Continuing on our quest for the best NYC neighborhood to live in, we searched around the we and complied a list of the ten best neighborhoods to live in Brooklyn. This is not based specifically on price, but a number of factors. Check out the map below!
1. Park Slope
If you don’t mind hordes of strollers on the streets Park Slope is a Brooklyn neighborhood that has it all. Sometimes touted as an example against gentrification, it’s slightly on the expensive side and not super diverse. However, it has low crime, great bars and restaurants, and great local shops.
2. Windsor Terrace
Right between Prospect Park and Greenwood Cemetery , Windsor Terrace is a neighborhood that offers it’s residents a lot of green space to enjoy. However, that green space does come with a price as Windsor Terrace is more expensive than your average Brooklyn neighborhood. The trade off might be worth it for the cleanliness and safety the ‘hood provides.
3. Gowanus
A great family neighborhood, consider yourself lucky if you can snag an apartment in this neighborhoods. Gowanus has lots of great restaurants, bars, and delis set against the backdrop of beautiful brownstones. However, it’s tough to get an apartment in this neighborhood as most are family-owned and rarely come on the market.
4. Bay Ridge
Affordable, safe, and close to parks. Bay Ridge has the make up of everything that one might in a neighborhood. Add to that a diverse mix of people, giving the neighborhood a great food scene. The drawback is that it’s a 40 minute commute to Union Square, so it’s not ideal for people who work in the northern Manhattan neighborhoods. However, that longer commute is what keeps the prices down.
5. Red Hook
Red hooks is rough around the edges. There are still pockets of dangerous areas, but the neighborhood has great restaurants and bars and beautiful apartments close the Brooklyn Bridge Park. Prices are decent, but Red Hook is not a commuter friendly neighborhood with no subway station that really services the neighborhood. However, if you have a car or work from home, it’s a great option.
6. Williamsburg
Even filled with annoying Hipster, Williamsburg still makes the list. However, to live in this neighborhood you’re looking to spend at least $2500 on rent at least. It’s less expensive in the Eastern and Southern borders, but also less safe. The main draw to Williamsburg (besides the great restaurant scene and nightlife) is it’s accessibility to Manhattan. One can get to the Lower East Side and Union Square within ten minutes or less (when the L train is cooperating).
7. Greenpoint
A slightly less expensive and safer option to Williamsburg, Greenpoint is the norther tip of Brooklyn. It has a good smattering of restaurants and bars to keep one entertained, and a few great green spaces. It also has the same connivence of getting into Manhattan with the ability to get there within a half hour, and it’s a little less reliant on one subway line unlike Williamsburg.
8. Clinton Hill
Super diverse, Clinton Hill is on the rise as one of the better neighborhoods in Brooklyn. There are lots of great bars and restaurants and beautiful brownstones with some great green spaces. However, as the neighborhood continues to clean up, it’s getting more expensive to live there.
9. Fort Greene
Borders on Clinton Hill and Downtown Brooklyn, Fort Green is a neighborhood that has a little of everything. On the more expensive side, the neighborhood is diverse and home to one of the big cultural institutions in Brooklyn: Brooklyn Academy of music.
10. Bushwick
A neighborhood that has become popular within the last few years, is the definition of Industrial Chic. On the easter border of Williamsburg, it catches a lot of the overflow from that neighborhood, which has allowed the area to become more built up with restaurants and bars within the last few years. Easy to get to get to the Lower East Side on the MJZ or L, it a great cheaper alternative to Williamsburg and Greenpoint, but harder to get to other places in Brooklyn. However it’s borders some rough neighborhood and has lots of undeveloped industrial space, making it a little unsafe in certain areas.
Sources
http://www.brickunderground.com/blog/2015/05/10_best_neighborhoods_for_college_grads_in_2015
http://nymag.com/realestate/neighborhoods/2010/65374/index9.html
https://www.addressreport.com/blog/the-best-neighborhoods-in-brooklyn/
