Jam-packed with charming residential blocks, waterfront esplanades, retail & entertainment districts, and access to all major public transportation networks, Manhattan combines a high quality of life with world-class educational and career opportunities.

Manhattan colleges enroll approximately 260,000 students, and year after year, these students flock to the borough for the unequivocal excitement, culture, inspiration, and convenience contained in its streets and neighborhoods. Its densely-situated, highly diverse collection of historic neighborhoods makes it possible to take a tour of world cuisine and culture, historic architecture, and campuses of nationally-ranked universities all within an afternoon's walk.

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Manhattan is home to over seventy universities and colleges, including New York University, Columbia University, Baruch College, Yeshiva University, and The New School, Manhattan schools feature convenient, strategically-located campuses: many business programs are housed in the Financial District, while several nationally-ranked arts programs are located in the premier arts districts, such as the Fashion Institute of Technology in the Garment District and the Juilliard School at Lincoln Center.

Manhattan is also a world leader for training and education in medicine and the life sciences - home to the City's premier research institutions like Rockefeller University, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, and Weill Cornell Medical College.

Check out a complete list of Manhattan's colleges and universities.

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Buzzing with people from around the globe, Manhattan's historic neighborhoods are largely alive 24 hours a day and often have well-known, evolving identities related to history, commerce, and the people who live there.

Both Greenwich Village and the East Village are perennially bursting with students from nearby schools including New York University and Cooper Union. Students and young professionals are attracted to the area's colorful bohemian culture and legacy - it was the epicenter of the Beat movement - as well as its plentiful mix of cheap bars, restaurants, and vintage shopping.

Students also spill north into Union Square, where you'll find Parsons The New School for Design, and southward into the Lower East Side (LES) , where the term "melting pot" was coined to describe the immigrant tenements at the turn of the century. The thriving LES music scene has been launching local talent for years. New residential development, new retail space - two Whole Foods stores have recently opened - and a plethora of trendy bars and chic restaurants are proliferating in the neighborhood.

Students also represent a growing population along the Upper East Side's eastern bounds, due to the wealth of colleges located there, including Marymount Manhattan and Hunter College, along with the neighborhood's plentiful stock of rent-regulated housing. The Upper East Side offers students safety, excellent amenities, and easy access to Museum Mile and Central Park.

A tremendous number of students and faculty also live directly across the Park in Manhattan's bustling Upper West Side, located just south of several university campuses, including Columbia University, Bank Street College, and City College. Residents flock to the Upper West Side's dense retail and entertainment corridors and enjoy easy access to the Hudson River parks.

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Manhattanites travel mainly by public transportation, as the borough is a major nexus of both intra- and inter-city public transportation networks. All subway lines, except the G train, traverse Manhattan, and PATH trains, similar to subways, connect the borough to several northern New Jersey cities. Ferries also offer a quick and enjoyable alternative mode of travel to the outer boroughs, including Staten Island, as well as to New Jersey and Westchester County.

While very few Manhattanites own a car, a series of bridges and tunnels connect the borough to the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, and New Jersey. One of the most ubiquitous modes of travel in Manhattan is the yellow cab, easily accessible 24 hours a day from any street corner.

Manhattan also serves as a major hub for East Coast and nationwide inter-city transit, both by rail or bus. Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown and the George Washington Bridge Bus Station in Upper Manhattan are large ground transportation centers connecting passengers to nationwide Greyhound bus service, while the popular "Chinatown buses," offering the cheapest form of travel up and down the East Coast, pick up from various Manhattan locations.

Manhattan's busiest transportation hubs include:

• Penn Station (A, C, E, 1, 2, 3, Amtrak, NJ Transit)
• Grand Central Terminal (S, 4, 5, 6, 7, Metro North Railroad)
• Fulton Street (A, C, J, M, Z, 2, 3)
• 59th Street/Columbus Circle (1, D, B, A, C)
• Union Square (L, N, Q, R, W, 4, 5, 6)

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One of Manhattan's many cultural highlights is Museum Mile, a plentiful stretch of museums along 5th Avenue including the majestic Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Guggenheim, and El Museo del Barrio, dedicated to Latin American, Puerto Rican, and Caribbean art and cultures. The world renowned Museum of Modern Art is located farther south in the vicinity of other iconic Manhattan destinations: Radio City Music Hall, Rockefeller Center, and the Empire State building - the latter two offering unparalleled views of the entire City from rooftop observation decks.

Farther west, Times Square is home to Tony Award® winning performances on Broadway while Lincoln Center is home to the New York Philharmonic, New York City Ballet, and the Metropolitan Opera. At the heart of Manhattan lies Central Park, an 800 acre oasis of greenery, running/biking/walking trails, a reservoir, two ice skating rinks, a zoo, several athletic fields, and an outdoor theatre where you can catch big-name actors in summer "Shakespeare in the Park" productions.

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Residential development continues to soar in Manhattan, and large-scale development initiatives promise to transform several districts. Residential and hotel development has recently exploded in Chelsea; plans to revitalize Harlem's historic entertainment and cultural district are underway; Lower Manhattan is the scene of the World Trade Center site development; and several projects are underway to increase public enjoyment of both the east and west side waterfronts.

The Highline Restoration Project involves the innovative conversion of an old, elevated railroad into a broad, public promenade originating in the Meatpacking District, running north through Chelsea, and ending at Hudson Yards.

Hudson Yards is a massive expanse of waterfront property directly adjacent to Midtown that is prime for redevelopment. Over $14 billion in public sector investment combined with expansive private development is slated to transform Hudson Yards and its surrounding neighborhoods into one of Manhattan's finest business districts.

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