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^^^^? 4th avenue goes all the way to Atlantic Ave through Park Slope so that doesn't mean anything. Sunset is not the prettiest of neighborhoods but it doesn't means its not safe either. 3rd Avenue is pretty grungy sketchy looking and crossing that avenue can be scary. You can raise kids in the upper east side and they can turn out to be weed head drug dealers, I should know I knew of some so saying you can't raise a kid here is just rhetorical.
There's a huge difference between 4th ave. in Park Slope and 4th ave. in Sunset Park - and their surrounding areas!
Park Slope is much more family oriented - and many do live on the 3rd/4th avenue lines (wouldn't be me, but since they probably can't afford living closer to 7th/8th ave., they'll settle for what they think is 2nd best - and they still get to claim they live in "Park Slope")!
Greenwood Terrace (between Park Slope & Sunset Park) is definitely a much better option for a woman with a small child on a budget. More family-oriented, and also a decent amount of spanish speaking residents in the community. I know many people who have moved out of Sunset Park due to the gangs, drugs, high traffic areas/congestion/noise to give their kids a better quality of life. The newer (more affluent) Sunset Park residents spend as little time as possible in their community (they have the money to travel over school holiday breaks, and spend their summer vacations out of the city), so their kids don't get the real experience. It's the kid in Sunset Park whose parents can't afford summer camp, let alone a luxury vacation that can give you the best insight on growing up in Sunset Park.
Of course your kid can be raised on the upper east side and still turn out to be a weed head drug dealer! Upper class youth are not 100% safe guarded from the drugs and violence that surround NYC - but their odds of getting mixed up are much lower than kids like the one mentioned above.
A child of 2 will soon be ready for school - this is an important factor in determining your place of residency. As a mother of three kids, who has been there/done that with the public school system, I recommend a safe, family friendly area with a reputable school system. Sunset Park public schools cannot compare with Greenwood Terrace, Bay Ridge and dozens of other school zones.
Zemirah has asked if Sunset Park is safe, quiet and family friendly. I say: safe - no, quiet - no, family friendly - sometimes.
So, you believe otherwise? Based on your experience, how many hours in your life time have you spent residing in Sunset Park? Do your kids enjoy living here?
Last edited by bklynmomof3; 06-02-2010 at 06:45 PM..
Bklynmomof3 - I really appreciate your time and help; you've convinced me to stay out of sunset park if it's possible! I've changed my focus to looking into a small studio or even renting a room in a family house in Park Slope or South Park Slope. Thanks again!
There's a huge difference between 4th ave. in Park Slope and 4th ave. in Sunset Park - and their surrounding areas!
Park Slope is much more family oriented - and many do live on the 3rd/4th avenue lines (wouldn't be me, but since they probably can't afford living closer to 7th/8th ave., they'll settle for what they think is 2nd best - and they still get to claim they live in "Park Slope")!
Greenwood Terrace (between Park Slope & Sunset Park) is definitely a much better option for a woman with a small child on a budget. More family-oriented, and also a decent amount of spanish speaking residents in the community. I know many people who have moved out of Sunset Park due to the gangs, drugs, high traffic areas/congestion/noise to give their kids a better quality of life. The newer (more affluent) Sunset Park residents spend as little time as possible in their community (they have the money to travel over school holiday breaks, and spend their summer vacations out of the city), so their kids don't get the real experience. It's the kid in Sunset Park whose parents can't afford summer camp, let alone a luxury vacation that can give you the best insight on growing up in Sunset Park.
Of course your kid can be raised on the upper east side and still turn out to be a weed head drug dealer! Upper class youth are not 100% safe guarded from the drugs and violence that surround NYC - but their odds of getting mixed up are much lower than kids like the one mentioned above.
A child of 2 will soon be ready for school - this is an important factor in determining your place of residency. As a mother of three kids, who has been there/done that with the public school system, I recommend a safe, family friendly area with a reputable school system. Sunset Park public schools cannot compare with Greenwood Terrace, Bay Ridge and dozens of other school zones.
Zemirah has asked if Sunset Park is safe, quiet and family friendly. I say: safe - no, quiet - no, family friendly - sometimes.
So, you believe otherwise? Based on your experience, how many hours in your life time have you spent residing in Sunset Park? Do your kids enjoy living here?
Well, I am a product of Sunset Park. Born and raised. Lived on 46th street for 10 years and moved to 42nd for the rest. As for the public schools in Sunset... I went to PS 169 and it never failed me. I managed to get in to, and graduate from Brooklyn Technical High School (one of the elite specialized high schools in NYC) If a kid wants to succeed, they will succeed in Sunset Park or the Upper East Side. I am latino by the way.
And yes, my parents are "poor" for a lack of a better word, and they couldn't send me to summer camp... but I wouldn't change my childhood if I had the chance. Riding my bicycle all around Sunset Park, playing baseball on summer nights with my friends on my old block, then going to the bodega for some ices. I think my upbringing made me the person I am today. I wasn't sheltered from the world, and as I grew up, I learned my "street smarts" and had experiences my cousins from the suburbs in New Jersey just can't relate to.
Safe - Growing up, I never once had a problem. Now that I'm older, walking around my neighborhood at all hours of the night, I've never once had a problem either. Quiet - No, it's not. I agree with that one. Family friendly - YES. In my building, we all know each other, and the block parties are good fun for everyone, it's just a bunch of minorities.
I am so happy for you, Andez, because you have beat the odds, like myself; also a graduate of Brooklyn Technical High School ('85). I was also born and raised in Brooklyn, Greenwood Terrace (as they call it now) when it was a not a very desirable location. Like you, I grew up with very little monetarily, but more love from one parent than many kids get from two combined. I had a wonderful group of friends from all ethnic backgrounds and we learned about each others differences and showed support for one another through thick and thin!
But....let's be honest and admit that we were extremely lucky to have overcome all the temptations and negative peer pressure that came our way on an everyday basis. I have lost many friends who never lived to see their 30th birthday's. Many of them came from loving families, as well, and they too wanted to succeed - but street life was tough, and their lives were cut short!
I'm curious to know what percentage of your P.S. 169 graduating class can attest to the success that you have accomplished? Most likely, you were in the top 5% of your class (like myself), and over 50% of your fellow 169 classmates probably never made it through high school.
You have also been lucky to never have had a problem - even at all hours of the night. Maybe I'm just in the wrong places at the wrong time, but last month I was in the vicinity of 3rd ave. near 34th street, which was swarmed with police due to a shootout a few minutes prior (not too far from a playground where small kids were climbing on jungle gyms, and young teens were playing handball in the courts). Last summer I couldn't get down 49th & 5th because there was an armed robbery in one of the stores and there was a huge police blockade.
Drugs and gang activity were, and still continue to be a big problem in Sunset Park. May have died down a bit, but based on the 72nd precinct reports, still has a long way to go for me to consider it a safe neighborhood.
I'm glad to hear that zemirah is considering other options - because there are so many better places in Brooklyn for her child to grow up in!
Andez - I guess my question to you would be whether you think Sunset Park would be safe for a single white woman with a young child. For you, as a latino that's grown up there, it might be a totally different situation?
For what it's worth, the father of my son is mexican, so I feel like if I was given the chance, I could get along quite well in a latino community, but would they see me as an outsider from the beginning? Also, the other posts concerning drugs concern me - your views?
bklynmomof3 - I can now understand where you're coming from better now... You see, I'm still young, so I wasn't viewing this whole situation how a parent would view it... I loved my childhood, but honestly, if I had kids, there would be other neighborhoods I would consider to raise my child in. And yes, many of my friends did fall into the cycle that's been here for generations. One month ago, I was walking down 8th avenue and saw a huge police blockade because of an armed robbery on 43rd street. And 5th avenue does have a gang problem. I was fortunate to make it out unscathed, but yeah, I guess the chance does exist and if it's preventable, it should be avoided.
zemirah - Yeah, I do believe it's safe for a single white woman. I actually believe me being latino (mexican) makes me more susceptible to being a victim of crime because the gangs here tend to target our own people the most. It's sad, but it's the truth. And just 2 weeks ago I was at the park at sundown with my friend, and saw a group of about 10 20 something year old white people walking around the park. In the past 5 years I've noticed a tremendous increase in white people moving in. On my block in particular the newer residents seem to get along with the old timers and the people at the bodega very well. I like the change. As for drugs, yeah there are drugs (mostly an abundance of marijuana), but I've never seen any brazen open air drug dealing save for some FEW blocks that have had their problems for a while now (49th from 3rd ave up to 6th ave, 61st, 46st, 51st-53rd on 6th avenue, 58th and 59th on 4th avenue) but chances are I doubt you'll be living near any of those blocks.
Andez - I must say that your mother did an excellent job in raising you! Your respect for elders and pride you have for your community is commendable. The Sunset Park community needs role models like you to re-direct the many, many kids in the area who don't receive the guidance and support you have been fortunate enough to receive!
I'm sure the Center for Family Life on 43rd could definitely use your help. Many of these kids need to get off the streets and handball courts (drug dealer haven) and become involved in organized, community activities. Many are filled with anger, resentment and reluctance to feel worthy and determined to succeed in life. They need productive role models like yourself, instead of the drug and gang leader models they encounter way too often!
For example, the beautiful new Sunset Park High School may now be installing metal detectors and the 72nd Precinct has just presented a Gang Awareness Presentation at the school. This confirms that the community is still plagued with problems that need to be addressed.
Yes, I too see many young, single, white twenty somethings now taking residence in Sunset Park. Many are subletting apartments and most likely are temporary residents. Most will move out of the area when they are more financially secure and no longer need a few roommates to get by, or when they settle down and have children.
Zemirah is a different story. She is a single, white mother with a young child who will not have the "whole" supportive family within her reach. She will most likely be working full time and need to reside in an area that will provide a safe surrounding (within the home and out on the streets) for the both of them. I don't see where Sunset Park fits that criteria. Hopefully, in the future, your community involvement and the involvement of others like you will make Sunset Park a desirable, more family-oriented place to live.
Then, when you have your own children (and I'm sure you'll make a wonderful father!), you won't need to relocate - you can live contently with your family in the same neighborhood that you grew up in!
brooklynmom with no desrespect, I'm also a father of a 5 year old. I still beleive you are magnifing this a bit to much. I lived in Sunset back in 87 when it was really bad and I would've said to stay away. I lived in Prospect Heights/Brooklyn all my life went to JHS in Bedstuy. I know all this areas where really rough. But with all the gentrification and the locals being priced it has drastically changed, sadly to the better.
Last edited by Ruready4Bklyn; 06-03-2010 at 11:52 AM..
brooklynmom with no desrespect, I'm also a father of a 5 year old. I still beleive you are magnifing this a bit to much. I lived in Sunset back in 87 when it was really bad and I would've said to stay away. I lived in Prospect Heights/Brooklyn all my life went to JHS in Bedstuy. I know all this areas where really rough. But with all the gentrification and the locals being priced it has drastically changed. Honestly it wasn't that bad back than either. You could still raise a family and have a relatively safe life as long as you minded you own business and didn't get involved in any drug/gang activity. I remember my grandmother moved to Queens because she didn't like Brooklyn anymore because of all the so called violence that we never actually witnessed. Guess what she was for the first time and only time in her life a victim to robbery in front of her house in Queens. This is still NYC and with alot of people anything can happen, but still one of the safest cities if you compare it by a population basis, in essence you are safer here than a suburb in lets say Cincinatti. In college I used to have a part time job in the UES that's where I met some kids that hanged around the likes of Paris Hilton. Other than doing coke everyday they did unimaginable things that made me never want to move to Ritzy areas of Manhattan to raise a family ever, same with prestigous areas like Howard Beach. So you're damned if you do or damned if you don't!
I respect your opinions, as well, but I don't believe I'm magnifying it a bit too much. Andez, born and raised and still living in Sunset Park, was honest in saying that he'd consider other neighborhoods to raise his kids in.
We all want what's best for our children. We didn't have a choice of where to live as a child, so we made the best of it. Some of us survived, some didn't. Zemirah has a choice and is making the best decision for her child - so I'm not going to sugar coat anything for her, and say "go ahead, go ahead, the neighborhood is drastically changing for the better". I'll tell her the truth, she'll be "taking her chances!"
We all know there is nowhere in NYC that guarantees safety at all times. But, some areas have A LOT more crime/drug/gang involvement than others, and are just not as safe as others for raising kids (unless you want to shield them at all times - how healthy of a childhood is that?). While Zemirah is here for grad study, she should have as much piece of mind as possible. She's better off paying more in rent for a smaller apt. in a nicer neighborhood, which will result in a better environment for her child.
Just curious as to where you decided to raise your child, and if you are happy with your decision?
Last edited by bklynmomof3; 06-03-2010 at 12:21 PM..
^^^^^Ok we can discuss how we raise our kids forever and it wouldn't matter. I know of people that wonder how we are even able to raise kids in NYC but we have and will continue too. I just feel Sunset Park is so close to Park Slope, its probably going to be expensive as PS eventually, why not give this student/mother a break on an expensive rent in Park Slope and pay 1/4 or 1/3(some times half) less in SP. All this crime/gang violence you hear about is only perputuated in small circles mostly the locals/minorities. She can live there for years without even witnessing any of it.
I currently live in the Prospect-Lefferst area, please do not tell me this is a bad area either. If you believe so go check out the Prospect Lefferts house tours link below. These brownstones are about half the cost of a similar home in Park Slope, why because its not Park Slope. Perfect area resides next to Prospect Park/Botanical Gardens/Brooklyn Museum close to the Childrens Museum.
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