Gżira is a town in the central-eastern coast of Malta, between Msida & Sliema. Gżira means Island in Maltese, and the town is named after Manoel Island which lies just adjacent to it. Manoel Island is itself named after Manuel de Vilhena, a Grandmaster of the Knights of Malta in medieval times and under whose leadership Fort Manoel was built.
In the past, Gżira used to be a working-class town with a stigma of prostitution. During the last decade, a large proportion of the old houses has been demolished and new, luxurious blocks of flats have been built. This led to an inflation of the housing prices, as the town became sought after by both Maltese and Foreign settlers. The main reason behind the area's popularity is that it is fairly centrally located in Malta, being close to both the University Campus and the capital, Valletta.
The stigma of prostitution has started to fade, but there still is a small "red light district", near the waterfront. Despite that, the criminal rates are very low and the town is as safe as the rest of Malta & Gozo.
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