| an older part of a city, densely populated and usually deteriorating, inhabited mainly by poor, often minority, groups. |
| inner city n. The usually older, central part of a city, especially when characterized by crowded neighborhoods in which low-income, often minority groups predominate. in'ner-cit'y (ĭn'ər-sĭ'tē) adj. |
A general term for impoverished areas of large cities. The inner city is characterized by minimal educational opportunities, high unemployment and crime rates, broken families, and inadequate housing. (See ghettos.)
