@PennCAS2014 I agree that Morningside Heights probably wouldn’t be its own neighborhood if Columbia wasn’t there. But the fact that Columbia, Barnard, and the Manhattan School of Music are there does make it feel very different. Everyone I know who lives in Morningside Heights is affiliated with one of those schools in some way. To me the area has always felt very much like a college town. I agree that Harlem is awesome, but it’s different. Unlike Morningside Heights, it’s not defined by the universities - it has its own unique history and culture that have nothing to do with them. Another difference that is probably more readily apparent is that Morningside Heights is largely a white and upper-middle-class neighborhood, whereas Harlem is much more diverse. They are both interesting areas (though I would argue that Harlem is probably more interesting), but they have many differences and are distinct neighborhoods.