Washington Heights is a neighborhood in the northern portion of the New York City borough of Manhattan. The area is named for Fort Washington, a fortification constructed at the highest natural point on the island of Manhattan by Continental Army troops during the American Revolutionary War, to defend the area from the British forces. Washington Heights is bordered by Harlem to the south, along 155th Street; Inwood to the north along Dyckman Street or Hillside Avenue; the Hudson River to the west, and the Harlem River and Coogan's Bluff to the east.

Washington Heights is part of Manhattan Community District 12 and its primary ZIP Codes are 10032, 10033, and 10040. It is patrolled by the 34th and 33rd Precincts of the New York City Police Department.