Affording NYC Neighborhoods NYC Life NYC Real Estate

Inwood: An Affordable Neighborhood at the Top of Manhattan

By Kathryn O'Shea-Evans February 11, 2022

New Yorkers are moving on up — way up. A neighborhood in the upper reaches of Manhattan provides both the buzzy lures of the city with a quieter, more residential feel — like a plethora of parks and river views that are nothing less than poetic. No wonder Inwood is (ahem) “in”! Here, let us count the ways we heart it.

Table of Contents

Inwood

248 Sherman Avenue

$1,775 No Fee

1 |

1

Inwood

10 Cooper Street

$1,999 No Fee

1 |

1

Inwood

30 Park Terrace East

$2,325 No Fee

1 |

1

Inwood

10 Vermilyea Avenue

$2,000 No Fee

1 |

1

Inwood

133 Seaman Avenue

$2,450 No Fee

1 |

1

Inwood

678 Academy Street

$1,710 No Fee

1 |

1

Inwood

678 Academy Street

$1,735 No Fee

1 |

1

Inwood

685 Academy Street

$1,656 No Fee

1 |

1

Inwood

109 Sherman Avenue

$2,295 No Fee

2 |

1

Inwood

502 West 213rd Street

$1,750 No Fee

1 |

1

Inwood

117 Sherman Avenue

$1,875 No Fee

1 |

1

Inwood

222 Seaman Avenue

$2,000 No Fee

1 |

1

Why Is Inwood a Great Place to Live?

^{Spacious homes exist in Inwood like this 1,300 square foot duplex with a private roof deck. (72 Park Terrace West #E88)}

Located at the tippy top of Manhattan, Inwood is the northernmost point on the island. It’s ringed on three sides by the languidly flowing Harlem and Hudson Rivers. Inwood zoning restrictions limit most building heights to a maximum of 155 feet and only 85 feet if it’s along a shoreline. The result? Inwood maintains a comparatively low-key atmosphere. No skyscrapers allowed!

It also lends Inwood a storybook vibe: its many hills, making it feel like a secluded enclave. “It’s not your typical Downtown Manhattan grid,” says Bruce Robertson, a Licensed Associate Real Estate Broker at Compass who lives just south of Inwood in a 1910 grande dame in Washington Heights. “It’s more free-formed.”

Inwood

585 West 214th Street

$409,000

2 |

1

Inwood

687 West 204th Street

$375,000

1 |

1

Inwood

25 Indian Road

$625,000

2 |

1.5

Inwood

24 Cooper Street

$375,000

3 |

2

Inwood

95 Park Terrace East

$399,000

1 |

1

Inwood

270 Seaman Avenue

$450,000

1 |

1

Inwood

585 West 214th Street

$399,000

1 |

1

Inwood

50 Park Terrace West

$389,000

1 |

1

Inwood

687 West 204th Street

$519,000

2 |

1

Inwood

100 Park Terrace West

$460,000

1 |

1

Inwood

571-579 Academy Street

$399,000

1 |

1

Inwood

98 Park Terrace East

$354,000

1 |

1

How Much Does It Cost To Rent or Buy in Inwood?

^{A stunning Art Deco co-op building in Inwood. (From a building page: 60 Cooper Street)}

Most of the housing stock in Inwood consists of rentals and co-op apartments in five or six-story buildings, says Rob Kleinbardt, Principal Broker at New Heights Realty. You’ll spend around $1,949 a month, the median asking rent as of December 2021. Want to buy? The median sales price for the same period landed at $390,000, according to the StreetEasy Data Dashboard.

Want To Buy in Inwood?

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Fort George

4580 Broadway

$1,988 No Fee

Studio |

1

Washington Heights

90 Wadsworth Avenue

$1,795 No Fee

1 |

1

Hudson Heights

92 Pinehurst Avenue

$2,200 No Fee

1 |

1

Fort George

520 Audubon Avenue

$1,926 No Fee

1 |

1

Washington Heights

2224 Amsterdam Avenue

$1,950 No Fee

1 |

1

Hudson Heights

4469 Broadway

$2,098 No Fee

Studio |

1

Fort George

370 Wadsworth Avenue

$1,900 No Fee

1 |

1

Washington Heights

521 West 159th Street

$1,900 No Fee

1 |

1

Washington Heights

540 West 159th Street

$1,915 No Fee

1 |

1

Fort George

510 West 190th Street

$2,400 No Fee

2 |

1

Hudson Heights

455 Ft Washington Avenue

$2,200 No Fee

1 |

1

Fort George

75 Ellwood Street

$2,050 No Fee

1 |

1

Are There Parks or Other Outdoor Amenities?

^{Inwood Hill Park is known for its lush greenery and gorgeous mature trees. (Getty Images)}

Yep, there’s plenty of “wood” in Inwood. The neighborhood is made all the more peaceful by 196-acre Inwood Hill Park, home to Manhattan’s last natural salt marsh. It was dubbed “a living piece of old New York” by the NYC Parks Department. Well-heeled New Yorkers like the Straus family, co-owners of Macy’s in the early 1900s, kept their Gilded Age summer homes here.

Kleinbardt is a major fan of the park. “Even when I was living further south of the neighborhood, I used to run in the mornings up to Inwood Park, under the Henry Hudson Bridge and back,” he says. “You see a surprising amount of wildlife. At times it can feel like you have the whole park to yourself. The views from the top are great, and you really feel like you are out of the city.” Case in point: you can spot everything from pileated woodpeckers to raccoons.

How Far Is Inwood From Midtown Manhattan?

Are you fretting about commuting into the office from the outer reaches of Manhattan? Don’t. Inwood is relatively convenient. “I wish people knew how easy it is to get here!” Kleinbardt says. “We speak to folks all the time who have the perception that because we are at the northern tip of the island, it must be a long trek to get here. People are surprised how quickly they get here from Midtown. There are multiple transportation options, so it is very convenient.” Served by the 1 and A trains, commutes from Inwood into Midtown Manhattan (42nd Street) clock in at around 33 minutes. Zippy!

Roosevelt Island

595 Main Street

$650,000

1 |

1

Roosevelt Island

531 Main Street

$649,000

1 |

1.5

Roosevelt Island

531 Main Street

$550,000

1 |

1.5

Roosevelt Island

531 Main Street

$475,000

Studio |

1.5

Roosevelt Island

531 Main Street

$599,000

1 |

1.5

What To Eat, Drink, and Do

^{A visitor enjoying the courtyard at The Met Cloisters. (Getty Images)}

M’kay, so Inwood isn’t exactly known for boutique shopping or nightlife —yet. But restaurants are luring folks north to the neighborhood. Take Bocaditos Bistro, with its highly Instagrammable facade that’s dripping with faux flowers. The cozy Latinx spot feels like it was transported to Inwood from the Spanish countryside. (Don’t miss the braised short rib empanadas with pepper jack cheese and scallion cream sauce.) Neighborhood locals also obsess over brunch at the Garden Cafe, where you can tuck into Grand Marnier french toast in their lush courtyard garden.

Inwood insiders know that some of the best things about the area are its ye olde pleasures. Like the Inwood Canoe Club, founded in 1902. It offers free—yes, free!—public paddling on the Hudson River. Just a couple blocks south of Inwood tucked in 67-acre Fort Tryon Park — a waterfront park — you’ll find one of New York City’s most iconic gems, The Met Cloisters. Opened in 1938, the museum includes actual medieval monastery buildings that were lugged here from France, rebuilt, and stocked with the era’s many treasures. Such as the unicorn tapestries, made in France circa 1495 and later scooped up by kingpin John D. Rockefeller, Jr. — no big deal.

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