Mainly due to recent large-scale housing redevelopment and ensuing gentrification, in the past 15 years former working-class Ferencváros has become one of the most attractive districts of Budapest.

It is massively popular with lower-middle to middle class twenty- and thirtysomethings, with property prices to match the hype.

As a real two-in-one, it suits the hip and trendy set both for its vibrant urban scene and as a quality place to live.

Ferencváros has various traditional ethnic minorities represented: most importantly Bulgarians, Germans, Croats, Serbs and Slovaks.

Traditionally, Belső (=Inner) Ferencváros has always been the wealthiest part of the district, with well-preserved apartment blocks dating back to the late 19th century and even earlier.

[3] In stark contrast to its bourgeois past, these days Ráday utca, the main artery of "publand" Ferencváros, has a bohemian, youthful atmosphere.

The concentration of well over 50 entertainment establishments (pubs, bars, clubs, restaurants, art galleries, culture institutes, open-air concert venue) along a stretch of barely more than 1.3 kilometres is one of the densest in Budapest, the environs of Liszt Ferenc tér being a major competitor.

Starting off from Petőfi híd's bridgehead at Boráros tér, it descends towards Mester utca, and continues up to Üllői út, which forms the boundary between Ferencváros and District VIII, called Józsefváros.

For the workforce needed for such industries as rubber tyre and chemicals, a dense array of 2-4-storey apartment blocks were built north to the brown fields.

At the same time, the typical backyards system was eliminated, as into the spaces cleared from backhouses there came lavish greenery and secluded recreational facilities.

Its inner, busiest stretch is from Ferenc körút to Haller utca, with Szent Vince templom as a landmark at this point.

Architecturewise, the street is interspersed with red/klinker brick buildings both of early 20th century Danish and of the late functionalist type.

Balázs Béla utca and some streets off still have a few late 19th-century single-storey houses with a large gate and a spacious yard between the two sidewings.

In this neighbourhood, besides the obligatory redecoration and the badly needed sanitary conversions, the award-winning redevelopment projects eliminated the backyard system typical of central Pest.

The backhouses and smaller annexes were demolished to make space for open communal gardens with various facilities to which now all the residents of the given block have easy access from inside.

Changes to the immediate vicinity have been dramatic after its completion: new office buildings, fashionable eateries and student halls have sprung up around within a few years.

This relatively poor area includes Gát utca, the street where one of the most outstanding Hungarian poets of the 20th century, Attila József, was born.

The southern side of Haller utca is occupied by municipal and office buildings including István kórház (a hospital), Ferencvárosi Művelődési Központ (a culture centre) the district's police station, the regional headquarters of the tax authority and the brand new Haller Gardens office block.

The tramtracks can be found in the middle of the road; however, just a decade earlier, they used to be situated near the two pavements along a 1 kilometre stretch, a remainder of Pest's old time tram system.

The daily market called Haller piac had to be moved behind the cultural centre next to the popular camp site to clear space for a new housing development.

This latter road is the major thoroughfare on the riverside; it is heavily congested despite being served well by public transport (trams 2 and 24; buses 23, 54 and 55; suburban train to Csepel).

Partially abandoned industrial areas lie between Soroksári and Gyáli út, with the large Ferencváros Marshalling Yard, and some low density housing estates.