Downtown Manhattan

The term Downtown Manhattan may have different meanings to different people, especially depending on what part of New York City they live in. Generally speaking, it refers, like "Lower Manhattan," to the area of Manhattan south of Canal Street. With this understanding, it would refer to the neighborhoods of the Financial District, Battery Park City, Tribeca, and most of Chinatown. However, many people (especially when talking about business matters) would use the term "Downtown Manhattan" to refer only to the Financial District and the businesses located there. This area is also the earliest settled (by Europeans) area of New York City, and is one of the few areas of Manhattan that does not have its streets arranged in a strict grid pattern. The area of the World Trade Center is also within Downtown Manhattan.

Related Topics:
New York City - Lower Manhattan - Manhattan - Canal Street - Financial District - Battery Park City - Tribeca - Chinatown - World Trade Center

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Within the New York area, the term "the city" has traditionally only been applied to the borough of Manhattan to the exclusion of the other four boroughs. Taking some offense in this practice, many residents of the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island prefer the term "downtown" to "the city" when referring to Manhattan, and in this usage "downtown" refers to nearly the entire borough, not just the southernmost end.

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