Spanish Harlem Losing Its Accent

A wave of gentrification is threatening Manhattan's Puerto Rican enclave.

1 minute read

January 24, 2007, 12:00 PM PST

By Christian Madera @http://www.twitter.com/cpmadera

"For decades, there had been no doubt about where the Upper East Side ended and East Harlem began: 96th Street, the last major east-west street before the start of East Harlem's clusters of high-rise public housing projects."

"Taxi drivers sometimes dropped off passengers at 96th Street rather than venture farther north to what they considered to be a crime-ridden area. Some courier services also refused to cross the line. Even the row of upscale shops along Second and Third Avenues stopped just short of 96th Street."

"That demarcation line is softer now, and nicknames for the southern tier of East Harlem abound: the Upper Upper East Side, Upper Yorkville and SpaHa - short for Spanish Harlem."

"The result is a high degree of angst among many Puerto Ricans who worry they will be unable to prevent their displacement from a neighborhood that is far more than a place to live and work...It is a familiar story of gentrification in New York City."

FULL STORY: As East Harlem Develops, Its Accent Starts to Change

Sunday, January 21, 2007 in The New York Times

Social / Demographics Urban Development World New York

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