Randall's and Wards Islands

Randalls and Wards Islands

Randalls and Wards Islands seen from the air
Randalls and Wards Islands Location of Randalls and Wards Islands Show map of New York City Randalls and Wards Islands Location of Randalls and Wards Islands Show map of New York Randalls and Wards Islands Location of Randalls and Wards Islands Show map of the US
Geography
Location	East River, New York, NY, U.S.
Coordinates	40°47′48″N 73°55′19″W / 40.79667°N 73.92194°W / 40.79667; -73.92194
Area	2.09 km2 (0.81 sq mi)
Administration
United States
State	New York
City	New York City
Borough	Manhattan
Demographics
Population	1,648 (2010)
Pop. density	788.5 /km2 (2,042.2 /sq mi)

Randalls Island (also called Randall's Island) and Wards Island are conjoined islands, collectively called Randalls and Wards Islands, in the New York City borough of Manhattan, separated from Manhattan by the Harlem River, from Queens by the East River and Hell Gate, and from the Bronx by the Bronx Kill. The two islands were formerly separate, with the channel between them, Little Hell Gate, being filled in by the early 1960s.

The island had a population of 1,648 living on 2.09 square kilometers (520 acres) in 2010. Most of the island is parkland, spanning a total of 432.69 acres (175.10 ha). The parks offer athletic fields, a driving range, greenways, playgrounds and picnic grounds. The island also has a history of being used for asylums, hospitals, and cemeteries, and is currently home to several public facilities, including two psychiatric hospitals, a state police station, a fire academy, a wastewater treatment plant, and several homeless shelters.

The island is crossed by the Triborough and Hell Gate bridges. The island can be reached by the Triborough Bridge; the Wards Island Bridge, which serves pedestrians and bicyclists and links the island to East Harlem in Manhattan; or by the Randalls Island Connector, a pedestrian and cycling bridge crossing the Bronx Kill and connecting to the Port Morris neighborhood of the Bronx. Randalls Island is the home of two music festivals: Governors Ball Music Festival & Panorama Music Festival.