Spanish Harlem is located on the upper east side of Manhattan. Beginning after 96th, Spanish Harlem consists of a high population of Puerto Ricans, followed by Dominicans, and African Americans. As early as 2010, 27% of the population was Puerto Rican, and overall latinos consists of 52% of the population, this is followed by this is followed by 37% African American. The Income level of Spanish Harlem is for the most part considered low, it also has a large concentration of government housing.
Back in the 1980’s Spanish Harlem was known for its large Italian population. Because of World War 2, a wave of Puerto Ricans moved into the area and forced the Italians out, thus creating what is now known as Spanish Harlem. Some of the medical providers in the area consist of the Metropolitan Hospital Center and Mount Sinai Hospital. The Economy consists of mom and pop business owners in retail, as well as many Spanish restaurants that have established themselves for many years and thus survive the invasion of large food chains such as Macdonalds, Burger King, Taco Bell, KFC, Dominos, Papa Johns, Dunking Donuts, and Little Caesars.
There is plenty of transportation in the area, with three train lines, the 4, 5 and 6 lines,As well as a variety of buses, M101, M102, M103, M106, M94, M15, to name a few.
Among some of the major stores in the area, are COSTCOS, Target, Gap, Gamespot, Petsmart, Marshalls and Pathmark. There is also your pharmacies, Rite Aid, Duane Reade, and your local Pharmacy. There is also a New York Sports Club, a Planet Fitness, and a Bally’s Total Fitness. 93% of the apartments are rented, and over 20% of the population lives in government housing. In addition, over 40% of the population in the area receive some form of aid from the government. The asian population has also tripled since the year 2000, it’ll be interesting to see how it affects the latino community and “Spanish” Harlem in general, as more whites move up from downtown searching for cheaper rent and more Asians continue to move into an Area that has been predominantly Latino and African American for the last 30 to 40 years.
-Abel Ramirez
Clearly, the shift in the demographics of the population –with the infusion of Asians–is an important story. What effect has this had on the long-time residents and the people of Spanish Harlem? What changes do you see in ethnic stores, if any?