Then artists began to move in, attracted by cheap rents and stunning spaces.

The Descoteaus were undaunted by monthly rents as high as $1,400, including hot water, but not other utilities.

Finally the white-collar crowds were coming, driven down the hill by $2,500-a-month rents in the upper Slope.

The early 1990's were also a time when landlords saw the value of their property drop by half and rents plummet.

Other high-end shops may follow, buoyed by low rents and the cachet of wealthy residents.

The people of 1988 have all gone, driven out during the 1990s by high rents.

In recent years, actors and musicians are again moving to the neighborhood, drawn north by low rents and spacious apartments.

According to the survey, only 5 percent of the New Yorkers who moved during the late 1990's reported being forced to move by high rents.

In the intervening months, they have moved seven times, driven out by rising rents, filthy conditions or exploitative landlords.

As the locals moved out, drawn by lower rents further afield, investors moved in.