Chelsea North: latest neighborhood rebranding?

The latest in the never-ending scheme of renaming New York City’s neighborhoods — for fun or profit — has the Times Square South area going by the moniker “Chelsea North,” the New York Observer reported.

The Times Square South area, between West 42nd and West 35th streets and Ninth and Sixth Avenues, has had an identity crisis of sorts, at times going by the “Garment District.” But that neighborhood is more properly located further east, and the name does not accurately describe the tenant base, real estate pros told the Observer.

Now, the nabe is aiming to take some wind out of Midtown South‘s sails by rebranding as “Chelsea North,” to link itself to that pricier ’hood.

“The market [in Times Square South] has changed dramatically,” Diana Gaines, a senior director at Cushman & Wakefield, told the Observer. “The area called Times Square South has traditionally been known as the Garment Center. In the last few years, this has become less and less the norm.” [NYO] –Guelda Voien