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Coordinates: 40°48′32.52″N 73°56′54.14″W / 40.8090333°N 73.9483722°W / 40.8090333; -73.9483722
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==Location and boundaries==
==Location and boundaries==
[[Image:Harlem map2.png|thumb|right|250px|The boundaries of modern Harlem; some landmarks are noted.]]
[[Image:Harlem map2.png|thumb|right|250px|The boundaries of modern Harlem; some landmarks are noted.]]
tanner wrote this

Harlem stretches from the [[East River]] west to the [[Hudson River]] between 155th Street, where it meets [[Washington Heights, Manhattan|Washington Heights]], to a ragged border along the south. Central Harlem begins at [[110th Street (Manhattan)|110th Street]], at the northern boundary of [[Central Park]]. [[Spanish Harlem]] is in Eastern Harlem and extends south to [[96th Street (Manhattan)|96th Street]]. In the west the neighborhood begins north of [[Upper West Side]], which gives an irregular border west of [[Morningside Avenue (Manhattan)|Morningside Avenue]]. Harlem's boundaries have changed over the years;<ref>A 1972 review in the journal ''Science'' reads in part "in New York City, Harlem 'begins' on the north side of 96th Street." "The Idea of Neighborhood," ''Science'' volume 178, p. 494, 1972</ref> [[Ralph Ellison]] once said, "Wherever Negroes live uptown is considered Harlem."<ref>Chepesiuk, Ron, ''Gangsters of Harlem: The Gritty Underworld of New York's Most Famous Neighborhood'' (Ft. Lee, N.J.: Barricade Books, 2d printing 2007 (ISBN 1-56980-318-8 & ISBN 978-1-56980-318-9 (former no. on dust jkt., front flap, & both nos. on copyright p. & on dust jkt., rear))), p. [1] (author journalism instructor, UCLA Extension Div., & Fulbright Scholar).</ref>
Haxxxrlemccc stretches from the [[East River]] west to the [[Hudson River]] between 155th Street, where it meets [[Washington Heights, Manhattan|Washington Heights]], to a ragged border along the south. Central Harlem begins at [[110th Street (Manhattan)|110th Street]], at the northern boundary of [[Central Park]]. [[Spanish Harlem]] is in Eastern Harlem and extends south to [[96th Street (Manhattan)|96th Street]]. In the west the neighborhood begins north of [[Upper West Side]], which gives an irregular border west of [[Morningside Avenue (Manhattan)|Morningside Avenue]]. Harlem's boundaries have changed over the years;<ref>A 1972 review in the journal ''Science'' reads in part "in New York City, Harlem 'begins' on the north side of 96th Street." "The Idea of Neighborhood," ''Science'' volume 178, p. 494, 1972</ref> [[Ralph Ellison]] once said, "Wherever Negroes live uptown is considered Harlem."<ref>Chepesiuk, Ron, ''Gangsters of Harlem: The Gritty Underworld of New York's Most Famous Neighborhood'' (Ft. Lee, N.J.: Barricade Books, 2d printing 2007 (ISBN 1-56980-318-8 & ISBN 978-1-56980-318-9 (former no. on dust jkt., front flap, & both nos. on copyright p. & on dust jkt., rear))), p. [1] (author journalism instructor, UCLA Extension Div., & Fulbright Scholar).</ref>


The neighborhood contains many smaller, cohesive districts. The following are some examples:
The neighborhood contains many smaller, cohesive districts. The following are some examples:

Revision as of 15:27, 13 August 2012

For other uses, see Harlem (disambiguation).
Not to be confused with Haarlem.
Harlem
Neighborhoods of New York City
The Apollo Theater on 125th Street; the Hotel Theresa is visible in the background.
The Apollo Theater on 125th Street; the Hotel Theresa is visible in the background.
Map
CountryUnited States
StateNew York
CountyNew York
CityNew York City
Founded1658
Named forHaarlem, Netherlands
Area
[1]
 • Total3.871 sq mi (10.03 km2)
Population
 (2008)[1]
 • Total215,753
 • Density56,000/sq mi (22,000/km2)
Economics
[1]
 • Median income$28,111
ZIP codes
10026, 10027, 10029,
10030, 10031, 10035,
10037, 10039
Area code212

Harlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, which since the 1920s has been a major African-American residential, cultural and business center. Originally a Dutch village, formally organized in 1658,[2] it is named after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands. Harlem was annexed to New York City in 1873.

Harlem has been defined by a series of boom-and-bust cycles, with significant ethnic shifts accompanying each cycle. Black residents began to arrive en masse in 1904, with numbers fed by the Great Migration. In the 1920s and 1930s, the neighborhood was the focus of the "Harlem Renaissance", an outpouring of artistic and professional works without precedent in the American black community. However, with job losses in the time of the Great Depression and the deindustrialization of New York City after World War II, rates of crime and poverty increased significantly.

New York's revival in the late 20th century has led to renewal in Harlem as well. By 1995, Harlem was experiencing social and economic gentrification. Though the percentage of residents who are black peaked in 1950, the area remains predominantly black.

Location and boundaries

The boundaries of modern Harlem; some landmarks are noted.

tanner wrote this Haxxxrlemccc stretches from the East River west to the Hudson River between 155th Street, where it meets Washington Heights, to a ragged border along the south. Central Harlem begins at 110th Street, at the northern boundary of Central Park. Spanish Harlem is in Eastern Harlem and extends south to 96th Street. In the west the neighborhood begins north of Upper West Side, which gives an irregular border west of Morningside Avenue. Harlem's boundaries have changed over the years;[3] Ralph Ellison once said, "Wherever Negroes live uptown is considered Harlem."[4]

The neighborhood contains many smaller, cohesive districts. The following are some examples:

The New York City Police Department patrols five precincts located within Harlem. The areas of West Harlem are served by the 30th Precinct,[6] the areas of Central Harlem are served by the 28th[7] and 32nd Precincts,[8] and the areas of East Harlem are served by the 23rd[9] and 25th Precincts.[10]

Harlem is represented by New York's 15th congressional district, the New York State Senate's 30th district, the New York State Assembly's 68th and 70th districts, and the New York City Council's 7th, 8th, and 9th districts.

History

Main article: History of Harlem

Founded in the 17th century as a Dutch military outpost, Harlem became successively a farming village, a revolutionary battlefield, an industrial suburb, a commuter town, a black ghetto, and a center of African-American culture.

Religious life

Church of Nazareth, 144th Street and Hamilton Terrace. The building is currently a burned-out shell.
Masjid Aqsa – West African mosque near 116th Street

Black Harlem has always been religious. The area is home to over 400 churches.[11] Major Christian denominations include Baptists, Methodists (generally African Methodist Episcopalian, or "AME"), Episcopalians, and Roman Catholic. The Abyssinian Baptist Church has been a particularly potent organization, long influential because of its large congregation, and recently wealthy because its extensive real estate holdings. The LDS Church established a chapel at 128th Street in 2005.

Many of the area's churches are "storefront churches", which operate in an empty store, or a basement, or a converted brownstone townhouse. These congregations may have fewer than 30–50 members each, but there are hundreds of them.[12] Others are old, large, and designated landmarks. Especially in the years before World War II, Harlem produced popular Christian charismatic "cult" leaders, including George Wilson Becton and Father Divine.[13]

Mosques in Harlem include the Malcolm Shabazz Mosque No. 7 (formerly Mosque No. 7 Nation of Islam, and the location of the 1972 Harlem Mosque incident), the Mosque of Islamic Brotherhood and Masjid Aqsa. Judaism, too, maintains a presence in Harlem, including The Old Broadway Synagogue, Temple Healing from Heaven, and Temple of Joy. A non-mainstream synagogue of black Jews known as Commandment Keepers, was based in a synagogue at 1 West 123rd Street until 2008.

Culture

Though Harlem musicians and writers are particularly well remembered, the community has also hosted numerous actors and theater companies, including the New Heritage Repertory Theater,[14] National Black Theater, Lafayette Players, Harlem Suitcase Theater, The Negro Playwrights, American Negro Theater, and the Rose McClendon Players.[15]

The Apollo Theater opened on 125th Street on January 26, 1934, in a former burlesque house. The Savoy Ballroom, on Lenox Avenue, was a renowned venue for swing dancing, and was immortalized in a popular song of the era, "Stompin' At The Savoy". In the 1920s and 1930s, between Lenox and Seventh avenues in central Harlem, over 125 entertainment places operated, including speakeasies, cellars, lounges, cafes, taverns, supper clubs, rib joints, theaters, dance halls, and bars and grills.[16] Some jazz venues, including most famously the Cotton Club, where Duke Ellington played, and Connie's Inn, were restricted to whites only. Others were integrated, including the Renaissance Ballroom and the Savoy Ballroom.

Croton Gatehouse, home to Gatehouse Theater

In 1936, Orson Welles produced his famous black Macbeth at the Lafayette Theater in Harlem.[17] Grand theaters from the late 19th and early 20th centuries were torn down or converted to churches. Harlem lacked any permanent performance space until the creation of the Gatehouse Theater in an old Croton aqueduct building on 135th Street in 2006.[18]

Since 1965, the community has been home to the Harlem Boys Choir, a famous touring choir and education program for young boys, most of whom are black. The Girls Choir of Harlem was founded in 1988.

Harlem is also home to the largest African American Day Parade which celebrates the culture of African diaspora in America. The parade was started up in the spring of 1969 with Congressman Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. as the Grand Marshal of the first celebration.[19]

Arthur Mitchell, a former dancer with the New York City Ballet, established Dance Theatre of Harlem as a school and company of classical ballet and theater training in the late 1960s. The company has toured nationally and internationally. Generations of theater artists have gotten a start at the school.

Manhattan's contribution to hip-hop stems largely from artists with Harlem roots such as Kurtis Blow, and P. Diddy. Harlem is also the birthplace of popular hip-hop dances such as the Harlem shake, toe wop, and Chicken Noodle Soup.

According to a 2010 study, the numbers of Asians in Harlem doubled since 2000. In 2000, the Chinese population was less than one percent, but by 2010 it rose to three percent in the area. Most of the increase is due to Chinese people moving to East Harlem. This is due to rent increases in Lower Manhattan's Chinatown. Many Chinese have moved into public and subsidized housing developments in the area. Advocates have been calling for Chinese language services to be available in the community centers to accommodate the growing number of Chinese residents in the area.[20][21][22]

Poverty and health

The neighborhood suffers from unemployment rates higher than the New York average (generally more than twice as high)[23] and high mortality rates as well. In both cases, the numbers for men have been consistently worse than the numbers for women. Unemployment and poverty in the neighborhood resisted private and governmental initiatives to ameliorate them. In the 1960s, uneducated blacks could find jobs more easily than educated ones could, confounding efforts to improve the lives of people who lived in the neighborhood through education.[24] Infant mortality was 124 per thousand in 1928 (twice the rate for whites).[25] By 1940, infant mortality in Harlem was 5% (one black infant in 20 would die), still much higher than white, and the death rate from disease generally was twice that of the rest of New York. Tuberculosis was the main killer, and four times as prevalent among Harlem blacks than among New York's white population.[25]

A 1990 study reported that 15-year-old black women in Harlem had a 65% chance of surviving to age 65, about the same as women in India. Black men in Harlem, on the other hand, had a 37% chance of surviving to age 65, about the same as men in Angola.[26] Infectious diseases and diseases of the circulatory system were to blame, with a variety of contributing factors, including consumption of the deep-fried foods traditional to the South and neighborhood, which may contribute to heart disease.

The neighborhood remains a predominantly African-American area, with census data revealing about 72% of the population in 2005 to have been black. The number of white residents has increased from only 672 people in 1980, about 0.5% of the population, to some 5000 people, or 4.3% of the population, in 2005. As of September 2008, their number was estimated to have tripled from 2005 levels.[27][28]

Crime

Rather than compete with the established mobs, black gangsters concentrated on the "policy racket," also called the Numbers game, or bolita in Spanish Harlem. This was a gambling scheme similar to a lottery that could be played, illegally, from countless locations around Harlem. According to Francis Ianni, "By 1925 there were thirty black policy banks in Harlem, several of them large enough to collect bets in an area of twenty city blocks and across three or four avenues."[29]

By the early 1950s, the total money at play amounted to billions of dollars, and the police force had been thoroughly corrupted by bribes from numbers bosses.[30] These bosses became financial powerhouses, providing capital for loans for those who could not qualify for them from traditional financial institutions, and investing in legitimate businesses and real estate. One of the powerful early numbers bosses was a woman, Madame Stephanie St. Clair.

Shoes hanging from a lamppost in Harlem

The popularity of playing the numbers waned with the introduction of the state lottery, which has higher payouts and is legal. The practice continues on a smaller scale among those who prefer the numbers tradition or who prefer to trust their local numbers bank to the state.

Statistics from 1940 show about 100 murders per year in Harlem, "but rape is very rare."[31] By 1950, essentially all of the whites had left Harlem and by 1960, much of the black middle class had departed. At the same time, control of organized crime shifted from Jewish and Italian syndicates to local black, Puerto Rican, and Cuban groups that were somewhat less formally organized.[29] At the time of the 1964 riots, the drug addiction rate in Harlem was ten times higher than the New York City average, and twelve times higher than the United States as a whole. Of the 30,000 drug addicts then estimated to live in New York City, 15,000 to 20,000 lived in Harlem. Property crime was pervasive, and the murder rate was six times higher than New York's average. Half of the children in Harlem grew up with one parent, or none, and lack of supervision contributed to juvenile delinquency; between 1953 and 1962, the crime rate among young people increased throughout New York City, but was consistently 50% higher in Harlem than in New York City as a whole.[32]

Injecting heroin grew in popularity in Harlem through the 1950s and 1960s, though the use of this drug then leveled off. In the 1980s, use of crack cocaine became widespread, which produced collateral crime as addicts stole to finance their purchasing of additional drugs, and as dealers fought for the right to sell in particular regions, or over deals gone bad.[33]

With the end of the "crack wars" in the mid 90s and with the initiation of aggressive policing under mayor Rudolph Giuliani, crime in Harlem plummeted. In 1981, 6,500 robberies were reported in Harlem. The number dropped to 4,800 in 1990, perhaps due to an increase in the number of police assigned to the neighborhood. By 2000, only 1,700 robberies were reported. There have been similar changes in all categories of crimes tracked by the New York City Police Department.[34] In the 32nd Precinct, which services Central Harlem above 127th Street, for example, between 1990 and 2008, the murder rate dropped 80%, the rape rate dropped 58%, the robbery rate dropped 73%, burglary dropped 86%, and the total number of crime complaints dropped 73%.[35]

Harlem landmarks

Many places in Harlem are New York City Landmarks or Registered Historic Places or otherwise prominent:

Hotel Theresa building at the corner of Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard and 125th Street
St Martin's Episcopal Church at Malcolm X Blvd and 122

Education

Main article: Education in Harlem

In 1977, Isiah Robinson, president of the New York City Board of Education, was quoted as saying that "the quality of education in Harlem has degenerated to the level of a custodial service."[14]

As of May 2006, Harlem was the heart of the charter schools movement in Manhattan; of the 25 charter schools operating in Manhattan, 18 were in Harlem.[39] In 2010, about one age-eligible Harlem child in five was enrolled in charter schools.[40]

The New York Public Library operates the Harlem Branch Library at 9 West 124th Street,[41] the 115th Street Branch Library at 203 West 115th Street,[42] and the 125th Street Branch Library at 224 East 125th Street, near Third Avenue.[43]

The Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine, City College of New York, and New York College of Podiatric Medicine are all located in Harlem.

Transportation

Transportation service is provided by MTA New York City Transit Bus and Subway. Some Bronx Local routes also serve Manhattan, to provide customers with access between both boroughs.[44]


Subway:


Bus:

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c "Harlem neighborhood in New York". Retrieved 2010-12-16.
  2. ^ Pierce, Carl Horton, et al. New Harlem Past and Present: the Story of an Amazing Civic Wrong, Now at Last to be Righted. New York: New Harlem Pub. Co., 1903.
  3. ^ A 1972 review in the journal Science reads in part "in New York City, Harlem 'begins' on the north side of 96th Street." "The Idea of Neighborhood," Science volume 178, p. 494, 1972
  4. ^ Chepesiuk, Ron, Gangsters of Harlem: The Gritty Underworld of New York's Most Famous Neighborhood (Ft. Lee, N.J.: Barricade Books, 2d printing 2007 (ISBN 1-56980-318-8 & ISBN 978-1-56980-318-9 (former no. on dust jkt., front flap, & both nos. on copyright p. & on dust jkt., rear))), p. [1] (author journalism instructor, UCLA Extension Div., & Fulbright Scholar).
  5. ^ New York Magazine, Harlem article
  6. ^ 30th Precinct, New York City Police Department.
  7. ^ 28th Precinct, New York City Police Department.
  8. ^ 32nd Precinct New York City Police Department.
  9. ^ 23rd Precinct, New York City Police Department.
  10. ^ 25th Precinct, New York City Police Department.
  11. ^ "The New Heyday of Harlem," Tessa Souter, The Independent, Sunday, June 8, 1997
  12. ^ Fact Not Fiction In Harlem, John H. Johnson, St. Martin's Church, 1980. p.69+
  13. ^ Harlem U.S.A., ed. John Henrik Clarke, introduction to 1971 edition
  14. ^ a b "To Live In Harlem," Frank Hercules, National Geographic, February 1977, p.178+
  15. ^ Jim Williams, "Need for Harlem Theater", in Harlem: A Community in Transition, 1964. p.158
  16. ^ The Big Bands Database, My Harlem Reverie
  17. ^ "Jam Streets as 'Macbeth' Opens", The New York Times, April 15, 1936
  18. ^ "Gatehouse Ushers in a Second Act as a Theater", The New York Times, October 17, 2006
  19. ^ "History of the African American Parade" - Parade website
  20. ^ http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20110803/harlem/east-harlem-tries-serve-huge-influx-of-chinese-residents
  21. ^ http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/chinese-population-climbs-200-harlem-east-harlem-10-yrs-article-1.947039
  22. ^ http://www.apaforprogress.org/chinese-american-population-harlem-nyc-surges
  23. ^ Poverty and Politics in Harlem, Alphnso Pinkney & Roger Woock, College & University Press Services, Inc., 1970, p.31
  24. ^ The Economic Development of Harlem, Thomas Vietorisz and Bennett Harrison, Praeger Special Studies in U.S. Economic and Social Development, 1970, p.19
  25. ^ a b "Congestion Causes High Mortality," The New York Times, October 24, 1929
  26. ^ McCord C and HP Freeman. "Excess Mortality in Harlem." New England Journal of Medicine 322(1990):173–177
  27. ^ "In Harlem, Blacks Are No Longer a Majority," Sam Roberts, The New York Times, January 6, 2010, p.A16
  28. ^ Timothy Williams, "In an Evolving Harlem, Newcomers Try to Fit In," New York Times, September 7, 2008, P. A33
  29. ^ a b Francis A.J. Ianni, Black Mafia, 1974
  30. ^ "Inside Story of Numbers Racket", Amsterdam News, August 21, 1954
  31. ^ "244,000 Native Sons", Look Magazine, May 21, 1940, p.8+
  32. ^ Poverty and Politics in Harlem, Alphonso Pinkney & Roger Woock, College & University Press Services, Inc., 1970, p.33
  33. ^ "Harlem Speaks: A Living History of the Harlem Renaissance." Wintz, Cary.
  34. ^ "How New York Cut Crime", Reform Magazine, Autumn 2002 p.11
  35. ^ "Compstat – Volume 16 No.4 – 32nd Precinct" (PDF). nyc.gov. NYPD Compstat unit. 2009-01-26. Retrieved 2009-01-28.
  36. ^ a b c d e Landmarks and History of Upper Manhattan
  37. ^ Bushman Steps NYC Parks website highlights
  38. ^ Savoy Ballroom Marker
  39. ^ New York Charter Schools Association
  40. ^ The Teachers' Unions' Last Stand, by Steven Brill (Single Page online URL), in The New York Times, in the Magazine, Sunday, May 23, 2010, p. MM32 (print version may differ), as accessed Jun. 10, 2010.
  41. ^ "Harlem Branch Library." New York Public Library. Retrieved on January 30, 2009.
  42. ^ "115th Street Branch Library." New York Public Library. Retrieved on January 30, 2009.
  43. ^ "125th Street Branch Library." New York Public Library. Retrieved on January 30, 2009.
  44. ^ http://mta.info/nyct/

Further reading

  • WPA Guide to New York City 1939
  • "Harlem: The Making of a Ghetto. Negro New York, 1890–1930". Gilbert Osofsky, 1963
  • TIME Magazine, vol. 84, No.5, July 31, 1964. "Harlem: No Place Like Home"
  • Newsweek, August 3, 1964. "Harlem: Hatred in the Streets"
  • Harlem Stirs, John O. Killens, Fred Halstead, 1966
  • Francis A. J. Ianni, Black Mafia: Ethnic Succession in Organized Crime, 1974
  • "Crack's Decline: Some Surprises from U.S. Cities", National Institute of Justice Research in Brief, July 1997
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Harlem.

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