All About Brooklyn

Brooklyn is one of the five New York City boroughs; the other four are the Bronx, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island. Brooklyn is one of the most populous and popular districts, and it could be thanks to the cultural diversity there. This is easy to see when you are walking down its streets. It is filled with young people that migrated to Brooklyn looking for new opportunities and is definitely a unique place within the Big Apple.

Brooklyn is a memorable place, and it’s fun to think about how many famous artists and actors were born there: Eddie Murphy, Woody Allen, Michael Jordan, Jerry Seinfield and Mike Tyson, among others. Not only that, but it offers fantastic places to visit, such as the Brooklyn Heights area, the Brooklyn Bridge, Prospect Park, and the Brooklyn Museum of Art.

It has many distinctive neighborhoods that represent the majority ethnic groups of the whole New York area; many of these are of historical significance.

The Historical Neighborhoods of Brooklyn  

Before King County consolidated into the single city of Brooklyn, it was made up of six neighborhoods: Bushwick, Brooklyn, Flatlands, Gravesend, New Utrecht, and Flatbush. Today these neighborhoods continue to exist. 

Bushwick

This neighborhood was actually founded by Dutch settlers, and over time has been home to large numbers of German and Italian immigrants. Today it is predominately Hispanic, especially Dominican and Puerto Rican. It has several community centers, parks and outdoor areas, and there are plenty of other things to do and find. You can easily find a gym in Bushwick, Latin food restaurants, dances, and a convenient transport system.

Gravesend

Situated in the south-central section of the borough, Gravesend was one of the original towns in the Dutch colony of the New Netherlands. It was actually settled by a British woman, who was the first woman to own land in the New World. Today, it is known for being safe and peaceful.

Flatbush

This is another historical neighborhood that is diverse both economically and culturally. Predominantly, Flatbush is African American and West Indian, but there are other ethnicities living there, too. Historically it has housed Irish Americans, Jewish Americans, and Italian Americans. More recently it has become home to Caribbean immigrants. It’s quite a diverse neighborhood full of unique foods and culture, including a unique form of transportation called Dollar Vans, where you can pay less than riding MTA buses to get around town.