W 148th St. & Broadway

Consisting of three smaller neighborhoods, Manhattanville, Hamilton Heights, and Sugar Hill, West Harlem is a vivacious area that's perfect for students, newcomers, and longtime city dwellers. The neighborhood is home to many families who've lived here for generations, giving it a friendly, welcoming vibe. With a growing nightlife and great food, there's a lot to see and do in West Harlem.

Started by European settlers in the 17th century as a Dutch outpost, the area remained mostly farmland and housed rich landowners even after the American revolution. After several neighborhoods, with predominantly black residents, were destroyed to make room for Central Park in the 1850's and 1860's, many went and settled the northern part of the island, building much of the apartment buildings and row houses that still stand today.

Harlem eventually became the heart of black culture in the United States. In the 1920s the Harlem Renaissance made writers like…

West Harlem Apartments, 10031 Apartments