Do you know where your neighborhood boundaries are? I mean, do you really know? Are you sure? You shouldn’t be… There aren’t any official boundaries. Google takes a stab at figuring out this age old debate, but they’re also just taking their best guess.
In an interactive post from DNAinfo, readers are encouraged to draw the lines in the sand themselves. Where does Stapleton begin and end? How about Grant City? It’s about time we figure it out:
“You could take two people who live side by side and ask them ‘what are the boundaries of the neighborhood in which you live?’ and you’ll get two separate answers,” Bronx historian Lloyd Ultan said.
It turns out there’s a good reason those debates haven’t been settled: the city doesn’t have official neighborhood boundaries. According to Department of City Planning spokeswoman Rachaele Raynoff, officials have a general idea of where neighborhoods are and even has a map of the city’s neighborhoods, but lines are a different story.
“We’ve never put down boundaries,” Raynoff said. “Community districts are what are in the City Charter.”City Planning does have something called a “Neighborhood Tabulation Area,” but Raynoff stressed that these lines are only approximations of neighborhoods created purely for statistical purposes.
So with no official answer coming, we’re leaving it to you, dear readers: use the map to draw where you think your neighborhood’s borders are.
Draw your lines and read the entire article on DNAinfo, here.
Chris is a communications professional with a passion for pop culture, media, and all things creative. He has a Bachelor’s degree in Communications with a specialization in Media Studies and has experience in running a pop-culture website, freelance writing, coaching, and speaking engagements. He has worked behind the scenes on music albums and co-founded a boutique web design and marketing firm. He is also an amateur photographer and musician. He is always looking for the next exciting project to dive into.
