Last week the FiDi Association brought several local businesses and community members together to the Léman Preparatory School ballroom to provide a flavor of the neighborhood and promote the Downtown Alliance’s “Going Green” program, which aims to beautify the area’s parks.

Brylee Maxfield, the communications manager at Léman, said one goal of the evening was to show community members they don’t have to leave the Financial District to patronize certain businesses or experience a sense of community.

“The Financial District is the fastest growing neighborhood in the City,” added Melissa Andreev, president of the FiDi Association and general manager of local business Maison du Chocolat, which had a prominent table at the event.

“It’s a completely livable neighborhood,” said Andreev.

This may come as a surprise to those who remember a neighborhood which used to darken and all but close down as soon as employees left their office buildings.

Jason Stahl, who works for “Downtown Magazine,” said that simply is no longer true.

“The Financial District doesn’t shut down at five anymore,” he said. “You can see that from the development in the area.”

“I would live down here if I could afford it,” Stahl, a Hoboken resident, added.

Stahl said the founder of “Downtown Magazine” lives in Battery Park City herself and her love for the area comes across in the magazine.

The magazine, like many local businesses, was hit hard by Hurricane Sandy, but Stahl said they have made a strong comeback, including putting out an issue on “resiliency.”

Jessica Lai, who attended the event with friends as a Financial District resident, said there is definitely a sense of community and livability in the area.

“It feels homey, safe, comfortable,” she said. “People recognize each other.”

Real estate broker Santo Rosabianco, representing the company Rosabianco & Associates, called the neighborhood “an exceptional place to live.”

Rosabianco pointed to the area’s parks, subway lines, commercial growth and booming night life.

“There are more childbirths down here than in any other area,” said Rosabianco, adding new school districts are coming about and strollers can be seen all around the neighborhood.

“It’s not just tourists down here anymore,” he said, indicating the nearly 70,000 people live in the area.

“Post-9/11, people didn’t necessarily want to come down here,” said Rosabianco. “Now we’re growing mightily.”

Still, as Stahl indicated, affordability is an issue for many.

Rosabianco offered his own take on the matter: “Look, it’s full-service living down here,” he said. “It’s the best bet for your bargain.”

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A HISTORY OF ONLINE MENTIONS (#OWS) SINCE THE START
Impressions with an OWS Organizer
American Autumn
The Pivotal Moments of Occupy Wall Street

Aug. 23: ANONYMOUS, the hacker organization, endorses #occupywallstreet with a video promoting the upcoming Sept. 17 occupation. Until now, the Occupy Wall Street (OWS) movement was merely talk initiated by Adbusters, an anti-consumerist, not-for-profit organization out of Canada.

Sept. 17:  Zuccotti Park, formerly referred to as Liberty Plaza Park, is “liberated” and occupied by protesters from across the country. Socialists, communists and anarchists are among the protesters. OWS organizers say they have no single demand but rather wish to call attention to the anger and discontentment of their peers over corporate power and the wide gap in wealth distribution, among other issues. Actress Roseanne Barr, rappers Lupe Fiasco and Immortal Technique all speak at the inaugural General Assembly.

Sept. 24: During a march of approximately 500 people toward Union Square, the New York Police Department (NYPD) kettle a group of protesters using orange mesh nets. Roughly 80 are arrested.

In the hours and days following the march, video footage of NYPD officer Anthony Bologna pepper-spraying three women is circulated widely on the Internet. The video garners mainstream coverage by major news organizations of the OWS movement.

Sept. 30: As Occupy movements sprout up across the country (Occupy Boston, Occupy Chicago and Occupy San Francisco are a few of the largest, among many more) a rumor spreads that the band Radiohead will play an acoustic set at Zuccotti Park. Thousands of people flock to the park, despite numerous denials from a spokesperson for Radiohead and OWS. Ultimately it turns out to be a hoax, but media coverage increases.

Oct. 3: During a planned march over the Brooklyn Bridge, over 700 people are reportedly arrested by the NYPD.

Oct. 5:  Many unions and political organizations, including TWU, 1199SEIU and MoveOn.org, officially endorse OWS with a rally and march that starts in Foley Square. Over 20,000 people reportedly attend the rally. Later that evening, several protesters are arrested as they charge a barricade on Wall Street.

Oct. 10: Celebrities such as Kanye West, Russell Simmons visit Zuccotti Park. The Occupy movement is now using Meetupcom as a platform and there are over 1,300 occupations around the world.

Oct. 14: Brookfield Office Properties, the owners of Zuccotti Park, attempts to clear the park by announcing that they and the NYPD will be performing a cleaning of the park at 7 a.m. the next morning. Protesters spend the day cleaning the park themselves, MoveOn.org gathers more than 150,000 signatures on a petition asking Bloomberg not to allow their eviction and, by 6 a.m., with no response from either the city or Brookfield Properties, an estimated 5,000 people gather in Zuccotti Park to prevent the clearing of the park. At the last minute, Brookfield rescinds their request for cleaning as well as their request for NYPD support in removing the protesters.

PHOTOS BY: Gail Zawacki, Brennan Cavanaugh, Gail Zawacki, Jeremiah's s Vanishing New York, Alex Fradkin, Brennan Cavanaugh, Meetup.com, Brennan Cavanaugh, Cody Swanson