 55 km, of which approximately 25 km is directly in Manhattan. Passing through Manhattan and the Bronx, Broadway stretches through small towns further north, all the way to the capital of New York State, Albany.

Broadway was originally a path that wound its way through the swamps and cliffs of Manhattan Island. Upon the arrival of Dutch settlers, the trail soon became the island’s main road from New Amsterdam to the south shore. This is where the name came from: “Breede weg” — “broad path”.