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The 7 Best Neighborhoods in NYC

New York City is a world city. It has been the largest city in the United States since the United States was founded. And it has a vibrant, diverse culture unlike anywhere else in the world. That’s why even New York’s neighborhoods are so famous – an area of a few blocks can be extremely culturally distinct in its own right. Here are some of the best – which one do you think is the best neighborhood in NYC.

1. Lower East Side

A hundred years ago the Lower East Side was one of the biggest slums in the world. More than a million people, mostly Irish and Italian immigrants, lived in the tiny square of southeastern Manhattan – almost as many as the entire island today. Since then, it’s become a bohemian art utopia, and is slowly becoming a luxury neighborhood. If you like the charm of old New York with modern ingenuity alongside, it’s the best neighborhood in NYC.

2. TriBeCa

Triangle Below Canal Street, but don’t worry about it. Everyone just calls it TriBeCa. Land of boutiques and artsy penthouses, it’s the most expensive neighborhood in New York – even though it’s right next to one of the poorest, Chinatown. If you love celebrities and film, it’s the best neighborhood in NYC.

3. Upper East Side

Old Money. It’s synonymous with the Upper East Side. The old great New York families who used to live in midtown mansions a hundred years ago all live here now. If you love old-school luxury, the lifestyle of the aristocracy, the UES is the best neighborhood in NYC.

4. Harlem

Harlem has been largely African-American for 100 years – a stark contrast to the shifting patterns elsewhere in the city. Through good times (the Harlem Renaissance) and bad (the blaxploitation era), in poverty (the ‘60s) and wealth (today), it’s a center for black life in America, making it arguably the best neighborhood in NYC.

5. Wall Street

Locally known as the Financial District, Wall Street juxtaposes the extreme wealth of the financial industry with the oldest part of New York – sorry, New Amsterdam. The New York Stock Exchange is right next to Trinity Church, established in 1696 and one of the largest landowners. If you like wealth and weird streets, it’s the best neighborhood in NYC.

6. Inwood

Okay, even this neighborhood is obscure. At the very top of Manhattan, it’s one of the most affordable neighborhoods in the city, and it not only has stunning views of the Palisades (the Jersey cliffs), it has an authentic medieval monastery – actually, four. The Met’s medieval museum, The Cloisters, is in the area and made from four different reassemble French monasteries. Thanks, Rockefellers!

7. Williamsburg

New York isn’t just Manhattan, although Brooklyn . Williamsburg is close enough, though. One stop away, it’s party central and art central at the same time, and the hippest new neighborhood. Get there before it gets too expensive – tick tock!

What’s that? You’ve made up your mind, and realized that every neighborhood is the best neighborhood in New York City? You’re going to move here? That’s amazing! In a city of eight million people, there’s always room for one more. And Empire Movers are the experts in getting you there – whether you’re coming from Hudson or Hong Kong, Astoria or Antarctica. Our years of experience and commitment to service, and our intimate knowledge of the city, make us the perfect choice to get you where you need to go: the best neighborhood in New York City.

The 7 Best Neighborhoods in NYC