I noticed a lot of errors in these answers- including the wikipedia link. Be very careful when viewing real estate listings because many brokers don't know the borders well. My apartment was marketed as Washington Heights- but it in actuality it was in the Hamilton Heights section of Harlem. That was 4 1/2 years ago- and I still see lots of these errors today although the accuracy has been improving as Harlem becomes are realistic choice for more and more New Yorker's now that the crime rates have dropped so significantly.

The southern border is 135th street and the northern border is 155th street. The Western border is the Hudson River. The Eastern border is a bit more complicated (with a bit of a zig-zag) and I am a little fuzzy on it myself- but I believe it's Edgecombe Ave until 141st then moves to St Nicolas below 141st. Sugar Hill is the historic district on the eastern side (Between Amsterdam and St. Nicholas/Edgecombe). Some people might be inclined to include Bradhurst into Hamilton Heights- but I wouldn't make that assumption so quickly- it can be verified by Police Precinct, Zip Code, Community Board, etc. Sugar Hill has some of the most beautiful buildings in NYC. Hamilton Heights is also home to City College. Many of the original buildings from City College were designed by the same architect that designed the New York Stock Exchange building.

Allesandra's answer was also including the neighborhood of Manhattanville (123rd-135th streets). Manhattanville has gotten lots of press in recent years because Columbia University has bought a large portion of the land West of Broadway for a $6-7 billion campus expansion (to be spent in a 20+ year period).

Strivers Row is NOT a part of Hamilton Heights- it's in Central Harlem. Hamilton Heights is in West Harlem.

Hamilton Heights stretches from 123rd to 155th Sts, bordered by the Hudson River and Edgecombe Ave. It's just between Columbia University and Morningside Heights to the South, and Columbia's Medical School campus to the North.

There is a lot of beautiful inventory in Hamilton Heights, you can often get considerably more space for your money uptown. It can be a great investment and offer you everything you need. You should consider your lifestyle though: how far would you have to commute and what would be your route? What do you want to do at night on the weekends and how accessible would those places and activities be for you? Here is a link to Precinct 30, where Hamilton Heights is located... http://www.nyc.gov/html/nypd/downloads/pdf/crime_statistics/…

I hope this helps. Please let me know if I can be of any further assistance.

Best Regards,
Alessandra Marx
alessandra@elikaassociates.com
http://www.elikaassociates.com

That's a good question, it's between 135th St-15th St in Harlem. It has great row houses etc... To answer your second question, do you want to live there? You should consider how long will your commute be from your job, do you feel comfortable late at night commuting? Also look up the crime stats in the nycpd website. Consider walking around the area and lastly if you're looking for a spacious apartment that won't break the bank there's a few other locations in the city and not uptown that you might want to look at. Feel free to email me and I'll run a search depending on your budget. It's still a good time to buy, rates are low and sellers are a bit nervous which makes it the perfect storm for buyers like yourself. Have a great Labor Day weekend!!

Hamilton Heights is a section of Harlem between 135th Street and 155th Street. It includes Strivers Row and Sugar Hill. It is a historic district with beautiful 19th century row houses and brownstones. More information below

This Should Help You

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamilton_Heights,_Manhattan