Gunset Park (Sunset Park)
Sunset Park (Brooklyn) had high crime rates in the 1980s and 1990s; a gang named "Gunset" existed in 1995. The Sunset Park nickname of "Gunset Park" appears to date from this…
Hamptons West (Far Rockaway)
Far Rockaway in Queens has called itself "Hamptons West" since 2001, largely from promotion by Queens Borough President Helen Marshall. The Hamptons are the expensive vacation areas on…
Harbor District
New York always had a harbor, but "Harbor District" is a name that was proposed in 2006 by the city's Economic Development Corporation to create a "unified identity" for…
Hell Square
Hell Square is not to be confused with the long-established nickname Hell's Kitchen. The 2006-coined "Hell Square" is in the Lower East Side, from Houston Street on the north to…
Hell’s Bedroom
"Hell's Bedroom" is a 1970s variant of Hell's Kitchen. In the 1970s, Eighth Avenue in Manhattan was filled with prostitutes and called the Minnesota Strip. Gail Sheehy wrote two…
Hell’s Half Acre (Sands Street; Chatham Square)
Brooklyn's Sands Street was called "Hell's Half Acre" because of its red-light district reputation in the 19th century. I can't find historical citations for this in the…
Hell’s Hundred Acres
"Hell's Hundred Acres" was the name for the area of SoHo, just before that name was used in about 1970. "Hell's Hundred Acres" was used during World War II, describing…
Hell’s Kitchen
New York City has many hells -- "Hell Gate," for example. "Hell's Kitchen" is one of the most famous and enduring of New York City neighborhood names. "Hell's…
Hell’s Kitchenette
"Hell's Kitchenette" is a neighborhood nickname spun off from the name Hell's Kitchen. The nickname could indicate a smaller Hell's Kitchen, encroached by development. The…
Hell’s Pantry
Hell's Pantry is a neighborhood name spin-off from Hell's Kitchen. Entertainment writer Earl Wilson (see citations below, from as early as 1951) claimed that "Hell's…
Hellsea (Hell’s Kitchen + Chelsea)
Hellsea (or HellSea) is a Manhattan neighborhood nickname, blending Hell's Kitchen with Chelsea. "Hellsea" appears to have been coined by gay publications (2004 Go Guide and Out…
Herald Square and Times Square
"Herald Square" was named after the New York Herald newspaper in 1893. It is the area around West 34th Street. "Times Square" was named after the New York Times newspaper in…
Heroin Island (heroin + Staten Island)
The heroin epidemic on Staten Island made news in 2014 and 2015, creating the nicknames "Heroin's New Hometown" and "Heroin Island." "Heroin’s New Hometown: On…
Hipchester (Williamsburg and Greenpoint)
"36 Hours in Brooklyn" by Sam Sifton in the February 10, 2011 New York (NY) Times coined a new nickname: "7) A VISIT TO HIPCHESTER Boutiques, coffee bars and restaurants continue to…
Hipsturbia (hipster +suburbia)
"Hipsturbia" (hipster + suburbia) was popularized in the New York (NY) Times on February 18, 2013, in "Creating Hipsturbia" by Alex Williams. Hipsters in places such as…
Hobowery (hobo + Bowery)
The Bowery (both the name of a street and a neighborhood) in Manhattan was a depressed area for much of the 1900s. Syndicated newspaper columnist Walter Winchell (1897-1972) called the place…
HoHo (Houston + Holland Tunnel)
What hath SoHo wrought? HoHo? http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C05EEDC1F31F933A15752C1A962958260Here's Help for a No-Name Neighborhood Published: November 20, 1994 Two weeks ago…
Hollywood East (Astoria; Long Island City)
The Silvercup Studios (in Long Island City) and the Kaufman Astoria Studios have had some dub that Queens area "Hollywood East."…
Home of the Haze (Washington Heights)
"Home of the Haze" is a nickname for Washington Heights. The nickname might come from the haze of the Hudson River, but is most clearly identified with the drug "haze" or…
Hong Kong on the Hudson (Hudson Yards)
The Hudson Yards on Manhattan's far west side are train tracks for the MTA's West Side Yard. In the 2000s, just after New York City lost its bid for the 2012 Summer Olympics (that would…