Harlem is an area in northern Manhattan which includes Hamilton Heights and El Barrio (Spanish Harlem). In 1658, Governor Peter Stuyvesant established Harlem, naming it Nieuw Harlem after the Dutch city of Harlem. From 1920 until about 1930, Harlem was the center of an African American cultural movement known as the Harlem Renaissance. The East Harlem/El Barrio community is bounded by First Avenue to Fifth Avenue and from East 96th Street to East 125th Street; the population is primarily Puerto Rican and African-American.
Hamilton Heights is a residential historic district north of Morningside Heights and south of Washington Heights which includes Sugar Hill. Sugar Hill extends from Edgecomb Avenue to Amsterdam Avenue, and from 145 Street to 155 Street. The name 'Sugar Hill' originated in the late 1920's when rich African-Americans began moving into the 'sweet and expensive' area.
