<P> The Upper East Side Historic District is one of New York City's largest districts, as is the neighborhood . This district runs from 59th to 78th Streets along Fifth Avenue, and up to 3rd Avenue at some points . In the decades after the Civil War, the once decrepit district transitioned into a thriving middle - class residential neighborhood . At the start of the 20th century, the neighborhood transformed again, but this time into a neighborhood of mansions and townhouses . As the century continued, and living environments altered, a lot of these single - family homes were replaced by lavish apartment buildings . </P> <P> As of the 2000 census, there were 207,543 people residing in the Upper East Side . The population density was 118,184 people per square mile (45,649 / km2), making Manhattan Community Board 8, coterminous with the Upper East Side, the densest Community Board in the city . The racial makeup of the neighborhood was 89.25% White, 6.14% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 1.34% African American, 0.09% Native American, 1.39% from other races, and 1.74% from two or more races. 5.62% of the population were Hispanic of any race . Twenty - one percent of the population was foreign born; of this, 45.6% came from Europe, 29.5% from Asia, 16.2% from Latin America and 8.7% from other . The female - male ratio was very high with 125 females for 100 males . The Upper East Side contains a large and affluent Jewish population estimated at 56,000 . Traditionally, the Upper East Side has been dominated by wealthy White Anglo - Saxon Protestant families . </P> <P> Given its very high population density and per capita income ($85,081 in 2000), the neighborhood contains the greatest concentration of individual wealth in Manhattan . As of 2011, the median household income for the Upper East Side was $117,903 . As of 2011, 60.6% of adults (25 +) had earned a bachelor's degree or higher . </P> <P> The Upper East Side maintains the highest pricing per square foot in the United States . A 2002 report cited the average cost per square meter as $8,856; however, that price has noticed a substantial jump, increasing to almost as much as $11,200 per square meter as of 2006 . There are some buildings which cost about $125 per square foot (~ $1345 / m2). The only public housing projects for those of low to moderate incomes on the Upper East Side are located just south of the neighborhood's northern limit at 96th Street, the Holmes Towers and Isaacs Houses . It borders East Harlem, which has the highest concentration of public housing in the United States . </P>

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