Harlem Overview
Historic Harlem is experiencing a second renaissance, fueled by Manhattan’s booming real estate market (and thanks to the beautiful Harlem brownstones in the neighborhood). Harlem has been through good times and bad, but the future certainly looks bright. Crime is down and property prices are up (but still much cheaper than elsewhere in Manhattan). Great restaurants and bars, both old and new, draw fans from all over New York.
Harlem boundaries
Greater Harlem can be divided into two different rooms:
- East Harlem / El Barrio (Spanish Harlem): From East River to 5th Avenue and from East 96th Street to Harlem River
- Central Harlem: 110th Street (just north of Central Park) to the Harlem River and from 5th Avenue to St. Nicholas Avenue.
Harlem Underground Transportation
- East Harlem: 96th Street (6); Street 103 (6); Street 110 (4, 5, 6); 116 Street (6); Calle 125 (4, 5, 6)
- Central Harlem: Central Park North / 110th Street (2, 3); 116 Street (2, 3); Street 125 (2, 3); Street 135 (2, 3); Street 145 (3); Street 148 (3); Cathedral Parkway / 110th Street (B, C); Street 116 (B, C); Street 125 (A, B, C, D); Street 135 (B, C); Street 145 (A, B, C, D); Street 155 (B, D); Street 155 (C)
Harlem Real Estate: Harlem Brownstones & Apartments
Harlem is one of the last places to find decent real estate deals in Manhattan. Although condo rents and prices are on the rise, they are still cheap compared to other Manhattan neighborhoods. You can still find dark colored sandstones from Harlem that cost much less than similar properties just a mile south. Meanwhile, developers are building cooperatives and condos to meet the demand of New Yorkers who cannot afford to buy a home or brownstone.
Harlem Average Rents ( * Source: MNS)
- Studio / 1BR: $ 1,753– $ 3,020
- 2BR: $ 2,588– $ 3,827
Harlem Real Estate Prices ( * Source: Trulia)
- $ 875K: Average Home Sales in 2015
Essential information about Harlem and cultural institutions
- Harlem Schools
- Harlem for kids
- East Harlem Community Site
- The Apollo Theater
- Harlem Dance Theater
- Museum of the City of New York
- Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture
Harlem restaurants and nightlife
- Rao: The famous (and notorious) Rao serves old-school Italians to New York notables and self-proclaimed gangsters. 455 E. 114th St. at Pleasant Ave., 212 / 722-6709
- Sylvia – Sylvia’s soul food draws crowds of tourists and locals to Harlem. 328 Malcolm X Blvd. at W. 126th St., 212 / 996-0660
Harlem history
In the neighborhood’s heyday in the 1920s and 1930s, Harlem was the heart of black culture in the United States. Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald performed at Harlem clubs like the Cotton Club and the Apollo. Writers Zora Neale Hurston and Langston Hughes became Harlem literary legends.
But tough economic times hit Harlem during the Depression and continued into the 1980s. With rampant poverty, high unemployment, and high crime rates, Harlem was a difficult place to live.
The remodel in the 1980s revived interest in the neighborhood.
As the Manhattan real estate market flourished, abandoned buildings in Harlem were replaced by new residential and office buildings. Real estate investors took beautiful old brown Harlem stones that had fallen into disrepair and began restoring them to their former glory. Soon Bill Clinton and Starbucks moved in, and the second Harlem Renaissance became official.
Harlem Neighborhood Statistics
- Total population: 230,338
- Average age: 37 for women, 32 for men.
- Median Household Income: $ 36,395
