While Oxford Street is a busy, fairly ugly thoroughfare, the surrounding Paddington and Darlinghurst neighborhoods are cute and pretty to walk around. The area was built up in the late 1800's to house Sydney's growing working class, in row after row of Sydney's now quintessential terrace houses. These Victorian gems remind many people of New Orleans because of the ornate grills on the balconies. A couple decades ago, the area became the center of the gay community, which bought these largely dilapidated homes and restored them to their original beauty.