Do Families Need to "Escape" From Brooklyn?
If your only source of information was the New York Times real estate section, you’d know that Brooklyn families are constantly thinking about one thing: should we leave? The latest article in The Gray Lady’s ongoing, informal series on leaving Brooklyn is a thoughtful essay by writer David Zweig on escaping from the horrors of annoying downstairs neighbors and the hardships…
If your only source of information was the New York Times real estate section, you’d know that Brooklyn families are constantly thinking about one thing: should we leave? The latest article in The Gray Lady’s ongoing, informal series on leaving Brooklyn is a thoughtful essay by writer David Zweig on escaping from the horrors of annoying downstairs neighbors and the hardships of finding an elementary school other than the “up-and-coming” one in their neighborhood.
The NYT’s previous story in their “leaving Brooklyn” series
After searching elsewhere in the city for a sub-million-dollar home, the Zweigs house-hunted in New Jersey and then upstate along the MetroNorth line. They finally settled on a home in Hastings, N.Y. that was more expensive than they’d planned.
But lo, their “grand prewar two-bedroom” in Prospect Heights sold for several hundred thousand dollars above ask — at exactly the same price as their new place, in fact.
Despite some misgivings, the Zweigs had no trouble settling in — the ice breaker at a school potluck was “what neighborhood of Brooklyn are you from?”
The Zweigs, it turns out, are not unusual — moving out of the city is an accepted migration pattern for families, one that Brownstoner has covered for years. Many families long for yards and other suburban amenities once their kids reach a certain age.
As a whole, Brooklyn has seen some ups and downs in overall population, according to a study from the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce. Between 2006 and 2014, Brooklyn saw a 7.6 percent growth in population — outpacing the other boroughs and New York state as a whole. However, in 2014, more people moved out of Brooklyn than into it, resulting in a net negative migration.
That said, the forecasts for Brooklyn’s population growth predict that it could exceed Chicago’s population within the next five to 10 years.
Have you considered leaving? Why?
[Source: NYT | Photo: The Great Escape | Barbara Eldredge ]
Related Stories
Hipsturbia: Brooklyn Breeders Move North
Would You “Boomerang” Back to Brooklyn?
Can You Live Car-Free in the Hudson Valley and Catskills?
Yonkers is probably about thirty minutes.
This. Same old story. Still depressing as fuck. Still, DC’s versions of this, which are so much more blatant than Brooklyn’s, are possibly even worse. Here there is an out and out rabid fear that exposure to the lower socioeconomic classes will cause your children to speak ebonics and never get a decent job. And that’s pretty much how they say it.
Agreed with boeringhill. an ex-co-worker of mine, who used to be an unabashed glamorous party girl just moved from fort greene to crown heights with her husband and small child, and then in the blink of an eye moved to Maplewood, NJ. she cited the move with a “frustration over the city/schools.” To me, it spoke of unabashed racism tbh….like most parents of precious white babies. i wish said parents would stop trying to deny it. they just want their babies to be surrounded by little white children just like them (black and asian minorities acceptable, but certainly not the majority!!!) i think it’s gross.
Uh, I don’t know what part of Bed-Stuy you live in, but I live in Bed-Stuy, and it takes me an hour, sometimes an hour-fifteen for me to get to work (door-to-door) in mid-town MHTN. Not every neighborhood in NYC is blessed with multiple stores and restaurants on every block, and Bed-Stuy is certainly NOT one of those neighborhoods with oodles of grocery stores or restaurants (though it’s certainly improved on that front in the last 5 years).
I, and many of my neighbors, have a car because schlepping groceries, cat litter, dog food, home supplies, hardware, kids, pets, etc. around on foot would end up taking hours and multiple trips. Sure, it’s one thing if you’re a single person with no kids, no pets, you don’t cook that much, and you’re not responsible for taking care of the home that you live in, but if you add in more general life responsibilities, running all of those errands by foot ceases to be enticing for many people. Also, the public transportation in many neighborhoods, Bed-Stuy included, is ok, but unless you’re riding during rush hour, it isn’t fast, and it doesn’t go everywhere you need it to go. Why shit on someone because they’re sincerely tired of city life? I grew up in the suburbs, and have lived in this city for 15 years, and Boston for 10 years, and I am experiencing many of the same feelings as Suburbanguy; I’m sick of all the commuting, sick of being plastered up against people all the time; of getting in petty arguments with rude people; of having no privacy; of having little interaction with nature, and of the greed and workaholicism of this city. Different places and living styles work at different phases of your life, and NYC is great in many ways, but it’s not the center of the universe, and there’s many other places to live, and people to experience, at different phases of our life. What’s great to one person now, my not feel great 20 years later, and vice versa.
It’s ok to be on a high horse. There are perfectly good reasons to criticize, in general, suburban living. Cities are not for everybody, but defending the suburban lifestyle, in general, is a losing proposition. Before this blog became a home decorating magazine for Brooklyn Decker it was actually a very good argument for the appeal of cities, dense living, and diverse neighborhoods.
and yes, we can tie this article to inequality, segregated schools, lack of investment in public schools, union-busting charter schools, gentrification, sprawl, auto-dependance, the environment, etc.
If you’re going to live in the suburbs good for you but be prepared to think about this whole big bucket of problems.
The better I get to know you on this site based on what you say, the more attractive you become. You always get to the heart of the matter, but somehow your sense of humor has remained intact.
so true evfred! also, the kids in the article never even attended a Brooklyn public school. a tour, stats, all that stuff doesn’t really mean much. lots of great teachers in the City – majority have advanced degrees and little ones just need a loving teacher and a few friends the first couple of years. when they’re older, it is fairly easy to switch schools if it’s not working out, and then, of course you know more about what type of learners/students they are. there are amazing schools in NYC, and you’re not stuck with the one in your suburb. older kids can make plans and meet up with other kids without their parents driving them plus they can really take advantage of programs and classes outside of school taught many times by world class specialty teachers. also, we are able to frequent museums, galleries, theater shows, concerts and sporting events easily and in the evenings and many times at the last minute.
YES. Thank you. you’re kidding yourself if you think anything in NJ or upstate NY is 30 minutes or less. Only JC and Hoboken and then ONLY when the path train is running normally (i.e. not the weekends…)
all the points you brought up about your car and parking lots genuinely sound awful. who the hell wants more parking lots? only people obsessed with their cars. oh, and by the way, have you ever seen ditmas park? or, you know, half of brooklyn that you probably consider too “unsafe” for you? apparently not. what’s up with this myth that brooklyn has no trees or driveways?