The Great White Way is a nickname for a section of Broadway in the Midtown section of New York City, specifically the portion that encompasses the Theatre District, between 42nd and 53rd Streets.
Nearly a mile of Broadway was illuminated in 1880 by Brush arc lamps, making it among the first electrically lighted streets in the United States.
The headline "Found on the Great White Way" appeared in the February 3, 1902, edition of the New York Evening Telegram.
The journalistic sobriquet was inspired by the millions of lights on theatre marquees and billboard advertisements that illuminate the area, especially around Times Square.
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