FoHi (Forest Hills)
Forest Hills is a residential neighborhood in Queens that has neither a forest (although there are many tree-lined areas) nor hills. Real estate abbreviation reached Forest Hills by at least 2006,…
Forgotten Borough (Staten Island)
Staten Island is often called "the forgotten borough." It's isolated and doesn't have the population numbers of Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens or the Bronx. The term…
Fourth Reich (Washington Heights)
Washington Heights, in Manhattan, had many German immigrants in the 1930s and 1940s. The neighborhood was nicknamed "das vierte Reich" ("the Fourth Reich") from about 1937.…
Frankfurt on the Hudson (Washington Heights)
Washington Heights, in Manhattan, had many German immigrants in the 1930s and 1940s. The neighborhood was nicknamed "Frankfurt on the Hudson" (cited in print from only the 1980s).…
Front Page (East Flatbush, Brooklyn)
"Front Page" is the nickname for the area of East Flatbush, Brooklyn at Foster Avenue and Nostrand Avenue, at the Vanderveer Estates apartment buildings. Crime was so bad that drug…
Fur District
The Fur District moved uptown in the twentieth century, then faced decline. It's near the Garment District (another district that has declined). John Jacob Astor (a nineteenth century New York…
G-Slope (Gowanus + Park Slope)
For those who prefer to be in Park Slope and not really Gowanus, there's now "G-Slope." Not everyone likes "G-Slope" as a neighborhood nickname, perhaps because it reminds…
Gairville
"Gairville" was once the nickname of that area of Brooklyn between the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges, now known as DUMBO. Robert Gair (1839-1927) was a successful paper-box and paper-bag…
Gaphattan (Gap + Manhattan)
"Gaphattan" (Gap + Manhattan) was coined by New York City-based journalist Gersh Kuntzman in Newsweek magazine in 2003 and was popularized in The Brooklyn Paper (where Kuntzman also…
Garbagia Land
"Garbagia" (or "Garbagia Land") is the Harlem River Waterfront Park in the Bronx. The name - from "garbage" - is, of course, not official.…
Garden Spot of the World (Greenpoint, Brooklyn)
Greenpoint -- and sometimes all Brooklyn itself -- has been called the "Garden Spot of the World." Bermuda was the "Garden Spot of the World" in ads in the 1910s. Long Island…
Garment Center (Garment District; Fashion Center; Fashion District)
New York City has a Garment Center (also known as the Garment District, Fashion Center and Fashion District). The unofficially defined neighborhood is in Manhattan, between Fifth Avenue and Ninth…
Gas House District
The "Gas House District" used to be around 18th street and east of First Avenue. There were actual gas houses there in the 19th century, but they have long since been removed. The term is…
Gatbush (Flatbush)
Gatbush is a hip-hop name for Flatbush (particularly East Flatbush), Brooklyn. "Gat" is slang for "gun," as in "Gatling gun." East Flatbush is, perhaps, not the safest…
Gay Greenwich Village
The term "Gay Greenwich Village" and the name "Gay Street" have both contributed to the understanding -- or misunderstanding -- of the word "gay." GAY GREENWICH…
Gelato District
"Gelato District" is a coinage of New York magazine on June 15, 2008 for the Greenwich Village South area that features several shops that sell gelato. In 2009, Apple Core Hotels began…
Globe Square and Telegram Square (formerly in lower Manhattan)
"Globe Square" was named in 1911 after The Globe newspaper (also called The New York Evening Globe and The Globe and Commercial Advertiser, located at Dey Street, from Greenwich Street to…
GoCaGa (Gowanus-Carroll Gardens)
"GoCaGa" is a seldom-used nickname for the Gowanus-Carroll Gardens section of Brooklyn. "GoCaGa" was cited in print in August 2008 amd was popularized in a November 9, 2009 New…
Gold Coast
"Gold Coast" is used more often in Chicago than it is in New York. Here, it's the upper east side, along the Museum Mile. Or the "Gold Coast" can be the upper west side.…
Gramurray (Gramercy Park + Murray Hill)
"Gramurray" or "GraMurray" is a new name (popularized March 2006) for the area between Gramercy Park and Murray Hill.…