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Flatbush...no. Midwood which is close to Flatbush is okay. Some areas of Crown Heights are okay but I wouldn't consider it very safe unless you are in the Orthodox section. I doubt the schools are very good. Bed-Sty and Bushwick I wouldn't live with a small child in and I doubt the schools are very good there, either.
I don't know how far out you want to be but Mill Basin, Brighton Beach (VERY Russian), and Bay Ridge are nice neighborhoods but far from Manhattan.
Parts of Flatbush are super nice. I would give one of my kidneys to get one of those Victorian houses.
We are currently in NE of DC which is being gentrified. We are experiencing the neighborhood transition right now. As a result, the neighborhood is not as safe as I would like it to be.
Certain neighborhoods in Brooklyn are just like that, gentrifying, but still hear gunshots.
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"The man who sleeps on the floor, can never fall out of bed." -Martin Lawrence
Certain neighborhoods in Brooklyn are just like that, gentrifying, but still hear gunshots.
You won't hear gunshots in Kensington (g-d forbid).
There are no housing projects nearby and no real poverty. Also, it's basically the safest neighborhood in Brooklyn.
The poorest inhabitants of the neighborhoods are immigrants from Bangladesh who seem to have a tight working class community, are religious, and really....no crime.
Your neighboring neighborhoods are Borough Park, an Orthodox Jewish neighborhood with literally the lowest crime rate in Brooklyn, if not the whole city, Windsor Terrace - also low crime rate, and Ditmas Park - which has a relatively low crime rate as well. Midwood, just below Kensington, also has a super low crime rate (I used to live there and used to go jogging at night at 10 AM along Ocean parkway, and saw tons of women doing the same!), and could also be an option, since it's even cheaper than Kensington, and in some respect "nicer" (more middle class residents, cleaner, etc.) but it's further from Manhattan, further from Prospect Park, and also tends to be very Orthodox Jewish in parts (but not necessarily ultra-Orthodox Jewish), as well as many Russian Jews. Less to do than in Kensington in terms of nice places to go out, etc. Less non-Jewish families raising their families there (is the OP Jewish? Not sure)
You won't be ostracized as a non-Jew there, the Orthodox people there are more "live and let live" unlike Boro Park which may be a bit more intense. But it may not be your scene...
In Kensington, there are apartment buildings that sell coops for reasonable prices (by NYC standards of course), and also lots of cute private houses in the neighborhoods, with awnings and small balconies looking over the quaint tree-lined streets. Lots of people decorate their houses for Halloween, for Christmas, or...just because. I also notice, lots of people put out a little bench in their front yard, and sit outside there. It's kind of...neighborly. Lots of garage and yard sales on the weekends, and people also leave books out in front of their house for the taking.
From what I hear, public schools are pretty good. You have lots of immigrant kids whose parents really push them, plus lots of American kids who also come from families who prioritize good schools.
Just above Kensington, one block above the border of Caton Avenue, on Ft. Hamilton Parkway (which is officially Windsor Terrace), there is a small Greenmarket every weekend, and also a Brooklyn public library, as well as a yoga studio, and a few cute restaurants and coffee shops, as well as a daycare center - I see lots of parents dropping their kids off.
A 10 minute walk from there is Prospect Park.
I might also recommend across Coney Island Avenue from Kensington is the neighborhood Ditmas Park, which is a bit pricier than Kensington, but its main drag, Cortelyou Road, has more going on - more restaurants, etc. Also a public library. Honestly, Cortelyou feels busier to me, and a tiny bit less safe, because it is officially part of Flatbush (which does have a bit more crime).
But the houses near Cortelyou Road to me seem larger and more beautiful, grander Victorian houses, etc. than in Kensington, with larger yards. Also some coop apartment buildings. More expensive than Kensington just by a bit as well of course.
Flatbush itself - over from Cortelyou/Ditmas Park (which is actually officially part of Flatbush) - actually has some beautiful houses and apartments, is a bit less expensive than Ditmas Park and even Kensington. It does have a higher crime rate. It's also really close to Prospect Park in many of its areas. Personally I love going to Flatbush Avenue around Church Avenue, it has a lot going on, great shopping, a gym, an amazing theater with top shows with famous performers - the newly restored Kings Theater. The architecture there is also amazing - churches, old Victorian homes, pre-war apartment buildings.
It's a mostly Carribean neighborhood, which I think gives it a nice unique feel, There's a Carribean market near Church and Flatbush Avenues.
The neighborhood for sure will gentrify, and already is starting. But it's not there yet. Not sure how good public schools are there.
I actually like all of those neighborhoods but I'm not sure how they are for raising a family.
Bed Stuy has beautiful brownstone homes, they aren't cheap anymore but definitely less than in places like Park Slope or even Fort Greene.
It also has a nice community feel in parts - I work there, and people are really friendly!. Lots of new restaurants and cafes, especially in the Western end closer to Clinton Hill.
However, crime rate is still relatively high. And not sure at all if the public schools are up to par.
Hi! I just moved with my family; LO's (1 and 3 years) to Clinton Hill, border line of Fort Greene. Its a great gentrifying area and with great schools. One of the schools PS 11 Purvis J Behan, three blocks from me was named a blue ribbon school. There's a lot of new construction happening and beautiful brownstone homes. There are plenty of supermarkets and restaurants, cafes and bar around my area. Definitely a place to look into.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ijyeo85
Hello New Yorkers!
We are a young family looking to move to Brooklyn in coming months. Seeking advice on where we should live in Brooklyn. We are currently in NE of DC which is being gentrified. We are experiencing the neighborhood transition right now. As a result, the neighborhood is not as safe as I would like it to be. But we do love the city life with a baby and we want that to be continued.
The plan is to live for a few months to get the feel for the Brooklyn area and pursue purchasing if we like it enough and everything else goes well. (like my business etc...)
I am going to lay out the IDEAL components out there.
- Safety: Safe enough to walk outside at night... or leave the windows open for the night...
- Walkability: Be able to walk to subway, walk to grocery, with a stroller.
- Transportation: Close to Subway. or major high ways
- Good public schools: Good diversity.
- Future price appreciation: Area where things are happening.
We are a young family looking to move to Brooklyn in coming months. Seeking advice on where we should live in Brooklyn. We are currently in NE of DC which is being gentrified. We are experiencing the neighborhood transition right now. As a result, the neighborhood is not as safe as I would like it to be. But we do love the city life with a baby and we want that to be continued.
You said your current area is being gentrified, how does that make it less safe? Gentrification is the process of displacing lower class and poorer folks with more well to do folks. In fact, if you are leaving the area it sounds like your area is being ghetto'ed and you are contributing to gentrifying Brooklyn by willing to pay such outrageous rent $3-4k.
As mentioned above, Kensington is a solid choice as well. Since neighboring Ditmas Park has become very popular and 'hip', Kensington is starting to see some changes toward being more desirable. Again, can't really call it gentrification because its more or less already middle class and a pretty nice area. I lived there from '92 - '99, it wasn't a whole lot different back then than it is now, except you see a good amount hipster/yuppie types there now, even on Ocean Parkway an Church Avenue (Cortelyou rd. was largely where you'd find those types for a while).
We are a young family looking to move to Brooklyn in coming months. Seeking advice on where we should live in Brooklyn. We are currently in NE of DC which is being gentrified. We are experiencing the neighborhood transition right now. As a result, the neighborhood is not as safe as I would like it to be. But we do love the city life with a baby and we want that to be continued.
The plan is to live for a few months to get the feel for the Brooklyn area and pursue purchasing if we like it enough and everything else goes well. (like my business etc...)
I am going to lay out the IDEAL components out there.
- Safety: Safe enough to walk outside at night... or leave the windows open for the night...
- Walkability: Be able to walk to subway, walk to grocery, with a stroller.
- Transportation: Close to Subway. or major high ways
- Good public schools: Good diversity.
- Future price appreciation: Area where things are happening.
As mentioned above, Kensington is a solid choice as well. Since neighboring Ditmas Park has become very popular and 'hip', Kensington is starting to see some changes toward being more desirable. Again, can't really call it gentrification because its more or less already middle class and a pretty nice area. I lived there from '92 - '99, it wasn't a whole lot different back then than it is now, except you see a good amount hipster/yuppie types there now, even on Ocean Parkway an Church Avenue (Cortelyou rd. was largely where you'd find those types for a while).
The difference was there were more "old school whites" back then I'm guessing
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