In the 19th century the area was populated by poor working-class inhabitants of long rows of back-to-back houses.

[1] It consists largely of close-knit terraces, the majority of which date from the first two decades of the 20th century.

[4] The Groves area contains a mixture of privately owned and rented properties, and council housing, and contains a number of students from York St John University.

Lowther Street is the main area for local shopping, with an Indian restaurant and takeaway, Chinese takeaway, a small supermarket and a shop specialising in Polish food.

In 2015 a ban on drinking alcohol on the streets was introduced to reduce anti-social behavior in the Groves.