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West Village

BoroughManhattan
Population72000

LOCATION

The West Village is everything West of Sixth Avenue, from Houston to 14th street. Essentially, the West Village is the original Greenwich Village. The need for the modifier ("West") is a relatively new thing resulting from the emergence of the Eastern counterpart, the East Village.

There is a certain degree of ambiguity as to whether the West Village includes the area around 5th avenue and University Place (aka the Central Village). Our panel of experts maintains that it doesn't.

APARTMENTS & REAL ESTATE

The West Village has been preserved pretty well, which is a plus if you like the character of the old buildings, but a minus if you're looking for an affordable and modern apartment. Simply put, there are very few modern buildings and almost none of them qualifies as "high rise".

To be fair, some reasons for that do not have much to do with with preservation - they are much simpler. Because of geological quirks, the "rock" foundation, easily reachable in Midtown and Downtown, is actually very deep here. As a result, building too high would either be prohibitively expensive or outright dangerous.

The end result is a neighborhood dominated by 19th and early 20th century brownstone and low-rise apartment buildings.

Selected Rental Buildings:

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Selected No-Fee Rental Listings:

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Condo Buildings:

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Co-op Buildings:

See some of the area's West Village Co-op Apartment Buildings

POPULATION AND DEMOGRAPHICS

Population stands at about 72,000. The West Village used to be visibly gay, although in the last few years young families started to overtake as the neighborhood's most visible constituency.

As far as the social makeup is concerned, the majority could easily qualify as affluent if not outright rich. Real estate prices here are among the highest in Manhattan, not to mention other boroughs.

The area has been traditionally considered a natural place to live for intellectuals of all kinds (the literary type in particular) but we are yet to meet one full-time writer who can afford living there. Stockbrokers would probably have a much better shot.

SAFETY

Generally, the West Village is safe. It is one of the most tolerant neighborhoods in New York and beyond. The West Village doesn't have any public housing which takes away many of the associated problems. Thus, on the surface, it is totally safe.

On the other hand, we find certain parts of the West Village to be a magnet for people you might not necessarily want to hang out with. Specifically, that refers to the late-night scene on and around Christopher street, especially its Westernmost part.

NAME ORIGINS

Greenwich Village used to be a village. Back in the days when Wall Street actually had a wall. The "west" modifier was added later to distinguish the neighborhood from its eastern neighbors.

SYNOPSIS

The West Village may or may not be your cup of tea... The best way to find out is to visit a few times (including a night visit) and walk around. Luckily, there are countless charming blocks and narrow (by New York standards) streets to explore.

LATEST HEADLINES, NEWS & REVIEWS

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Neighborhood Photos:

Seventh Avenue at West 14th street
Seventh Avenue at West 14th street

165 Charles Street
165 Charles Street

Three Glass Buildings
Three Glass Buildings

West Village. Greenwich Street
West Village. Greenwich Street

Meatpacking District. West 14th street
Meatpacking District. West 14th street

See all West Village photos

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