Harlem (Manhattan, NY) (New York City, New York)

Harlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, which since the 1920s has been a major African-American residential, cultural and business center. Originally a Dutch village, formally organized in 1658, it is named after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands. Harlem was annexed to New York City in 1873.

Harlem has been defined by a series of boom-and-bust cycles, with significant ethnic shifts accompanying each cycle. Black residents began to arrive en masse in 1904, with numbers fed by the Great Migration. In the 1920s and 1930s, the neighborhood was the focus of the "Harlem Renaissance", an outpouring of artistic and professional works without precedent in the American black community. However, with job losses in the time of the Great Depression and the deindustrialization of New York City after World War II, rates of crime and poverty increased significantly.

New York's revival in the late 20th century has led to renewal in Harlem as well. By 1995, Harlem was experiencing social and economic gentrification. Though the percentage of residents who are black peaked in 1950, the area remains predominantly black.
 neighbourhooddraw only border
Nearby cities:
Coordinates:  40°48'31"N 73°56'42"W

Comments

  • Harlem has been a predominantly Black neighborhood since at least the nineteen twenties. Like many areas in the United States Harlem was shaped by the forces of US Apartide policies and culture. There is now a major investment in real estate and businesses in Harlem taking place including the location of President Clinton’s office in Harlem.
  • I visited Harlem for the first time a week ago and I found it to be a nice place with its own unique flair. I would definetly go back!
  • I've lived in W. Harlem for the past year, and I like it fine, and I'm a tall, white, blue-eyed blonde. Never a hint or trouble. Everyone speaks Spanish to each other, then switch to English with me - I'm still learning. It's getting gentrified now, and I do wish there was less litter, but the people are nice and it's a family-oriented nabe. I'm about to renew my lease here, after living on the UES and in the Financial District. Good food too.
  • I like this neighborhood. Everyone doesn't want to go because it's always negatively portrayed by the media. I met some really interesting people here (I'm white by the way) and made more friends in the past 3 years here than during my life in Brooklyn.
  • I totally agree with you (both Marys) and Adam. Harlem is Awesome!!
  • wow. i'm looking at Harlem on the map. i never knew that neighborhood was so huge.
  • I visited Harlem for the first time a week ago and I found it to be a nice place with its own unique flair. I would definetly go back again11
  • In World Championship Wrestling, there was a tag team called Harlem Heat, with Booker T and Stevey Ray.
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