inner city

American  

[in-er sit-ee] / ˈɪn ər ˈsɪt i /

noun

1. an older part of a city, densely populated and usually deteriorating, inhabited mainly by poor, often minority, groups.

   Struggling schools in the inner city face substantial challenges to prepare students for college.

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adjective

1. of or relating to such a section within a city: low-income residents in inner-city neighborhoods.

   after-school programs for inner-city youth;

   low-income residents in inner-city neighborhoods.

inner city British  

noun

1. 1. the parts of a city in or near its centre, esp when they are associated with poverty, unemployment, substandard housing, etc

   2. ( as modifier )

      inner-city schools

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inner city Cultural  

1. A general term for impoverished areas of large cities. The inner city is characterized by minimal educational opportunities, high unemployment and crime rates, broken families, and inadequate housing. (See ghettos.)

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Etymology

Origin of inner city

First recorded in 1960–65

Example Sentences

Hospitals are closing at an alarming rate, creating healthcare deserts in inner cities and rural areas.

From MarketWatch

Last month, as part of a "clean-up" campaign across Johannesburg, the city council said the inner city had been "targeted... for the systemic removal of pervasive lawlessness, illegal activities, hijacked properties, and critical by-law infringements".

From BBC

Handsworth and other inner city areas have been worst affected in recent years by a lack of investment, Mr Connell says, "disproportionately hitting the areas which already had problems around poverty and housing stock".

From BBC

Maverick Carter, a longtime friend and business partner of both James and Schottenstein who runs an entertainment company, describes meeting Schottenstein as “a young African-American kid from the inner city of Akron, Ohio.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Visiting just hours after the blaze, President Cyril Ramaphosa called it "a wake-up call to begin to address the situation of housing in the inner city".

From BBC

Related Words

• central city
• downtown
• slum