Five Points, a 19th-century neighborhood in Lower Manhattan, was notorious for being densely populated, disease-ridden, and crime-infested. It was defined by five corners where streets intersected, giving it its name.
Originally built on the filled-in Collect Pond, the area became a melting pot of newly emancipated Black Americans and Irish immigrants, facing high rates of poverty, disease, and violence. Over time, the neighborhood evolved, with parts redeveloped into the Civic Center and Chinatown.