East Harlem, Residential neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, United States
East Harlem sits in northern Manhattan between 96th Street and the Harlem River, running from Fifth Avenue to the East River. Low residential buildings alternate with brick structures, while shops line wide streets and parks offer green spaces between blocks.
In the 1930s, Italian families made up much of the population, but after World War II, immigrants from Puerto Rico moved into the area in large numbers. This shift shaped the neighborhood over decades and gave it the name Spanish Harlem.
The neighborhood draws on Latin American traditions visible in small shops selling handmade goods from the Caribbean, Mexico, and Central America. On weekends, streets fill with families meeting in parks, speaking Spanish, and listening to music that drifts from open windows.
Several subway lines run through the area, offering quick connections to other parts of the city, while local buses travel between main streets. On 116th Street, larger stores and a shopping center stay open daily, making errands easier.
This area holds the second largest concentration of public housing in the United States after Brownsville in Brooklyn. These housing complexes shape large parts of the streetscape and show an example of 20th-century housing policy.
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