Midtown South is generally used to refer to the portion of Midtown below roughly 42nd Street,[2] particularly the south-central part of Midtown.[3]
One definition of "Midtown South" refers to the boundaries of the Midtown South police precinct. The New York City Police Department (NYPD)'s Midtown South Precinct is bounded by 29th Street to the south, 45th Street to the north, Ninth Avenue to the west, and Lexington Avenue to the east (except for the portion between 40th and 34th Streets, for which Madison Avenue is the eastern boundary).[4]
Midtown South has a different definition in the commercial real estate context, where it is used to refer to the relatively low-rise office submarket located roughly between 34th or 30th Street and Canal or Chambers Street.[5][6][7]
As described by The Wall Street Journal, the neighborhood is bounded roughly by 45th Street to the north, 29th Street to the south, Ninth Avenue to the west, and Lexington Avenue to the east,[5][8] which corresponds closely with the Midtown South police precinct. According to Newsday, Midtown South is bounded by 42nd Street to the north, 23rd Street to the south, Lexington Avenue to the east, and Eighth Avenue to the west.[9] As used by The New York Times Real Estate Pricing Guide, the neighborhood is bounded roughly by 42nd Street to the north, 23rd Street to the south, Sixth Avenue to the west, and Park Avenue to the east.[10]
Midtown South encompasses several neighborhoods, including Chelsea, Hudson Yards and the Garment District on the West Side; Koreatown centrally; and Kips Bay, Murray Hill, and Rose Hill on the East Side. Midtown is also sometimes subclassified into "Midtown East" and "Midtown West", or divided by north and south as in the New York City Police Department's Midtown North and Midtown South precincts.
A list of the neighborhoods relative to streets and avenues in the Midtown South macro-neighborhood is as follows:
The Midtown South Community Council (MSCC) is a community organization based in Midtown South. It was established in 1983, formed as a civic caretaker to combat the many problems confronting residents in this highly commercialized area of Manhattan.[11] It overlaps much of the present-day neighborhood of Midtown South. In the 1980s, the quality of life was suboptimal and crime was rampant. Initially, there were daytime and nighttime councils, separating businesses and residents; the two councils eventually merged. The merger was felt to be the most effective way to bring solutions to the problems facing the business and residential communities of Midtown South, as these problems often involved the two either as allies or adversaries. The U.S. Census population of the macro-neighborhood in 2000 was 25,807, and in 2010, an increase of 2,823 was noted, and bringing the population to 28,630.[12]
Today the Midtown South Community Council, a not-for-profit, 501(c)(3) organization, is devoted to building better neighborhoods and stronger relationships within Midtown South. The community councilmembers gather at the New Yorker Hotel and address problems, along with the Midtown South Precinct representatives: usually the inspector, detectives, and members. The meetings have regular visitors from the City Council, District Attorney, Midtown Community Court, Area Community Board, and various civilian outreach groups. They also often receive officers in training, officers from cabaret, crime, traffic, drug, and peddler units. The community council no longer has any ties to the NYPD as of April 2021
^"Manhattan". NYBits. Retrieved 2018-03-20. Midtown's lower-central part is sometimes referred to as 'Midtown South' (although its exact borders' definitions vary quite widely). This area exhibits many features that are more characteristic of Downtown.