hen New York was New Netherland, with its headquarters around what is now Peter Minuit Plaza at the southern tip of Manhattan, Dutch was the lingua franca of a highly multilingual entrepôt. Even after the British took over in 1664, Dutch language and culture persisted, mixing with English, and was likewise used by migrants who came from across Europe and by enslaved Africans living in the area, and it remains today in numerous place names. Apparently until the early 20th century, a unique variety called "Jersey Dutch" was spoken primarily by a mixed-race community in northern New Jersey and the nearby New York town of Suffern.