5.5 out of 10

Inwood

40.6203416391019 -73.7447934250841
Great for
  • Parks & Recreation
  • Peace & Quiet
  • Clean & Green
  • Cost of Living
  • Medical Facilities
Not great for
  • Pest Free
  • Nightlife
  • Shopping Options
  •  
  •  
Who lives here?
  • Singles
  • Families with kids
  • Professionals
  • Retirees
  • LGBT+

Reviews

3/5 rating details
  • Neighborly Spirit 4/5
  • Safe & Sound 3/5
  • Clean & Green 4/5
  • Pest Free 2/5
  • Peace & Quiet 4/5
  • Eating Out 4/5
  • Nightlife 3/5
  • Parks & Recreation 4/5
  • Shopping Options 3/5
  • Gym & Fitness 3/5
  • Internet Access 3/5
  • Lack of Traffic 2/5
  • Cost of Living 4/5
  • Resale or Rental Value 3/5
  • Public Transport 4/5
  • Medical Facilities 4/5
  • Schools 3/5
  • Childcare 3/5
2yrs+

"Suburb Feel Right in Manhattan"

Inwood is about as far north you can go and still be in Manhattan. It feels as it you have left Manhattan and living in one of the boroughs. Most people who travel to Inwood to visit the Cloisters, a branch of the Metropolitan Museum of Art located in Fort Tryon Park. The Cloisters were reconstructed in the 1930s from the remnants of several European abbeys and display art and architecture form Medieval Europe. Fort Tryon Park is a nice place to take a walk duirng the day but I advise to stay away after dark.

Inwood is fast-changing from a low-income enclave to a vibrant community full of students and professionals who come for the relative quiet of the area as compared with other parts of the city. For both renters and buyers, Inwood offers great apartment deals for both apartment buyers and sellers with the spaces generally much bigger than apartments further downtown.

With the influx of young professionals drawn by the bargain rents, the neighborhood also offers relatively inexpensive restaurants and groceries. You have the choice between a $1.25 cafe con leche or a $5. vanilla latte Starbucks on the same block. There are also some great discount stores where you can purchase most household supplies. For those who want to get in some aerobic exercise, the neighborhood offers some amazing hills to get your heart going.

Columbia University Medical Center is a short distance south and covers several blocks from the Henry Hudson parkway to Audubon Avenue between 165th and 168th Streets

Though Inwood is a good distance from the center of Manhattan, subway service via the 1 or a train can get you downtown within about 30 minutes. On weekends, the A train operates on a express schedule so that you can get to midtown (42nd Street) in about 15 minutes. There are also a few bus lines serving the area although the trip to midtown will take about an hour. There is also the GWB bus station on Broadway between 178th and 179th Streets which provide local and express service to and from Nothern New Jersey and Rockland County.

Inwood is a very pretty and quiet area worth a visit, even if you don't plan to live here.
Pros
  • Affordable rents
  • Beautiful parks and scenery
Cons
  • Can be less than safe at night
  • Far from everything
  • Nothing much to do
Recommended for
  • Professionals
  • Singles
  • Families with kids
  • LGBT+
  • Students
3/5 rating details
  • Neighborly Spirit 4/5
  • Safe & Sound 3/5
  • Clean & Green 4/5
  • Pest Free 2/5
  • Peace & Quiet 5/5
  • Eating Out 2/5
  • Nightlife 2/5
  • Parks & Recreation 5/5
  • Shopping Options 2/5
  • Internet Access 3/5
  • Lack of Traffic 4/5
  • Parking 3/5
  • Cost of Living 4/5
  • Public Transport 3/5
2yrs+

"A Leafy Getaway from City Life"

Consider Inwood a little day trip - it's like leaving the city without leaving the city. In fact, while a part of Manhattan, Inwood doesn't look much like Manhattan at all. It's like a little bit of suburban quiet mixed with stretches of straight-up nature, all a (long) subway ride away. Everywhere you look you'll find a hint of green. The architecture is pre-war, so it's easy to lose a few minutes gazing at elegant brownstones and old-world flourishes we don't bother to put on buildings anymore. There are two worthy parks right in the area: Fort Tryon Park and Inwood Hill Park. Fort Tryon Park is home to something that keeps visitors coming to Inwood: the Cloisters. You can easily get lost in time wandering the medieval world of this museum/landscape belong to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Marvel at architecture, gardens and art from the Middle Ages - you'll forget you're in New York.

As far as Inwood Hill Park, this is way-uptown Manhattan's answer to Central Park. Smaller in size and a bit less to do, this park still boasts attractions like a Nature Center, not to mention much less tourists than the more famous park.

But with all that leafy and architectural goodness comes plenty of cons. There's not much else to do here other than enjoy said beauty, and the train ride down to civilization in the rest of Manhattan is quite the lengthy one. Plus, Inwood isn't all that safe at night, yet, since it's undoubtedly gone through its sketchy periods over the last few decades - and the issues haven't been completely ironed out yet. It's just an inevitable factor of any neighborhood that doesn't have a lot going on.
Pros
  • Beautiful parks and scenery
  • Affordable rents
Cons
  • Far from everything
  • Can be less than safe at night
  • Nothing much to do
Recommended for
  • Singles
  • Families with kids
  • Retirees
  • Country Lovers

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