What’s the general consensus on Central Harlem? (125th & Lenox) (neighborhoods, school)
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I recently moved to Central Harlem (I’m a few steps away from 125th & Lenox). I’m a mid-20’s, black professional that earns somewhere in the neighborhood of $150-170K a year depending on the year. I moved to Harlem because I felt comfortable and thought 125th & Lenox was a pretty awesome area.
What are the locals thoughts on this area? From what I’ve seen so far it’s a pretty mixed bag. There seems to be a lot of gentrification, and the locals I’ve talked to seem pretty bitter about it (for obvious reasons) but it’s almost as if many people in this area want the neighborhood to remain “hood”.
I love the diversity, food options and access to the 2/3/4/5/6 and Metro North, but it still feels like the neighborhood in general has a long way to go. (The **** poor customer service at pretty much every retail store is frustrating). A lot of people are puzzled as to why I chose Harlem over neighborhoods like Chelsea or SoHo, but I’m still trying to feel out the general concensus from people that have been here for years. I love the neighborhood but I don’t understand why there’s still a negative stigma attached to this specific area in Harlem (125th from ACP to 5th Ave) when so many positive things seem to be going on in the neighborhood.
I recently moved to Central Harlem (I’m a few steps away from 125th & Lenox). I’m a mid-20’s, black professional that earns somewhere in the neighborhood of $150-170K a year depending on the year. I moved to Harlem because I felt comfortable and thought 125th & Lenox was a pretty awesome area.
What are the locals thoughts on this area? From what I’ve seen so far it’s a pretty mixed bag. There seems to be a lot of gentrification, and the locals I’ve talked to seem pretty bitter about it (for obvious reasons) but it’s almost as if many people in this area want the neighborhood to remain “hood”.
I love the diversity, food options and access to the 2/3/4/5/6 and Metro North, but it still feels like the neighborhood in general has a long way to go. (The **** poor customer service at pretty much every retail store is frustrating). A lot of people are puzzled as to why I chose Harlem over neighborhoods like Chelsea or SoHo, but I’m still trying to feel out the general concensus from people that have been here for years. I love the neighborhood but I don’t understand why there’s still a negative stigma attached to this specific area in Harlem (125th from ACP to 5th Ave) when so many positive things seem to be going on in the neighborhood.
OP, when you say recent, how long ago is recent?
Your first impressions are pretty much what Harlem is right now. Getting better, but still a long way to go. That's really it.
And its not so much remain "hood," more like remain "affordable."
As for negative stigma, there's a big gang-infested housing project a block or 2 away from Whole Foods.
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"The man who sleeps on the floor, can never fall out of bed." -Martin Lawrence
General consensus is the more east you go the more rachet it gets. I would have stayed west of Frederick Douglas Blvd, closer to Columbia with your salary. IMO west of Frederick Douglas Blvd between 110-125th is nice, tons of restaurants and more gentrification. The neighborhoods and quality of life near Morningside Park and Saint Nicholas Park seem quite nice.
The fact is, if you treat people like garbage for decades, crowd them together in substandard conditions, offer them substandard housing, provide substandard services generally, it will have long-term effects on those people. Those store clerks who don't give you good service probably only rarely GET good service. If no one's taught you your own value, you won't value the people around you in your community.
You have to decide if the positives--like helping to sustain a majority-black neighborhood that's survived the worst the U.S. could throw at it--outweigh the negatives--all the various inconveniences and unpleasantnesses of living in an underserved neighborhood. The calculus is different for each individual. If you move further west (FDB is indeed about the dividing line), you will find nicer neighborhoods. You will also find gentrification much further underway in terms of pricing out the long-term residents. But if you "love the neighborhood," then why are you worried about what random jerks on a site say about it?
I recently moved to Central Harlem (I’m a few steps away from 125th & Lenox). I’m a mid-20’s, black professional that earns somewhere in the neighborhood of $150-170K a year depending on the year. I moved to Harlem because I felt comfortable and thought 125th & Lenox was a pretty awesome area.
What are the locals thoughts on this area? From what I’ve seen so far it’s a pretty mixed bag. There seems to be a lot of gentrification, and the locals I’ve talked to seem pretty bitter about it (for obvious reasons) but it’s almost as if many people in this area want the neighborhood to remain “hood”.
I love the diversity, food options and access to the 2/3/4/5/6 and Metro North, but it still feels like the neighborhood in general has a long way to go. (The **** poor customer service at pretty much every retail store is frustrating). A lot of people are puzzled as to why I chose Harlem over neighborhoods like Chelsea or SoHo, but I’m still trying to feel out the general concensus from people that have been here for years. I love the neighborhood but I don’t understand why there’s still a negative stigma attached to this specific area in Harlem (125th from ACP to 5th Ave) when so many positive things seem to be going on in the neighborhood.
Yeah as others have said, you pretty much answered your own questions... In transition indeed, and yes, the long-timers are extremely bitter. They know that the new amenities that they can't afford aren't really for them, but rather more monied individuals and that angers them. They have no control over the direction of the neighborhood since so many of them don't own or can't afford to. Then there's the question of where do they go when they can no longer afford the neighborhood or where do they belong in the "gentrified Harlem"?
(The **** poor customer service at pretty much every retail store is frustrating).
Overall, customer service is regular retail stores (not high end) is pretty bad all over NYC. The pay is extremely poor and the schedules are inconsistent, so the employers aren't really able to attract quality service staff. Of course, they could if they pay better.
I do find it to be true, though, that big chains will put their better people in the Manhattan branches and their low performing people in worse neighborhoods. At least I've found that to be the case with T Mobile employees. The difference between what I get in the stores in Queens is completely different than the service I get when I go to a Manhattan store.
Overall, customer service is regular retail stores (not high end) is pretty bad all over NYC. The pay is extremely poor and the schedules are inconsistent, so the employers aren't really able to attract quality service staff. Of course, they could if they pay better.
I do find it to be true, though, that big chains will put their better people in the Manhattan branches and their low performing people in worse neighborhoods. At least I've found that to be the case with T Mobile employees. The difference between what I get in the stores in Queens is completely different than the service I get when I go to a Manhattan store.
The pay is among the highest in the country for those positions. Minimum wage will soon be $15, similar jobs in most of the country would be at least a few dollars less per hour.
I recently moved to Central Harlem (I’m a few steps away from 125th & Lenox). I’m a mid-20’s, black professional that earns somewhere in the neighborhood of $150-170K a year depending on the year. I moved to Harlem because I felt comfortable and thought 125th & Lenox was a pretty awesome area.
What are the locals thoughts on this area? From what I’ve seen so far it’s a pretty mixed bag. There seems to be a lot of gentrification, and the locals I’ve talked to seem pretty bitter about it (for obvious reasons) but it’s almost as if many people in this area want the neighborhood to remain “hood”.
I love the diversity, food options and access to the 2/3/4/5/6 and Metro North, but it still feels like the neighborhood in general has a long way to go. (The **** poor customer service at pretty much every retail store is frustrating). A lot of people are puzzled as to why I chose Harlem over neighborhoods like Chelsea or SoHo, but I’m still trying to feel out the general concensus from people that have been here for years. I love the neighborhood but I don’t understand why there’s still a negative stigma attached to this specific area in Harlem (125th from ACP to 5th Ave) when so many positive things seem to be going on in the neighborhood.
There have been several threads on this forum about 125th area.
Bottom line is depending where (and as someone stated east of FDB is about the dividing line), is still mostly a busted hood that is struggling to gentrify; but that does not sit well with everyone from hard core poor to drug addicts and others that just won't have any place to go if pushed out.
Neil Patrick Harris and his husband/family join a not small number of gays who have moved into that area of Central Harlem (they are on Fifth near 126th) and that is something else ticking some old school locals off.
There is (or was) a strong feeling that pretty much *all* of Harlem if it was going to gentrify should be by those who were up there from back in the day; read mostly blacks. Many now are getting ticked off because things they wanted for ages (better choices in shopping, restaurants, housing, etc...) are now coming only with gentrification and that is pushing them out.
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