Harlem is in Upper Manhattan. Manhattan is one of the five boroughs of New York City: Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, The Bronx and Staten Island. There are actually two Harlem
…s, West Harlem and East Harlem. West Harlem (which is normally called just plain "Harlem," by native New Yorkers and out-of-towners alike) is the historic black neighborhood where the Harlem Renaissance took place. East Harlem, which is also called Spanish Harlem, is a predominantly Latino neighborhood. Since the majority of New York City's neighborhoods do not have precise boundaries, everyone has a different opinion as to exactly where Harlem begins and ends. This is especially true of West Harlem, as it overlaps heavily with the neighborhood known as Morningside Heights. Generally speaking, however, Harlem runs south to north from 110th Street to around 135th Street, on the West Side of Manhattan (from the east side of Morningside Park -- the avenue known as Morningside Avenue -- to Fifth Avenue). East Harlem runs south to north from 96th Street to around 135th Street, from Fifth Avenue to the East River. You can find Harlem very easily on a map of Manhattan, as it is the area directly above Central Park. Central Park is bordered by 110th Street to the north. West Harlem encompasses the area directly above Central Park, and the area directly above it to the west. The western border of East Harlem begins at the northeast corner of Central Park. Central Park is bordered by Fifth Avenue to the east, and Fifth Avenue is where East Harlem begins. (MORE) 
