Exclusive | Hip locals are flocking to live in NYC’s Financial District

When actors Anna Lowry and Bianca Torrente began their post-grad apartment hunt in 2024, one neighborhood ticked all the roomates’ boxes.

Lowry, 23, said her East Village-dwelling New York University classmates couldn’t believe their choice: the Financial District in Lower Manhattan. 

“Nine times out of 10, when I tell people I live in Fidi, their first reaction is, ‘Why in the world?’” Lowry said.

The Financial District’s 9-to-5 reputation has traditionally kept young and hip New Yorkers at arm’s length. But now, the area is becoming a hot landing pad for living.

The Financial District earned the top spot of StreetEasy’s “Neighborhoods to Watch” list of 2026 — its first-ever appearance in the annual study. With a 46.7% uptick in site searches, Fidi overtook Manhattan’s trendy East Village and Brooklyn’s idyllic Windsor Terrace.

The demand comes as the traditionally buttoned-up district receives a strong dose of cool. 

Sought-after brands and boutique businesses have made their way south of Chambers Street.

A highly anticipated opening came on the first day of spring last March, when Printemps debuted at One Wall Street. It includes a seafood restaurant, plus cocktail and champagne bars.

Facing Broadway, Printemps isn’t a far walk from the riverside Pier 17, home to warm-weather rooftop concerts.

On any given weeknight, buzzy local bars like Fish Market and The Deal Rabbit fill with local patrons.

Lowry’s endorsement of Fidi managed to attract her college friend group to the area. They’re all on a first-name basis with local bartenders at local sports bar Clinton Hall on Washington Street, which has outdoor seating with games, and is known for its robust beer menu.

“There’s so many cool experiences down here and places to go and hang out that we still haven’t explored everything,” Lowry said.

Lowry and Torrente’s agent, Kathryn Evenson of Keller Williams NYC’s Strat Team, found the duo their one-bedroom at 63 Wall St. in May. They split the $4,700-a-month rent and the living room in half, turning their space into a cozy two-bed.

Evenson told The Post that the area’s bar and restaurant scene has attracted young renters like Lowry to these historic towers. 

Ultimately, it comes down to pricing. The Financial District’s $1.19 million median asking price sits $150,000 below the Manhattan median, according to StreetEasy.

The median asking rent reached $4,690 last year. The high price is easier to stomach when the November’s borough-wide median of $4,750 is added to the equation. 

This growth has given locals more options and brought down competition for older units.

Erica Cipollina decided to end her long tenure as a renter late last year. She closed on a condo at 88 Greenwich in December, paying slightly over her $600,000 budget.

“It does feel like I did got in right when things were really starting to kind of blow up there and get really exciting,” Cipollina said.

Cipollina, 30, works at a Fidi-based advertising firm. She said her new neighborhood’s stock of restaurants and speakeasies has exceeded her expectations, frequenting local favorites like Fraunces Tavern and the 2025-opened Australian pub Old Mates. 

Cipollina’s broker, Rhonda Vitoulis of Corcoran, told The Post that she’s “moving everybody into Fidi who wants Tribeca.” 

The neighborhood’s low-key reputation attracted another Fidi convert, 33-year-old Tyler de Gorter, to Cipollina’s building.

“For many people who want to get good value for what they’re spending, want somewhere that’s safe, somewhere that’s accessible, somewhere that’s nice, and it doesn’t have to be Soho, then I think that Fidi offers that,” de Groter said.

The 33-year-old Google employee bought his first condo at 88 Greenwich in July, with the help of Keller Williams NYC agent Laura Cook, spending $800,000.

StreetEasy’s Shur said that the uptick in FiDi search interest is closely linked with its successful office-to-residential conversions, especially among buyers.

Once the domains of financial powerhouses and mid-century offices, luxury overhauls within 160 Water St. and 55 Broad St. have proven the success of the city’s office-to-residential push, with each tower offering close to 600 rental units starting at $4,000 per month.

The projects are increasingly ambitious. Take the 1,000-plus apartment building at 25 Water St., now the largest office conversion in the US.

Lowry’s new home, 63 Wall St., is among Lower Manhattan’s early set of conversions. The landmarked 37-story tower was once the headquarters of a bank that departed in 2003.

“We were looking for a place that didn’t really age us too much, but also felt a little bit more sophisticated,” Lowry recalled of her and Torrente’s search. “We felt like this neighborhood was just perfect.”