NEW YORK—They came to mourn the loss of family, friends and, for many New Yorkers in the crowd, two towers that had come to symbolize everything they love about their city.

At Ground Zero Wednesday, family members, dignitaries and survivors gathered to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

The ceremony was simple. There were no celebrity performances, surprises or speeches full of rhetoric—just the somber reading of 2,801 names.

“They were our neighbors, our husbands, our children, our sisters, our brothers and our wives—they were our countrymen and friends—they were us,” New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg said as he introduced the ceremony where the names of the victims who died at the World Trade Center were read.

Though the city has bounced back remarkably from that horrific Tuesday morning one year ago, Wednesday was a day for remembering.

Standing in the crowd at the south end of Ground Zero before the ceremony, a group of New Yorkers tried to recall where the buildings had once stood and what they had looked like. They talked about stores that had been lost and favorite restaurants that had been closed because of the lack of business in Lower Manhattan after the attacks.

New Yorkers throughout the city relived their Sept. 11 experiences, sharing minute-by-minute accounts with friends, family and total strangers.

The immense sadness of the day was mitigated by the spirit of sharing and good will of the crowd gathered at Ground Zero.

Samantha Aezen, a New Yorker who served as a Red Cross volunteer assisting with the relief efforts following the attacks, said she came down to Ground Zero with a group of friends, some of whom had lost loved ones on Sept. 11.

Being there on the one-year anniversary was a “humbling” experience, Aezen said.

“It really makes me realize how fortunate I am,” she said. “I go home, and everybody’s fine.”

Aezen said she could not imagine the grief felt by the family and friends of the victims.

“You really can’t watch this ocean of people and not think, ‘Take nothing for granted,’” she said.

Randy A. Wittreich is a volunteer fire fighter with the Rivervale, N.J. volunteer fire company.

Wednesday was his first trip back to Ground Zero since he and several members of his company headed down to the site on Sept. 12 to help with the rescue efforts.