Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ, NASDAQ: VZ) is a global broadband and telecommunications company and a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average. It started in 1983 as Bell Atlantic (based in Philadelphia) with a footprint covering New Jersey to Virginia and NYNEX (based in New York City) with a footprint spanning from New York to Maine that emerged as part of the 1984 AT&T breakup into seven “Baby Bells.” Prior to its transformation into Verizon, a result of the Bell Atlantic–GTE merger, Bell Atlantic merged with Regional Bell Operating Company, NYNEX, in 1997. The name Verizon is a portmanteau of veritas and horizon. The company’s headquarters are located in the Verizon Building at 140 West Street in Lower Manhattan, New York City.
