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Washington Heights, New York City — Area Guide & Where to Stay
Washington Heights runs along the high ridge of northern Manhattan, held between the Hudson River and the Harlem River, just north of Harlem.
About Washington Heights
Where to stay in Washington Heights
Not every neighbourhood fits every trip — here's what each one is good for.
Stays here divide by river. The Hudson River side around Fort Washington Presbyterian Church and the Church of Our Lady of Esperanza sits high and quiet, close to the point where Continental Army troops built the fort that named the neighborhood. Toward the Harlem River, the ground drops past Coogan's Bluff and the Morris-Jumel Mansion.
The 155th Street edge puts Harlem within a few blocks. If you are visiting for the Hispanic Society of America or the Morris-Jumel Mansion, either side works, and Dyckman Street carries you north into Inwood when the ridge runs out.
About Washington Heights
What are the main landmarks in Washington Heights?
The Morris-Jumel Mansion crowns the eastern height. The Hispanic Society of America keeps its collections nearby, and the Sugar Hill Children's Museum of Art & Storytelling and the Malcolm X and Dr. Betty Shabazz Memorial and Educational Center round out the neighborhood's museums. Churches carry much of the built record.
The Church of the Incarnation, Roman Catholic, St. Elizabeth's Church, North Presbyterian Church, and the Fourth Church of Christ, Scientist stand among the apartment blocks, with the Chapel of the Intercession Complex and Trinity Cemetery closing the southern end.
What is the history of Washington Heights?
The name comes from a fort. Continental Army troops raised Fort Washington at the highest natural point on Manhattan to hold the ground against British forces during the American Revolutionary War, and the neighborhood carried the name afterward. The Morris-Jumel Mansion survives from that period.
Later building left the churches and the Chapel of the Intercession Complex and Trinity Cemetery, and the Malcolm X and Dr. Betty Shabazz Memorial and Educational Center marks a much later chapter on the same streets.
Where is Washington Heights?
Inwood lies beyond Dyckman Street to the north, Harlem across 155th Street to the south, Coogan's Bluff and the Harlem River east, the Hudson River west.
Good for
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Updated September 2026