From dense forests and slums to one of NYC’s most sought-after neighborhoods: how Irish, Jewish, Puerto Rican, and other immigrants transformed the Upper West Side

Written by Rachel   The Upper West Side, or UWS as it is often abbreviated, is a large neighborhood or series of smaller adjacent neighborhoods in northern Manhattan, extending from 59th Street northward to 110th Street, with Central Park to the east and the Hudson River to the west. Some, notably real estate agents, also include Morningside Heights – an area stretching from 110th Street to 125th Street – in their definition of the Upper West Side. Last Saturday, I...