Although the name Harlem is sometimes reckoned as comprising the whole of upper Manhattan, it is defined on east by being north of 96th Street (Spanish Harlem until 116th Street and East Harlem after 116th Street) and on the North of Central Park at 110th Street and 5th Avenue, and by 125th Street west of Morningside Park where it meets Morningside Heights, a section of the Upper West Side. Finally, the western boundary of Harlem is the Hudson River, which additionally serves as a city, county, and state line.
Harlem has various subsections with their own landmarks and identities. It is often described as three sections, Central, East, and West, each with their own subsections as follows:
Central Harlem
(between 5th Avenue and St. Nicholas Avenue)
- Sugar Hill
- Mount Morris Park
- Strivers' Row
- Astor Row
West Harlem
(west of St. Nicholas Avenue)
- Hamilton Heights
- Manhattanville
East Harlem
(east of 5th Avenue)
- Spanish Harlem
Subway stops: 6 to 110th Street for East Harlem; 2 or 3 to 116th Street for Central Harlem; A, B, C, or D to 125th Street for West Harlem.