Roosevelt Island is an island in New York City's East River, located between Manhattan and Queens. The island is 2 miles long, and it was known as "Blackwell's Island" and "Welfare Island" (due to hospitals dominating the island during the 1800s) until 1971, when it was renamed after Franklin D. Roosevelt. Residential buildings were constructed in the late 20th century, and the island had a population of 11,661 people in 2010.