Many people come into Manhattan to work, from places like the outer boroughs, Long Island, Westchester County, Rockland County, New Jersey and Connecticut.  Some people have called Manhattan “Work Island.”
 
“‘manhattan? you mean Work Island?’ -@gwarrenl” was posted on X/Twitter by Meredith Gran on November 17, 2012. “I like when I make a tweet based on manhattan observations and all my Work Island friends fav it” was posted on X/Twitter by Meredith Gran on October 31, 2013. “Manhattan is Work Island and that’s about it” was posted on X/Twitter by katie honan on December 20, 2018. “Apparently the youths refer to Manhattan as ‘work island’ and I love this?” was posted on X/Twitter by Maddie Boardman on December 16, 2021.
 
The nickname “Work Island” went viral after it was on TikTok on January 21, 2024. There was a story in the New York (NY) Post on January 24th, and a story in TimeOut New York on February 7th.
 
“Money Makin’ Manhattan” is a similar nickname.
 
 
X/Twitter
Meredith Gran
@granulac
“manhattan? you mean Work Island?” -@gwarrenl
10:34 PM · Nov 17, 2012
     
X/Twitter
Meredith Gran
@granulac
I like when I make a tweet based on manhattan observations and all my Work Island friends fav it
12:55 PM · Oct 31, 2013
   
X/Twitter
katie honan
@katie_honan
Manhattan is Work Island and that’s about it
8:16 AM · Dec 20, 2018
 
X/Twitter
Nicole
@nicole_mav
The look on my Uber drivers face tonight that I was heading to Brooklyn (sheer happiness) was worth the years of cab drivers refusing to take me there after a night out on work island (Manhattan)
9:09 PM · Aug 12, 2019
 
X/Twitter
🚢🫡 (🔊🦪)
@TH0MASBAHAMA
There was one day where some of my coworkers referred to Manhattan as “Work Island” and I was like, What if Tommy Bahama’s office was on Work Island. His email signature would probably say “Thomas.”
7:03 PM · Jan 9, 2020
 
X/Twitter
katie honan
@katie_honan
not Work Island, as I call it! @Cliff_Michel is our Manhattan reporter
3:53 PM · Nov 9, 2021
 
X/Twitter
Maddie Boardman
@ml_boardman
Apparently the youths refer to Manhattan as “work island” and I love this?
7:38 AM · Dec 16, 2021
   
X/Twitter
otto von tease♈️
@ottovonfad
on work island today (Manhattan) 🥴
9:59 AM · Jan 12, 2022
   
X/Twitter
Kev
@CorgiComet
Just saw someone refer to Manhattan as “work island” and now I can’t see it any other way
6:43 PM · Sep 11, 2022
 
X/Twitter
Patrick T Shepherd
@PatrickTShep
“Manhattan?
Oh you must mean Work Island. No, I don’t want to go there.”
1:43 PM · Oct 25, 2022
 
X/Twitter
Michael Lee Nirenberg
@MLNirenberg
Glad to hear! The pandemic affected my relationship to the city. I still love it but increasingly feel the need to be in nature. I heard some millennials call Manhattan “work island”. That’s so funny.
8:37 PM · Dec 11, 2022
 
X/Twitter
RYE in the city
@badgirlryerye
my friend calls Manhattan “work island”
1:34 PM · Jan 25, 2023
 
X/Twitter
deli fanfiction
@passthpaintbrsh
lol at my brother in law calling Manhattan work island
5:56 PM · Jun 5, 2023
   
X/Twitter
Eri¢ Nelson 🦛🦛🦛
@waityourarobot
i refer to Manhattan as “Work Island” now
12:47 PM · Nov 14, 2023
 
TikTok
cafeconvos
Jared’s Cafe Convos 1-21 (2024—ed.)
bridge & tunnel friends from now on manhattan is work island #nyc #nyccomedy #nyctiktok
#newyorkcity #nycweekend #nyclife #fyp #funny #manhattan #brooklyn
 
X/Twitter
track mark shawty
@ultimate5uicide
Bro I just seen someone on TikTok call Manhattan “work island” and I cannnnt 😂
10:41 PM · Jan 21, 2024
 
X/Twitter
ness.
@nessisnothere
mans talkin bout Manhattan and referred to it as “work island”.. i commented something to the tune of.. said by someone that never ventures past 60th st. and he said i do but uptown doesn’t count.
.......is uptown not apart of Manhattan my brother?
10:45 PM · Jan 21, 2024
 
X/Twitter
hjtwutwut
@hjtwutwut
Someone just referred to Manhattan as “work island” 😭😭😭💀
12:35 AM · Jan 22, 2024
 
New York (NY) Post
Gen Z workers give Manhattan shady new nickname: ‘Why would I come here for fun?’
By Asia Grace
Published Jan. 24, 2024, 11:37 a.m. ET
(...)
“From now on Manhattan is ‘Work Island,’” penned NYC transit influencer Jared, 24, in the caption of his popular video proclamation.
 
“Why would I go to work island for fun?,” he continued in the clip, which has garnered over 587,000 TikTok views, echoing the sentiments of fellow content creators who’d previously granted Big Apple’s business core its new moniker.
 
TimeOut New York
This is what Gen-Z is calling Manhattan now
The term, although funny, is not totally fair
Written by Ian Kumamoto Wednesday February 7 2024
If you’ve been on TikTok recently, then you might have noticed that Gen-Z has a new nickname for Manhattan. It all started when a TikToker commented on a video of two girls leaving Manhattan to go back to Brooklyn and one user commented: “no for real, because why would I go to work island fun?”

From there, the term “work island” got a life of its own, and it evidently hit a deep nerve among Gen-Z, many of whom have chosen to live in the outer boroughs because of affordability and fun, but have to commute to work to offices in Manhattan. One TikToker made a video pointing out why it was such an appropriate name and subsequent videos stopped calling the borough by its name altogether, simply referring to it as work island. “Pov on our way to work island at 9:36pm on a wednesday,” read the caption in one TikTok.
   
There’s debate about what, exactly constitutes work island, though: Some TikTokers swear the nickname doesn’t apply to Uptown or Chinatown, while others have argued that people calling Manhattan “work island” are just transplants who spend all their time in Bushwick and have no idea what they’re talking about.