Most New Yorkers know the noisy, busy Garment district, a loosely-defined area between Madison and Eighth Avenues in the west 30s, as a purely commercial area. While that's mostly what it is, the lack of affordable space has driven demand to the lofts in the area, especially where renters looking to both live and work there are concerned. The Garment District took shape during the late 19th century, when new laws drove clothing manufacturers out of Lower Manhattan tenements and into manufacturing lofts. Originally, the garment industry was clustered around Madison Square, but when that area became fashionable the trade was forced to expand westward.