
The 1970s were a unique time for the country - but especially New York City.

Decades of social turmoil reached a crescendo as middle class families moved out of the city and into the suburbs and an economic recession rattled New York's industrial sector.

By 1975 more than a million households were dependent on Welfare and in five years - from 1969 to 1974 - the city lost more than 500,000 manufacturing jobs.

During that time, because of the city's desperation, crime spiked.

Rapes and burglaries tripled, car thefts and felony assaults doubled and murders went from 681 to 1690 a year.

Areas became abandoned as the city became depopulated and arson created an atmosphere of tension in the Big Apple.

A stunning photo series has captured the turmoil and the turbulence of the era.

City on fire: In Harlem a young child runs past a blazing can. Vacant and abandoned homes dotted the scenery in the city as a country-wide recession hit

Two young women pose in Harlem. The 1970s was a transformative era for New York City as it worked through the growing pains of economic and social realities of America’s most prominent city

Crimes spiked significantly as the middle class moved out of the city and a desperate lower socioeconomic population was forced to scrape by

An oil slick surrounds the Statue of Liberty in May 1973. New York City lost over 500,000 manufacturing jobs by 1975

A group plays cards in a burnt out cafe in the Bronx. Areas became abandoned as the city became depopulated and arson created an atmosphere of tension

Looters are stopped by police during a black out in this photo from the 1970s. The number of burglaries in the city tripled during this time

The exteriors of the subway system were covered in as much grime and graffiti as the interiors

Dilapidated side streets like these were common in 1970s New York. By 1975 more than a million households were dependent on Welfare

Happier times: A couple celebrates their marriage during a rare, happy glimpse of the city in the 1970s

New York City became the capital of adult stores with Times Square as its epicenter. Old theatres and spectacular movie palaces were torn down for office buildings or allowed to slowly rot away

Throughout the 1970s, the city teetered on bankruptcy, which was avoided primarily by deep reductions in police, firemen, and teachers

Two teenage girls pose for a photograph in Lynch Park, South Williamsburg, during the turbulent 1970s.