The first and, some would say, best real estate deal ever made in New York happened here on May 24, 1626. On that date Peter Minuit, the director general of the Dutch colony of New Netherland, bought the island from the Lenape Indians for 60 Dutch guilders and, the story goes, some trinkets.  On the southern tip of the island Minuit founded New Amsterdam. A plaque marking what's believed to be the spot of the sale is in Inwood Hill Park, the only natural forest left in Manhattan.

       Inwood was a rural section of Manhattan well into the early 20th

century. Once the IRT subway reached Inwood in 1906, speculative

developers constructed numerous apartment buildings on the

east side of Broadway. A subsequent construction boom occurred

after 1933 on the west side of Broadway , when the IND subway

reached 207th Street along Broadway. Many of Inwood's impressive

Art Deco apartment buildings were constructed during this period.

       Today, Inwood is a residential neighborhood of primarily

five-to-eight story prewar buildings, along with some of the few

remaining detached houses on Manhattan Island. Buildings are

evenly mixed between elevator and walk-ups. Most of Inwood's co-op buildings are located west of Broadway,

                                                                 

                                                                  while rentals dominate on the east side of Broadway. Parks include

                                                                  the very large and old-growth Inwood Hill Park, Fort Tryon Park, and

                                                                  Isham Park along with numerous other green spaces. Institutions

                                                                  include Allen Pavilion (an annex of New York-Presbyterian Hospital)

                                                                  and several churches (including Manhattan Bible Church) and

                                                                  schools.                                                                                                                  

                                                                  The residents of Inwood were mostly of Irish and Jewish descent for

                                                                  much of the 20th century. The neighborhood exhibited a strong Irish

                                                                  identity with many Irish shops, pubs, and even a Gaelic football field

                                                                  in Inwood Hill Park. However, in the 1970s and 1980s, many Irish

                                                                  moved out of Inwood to the outer boroughs and suburbs. During the

                                                                  same period that Irish were leaving Inwood, there was a dramatic

                                                                  rise in the number of immigrants from the Dominican Republic.

       Today, Inwood has a predominantly Dominican population. The combination of less expensive housing, extensive wild parks and access to the water has also attracted a number of artists, students and musicians to the neighborhood.

       Manhattan Bible Church partners with several satellite ministries which include The Love Kitchen, CitiVision Ministries, New York Gospel Outreach, Manhattan Christian Academy and several international missionaries to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ and help meet several needs of  the Inwood community and also abroad.