The Daily News had a story last week about how the number of black people living in East New York has increased significantly as other sections of Brooklyn have seen a decrease in the number of black residents: “The East New York numbers mirror an opposite pattern in neighborhoods in Central Brooklyn. In the western part of Bedford Stuyvesant, the white population shot up 634%, while blacks fell 14.6% – from 69% of the population to less than half. Northern Crown Heights lost more than 10,000 black residents, a 12% drop, while the white population grew 186%. Similar changes took place in Clinton Hill, Fort Greene, Prospect Heights, and Prospect Lefferts Gardens. Besides East New York, Canarsie and Flatlands have gained many new black residents.” So how does one look at this from a real estate angle? Via the Pratt Center: “East Brooklyn’s neighborhoods now face both a serious need for affordable housing, and a significant number of foreclosures. Like the rest of the New York City, East Brooklyn experienced a dramatic increase in housing prices from 2000 to 2007 — both rental and sales — while incomes steadily declined. In the neighborhoods of Ocean Hill, Brownsville, Broadway Junction, Cypress Hills, City Line, East New York, New Lots, Spring Creek and Starrett City, almost half the population pays more than 30% of its income on housing, and around one third of residents live in poverty.” This story has a lot of depth, since there’s the question of how many foreclosures we’re dealing with in East New York, as well as how many residents of the neighborhood receive public assistance for their housing. Plus it’s a truly gigantic neighborhood. We have only been to East New York about a half-dozen times over the past few years, so we don’t feel like we have a solid grasp of what the neighborhood is like. Thoughts?
Black Population Surges in East New York as it Falls Across the Borough and City [NY Daily News]
Photo by zachvs


What's Your Take? Leave a Comment

  1. I am probably the only white person living in cypress hills (hoping to escape soon) and have noticed more black people in the area over the last couple of years. If that means less loud Hispanic music then I’m all for it.

  2. Why is the number of blacks to whites important in any neighborhood. Who wrote this article any what is really going on with new York. It’s a bubble and like everything else it will burst. So sad

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