the upper west side is a neighborhood of the borough of manhattan in new york city that lies between central park and the hudson river above west 58th street; its northern boundary is usually considered to be either 110th or 125th street. like the upper east side, the upper west side is primarily a residential and commercial area, with many of its residents working in more commercial areas in midtown and lower manhattan. while these distinctions were never hard-and-fast rules, and now mean little, it has the reputation of being home to new york city's affluent cultural and artistic workers, in contrast to the upper east side, which is perceived to be traditionally home to affluent commercial and business types. the neighborhood is decidedly upscale with the median household income above the manhattan average.