New York City - Manhattan's Upper Eastside

The Upper Eastside of Manhattan is the home of one of the country's greatest concentrations of individual wealth, due to the population density and high per-capita income. It's a diverse neighborhood that begins at 59^th Street, and goes as far as 96^th Street, from Central Park to the East River. Many famous families have called the Upper Eastside home, including the Kennedys, Roosevelts, Dukes, Astors, and Rockefellers.  Boasting some of the best restaurants, high end stores, luxury hotels, private schools, and exclusive clubs, the Upper Eastside has everything it needs to cater to wealthy residents.

New York City has seen some drastic transformations over the years, and the Upper Eastside is not an exception.   Until about 1837, when the New York and Harlem Railroad began to develop commercial properties around its one Upper Eastside station at 86^th Street, the neighborhood was mostly rural farmland.  The area around the 86^th Street station eventually became the center of German Yorkville, which extended east of Lexington Avenue, and became a suburb of middle-class Germans.  These residents worked in nearby breweries, stables, and piano factories.  Much of the farmland was subdivided during the mid-19^th Century, with the exception of Jones' Wood which ran from 66th to 76^th Street, and from the Old Post Road (Third Avenue) to the East River. Another exception was the farmland inherited by James Lenox, which we know as today's Lenox Hill.

The population boom towards the later part of the 19^th Century, caused by a surge in immigration, created the need for developers to move beyond the existing downtown areas.  When the Second Avenue and Third Avenue elevated train lines were added in the 1880's, the upper eastside became the perfect place to live for those commuting to the busy downtown business areas.  Except for the pricey properties along Fifth Avenue, development was geared towards brick or stone row houses, mostly in the Romanesque, Neo-Gothic, or Queen Anne style, that were built for professional and business people. Farther east, closer to the new elevated trains, large tenements were built to accommodate the large increase in working class people.

As the city grew, the Upper Eastside continued to flourish as a center of commerce, and a destination for people seeking the best that Manhattan has to offer.  Central Park and the internationally renowned museums draw visitors from all over the world.