Midtown Manhattan

A panoramic view of Midtown Manhattan as seen from across the Hudson River in Weehawken, New Jersey (2011)

Midtown Manhattan, or simply Midtown, is an area of Manhattan, New York City home to world-famous commercial zones such as Rockefeller Center, Broadway, and Times Square. Midtown Manhattan is home to the city's tallest and most famous buildings such as the Empire State Building and Chrysler Building.

Midtown, along with "Uptown" and "Downtown", is one of the three major subdivisions of Manhattan. The core of Midtown Manhattan is from about 31st Street to 59th Street between Third and Ninth avenues, about two square miles (this is the area most commonly referred to as "Midtown.") The "Plaza District", a term used by Manhattan real estate professionals to denote the most expensive area of midtown from a commercial real estate perspective, lies between 42nd Street and 59th Street, from Third Avenue to Seventh Avenue, about a square kilometer or half a square mile.

As New York's largest central business district, Midtown Manhattan is indisputably the busiest single commercial district in the United States, and among the most intensely and diversely used pieces of real estate in the world. The great majority of New York City's skyscrapers, including its tallest hotels and apartment towers, lie within Midtown. More than 700,000 commuters work in its offices, hotels, and retail establishments; the area also hosts many tourists, visiting residents, and students. Some areas, especially Times Square and Fifth Avenue, have massive clusters of retail establishments. Sixth Avenue in Midtown holds the headquarters of three of the four major television networks, and is one of a few global centers of news and entertainment. It is also a growing center of finance, second in importance within the United States only to Downtown Manhattan's Financial District. Times Square is also the center of American theater.

Road congestion is common, especially for crosstown traffic. In 2011, a new system of traffic light control, known as "Midtown in Motion" was announced, with the aim of reducing traffic congestion.

Cityscape

A panoramic view of Midtown Manhattan during midday, taken from the Empire State Building

View of the Midtown Manhattan skyline, looking north from the Empire State Building

Neighborhoods

Rockefeller Center's vicinity contains some of the city's most recognizable landmarks, including the GE Building.

Madison Square Garden

Times Square, one of the busiest intersections in the world

Columbus Circle subway station, one of the city's busiest

Skyscrapers line Sixth Avenue, in the heart of midtown

"Korea Way" on 32nd Street in Manhattan's Koreatown, 2009.

The Diamond District

Western midtown

Eastern midtown

Midtown encompasses many neighborhoods including Hell's Kitchen and Chelsea on the West Side, and Murray Hill, Kips Bay, Turtle Bay, and Gramercy on the East Side. It is also sometimes broken into "Midtown East" and "Midtown West", or north and south as in the New York City Police Department's Midtown North and Midtown South precincts. A simplistic and by no means comprehensive list of the neighborhoods in the Midtown area is as follows:

• Between 59th Street to the north and 42nd Street to the south, from west to east:
  • Hell's Kitchen from the Hudson River to 8th Avenue, including
    • Theatre Row on West 42nd Street between 11th Avenue and 9th Avenue.
    • where Hell's Kitchen meets Central Park and the Upper West Side at West 59th Street and 8th Avenue, Columbus Circle
  • Times Square and the Theatre District from West 42nd Street to around West 53rd Street (according to some until Central Park at Central Park South/59th Street), and from 8th Avenue to Sixth Avenue
  • The Diamond District on West 47th Street between 6th Avenue and 5th Avenue
  • Midtown East from around 6th Avenue to the East River, including (going from west to east, and north to south):
    • Sutton Place near the East River between East 53rd Street and East 59th Street
    • Turtle Bay from 53rd Street to 42nd Street and from Lexington Avenue to the East River
    • Tudor City from 1st Avenue to 2nd Avenue and East 40th Street to East 43rd Street
• Between 42nd Street north and around 34th Street, from west to east, and north to south:
  • Hell's Kitchen from the Hudson River to 8th Avenue
  • The Garment District from West 42nd Street and West 34th Street and 9th Avenue to 5th Avenue
  • Herald Square around the intersection of Broadway, 6th Avenue and West 34th Street
  • Murray Hill from East 42nd Street to East 34th Street and 5th Avenue to 2nd Avenue
• Between 34th Street and 23rd Street, from west to east:
  • Chelsea between the Hudson River and Sixth Avenue
  • Koreatown from 36th Street to 31st Street and 5th and 6th Avenues, centered on "Korea Way" on 32nd Street between 5th Avenue and Broadway
  • Rose Hill or Curry Hill between Madison Avenue and 1st Avenue
  • Kips Bay from 3rd Avenue to the East River
• Between 23rd Street and 14th Street, going west to east and north to south:
  • Chelsea between the Hudson River and Sixth Avenue
  • The Meatpacking District in the southwesternmost corner of Midtown, to the south of West 15th Street
  • Madison Square and the Flatiron District, the area surround the intersection of Broadway, 5th Avenue and 23rd Street.
  • Union Square, to the northeast of the intersection of Broadway, East 14th Street and Park Avenue South
  • Gramercy from East 23rd Street to East 14th Street and Lexington Avenue to 1st Avenue
  • Peter Cooper Village from East 23rd Street to East 20th Street and 1st Avenue to Avenue C (parallel the East River)
  • Stuyvesant Town from East 20th street to East 14th Street and 1st Avenue to Avenue C

Midtown is the original district in the United States to bear the name and included historical but now defunct neighborhoods such as the Ladies' Mile, along Fifth Avenue from 14th Street to 23rd Street and the Tenderloin, from 23rd Street to 42nd Street and Fifth Avenue to Seventh Avenue.

Further information: List of Manhattan neighborhoods

Other important sights in Midtown:

• Empire State Building
• Museum of Modern Art
• St. Patrick's Cathedral
• Grand Central Terminal
• New York Public Library
• Chrysler Building
• Time Warner Center
• One Bryant Park
• United Nations Headquarters
• Carnegie Hall
• Madison Square Garden
• Manhattan Center
• James Farley Post Office
• Pennsylvania Station
• Plaza Hotel
• The Waldorf-Astoria Hotel
• Bryant Park
• Trump Tower
• Times Square
• Flagship stores of retailers such as:
  • Bergdorf Goodman
  • Lord & Taylor
  • Gucci
  • Louis Vuitton
  • Saks Fifth Avenue
  • Bloomingdale's
  • Brooks Brothers
  • F.A.O. Schwarz
  • J. Press
  • Macy's
  • Nat Sherman
  • Paul Stuart
  • Tiffany & Co.
• Prominent gentlemen's clubs in Midtown:
  • The Brook
  • The Century Association
  • The Columbia University Club of New York
  • The Cornell Club of New York
  • The Dartmouth Club of New York
  • The Harvard Club of New York
  • The New York Yacht Club
  • The Penn Club of New York
  • The Princeton Club of New York
  • The Racquet and Tennis Club
  • The Joseph Lubin House of Syracuse University
  • The Union League Club of New York
  • The University Club of New York
  • The Yale Club of New York City

Important streets and thoroughfares in Midtown:

• Madison Avenue
• Fifth Avenue
• Broadway
• Park Avenue
• Vanderbilt Avenue
• 34th Street
• 42nd Street

Economy

Thomson Reuters Building at Times Square

Midtown Manhattan, along with Lower Manhattan, is one of the world's leading financial centers.

Corporate headquarters

Midtown Manhattan has the headquarters of major companies, including 4Kids Entertainment, Barnes & Noble, Bloomberg LP, Calvin Klein, Cantor Fitzgerald, CBS Corporation, Citigroup, Colgate-Palmolive, Cushman & Wakefield, DC Comics, Deloitte, Duane Reade, Estée Lauder Companies, Foot Locker, Frederator Studios, JPMorgan Chase, Hess Corporation, Kroll Inc., L-3 Communications, Marsh & McLennan Companies, Marvel Entertainment, McGraw-Hill, MetLife, MidOcean Partners, Morgan Stanley, NBC Universal, The New York Times Company, NexCen Brands, Pfizer, Polo Ralph Lauren, Saks Incorporated (Saks Fifth Avenue), The Sharper Image, Simon & Schuster, Six Flags, TBWA Worldwide, Thomson Reuters, Time Warner, Time Warner Cable, Univision Communications, and Viacom. The New York Institute of Finance is located in Midtown Manhattan.

Foreign subsidiary operations

The Haier Building

Haier operates its United States offices in the Haier Building at 1356 Broadway; the building previously was a building of the Greenwich Savings Bank. Haier held the opening ceremony on March 4, 2002. Sumitomo Corporation operates its New York Office, the headquarters of the corporation's United States operations, at 600 Third Avenue, 10016 in the Murray Hill neighborhood. El Al's North American headquarters are in Midtown. The Air France USA regional headquarters are in 125 West 55th Street in Midtown Manhattan. Hachette Book Group has its headquarters in 237 Park Avenue. In 1994 Alitalia considered moving its USA headquarters from Midtown to Lower Manhattan, but decided to keep the offices where they were at the last minute. Global Infrastructure Partners has an office in Midtown Manhattan.

Former economic operations

The MetLife Building, headquarters of Metlife; formerly Pan Am Building and headquarters of Pan American World Airways

American companies formerly headquartered in Midtown Manhattan include American Airlines, American Comics Group, American Overseas Airlines, Central Park Media, Eastern Airlines, GoodTimes Entertainment, LJN, NewKidCo, Pan American World Airways, Philip Morris Companies (now Altria Group), Trans Caribbean Airways, and Trans World Airlines.

Aer Lingus formerly had its United States offices in Midtown. In 1997 Aer Lingus announced that it was moving its North American headquarters to Melville, Town of Huntington, New York.

Diplomatic missions

Several countries, Argentina, The Bahamas, People's Republic of China, Costa Rica, Germany, Republic of Ireland, Israel, Jamaica, Japan, Luxembourg, Mexico, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, United Kingdom, Ukraine, have consulates-general in Midtown Manhattan accredited to the United States. In addition the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office of the Republic of China (Taiwan) is in Midtown Manhattan.

Government and infrastructure

James A. Farley Post Office

The Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration operates its New York office on the 22nd floor at 135 West 50th Street.

The United States Postal Service operates the James A. Farley Post Office, New York City's main post office, in Midtown Manhattan. The post office stopped 24 hour service beginning on May 9, 2009 due to decreasing mail traffic.

Education

The New York City Department of Education operates public schools in Midtown Manhattan.

The New York Public Library operates the Mid-Manhattan Library at 455 Fifth Avenue at 40th Street. The system also operates the 58th Street Branch Library at 127 East 58th Street, between Park Avenue and Lexington Avenue.

See also

• East Side (Manhattan)
• Lower Manhattan
• West Side (Manhattan)