Greenwich Village

Greenwich Village, [pronunciation 1] often referred to by locals as simply "the Village", is a largely residential neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan, New York City. A large majority of the district is home to upper middle class families. Greenwich Village, however, was known in the late 19th to late 20th centuries as an artists' haven, the Bohemian capital, the cradle of the modern LGBT movement, and the East Coast birthplace of both the Beat and '60s counterculture movements. What provided the initial attractive character of the community eventually contributed to its gentrification and commercialization.