Historic Travel US: New York a Century Ago (2005)

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, many Europeans saw the United States as a land of opportunity. It is not surprising then that this period saw the largest number of immigrants arriving at various seaports on the east coast. From 1880 to 1930, about 28.5 million immigrants entered the United States. Statistics show that 70% of immigrants entering the United States in 1885 entered through New York's ports.