New York, NY: ZIP 10277
Population: 21,305 (Tribeca neighborhood) | Median Income: $196,692 | Median Home Value: Among the highest in Manhattan
About Tribeca
Tribeca sits at the southwestern tip of Manhattan, bounded by Canal Street to the north, West Street along the Hudson River, Broadway to the east, and Chambers Street to the south. Its name is a compressed acronym for "Triangle Below Canal," coined by residents in the early 1970s when artists and activists sought zoning protections for their live/work lofts. Before the neighborhood had a catchy name, it was known simply as Washington Market or the Lower West Side.
The land has been occupied for nearly four centuries. Dutch settlers farmed the area beginning in 1636, when Roeleff Jansen received a land patent from colonial governor Wouter van Twiller. The land passed through several hands, eventually becoming part of a large tract given to Trinity Church by Queen Anne in 1705. By the early 1800s, the church had laid out St. John's Park on Varick Street, surrounded by brick townhouses that served as the model for Gramercy Park. It was one of the first residential neighborhoods developed beyond New York City's colonial boundaries.
The industrial shift came in the 1840s. As shipping moved from the East River to the longer Hudson River piers, a wholesale produce market called Washington Market expanded to fill warehouses throughout the area. By the mid-1800s, Tribeca was the heart of New York City's dry goods and textile trades. Large cast iron commercial buildings went up along Broadway through the 1850s and 1860s, many of which still stand today. The Holland Tunnel opened in 1927, bringing truck traffic and congestion, but also cementing the neighborhood's commercial character.
When the produce market relocated to the Bronx in the 1960s and Tribeca's industrial base evaporated, the neighborhood sat largely empty. Artists discovered the abandoned warehouses and their high ceilings, wide floors, and cheap rents. By the 1970s, loft conversions had taken hold, following the model pioneered in nearby SoHo. Independence Plaza opened in 1975, bringing the first wave of residential towers. Washington Market Park opened in 1981 on the site of the former produce district.
What Makes Tribeca Unique
- The name has an origin story. The acronym was officially coined in 1973 when residents formed the TriBeCa Artists' Co-op to fight a zoning dispute. Before that, locals had floated names like "Lo Cal" and "So So" before the City Planning Commission settled on Tribeca.
- A real working firehouse from Ghostbusters. Hook and Ladder Company No. 8 at 14 North Moore Street still operates as an active FDNY station. It served as the filming location for the original Ghostbusters movies, and memorabilia from the films is displayed inside.
- John Lennon had an embassy here. The townhouse at 1 White Street, built between 1805 and 1825, served as the official embassy of Nutopia, the conceptual country created by John Lennon and Yoko Ono. The building now operates as a restaurant.
- Cast iron architecture dating to 1848. James Bogardus constructed some of Manhattan's first cast iron facades in Tribeca that year, launching a building style that now defines the neighborhood's streetscape. The NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission designated four separate historic districts within Tribeca between 1991 and 1992.
- The Tribeca Festival was born from tragedy. Founded in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks, the annual film festival was created to revitalize downtown Manhattan. It remains one of the most recognized film festivals in the world, celebrating New York as a major filmmaking center.
Living in Tribeca
Tribeca ranks among the most expensive neighborhoods in New York City. Forbes ranked its primary ZIP code 10013 as the city's priciest as far back as 2006. Property values have only climbed since then, with ultra-luxury towers like 56 Leonard Street and 111 Murray Street reshaping the skyline in the 2010s. The Four Seasons Hotel New York Downtown opened at 30 Park Place in the same period.
Education outcomes here are exceptional. As of 2018, 84% of residents age 25 and older held a college degree or higher, compared to 43% citywide. The local elementary school absenteeism rate (6%) is well below the citywide average of 20%, and 96% of high school students graduate on time versus 75% citywide. Stuyvesant High School, one of the nine specialized high schools in New York City, is located at 345 Chambers Street just south of the neighborhood.
The neighborhood is also remarkably safe. In 2010, it ranked as the safest neighborhood in all of New York City by NYPD crime statistics. Between 1990 and 2018, crimes in the 1st Precinct dropped 86.3% across all categories.
Things to Do
Hudson River Park runs along the western edge of Tribeca and extends 550 acres from Battery Park north to 59th Street, making it the largest park in Manhattan after Central Park. The Tribeca segment offers waterfront paths, piers, and views across to New Jersey.
Washington Market Park at the corner of Greenwich and Chambers Streets covers 1.61 acres on the former site of the original produce market. It has community gardens, a popular children's playground, and hosts neighborhood events through the seasons.
The Tribeca Festival (held annually, usually in June) transforms the neighborhood's streets, theaters, and outdoor spaces into screening venues. The festival draws filmmakers, actors, and audiences from around the world.
For dining, the streets running off Hudson and West Broadway have long attracted serious restaurant operators. The area has a strong tradition of farm-to-table cooking and wine bars housed in former warehouse spaces with original timber ceilings and exposed brick.
The New York Academy of Art on Franklin Street offers public exhibitions of graduate-level figurative and classical work, a counterpoint to the abstract galleries that fill the surrounding blocks.
Schools
ZIP 10277 itself is a specialized postal designation covering three business addresses in Tribeca, without a dedicated residential school assignment. The broader Tribeca neighborhood is served by:
- P.S. 234 Independence School (Pre-K through Grade 5), 292 Greenwich Street
- Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC), 199 Chambers Street, a City University of New York institution occupying four blocks between Chambers and North Moore Streets
- Stuyvesant High School, 345 Chambers Street (specialized high school, exam-based admission)
- New York Law School, founded 1891, located along Worth Street between Church Street and West Broadway
Local Insights
ZIP 10277 is a unique postal designation used exclusively for USPS Business Reply Mail, serving just three business addresses in the Tribeca area near the World Trade Center site. It is one of many specialized ZIP codes in New York City assigned to specific institutions rather than geographic zones. The neighborhood's primary ZIP codes are 10013 (most of Tribeca) and 10007 (the southernmost blocks).
The Verizon Building at Barclay and Vesey Streets, a landmarked Art Deco structure built between 1923 and 1927, was converted into residential condominiums in 2016, continuing Tribeca's tradition of turning industrial and institutional buildings into places to live.
At 32 Avenue of the Americas, the former AT&T Long Distance Building is another Art Deco landmark in the neighborhood. Citigroup's corporate and investment banking headquarters sits at 388 Greenwich Street, representing the financial services firms that share the area with artists and celebrity residents alike.
Tribeca has drawn an extraordinary roster of residents over the decades, including Robert De Niro, Jay-Z, Beyonce, Taylor Swift, Meryl Streep, Jon Stewart, and Neil deGrasse Tyson, among many others. Robert De Niro has been particularly connected to the neighborhood as a co-founder of the Tribeca Festival.
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