As increasing amounts of people are discovering, Inwood
is a great place to get out of the hustle and bustle of Manhattan without
having to actually leave the island. Situated above Washington Heights, it
offers miles of forested hiking trails, a bald-eagle nursery, an urban ecology
center, and the area’s only remaining salt marsh. It’s also where
Peter Minuit bought Manhattan from the Canarsie Indians for $24 worth of trinkets
in 1626. Land here goes a for a bit more than that these days, but the area
is still a lot more affordable than just about anywhere else in Manhattan.
Once home to Irish and Jewish immigrants, the area was, until recently, primarily
populated by Dominican immigrants. The area’s profile is now changing,
as young professionals discover that affordable apartments are available.
The dwellings in the area consist mainly of co-ops and brick apartment buildings
from the 1930s, some of which have art-deco details and interior courtyards.
There are even a few—very few—single-family houses. There are
only about two dozen of these prized properties, so it’s more realistic
to plan on being in an apartment or co-op if you want to live in Inwood.
