Harlem

:This article is about the Harlem neighborhood in New York City. For other places named Harlem, see Harlem (disambiguation).

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Harlem is a neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City, long known as a major African American cultural and business center. Although the name is sometimes reckoned as comprising the whole of upper Manhattan, traditionally Harlem is bound by 155th Street to the north, and the Harlem River to the east; it has a somewhat erratic southern boundary with the Upper East Side, where Harlem is demarcated above 96th Street from the East River to Third Avenue, 98th Street from Third Avenue through Madison Avenue, and about 104th Street on Fifth Avenue. From Fifth Avenue to Eighth Avenue it is bounded on the south by Central Park at 110th Street, and by 125th Street west of Eighth Avenue where it meets Morningside Heights, a section of the Upper West Side. Finally, the western boundary of Harlem is the Hudson River, which additionally serves as a city, county, and state line.

Related Topics:
Neighborhood - Manhattan - New York City - African American - Harlem River - Upper East Side - Fifth Avenue - Central Park - 125th Street - Morningside Heights - Upper West Side - Hudson River

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Harlem has various subsections with their own landmarks and identities. Harlem is comprised of three main sections, Central, East, and West, each with their own sections as follows:

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• Central Harlem (between 5th Avenue and St. Nicholas Avenue)
• Sugar Hill
• Mount Morris Park
• Strivers' Row
• West Harlem (west of St. Nicholas Avenue)
• Hamilton Heights
• Manhattanville
• East Harlem (east of 5th Avenue, also called Spanish Harlem)

Not all of Upper Manhattan is truly Harlem, and not all agree about whether Morningside Heights or Hamilton Heights, for example, should be considered sections of Harlem or if they are distinct neighborhoods. However, some fail to realize that the status of a small neighborhood (like Hamilton Heights) being part of a larger one (like Harlem) does not preclude the smaller one's status as a distinct neighborhood as well.

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The commonly accepted definition of Harlem has changed over time. Ralph Ellison explained this succintly by observing "Wherever Negroes live uptown is considered Harlem."

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Harlem: History ►