Hamilton Heights | |
|---|---|
 St. Mark's United Methodist Church | |
 Location in New York City | |
| Coordinates:40°49′30″N73°56′56″W / 40.825°N 73.949°W /40.825; -73.949 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  New York |
| City | New York City |
| Borough | Manhattan |
| Community District | Manhattan 9[1] |
| Area | |
• Total | 0.416 sq mi (1.08 km2) |
| Population (2016)[2] | |
• Total | 47,531 |
| • Density | 114,000/sq mi (44,100/km2) |
| Ethnicity | |
| • Hispanic | 52.2% |
| • Black | 32.2 |
| • White | 10.9 |
| • Asian | 2.2 |
| • Others | 2.6 |
| Economics | |
| • Median income | $43,673 |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| ZIP Codes | 10031, 10032, 10039 |
| Area code | 212, 332, 646, and917 |
Hamilton Heights is a neighborhood in thenorthern part ofManhattan inNew York City. It is the northernmost part of the West Harlem area, along withManhattanville andMorningside Heights to its south,[4] and it contains the sub-neighborhood and historic district ofSugar Hill.[5]Washington Heights lies to Hamilton Heights' north, and to its east isCentral Harlem.[6]
Hamilton Heights is bounded by 135th Street to the south,Riverside Drive to the west,155th Street to the north, and Edgecombe Avenue andSaint Nicholas Avenue to the east. The community derives its name from Founding FatherAlexander Hamilton, who lived the last two years of his life in what is now theHamilton Grange National Memorial, back when Upper Manhattan was mostly farmland.[6]
Hamilton Heights is part ofManhattan Community District 9, and its primaryZIP Codes are 10031, 10032, and 10039.[1] It is patrolled by the 30th Precinct of theNew York City Police Department.
Based on data from the2010 United States census, the population of Hamilton Heights was 48,520, a decrease of 2,035 (4.0%) from the 50,555 counted in2000. Covering an area of 367.41 acres (148.69 ha), the neighborhood had a population density of 132.1 inhabitants per acre (84,500/sq mi; 32,600/km2).[7] The racial makeup of the neighborhood was 10.9% (5,287)White, 32.2% (15,646)African American, 0.2% (119)Native American, 2.2% (1,067)Asian, 0.0% (15)Pacific Islander, 0.4% (178) fromother races, and 1.8% (884) from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 52.2% (25,324) of the population.[3]
The most significant changes in the racial composition of Hamilton Heights from 2000 to 2010 were the increase in the White population by 231% (3,691) and the decrease in the Black population by 26% (5,366). The Hispanic / Latino population also decreased by 2% (648) but remained the majority. Meanwhile, the Asian population increased by 90% (506) but remained a small minority, and the small population of all other races decreased by 15% (218).[8]
The entirety of Community District 9, which consists of Hamilton Heights,Manhattanville, andMorningside Heights, had 111,287 inhabitants as ofNYC Health's 2018 Community Health Profile, with an average life expectancy of 81.4 years.[9]: 2, 20 This is about the same as the median life expectancy of 81.2 for all New York City neighborhoods.[10]: 53 (PDF p. 84) Most residents are children and middle-aged adults: 34% are between the ages of 25–44, while 21% are between 45 and 64, and 17% are between 0–17. The ratio of college-aged and elderly residents was lower, at 16% and 12% respectively.[9]: 2
As of 2017,[update] the medianhousehold income in Community District 9 was $50,048,[11] though the median income in Hamilton Heights individually was $43,673.[2] In 2018, an estimated 24% of Community District 9 residents lived inpoverty, compared to 14% in all of Manhattan and 20% in all of New York City. One in twelve residents (8%) wereunemployed, compared to 7% in Manhattan and 9% in New York City. Rent burden, or the percentage of residents who have difficulty paying their rent, is 51% in Community District 9, compared to the boroughwide and citywide rates of 45% and 51% respectively. Based on this calculation, as of 2018[update], Community District 9 is considered to begentrifying: according to the Community Health Profile, the district was low-income in 1990 and has seen above-median rent growth up to 2010.[9]: 7
Most of the housing dates from the extension of the elevated and subway lines at the end of the 19th and the start of the 20th century.[6] This fairly elegant housing became less desirable to white residents in the 1930s and 1940s as the population changed from white to black, even though the black residents were just as affluent as the white residents.[6] There are spacious apartment buildings,brownstones and otherrow houses prominently lining the leafy eastern streets of Hamilton Heights, an area traditionally home to a substantial black professional class. The brownstone revival of the 1960s and 1970s led to a new movement of middle-class blacks in the area.Hispanics arrived in large numbers in the 1980s, withDominicans making up the majority.[6] Today the local population is changing again, with Hispanics constituting a majority of the population followed byAfrican Americans,West Indians andWhites.Gentrification since 2005 has dramatically increased the proportion of non-Hispanic whites. Many actors, artists, teachers, and other professionals now reside in Hamilton Heights.[12]
After theRussian Revolution, especially after the 1940s, manyUkrainians, RussianWhite émigré, andPolish found their way to New York City. Hamilton Heights had a very heavy population of Eastern European heritage, with a predominantly large amount ofRussians living in this immediate area. There were a couple ofRussian Orthodox Churches erected, Russian book stores, bakeries, grocery and delicatessen stores, with theatres all alongBroadway. The house on the corner of Broadway and W. 141st Street was known as the "Russian House" (Русский Дом) and a Russian library was on the other corner. During the late 1950s and throughout the 1960s, a lot of these Russians began to move out to suburban areas of New York andNew Jersey. The only remaining landmark of this era is the Holy Fathers Russian Orthodox ChurchRussian Orthodox Church Outside Russia, located on 524 W. 153rd Street,[13] with some notableRussian Americans buried at the bordering Trinity Cemetery.[12]
Hamilton Heights is the home ofCity College of New York (CCNY),Dance Theatre of Harlem,The Harlem School of the Arts andAaron Davis Hall.
Historic Hamilton Heights comprises theHamilton Heights Historic District and the Hamilton Heights/Sugar Hill Historic District Extension, both designated by theNew York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. One of the highest hills in Hamilton Heights slopes up from theHudson River at155th Street, and contains the Trinity Cemetery.[6] Many individual buildings in the district are also landmarked, including Shepard Hall on the CCNY campus, and the building that once housedThe High School of Music & Art.
TheAudubon Mural Project paints the neighborhood with images of the birds depicted byJohn James Audubon in his early 19th century folioThe Birds of America.[14]
The neighborhood offers several parks, including theRiverbank State Park, embedded inRiverside Park, which runs along theHudson River west of Hamilton Heights.[15] Other parks in the neighborhood includeJackie Robinson Park,[16]St. Nicholas Park,[17] and smaller sites such as Johnny Hartman Square,[18] Carmansville Playground,[19] andWilliam A. Harris Garden.
Hamilton Heights is served mostly by the 30th Precinct of theNYPD, located at 451 West 151st Street,[20] although the City College area south of 141st Street and east ofAmsterdam Avenue is actually served by the 26th Precinct.[21] The 30th Precinct has a lower crime rate than in the 1990s, with crimes across all categories having decreased by 78.0% between 1990 and 2019. The precinct reported 4 murders, 20 rapes, 190 robberies, 178 felony assaults, 69 burglaries, 289 grand larcenies, and 27 grand larcenies auto in 2019.[22] Of the five major violent felonies (murder, rape, felony assault, robbery, and burglary), the 30th Precinct had a rate of 760 crimes per 100,000 residents in 2019, compared to the boroughwide average of 632 crimes per 100,000 and the citywide average of 572 crimes per 100,000.[23][24][25]
As of 2018[update], Manhattan Community District 9 has a non-fatal assault hospitalization rate of 57 per 100,000 people, compared to the boroughwide rate of 49 per 100,000 and the citywide rate of 59 per 100,000. Its incarceration rate is 633 per 100,000 people, compared to the boroughwide rate of 407 per 100,000 and the citywide rate of 425 per 100,000.[9]: 8
In 2019, the highest concentrations of felony assaults in Hamilton Heights were near the intersection of 135th Street andBroadway, where there were 10 felony assaults, and near the intersection of145th Street andAmsterdam Avenue, where there were 11. The highest concentrations of robberies were nearby, around the intersection of 137th Street and Broadway, where there were 11 robberies, and around the intersection of 145th Street and Broadway, where there were 14.[23]
Hamilton Heights is served by theNew York City Fire Department (FDNY)'s Engine Company 80/Ladder Company 23, located at 503 West 139th Street.[26][27]
Preterm andteenage births in Community District 9 are lower than the city average. In Community District 9, there were 82 preterm births per 1,000live births (compared to 87 per 1,000 citywide), and 10.9 births to teenage mothers per 1,000 live births (compared to 19.3 per 1,000 citywide).[9]: 11 Community District 9 has a low population of residents who areuninsured. In 2018, this population was estimated to be 11%, slightly less than the citywide rate of 12%.[9]: 14
The concentration offine particulate matter, the deadliest type ofair pollutant, in Community District 9 is 0.008 milligrams per cubic metre (8.0×10−9 oz/cu ft), more than the city average.[9]: 9 Seventeen percent of Community District 9 residents aresmokers, which is more than the city average of 14% of residents being smokers.[9]: 13 In Community District 9, 21% of residents areobese, 10% arediabetic, and 29% havehigh blood pressure—compared to the citywide averages of 24%, 11%, and 28% respectively.[9]: 16 In addition, 25% of children are obese, compared to the citywide average of 20%.[9]: 12
Eighty-eight percent of residents eat some fruits and vegetables every day, which is about the same as the city's average of 87%. In 2018, 83% of residents described their health as "good", "very good", or "excellent", more than the city's average of 78%.[9]: 13 For every supermarket in Community District 9, there are 11bodegas.[9]: 10
The nearest hospital is theHarlem Hospital Center, located inCentral Harlem.[28]
Hamilton Heights is located in multipleZIP Codes. Most of the neighborhood is in 10031; however, the area north of 153rd Street is in 10032, and thePolo Grounds Towers are in 10039.[29] TheUnited States Postal Service operates two post offices in or near Hamilton Heights:
Community District 9 has a higher rate of college-educated residents than the rest of the city as of 2018[update]. A plurality of residents age 25 and older (49%) have a college education or higher, while 21% have less than a high school education and 30% are high school graduates or have some college education. By contrast, 64% of Manhattan residents and 43% of city residents have a college education or higher.[9]: 6 The percentage of students in Community District 9 excelling in math rose from 25% in 2000 to 49% in 2011, and reading achievement increased from 32% to 35% during the same time period.[31]
Community District 9's rate of elementary school student absenteeism is higher than the rest of New York City. In the 2016–2017 school year, 27% of elementary school students missed twenty or more days perschool year, more than the citywide average of 20%.[10]: 24 (PDF p. 55) [9]: 6 Additionally, 65% of high school students in Community District 9 graduate on time, less than the citywide average of 75%.[9]: 6
TheNew York City Department of Education operates the following public elementary and middle schools in Hamilton Heights as part of Community School District 5:[32]
The following public high schools are also located in Hamilton Heights, serving grades 9–12:[32]
TheCity College of New York, of theCity University of New York system, is located in Hamilton Heights.
TheNew York Public Library (NYPL) operates theHamilton Grange branch at 503 West 145th Street. It is named after"founding father"Alexander Hamilton, who lived atHamilton Grange. The branch, aCarnegie library, opened in 1907 and was renovated in 1975; it is listed on theNational Register of Historic Places.[40]
TheNew York City Subway'sIRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line stops in Hamilton Heights at the137th Street–City College and145th Street stations (1 train). TheIND Eighth Avenue Line runs underSt. Nicholas Avenue, providing service at135th Street (A, B, and C trains),145th Street (A, B, C, and D trains) and155th Street (A and C trains). TheIND Concourse Line branches off north of the 145th Street station, and runs under Saint Nicholas Place to serve155th Street (B and D trains).[41]
TheMTA Regional Bus Operations'M3,M4,M5,M10,M11,M100,M101,Bx6,Bx6 SBS,Bx19 andBx33 buses serve the area.[42]
