Chelsea

The Chelsea area was a rural farmland until 1750 when Capt. Thomas Clarke bought a tract there for his retirement; he named his farm Chelsea, after the Chelsea Royal Hospital, an old soldier’s home in England. A century later, his grandson, Clement Clarke Moore, reluctantly decided to develop the farmland into a garden suburb. Today Moore is revered as the founding father of Chelsea; he established guidelines for residential buildings that are still enforced between the avenues.

In the luxury category, Chelsea is only slightly less expensive than the West Village. Prime Chelsea real estate varies between townhouses with 10-foot yards and brownstones located in the Historic District, which encompasses parts of West 20 th, 21 st and 22 nd Streets (between 8th and 10 th avenues). During recent years prices for rent and sales have been rising, even though it is hard to find a vacant townhouse.

Chelsea Piers is a sports and entertainment complex: it offers 2 outdoor skating rinks for roller blading and roller-skating, 2 indoor ice-skating rinks and a 200-yard driving range for golfers. Clement Clarke Moore Park is available for children; in addition there are several day care centers in this area and the small Muhlenberg Library, which has a well-stocked children’s section. Loft buildings are primary residences between the Avenue of Americas and the Seventh Avenue, also there are lots of 19 th century brownstones between Seventh and 10 th Avenues.

This area is diverse in many aspects; such as culture, ethnicity, and race, which creates a small-town atmosphere appreciated by its dwellers. The mix adds specific character to Chelsea, different from the homogeneity of Upper East Side. It has 2 Roman Catholic private elementary schools, Guardian Angel and St. Columbia. Chelsea also offers nursery schools and public schools including P.S. 11, P.S. 33, I.S. 70, and Bayard High School for Humanities and Fashion Industries High School.