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Harlem

Harlem has been up and down a few times in its colorful history. It started out as Nieuw Haarlem, a prosperous Dutch farming settlement. Between 1880 and the 1920s, it became a haven for poor German immigrants, who moved here to escape the overcrowding on the Lower East Side. In the 1920s, African Americans started to move into the area, seeking to get away from the racism and violence in downtown Manhattan. When they moved, they brought their unique culture and soon made the neighborhood their own.

During its heyday, from about 1920 to 1929, many famous people hailed from Harlem and added to its unique identity. Cab Calloway, Duke Ellington, James Hubert "Eubie" Blake, Harry Houdini, and Josephine Baker were just a few of the luminaries who helped define the neighborhood’s persona. And many famous musicians, including Count Basie, Sarah Vaughn, Billy Holiday, and Ella Fitzgerald, have added to the neighborhood’s allure by playing at the world-famous Apollo Theatre on 125th Street, Harlem’s main thoroughfare.

In spite of the lively times that preceded it, the depression hit Harlem residents hard and the area went into decline. For many decades in the mid- to late 20th century, Harlem wasn’t a place you wanted to be at night, and probably not even during the day. But recently, the classic architecture and rich cultural history have started to draw people, money, and resources back to this beautiful old neighborhood. Indeed, it was seen as a sign of the area’s resurgence that Bill Clinton chose Harlem as his office location after he left the White House. And he’s not alone. Savvy real estate investors know that Harlem’s apartments, brownstones, townhouses, and row houses—many in the Georgian and Neo-Italian Renaissance styles—will soon be on a par with Gramercy Park and the Upper West Side.

While the resurgence is good for those who are getting in on the ground floor, there are concerns by some long-time residents that the gentrification process will push up prices and drive them out. To combat this, the Harlem Tenants Council was created to inform low-income tenants of their basic housing rights. It’s their intention to make sure that people who have been in the community for years don’t become victims of Harlem’s renaissance.

Healthcare facilities in Harlem:

Harlem Hospital Center
Metropolitan Hospital Center