City centers

The heart of a city is called a city center in most anglophone countries, and a downtown in the United States. It is usually the commercial, cultural, or political heart of a city. The city center or downtown of a large city usually contain the lion's share of the city's attractions, with the suburbs being primarily residential quarters. This article mainly covers modern commercial, cultural, or political city centers. For historic city quarters, see old towns.

Famous city centers

Europe

• 1 City of London, London. This is where London originally developed within the Roman city walls and is a city in its own right, separate from the rest of London. It is now one of the most important financial centers in the world, and an area where modern skyscrapers stand next to medieval churches on ancient street layouts. (updated Sep 2024)
• 2 Manchester city centre, Manchester. The central business district within Great Ancoats Street, A6042 Trinity Way, and A57(M) Mancunian Way. It consists of Piccadilly-East Centre, Victoria-Shopping District, Spinningfields-Albert Square, and Castlefield-Petersfield districts. (updated Sep 2024)

North America

• 3 Lower Manhattan, Manhattan, New York City. The original "downtown", this is the southernmost tip of Manhattan, New York, and the oldest part of the city. It is considered the financial capital of the United States, if not the world. Most of the tallest skyscrapers of New York are in Lower Manhattan, along with some of the most interesting residential neighborhoods. (updated Sep 2024)
• 4 Midtown Manhattan, Manhattan, New York City. The modern central business district of New York. As the name suggests, it occupies the approximate middle reach of Manhattan, between 14th Street and 59th Street/Central Park. Midtown Manhattan is home to many skyscrapers, including the Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building. (updated Sep 2024)

See also

• Old towns