The West Village is a historic neighborhood in Manhattan, forming the western section of Greenwich Village and bordered by the Hudson River and 14th Street. It is famous for its extraordinarily expensive real estate, with property sale prices exceeding $2,100 per square foot in 2017. The neighborhood's name emerged in the 1950s and 1960s as preservationists fought to protect its historic blocks from the redevelopment occurring near Washington Square Park and NYU. These efforts culminated in 1969 when the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission created a sprawling historic district that remained the city's largest for four decades. In the 2000s, the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation (GVSHP) further expanded protections, securing landmark status for areas like the Gansevoort Market Historic District in 2003 and the Weehawken Street Historic District in 2006, ensuring the neighborhood's distinctive architectural character endures.