Hamilton Heights

Hamilton Heights has been ready for a make-over for decades, but has not seen the gentrification that neighborhoods to the north (Washington Heights) and South (Manhattanville) have enjoyed. It remains a bit of a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde area, bisected by the crime-ridden streets of Broadway, but perhaps better defined by the the elegant mansions of Sugar Hill, a neighborhood-within-a-neighborhood.

Hamilton Heights has gone from upscale neighborhood to no man’s land over the decades, but today it is home to a substantial number of white-collar professionals and their families, primarily black and Hispanic. The neighborhood is bordered by the Hudson River to the west and Edgecombe Avenue to the East. It runs for one mile from West 135th Street north to West 155th Street. The #1 and #9 IRT subway line runs along Broadway and takes you to midtown Manhattan in about 25 minutes.

Sugar Hill, a ‘sweet spot’ for the ultra-rich, is carved out at the center of Hamilton Heights. It starts at Edgecombe Avenue, but only goes to Amsterdam Avenue, and runs only from West 145th Street to West 155th Street. Sugar Hill offers splendid living. Hamilton Heights was built for the wealthy and Sugar Hill was the peak of luxury. That history is seen in upscale brownstones and row houses that are lined up along the streets east of Broadway.

Sugar Hill has received landmark status and that has helped preserve its magnificent single-family homes from the Beaux-Arts period. Luxury condos are available in the $500,000 to one million dollar range. What makes these apartments extra-special is that many retain their original spacious layouts.

Rentals are hard to come by, but if you can, the savings compared to other areas in Manhattan are enormous. Two-bedroom/two-bath apartments are available for as little as $2,100 and top out at about $3,500.

Hamilton Heights runs from about 135th Street to 155th Street, and it's considered a part of Harlem. This means it is largely a tough area. Rents are low because that generally reflects the demand for this area. Apartments though may be large. Groceries and other goods are cheap because of the area -- people will buy what they can afford. I am not too familiar with this area. But I do know it's somewhat North of Columbia University. A lot of New York's tougher spots are undergoing revitalization but the process is generally slow. If you are interested in living here I would bring a car and drive around. Sometimes there may be particular blocks that may surprise you. I don't know of any however.

The pluses are that the area offers reliable transportation via train and bus. Gypsy cabs may also abound in addition to the traditional yellow cabs. Street vendors are popular up here. You can probably find some great buys but you won't find the quality of goods that you can find on the East Side. There's just a different demand here.

Great food does exist though. So if you are adventurous do explore during the day.

Hamilton Heights, named after Alexander Hamilton, is in uptown neighborhood, technically a part of Harlem running from 135th to 155th Streets. The neighborhood has seen a good deal of gentrification over the past five to seven years but rents are still relatively low compared with downtown area. The apartments are larger than you will find downtown which makes them attractive to families with children as well as students and young professionals who seek to share.. City College is in this neighborhood and Columbia University is about a mile south.

While there are plenty of fast food and inexpensive restaurants, there really isn't much to do here, although the area does house the Dance Theater of Harlem and a sprinkling of night clubs. The good news is that you aren't terribly far from the busier parts of the city where you can buy any needed item and find many more things to do. Luckily the area has good subway service and you are only a few stops from midtown.

One fun place to visit is Riverbank Park a 28 acre multi-level landscaped state-of-the-art recreational facility. The park rises 70 feet above the Hudson River and offers a variety of recreational, artistic, and arts-related activities for both children and adults. The park contains five buildings with an Olympic size pool, ice skating rink in the winter, an 800 seat theater, a 2,500 seat athletic complex, and a 150 seat restaurant.

While the area has become more safe in recent years, it is still somewhat sketchy and has a higher crime rate than other areas of the city. For this reason, it is a good idea to be careful when coming home after dark. Before renting an apartment survey existing tenants regarding the safety of the building you are interested in. This is especially the case if you are a woman.

Hamilton Heights is an uptown Manhattan neighborhood between Harlem and Washington Heights. Technically, it's supposed to run from 135th to 155th Streets, and it's named after Alexander Hamilton. The area has become increasingly diverse as it continues to gentrify, attracting young professionals and students because of its lower rents. You'll find City College of New York in this neighborhood.

Like Washington Heights and Inwood, the apartments are often larger in this neighborhood than in other parts of Manhattan, so it's well suited to families who need more space. The downside is there isn't much to do in the area, although there is Dance Theatre of Harlem and a handful of music clubs. Grocery and incidental shopping is ever so slightly cheaper than farther downtown, but you won't be able to find some specialty items. Luckily, you aren't far from the more happening areas of Manhattan (just a few subway stops), so you don't have to travel far for entertainment or the items you may need to buy.

While Hamilton Heights has become safer over the last few years, it still has a higher crime rate than many neighborhoods. So, exercise caution as you're looking for an apartment. Ask residents if the immediate area around your proposed building is safe. At night, you should be careful, especially if you're female.

A lot of my friends have been moving to Hamilton Heights. When I finally saw one of their apartments (and learned what they were paying for it) I understood why. Two friends (a couple) live in a HUGE three bedroom apartment with high-ceilings, big windows and detailed molding. Their rent? About the same as mine for a tiny one bedroom.

There are a bunch of places like this, so deal-hunters should be sure to have Hamilton Heights on their maps.

Shopping options are limited and it doesn't have the cailber of restaurants as Harlem or Morningside. Crime isn't a huge problem, but residents should exercise caution.

The apartments are similar in style and price to those in Washington Heights, but a few subway stops closer to the city, making Hamilton a bit more desirable than Washington.

You'll have to travel for entertainment, but the money you save on rent can buy you a good time anywhere else in the city.

In my view Hamilton Heights has the best apartments in the city for rent (not so much for purchase), even if it's not the best neighborhood in the city. If you're looking for a good place to life, set your sights on Hamilton Heights.

Hamilton Heights has long been known for incredible apartment deals: beautiful, spacious apartments at covetably low prices. For that reason, it has also long been where people who are just starting out in the career world move to. However, there's a price for those great deals. The area is still not the safest.

The pluses of the neighborhood include the aforementioned apartments, some picturesque architecture, rich Harlem history seen in dance centers, theaters and a few jazz clubs, conveniences like delis, drugstores and grocery markets and a couple of lush, leafy parks with great views.

However, you can't go near these parks at night, and frankly, you have to be careful anywhere in the region at night, especially if you're a woman. The area is great if you have sharp street smarts, have a job that has you in and out early, or live with someone else you can team up when you're out at night. If you've gotten all that checked off, and if you don't mind a longer subway ride downtown, then Hamilton Heights could definitely be worth it in terms of the affordable living. It also has that great mix of being in Manhattan with easy access anywhere else in the borough, while being relatively un-urban in a sense, thanks to a neighborhood feel and the parks that surround the area.

The geographic limits of Hamilton Heights actually contain many different little places. Along the river, there are lovely residences shaded by leafy trees. It’s really surprisingly charming compared to nearby neighborhoods. A little farther east is City College, which means staff and faculty from the school as well as students. The farther north, toward Washington Heights, you go, that more Hispanic the neighborhood becomes. Farther south and east means closer to Black Harlem.

This part of town is slightly nicer than Harlem proper, with more renovated units and therefore more of the young people moving uptown for cheaper living. The chain establishments of 145th St (like Bank of America, Starbucks, Duane Reade) are fewer but easily accessed.

One of my favorite places in Hamilton Heights is St Nicholas Park. It’s a long park stretching many blocks long. But there is a huge hill in the park, leaving one long side about a million feet lower than the other long side. It’s a hike to get to the top but worth it for the views of Harlem. And then right there is the relocated Hamilton Grange, where Alexander Hamilton lived for a while. It’s not spectacular in and of itself, but it’s just so extremely odd to see it perched there that I cannot help but be delighted.

All of my Craig's List apartment hunting stints seem to end up here - and with good reason. This neighborhood - especially the Sugar Hill area - seems to offer some of the city's most spacious yet affordable (!) apartments. Which is why, of course, many young families and budding professionals tend to relocate here. The neighborhood itself isn't exactly the Upper West Side, of course, but gentrification has certainly set in. It's a little far uptown for my tastes, which tend to keep me either in BK or in the general downtown area, but I can surely see the appeal this neighborhood has over those who move here.

Hamilton Heights has always been the place where young professionals moved to when they were just starting out in the city, and this was certainly the case back in my college days, as it seemed most of my older friends who had recently graduated were all living up there. It is home to the elevator trains, a raucuous and annoying feature of the neighborhood that's hard to miss, both visually and acoustically. The apartments in the residential buildings tend to be spacious and affordable so the attraction to living in this neighborhood is easy to understand. In addition, several parks make this area pleasant to live in, in particular the Riverside Park, which runs the length of Hamilton Heights along the Hudson River. Back in the day, it was always recommended that one stay away from that park at night, but in the daytime, it was an idyllic place to jog in the morning. Also very interestingly, Hamilton Heights is very much a center of the rising African-American professional middle class, in this city as well as in the country. Gentrification is different here than it is in other areas, since the black residents tend to be about as affluent as the incoming white residents. Among the major cultural institutions in the area are the Dance Theater of Harlem and the Harlem School of the Arts.

Located north of the Upper West Side of Manhattan is the yet to be completely ‘gentrified’ neighborhood of Hamilton Heights which extends north from West 123rd Street to West 155th Streets and east from River Side drive to Edgecombe Avenue and Nicholas Avenues. The neighborhood is named after Alexander Hamilton who was an economist and the first treasury secretary of the United States. His home is now a museum in St Nicholas Park located on 141st Street within the neighborhood.
The real estate landscape of this neighborhood which is largely inhabited by students, young families and young professionals who have been priced out on Manhattan is made up of Romanesque and beaux arts fixer upper townhouses which are located along a section of the neighborhood known as ‘Strivers Row’. This three row stretch of townhouses is concentrated between West 138th and West 139th streets between Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard and Frederick Douglass Boulevard though the neighborhood also has several as pre-war apartment buildings which house relatively large apartments.
In the late 1920’s, Hamilton Heights attracted several wealthy African-Americans and the area where they were concentrated between Amsterdam and Edgecombe Avenues from W 145th street to W 155th street came to be known as Sugar Hill,” after the lifestyle that they pursued. Notable residents of the area at that time included luminaries like jazz great Duke Ellington, eminent Jurist Thurgood Marshall and several other African- American middleclass professionals and civic leaders.
Hamilton Heights which is served by the express A and D and the local B, C, 1 and 9 subway lines is also home to several other cultural hubs like the City College, the Harlem School of the Arts, the Jackie Robinson’s Conservatory, and the Riverbank State Park. The neighborhood in recent years has also witnessed much construction and condo conversion activity in the form of spanking new condos like Hamilton Lofts at 117 Edgecombe Avenue and Aqueduct Court on West 152nd Street which were built to lure young professionals up from Midtown Manhattan which can be easily accessed via 15 minute ride on one of the two express lines that serve the area. However the recession has stalled the upward march of this area which unfortunately also continues to experience relatively higher crime rates than other parts of the city.

Hamilton Heights, the westernmost area of Harlem located just above the far more collegiate Morningside Heights, has a rich and storied history. Unlike much of Harlem, Hamilton Heights, in particular the subdistrict of Sugar Hill, was known as a particularly affluent subsection of the African-American community, home to such illustrious names as Thurgood Marchall, Adam Clayton Powell, and W.E.B Dubois. While Sugar Hill is less rarified today, the charm of the nineteenth century brownstones still stands. The community is still largely black and middle-class, although in recent years the area is increasingly Hispanic, particularly Dominican,

The feel of the neighborhood is largely that of the artistic intelligentsia - the proximity to Morningside Heights, as well as to northern-Manhatten institutions like the City College of New York, Dance Theatre of Harlem, Harlem School of the Arts, and Aaron Davis Hall, has attracted a population of artist, academics, actors, and writers drawn to the reasonable housing prices.

While the neighborhood might not be a first choice, due to its rather remote location, it's nevertheless an ideal "starter neigborhood" for artistic and professional/academic types.

This neighborhood is somewhat still and does not have much to do than catch a game. Of course for those of us who enjoy this type of activity it is wonderful. The population is mainly Hispanic now so there are a few great places to eat and vibrantly decorated restaurants. I would recommend this area for someone who is retired and looking for a quite place to live. There really is not a lot of crime here from when I was there last and they have great housing. If you are looking to go to a great city college they do have one here that is wonderful and its a great place to concentrate on studying.

Filled with nice homes and a truly Harlem-esque experience, this neighborhood is a common favorite amongst residents and visitors.

Nestled between Washington Heights and Morningside Heights, Hamilton Heights (located 135th and 155th streets). Hamilton Heights has become a popular relocation destination for those seeking cheaper housing costs while still desiring quick access to the many other areas of Manhattan. Hamilton Heights is one of the prettier neighborhoods in the uptown section of the city, with beautiful brownstones and opulent multiple family homes throughout the neighborhood. It’s hilly streets and friendly residents are also a plus, not to mention the diversity. With a mainly African-American professional population, as well as a growing number of Hispanic and Caucasian inhabitants, this neighborhood is extremely vibrant and filled with life.

Beyond being unique, real estate in Hamilton Heights is prime because of the location in reference to other sections of the city, and because of the price. Renting or subletting in this neighborhood can be done at a fairly reasonable price, but owning a coveted brownstone is expensive, with many selling for well over $1,250,000.

Hamilton Heights is filled with things to do and see. With dance companies, the City College of New York’s beautiful campus, and the Hamilton Heights/Sugar Hill historical district, this neighborhood is wonderful place for a stroll on a nice day. Most streets are tree-lined and many have small parks and sitting areas at each corner.

This is a comfortable neighborhood for a vast array of people due to its proximity to the city and its laid-back nature. Entertainment here comes mostly in the form of dining impacted by its Hispanic population. Street vendors serve falafel as well as quesadillas.

Transportation is this neighborhood is made easy with the 1 train stop on 135th and 145th streets. This local train is one of the most used trains in the city and travels the length of Manhattan. Some taxis, private cars, and several buses also service the neighborhood.

Hamilton Heights is as diverse as they come, and a nice place to live in uptown Manhattan.

There’s not really much going on up here – which is part of the reason most visitors to the city never make it further north than 96th street (unless of course they’re heading to a Yankees game). This neighborhood is home to City College, the Dance Theatre of Harlem, and the Harlem School of the Arts… and that’s about it.
The apartment buildings in the area tend to be lovely brownstones, and they were once home to an affluent white community, and then an affluent black community, and now the population in the area is generally of a Hispanic nature. But whenever there is a neighborhood in the city that features relatively low rents, you can expect the city’s bohemians to flock there, and that’s what’s been happening in very recent years. (And after the bohemians get to a neighborhood, it’s only a matter of time before the shops and restaurants follow).