College Students Move to Cheap, Chic Brooklyn
Recent Grads, Jobhunting in NYC, Flock to Brooklyn Neighborhoods
Sep 14, 2009
For grads with fragile (or no) bank accounts, up-and-coming neighborhoods where bargains can still be found include the edges of trendy Smith Street, Greenpoint, and Crown Heights.
Plus, they're discovering ethnically authentic neighborhoods. For instance, Sunset Park, a Latino and Chinese area is "deep in Brooklyn," but the food is cheap, subways are accessible and the local color is plentiful.
And Bay Ridge, deeper into Brooklyn, has lovely homes, water views, and busy pubs and restaurants.
The 20-somethings born in the 1980s– at least the ones who haven’t returned to live with mom or dad – are infusing new life into once-distressed neighborhoods such as Bushwick, which is being transformed from a low-income, high-risk neighborhood into a hipster extension of uber-trendy Williamsburg.
Even Gowanus, an area named after a dank canal (now cleaned up) infamous for its Mafia connections and occasional floating body, is being re-envisioned (though not yet revitalized) as a little Venice of the 21st century.
Brooklyn Housing Prices Cheaper than Manhattan
In Brooklyn, real estate is cheaper than Manhattan.
For buyers, the average price of an apartment in Manhattan is over $1 million. A two-bedroom in Brooklyn can be bought for a fraction of that price.
Similarly, if you look hard and act fast, you can find a two-bedroom rental for under $800 a month per person in Brooklyn. It's important to know one's tenant's rights.
Local civic officials have been more than happy to do their part to welcome the new residents, borough-wide. For instance, pre-recession re-zoning of pricey Park Slope rewarded new condo developments with tax abatements resulting in lower purchase prices (and therefore more reasonable rents) compared to apartments in the 100-year old landmark brownstones for which the neighborhood is famous.. As a result, 4th Avenue, once a no-mans land of light industry, became, pre-recession, a more-affordable frontier between two expensive Brooklyn neighborhoods, Carroll Gardens and Park Slope.
Free Activities in Brooklyn
There's plenty to do, at a low cost, for college grads who've recently arrived in Brooklyn.
For starters, a romantic, airy walk across the Brooklyn Bridge costs absolutely nothing. And it costs nothing to stroll Brooklyn's many neighborhoods or take a self-guided walking tour of historic Brooklyn Heights.
A sampling of the offbeat, free (or nearly-free) events happening every summer include a dog costume parade in Williamsburg; summertime world music concerts in Prospect Park; small town America style baseball games at Keyspan Park, and Coney Island’s Mermaid Parade. There's tons listed on the official Brooklyn tourism Web site not to mention numerous other Web sites and blogs.
Bars, Events, Meeting Other College Grads in Brooklyn
There are music venues, bars, yoga classes, health clubs, political and other organizations of all types, and athletic activities in most neighborhoods.
And in Brooklyn's various parks, such as Prospect Park, the athletically-inclined can meet peers while running, biking playing tennis or volleyball, or listening to summer concerts.
The free First Saturday events at the Brooklyn Museum of Art, attended by as many as 10,000 people, attract a broad spectrum of people from different ethnic backgrounds, across many neighborhoods, from college grads to grandparents.
And, social opportunities spring up places such as the Park Slope Food Coop, the nation’s largest owner-run health food cooperative, where health-oriented foodies work side-by-side in the tofu cooler or vegetable isle.
College grads are moving to Brooklyn for cheaper apartments and a lower-key lifestyle than can be found in Manhattan. Brooklyn is a hospitable place; it's fun to explore the borough's many resources and neighborhoods.
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