week 2

Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn

The neighborhood of Carroll Gardens in Brooklyn, New York, has been gentrifying since the 1960’s, and it would be a great place for a childless professional couple.

Much of the residential area surrounds Carroll Park, which is still used by local families. Children go to the elementary school across the street. The streets surrounding the park are lined with beautiful brownstones built before 1900 (Brooklyn, n.d., para 2).  Even owning one floor of a brownstone is very expensive, and only upper middle class people live there today. Educated people want to live in areas with rich history and beautiful architecture. Outdoor space, such as private yards and public parks, are desired, too.

The area was once home to working class people, mostly Italians, who worked in local warehouses, the Red Hook docks, and the Brooklyn Navy yards, which closed in 1966 (Brooklyn, n.d., para 3). The neighborhood still has some Italian influences, as seen in local Catholic churches, a cafe with the Virgin Mary in the courtyard, and a traditional Italian delicatessen that sells handmade ravioli. Educated people moving to the area value diversity and a sense of culture. Many of the newcomers are white and upper middle class. The minorities, mostly Hispanics, live in nearby areas, like Red Hook, where there is government housing. In between, there are tenement buildings, converted into condominiums, which are more affordable than those in Manhattan and attract a diverse group of professional people. 

Today, people who can afford it take advantage of Carroll Gardens’ location just outside the major metropolis of Manhattan, a cultural, financial, and international center. The half hour subway commute is valued by those who would rather not drive. Some people commute to work, and others commute to enjoy all the city has to offer. Carroll Gardens is a walkable neighborhood with mixed use buildings. On the short walk home from the subway stations in Carroll Gardens, there are cafes and bars, boutiques and specialty stores, like Stinky Cheese, as well as locally owned hardware stores and a YMCA gym. Within a half hour walk, there is the Brooklyn Opera, Brooklyn Library, and Prospect Park. 

The neighborhood of Carroll Gardens is appealing because it’s a beautiful, diverse neighborhood with walkable amenities just a short distance from Manhattan.  

Reference

Brooklyn Public Library. (n.d.). Our Brooklyn: Carroll Gardens. 

Retrieved from: http://www.brooklynpubliclibrary.org/ourbrooklyn/carrollgardens/