What is considered Midtown in Manhattan?

Answer 1

For the most part, the neighborhoods in Manhattan don't have precise boundaries. Many neighborhoods overlap with each other. For example, Harlem overlaps heavily with Morningside Heights (the neighborhood directly above the Upper West Side), and the Upper West Side overlaps with Morningside Heights. Another example is Koreatown, which overlaps with Chelsea.

Some neighborhoods are sort of sub-neighborhoods of each other (for example, Alphabet City is sort of a sub-neighborhood of the East Village, and in turn, the East Village is sort of a sub-neighborhood of the Lower East Side).

You could say, for example, that Midtown is from 34th to 59th on the East Side, instead of 42nd to 59th. But East 34th Street to East 42nd Street is made up of three other neighborhoods (The Flatiron District, Murray Hill, and Kips Bay). By this definition of Midtown, The Flatiron District, Murray Hill, and Kips Bay are sub-neighborhoods of Midtown. That's what I meant by "strictly speaking."

You could also say that Midtown ranges further west, to 7th or even 8th Avenue. But that area is made up of the Theatre District and the Garment District. Again, by this definition, the Theatre District and the Garment District are merely sub-neighborhoods of Midtown.

Also, "Midtown" technically refers only to midtown Manhattan on the East Side (East 42nd Street to East 59th Street). On the west side, the area from West 42nd to West 59th is known as Hell's Kitchen (it's also often referred to by its new, sanitized name, "Clinton").

Even though the term "Midtown" refers only to the East Side, a lot of people say "Midtown" when they really mean Hell's Kitchen or Clinton (or, they might call it "Midtown West").

Answer 2

The areas that define Midtown Manhattan are the areas around the most iconic building in the city such as the Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building, United Nations Headquarters, Rockefeller Center, Broadway, and Times Square.