Upper Best Side?
Ever since Central Park opened in 1857, the city has been split between the Upper West and the Upper East. The park buffers an unspoken rivalry, propagated through time by the city’s natives and newcomers. When it comes to asking opinions on the neighborhoods themselves, each respective neighborhood dweller will highly advocate their own. For those of you trying to decide which side of the city to settle down in, you might want to consider a few things.
According to statistics collected by Zillow, the Upper West Side (UWS) and Upper East Side (UES) constitute of about the same population size - around 30,000. Around 44%, and 42% of that make up the singles population for the UWS and UES, respectively. For the married population it is around 40%, and 43%, respectively.
While both sides of the park offer a good selection of schools, nightlife and restaurants, the UES is usually associated with "old money”, which can be seen by the slew of luxury stores and boutiques lining street corners. The UWS, on the other hand, will offer a more family oriented feel that can be seen by just walking down Broadway. It’s also worth noting that Columbia University draws a college crowd to the UWS, whereas the UES seems to have many more young professionals. This can be correlated to the general wealth of this area which has an average income per-capita of $83,700, compared to $73,800 in the UWS.
Perhaps the most significant factor in choosing an apartment in NYC is proximity to the Subway and in this category, the UWS is more likely the better choice. With the 1,2,3 line and the A,C,B,D, you are never more than two avenues away from the subway on the UWS. Until 2016 (or most likely later), when the 2nd Avenue T subway line is complete, there is only the 4,5,6 line running through the UES.
On the other hand, the UES has the museums. While the Natural History Museum is on Central Park West, most of the city's famous museums (the Met, Guggenheim, Whitney, etc.) are on 5th Ave. If museums are not that important to you, maybe parks are. The UWS is home to Riverside Park, an often overlooked gem.
While you try to make that crucial decision, into which of these neighborhoods you want to move, use our Nearby Amenities feature, which displays nearby grocery stores, restaurants and schools onto your apartment hunting map. It’s just one thing we’re trying to do to make your decision process a tad bit easier.
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