Best Manhattan Neighborhoods - 2025 Buyer's Guide

Buyer confidence in the Manhattan real estate market is bouncing back. A growing number of New Yorkers are now vaccinated against COVID-19, leading opportunistic buyers to purchase properties amid the remaining inventory of listings post pandemic. 

As work from home has become the default, buyers working in midtown offices no longer need to focus their apartment search on adjacent areas with short commutes. They can now expand their search to a wider range of Manhattan neighborhoods.

Below we’ve compiled a list of the best Manhattan neighborhoods that New Yorkers are searching for this year.

Best Manhattan Neighborhoods

• Financial District
• Tribeca
• Soho
• West Village
• Chelsea
• East Village
• Lower East Side
• NoMad / Flatiron
• South Harlem 
• Washington Heights
• Inwood
• Upper West Side

Financial District

First up is the famous Financial District of Lower Manhattan. Historically known as the home of modern finance because of the New York Stock Exchange at Wall Street, many finance workers previously commuted into FiDi. 

While many financial professionals are currently working remotely, savvy buyers can discover a growing number of luxury high-rise condos giving new owners sweeping views of New York City. 130 Water Street, 25 Park Row, and 15 William all offer apartment buyers with amenities like concierge services, swanky rooftop decks and pools, and personal gym and spa services. Another popular new building in the area is the recently completed 130 William - designed by famed architect Sir David Adjaye.

Broadway runs north to south through the financial district, and many fashion, make-up, and small boutiques have shops on the avenue. Because the Financial District is the lowest point of Manhattan, New Yorkers have many train lines to choose from when making their way about the Big Apple. 

Tribeca 

Just northwest of the Financial District, Tribeca is a former industrial neighborhood featuring converted lofts and new construction apartment buildings overlooking the Hudson River. Tribeca is one of the oldest and most iconic neighborhoods in the city. Artists living in the area in the 1970s coined the name to reference the triangular street space created by the intersection of Broadway and Church below Canal Street. 

Today, the Tribeca area covers a region larger than Soho. New Yorkers aspire to purchase Tribeca real estate, clamoring for space in one of the civil war low-rise residences laden with Neo-Grec facades and wrought-iron fences surrounding the walk-up steps to the buildings. 

As buyers wander closer to the riverfront, high-rise new construction condos dot the skyline, overlooking the Hudson River Park that stretches North and South along the Hudson. 

Soho

South of Houston, or Soho to most native New Yorkers, is a hip neighborhood known for the converted loft spaces occupying the cast-iron, medium-rise structures found throughout the district. 

Developers built these cast-iron buildings in the 1800s, as the materials are fire-retardant and were cheaper to produce at the time. Plus, designers could reproduce decorative columns in a cast dye mold. There are over 250 of these buildings in New York, with the majority residing in Soho. One famous example is the E.V. Haughwout Building, the first building in NYC to offer a passenger elevator. 

The area fell into decline around the 1940s and 50s. Soho textile operations abandoned NYC for factories in the south, leading artists to move into the buildings because of their high ceilings, large tracts of space, and plenty of natural light from all the windows. While many buyers flock to Soho for the spacious lofts, there are also opportunities to move into historic Federal-style homes built before the Civil War. 

Over time, the artists moved out, galleries moved in, and Soho now plays host to numerous designer fashion companies that have opened outlets in the expansive storefronts along Spring, Prince, and Broadway. While shoppers can still find boutiques in Soho, buyers are more likely to find chains like notable brands like Prada, Chanel, and Nike. 

West Village 

Another neighborhood nestled along the Hudson River, the West Village, is famous for being where the LGBT rights movement began and is a historic preservation district. New Yorkers travel from all boroughs to this historic area - patrons to numerous cafes and restaurants sprinkled throughout the West Village. 

Diners coming to the West Village will find fine French and corner bars built into the street level of many historic low-rise townhouses and boutique co-ops  in the neighborhood. The West Village is home to many storied watering holes like The White Horse Tavern, known best for its connection to the Bohemian culture of the 1950s and 60s.

Most of the homes in the West Village are historic townhouses. But savvy buyers can find clapboard-sided homes and Federal-style brick homes from the early 1800s. Buyers coming to the West Village will find many historic homes, but there are a few new construction units, such as the high-rises at 173 and 176 Perry Street. 

The West Village is historically known for attracting artists and progressively-minded bohemians, and many art galleries and theaters have popped up in the district over the years. The famous Stonewall Inn is in the West Village, where history buffs can drop in to learn about the LGBT history of NY while having a bite to eat. 

Chelsea 

Chelsea has captivated the hearts of New Yorkers for years. The region is home to a wide array of restaurants, bars, and art galleries. Plus, in recent years tech professionals have begun gravitating to Chelsea as the neighborhood provides easy access to the NYC offices of companies like Peloton and Google. 

Chelsea has a front-row seat to the sun setting on Manhattan’s west side if they wander along to the waterfront at the end of the day. If neighborhood explorers go north along the Hudson River Park, they will find The Vessel of Hudson Yards. Chelsea residents have plenty to explore in the neighborhood, from Highline Park, an above-ground subway line turned into a park, to Chelsea Park, where New Yorkers can get in a pickup game of soccer. 

Art galleries line the Chelsea streets, and buyers will find more of them the closer they get to the Hudson River. Beyond arts and parks, Chelsea is famous for the piers along the Hudson River, which host berths for historic sailboats, golf ranges, and the Chelsea Piers 62 skatepark. 

East Village

The East Village is situated east of the Bowery and 3rd Avenue, south of 14th Street, north of Houston Street, and nestled along the East River. This exciting neighborhood offers historic roots with early residents in the 1800’s from immigrant groups including, but not limited to Germans, Polish, and Ukrainians, and today is popular for residents seeking easy access to Downtown Manhattan and NYU.

This welcoming history can be seen today in the diverse restaurants across the neighborhood. One such institution is Veselka which has been serving up traditional Ukrainian food since the early 1950’s. In addition to being a cuisine capital of the city, the East Village is also known for its local watering holes - including dive bars like 7B and cocktail joints like Amor Y Amargo.

New Yorkers looking to buy or rent apartments in the East Village will find an inviting mix of housing options. From walk-up co-ops to HDFC co-ops, historic rowhouses, small boutique condos, and luxury condos with every amenity and rooftop pools, the East Village has something for everyone.

Lower East Side 

The Lower East Side is a premier destination for Manhattan residents looking to live in the heart of the NYC nightlife. Bordered by Bowery to the north, the East River waterfront, and Chinatown to the west, the LES is where many New Yorkers would travel pre-pandemic for a night out on the town. 

The area has an endless list of bars, restaurants, and music venues like Rockwood Music Hall, Mercury Lounge, and the Bowery Ballroom that all bumped well into the night before the lockdown. 

Historic tenement buildings dominate the Lower East Side, and for decades in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries the region was the first stop for immigrants first coming to America. The building style is historically protected, but buyers can also find opportunities to live in new construction high rises close to the Manhattan entrance of the Williamsburg Bridge. 

Residents coming to the LES for the day should take out time between open houses to have a snack at Essex Market - a public market offering food vendors across the cuisine spectrum.

NoMad / Flatiron 

The area north of Madison Square Park, near the Flatiron building, is a happening neighborhood sitting directly below Midtown Manhattan. Many high-rise apartments and high-end condo buildings surround Madison Square Park. Most of these buildings offer concierge services and countless amenities for luxury buyers.

Madison Square Park is the centerpiece of the area, where artists set up exhibitions on the main lawn, and New Yorkers taking a trip to the park will find the original Shake Shack near the south end of the park, close to the Flatiron building. 

Originally known as the Fuller Building, the Flatiron building is a historic, triangular-shaped building with retail shopping on the first floor and office space occupying the floors above. Residents exploring the NoMad neighborhood and Flatiron district will find an eclectic mix of restaurants, boutiques, and cafes to stop in at for a bite to eat. 

Eataly on 23rd Street is a neighborhood classic for Italian food, but buyers with a sweet tooth need to make their way to 19th street to have a bite at Dough Doughnuts. After checking out some swanky condo units near Madison Square Park, New Yorkers can explore 5th avenue to find expansive storefronts for Sephora, Nike, and MUJI.

South Harlem

Bordering the northern section of Central Park, New Yorkers will find a beautiful mix of pre-war co-op apartments and new construction condos in South Harlem. Beyond co-ops, buyers exploring South Harlem properties can take up residence in one of the many brownstone buildings lining Malcolm X Boulevard and Frederick Douglass Boulevard.

Stretching up to 125th street, neighborhood explorers can find stellar restaurants like the Seasoned Vegan and Angel of Harlem lining St. Nicholas Avenue. 125th street is the main shopping center for the neighborhood, and New Yorkers exploring the area will find the historic Apollo Theater, where shows went on right up until the pandemic began. 

In addition to Central Park, Morningside Park runs north and south through the neighborhood, as does Riverside Park alongside the Hudson River. Beyond Midtown and Financial District workers, Academics will love South Harlem as the sprawling Columbia University campus is nestled between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenues. 

Washington Heights 

Spanning east and west across northern Manhattan, New Yorkers can find Washington Heights stretching from 190th street down to 150th street. Named after the former Fort Washington, Washington Heights is one of the hilliest parts of Manhattan. The neighborhood was sparsely developed and only had a few mansions and single-family homes, but once the A, C, and 1 line connected it to the rest of Manhattan, new high-rises popped up to fill housing demands. 

Today, buyers can find Art-Deco buildings along Riverside Park and walk-up co-ops overlooking Highbridge park on the Harlem River. Running east and west, I-95 cuts through Washington Heights, connecting Manhattan to New Jersey via the George Washington Bridge. Buyers can find opportunities to own condo units in renovated buildings built in the early 1900s. Beyond historic buildings, buyers can purchase space in a new 28-story luxury residential building being constructed at West 153rd Street. 

The A and 1 trains run through the neighborhood, and residents living at 155th street can ride a few stops north towards 190th street to spend the day exploring the Cloisters at Fort Tryon Park. Residents of Washington Heights have a cornucopia of restaurants to choose from when ordering dinner. But new homeowners with a sweet tooth can get flan from Maritza’s Cake on Amsterdam Avenue or a slice of layer cake from Angela’s Cake on 170th Street.

Inwood 

If New Yorkers wander to the farthest reaches of Manhattan, they will find the small neighborhood of Inwood. Surrounded by the Hudson River on the west, the Harlem River to the east and the Spuyten Duyvil Creek to the north, Inwood Hill Park dominates the western side of Inwood. 

The park is one of the only old-growth forests in Manhattan, and much of the region is untamed and Adventurous hikers can even find the Lenape Caves nestled deep in the park. For most of the 20th century, Inwood was uninhabited, and it was not until the MTA extended the A and 1 train lines to the undeveloped fields sitting below the hills of Inwood Park. Once these train lines enabled residents to move north, developers began creating the historic Art Deco buildings found throughout Inwood. 

At the northernmost reaches of Inwood, New York residents can find the Wien Stadium, the home stadium for the runners and tennis players of Columbia University. Broadway Avenue runs throughout Inwood, and residents can find plenty of restaurants and a few pubs lining the avenue. 

Upper West Side 

Bordered by Central Park to the east and Riverside Park to the west, the Upper West Side is an iconic Manhattan neighborhood. There are numerous historic four to five-story brownstones, townhouses, and pre-war co-ops in the UWS. But some of the most breathtaking properties reside along Riverside Drive and West End Avenue. 

The Upper West Side is famous for cultural institutions such as the American Museum of Natural History, the Beacon Theater, and the American Folk Art Museum. But one of the most famous attractions in the Upper West Side is Lincoln Center, home to the Metropolitan Opera, New York City Ballet, The New York Philharmonic, and the Juilliard School of Music. 

After spending an afternoon throughout Lincoln Center, residents can wander over to Broadway, where many big-box retailers and smaller boutiques have shops set up for residents to peruse. Each avenue on the Upper West Side has distinctive restaurants lining the sidewalks. New Yorkers coming to the UWS would be remiss to pass up an opportunity to have a bite and a drink at The Parlour on 86th street.  

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