Fifth Avenue

Most famously, a commercial and residential thoroughfare in Manhattan, New York City. Beginning at Washington Square, it proceeds north, dividing Manhattan into the East Side and West Side, and ends at the Harlem River. Fifth Avenue is renowned for its luxurious houses and apartments and its exclusive shops. There is also a Fifth Avenue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, which separates the Golden Triangle business district from the Point Breeze quarter of the city.

After the Civil War, the wealthy citizens of New York moved their residences gradually up Fifth Avenue; in the early 1900s, mansions were built as far north as 96th Street. Today the avenue is home to fashionable retail outlets as far north as 59th Street; it then fronts Central Park, while its eastern side is lined with museums and apartment blocks. In Midtown, Fifth Avenue runs past the Empire State Building, the New York Public Library, and the Rockefeller Centre. The area in front of St Patrick's Cathedral is the site of the city's Easter Parade. North of 110th Street, Fifth Avenue divides Harlem and East Harlem.