Soho is a historic neighborhood in lower Manhattan which has transitioned from a neighborhood of artists and art galleries to a commercial are with many chain stores geared to tourists. many of the art galleries have been moved to different neighborhoods in the city and gentrification and shopping have shaped the Soho that we know today.

The neighborhood became a go-to spot for entertainment in the mid 19 century, and this also brought in brothels and the atmosphere began to change. The middle class moved out and and was replaced by merchants. in the 1960’s the artists moved in and the neighborhood began to change again. Artists would be attracted to the empty industrial buildings because of the large windows, vast indoor space, and natural light. There was a period of time where the City ignored clandestine housing in buildings which did not meet any requirements for living conditions. this was due to the city’s poor economy at the time. (1960’s) . After a while, the city addressed the growing artist population and made it legal for artists to live in the places they worked, this was partly because manufacturing had left New York City at the time.

Soho is in between Canal Street on the south, Crosby Street on the east, and Sixth Avenue to the west. The northern part of the neighborhood consists of clustered chain outlets and the streets are often filled with tourists visiting New York City. The southern part of the neighborhood along Grand Street still resembles the neighborhood’s earlier days.

Soho residents, according to the 2010 United States Census, are mostly white, Asians and Latinos are in lower numbers and Blacks constitute a 1% of the population in that area. (Soho is part of the Manhattan community board 2).