One of New York's most famous, and to some obnoxious, landmarks is celebrating its 100th birthday.

Times Square - first known as Long Acre Square - has spent the past century under strongly fluctuating fortunes.

Sitting at the junction of Broadway and Seventh Avenue, and arguably not even a real square, it is an enduring symbol of a remarkable city.

"Times Square is New York," said Tim Tompkins of the Times Square Alliance, which helps run the square.

"It's a little bit obnoxious, a little bit in your face, but it's something you can never forget," he said, "It's a crazy, manic version of a town square."

It was renamed after the Times newspaper built its headquarters there.

There is debate over the exact reasons for the change of name in 1904, but the broad story is agreed upon.

There was concern over what to call the local subway station, and as the subway line ran through part of the new headquarters of the New York Times newspaper, the name Times Square was coined.

Mayor George B McClellan signed the resolution changing the name of the square itself, and the next day the Times noted the change on its second page.

At the time the area was known for its horses and carriages.

As the 20th Century went on, it became known as a meeting place, where a moving billboard made of light bulbs announced world events.

It started hosting a celebration every New Year's Eve.

But by the 1970s it was better known for strip bars and pornography.

Over the last decade the square, with its garish neon and heavy traffic, has seen a revival, with many of the grubbier shops closing down.

Now 26 million tourists each year finding their way to this famous location in the heart of Manhattan.

(Agencies)