Feeling like you might want to explore the world outside of Brooklyn but afraid to give up the moniker of being a Brooklynite? There are plenty of other Brooklyns out there: In the U.S. alone, more than 20 towns bear the name.

While the borough of Brooklyn derives its name from the town of Breukelen in the Netherlands, the anglicized Brooklyn has scattered across the world. Some of the towns have no connection to the Dutch word but are indicative of geography (a brook) while others are in former Dutch colonies or were settled by Dutch immigrants or former New Yorkers.

We’ve scouted historic real estate in a variety of Brooklyns and rounded up three possibilities for your consideration.

Which Brooklyn would you choose?

Brooklyn, Iowa
412 Williams Street
$94,000

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The first house is in Brooklyn, Iowa — it’s known as the “Community of Flags” for the display of 50 state flags near the town center. There’s even a flag store if you want to snap up flags from around the world. The small town has a population of under 2,000 and is located between Des Moines and Cedar Rapids. It was founded in the 1850s and there’s still a bit of 19th century architecture, including the 1869 William Manatt house, now home to the Brooklyn Historical Museum.

For movie buffs, this Brooklyn was the childhood home of John Wayne for a few years and there’s a historical marker with all the facts (his birthplace museum is about 100 miles away in Winterset).

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At 412 Williams Street is a standard American foursquare. Popular in the early 20th century, these boxy houses typically have a front porch, hipped roof and simple detailing.

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Inside, foursquares tend to have a practical layout and rich woodwork — and there’s still some of that woodwork here, including the stair and a columned room divider.

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There are four bedrooms and one bath in the roughly 1,620 square foot house. The property is listed for $94,000 by Alyssa Beaderstadt with ReMax Partners Realty.


Brooklyn, Conn.
60 Pomfret Road
$650,000

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The house closest to the borough is this clapboard house in Brooklyn, Conn. This Brooklyn has a population of about 8,200 residents and sits roughly midway between Hartford and Providence, R.I. The town was settled in the 18th century and the house at 60 Pomfret Road dates from that era. It was built circa 1795 and was once the home of George Benson, an abolitionist and father-in-law to journalist and social reformer William Lloyd Garrison.

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Garrison and his wife, Helen Eliza Benson, were married in the parlor of the house in 1834 and the property, known to the family as Friendship Valley, hosted other abolitionists and reformers — including educator Prudence Crandall, who was arrested and tried for opening a school for students of color in the community.

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The modern pineapple stained glass windows are perhaps a nod to the nickname of the house and the old house mythology of the pineapple as an early American symbol of hospitality. While the fruit was seen as an exotic luxury and did appear as a decorative element, the idea that was it was carved and painted as symbol of welcome (even on bedposts) was mostly dreamed up by the pineapple industry in the mid 20th century, according to historians who have dug into the issue.

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The four bedroom house has 3.5 baths and was recently run as a bed and breakfast. It sits on almost 13 acres and includes a three-bay carriage house. The house is listed for $650,000 by Diane Chapin of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage-West Hartford.


Brooklyn, Nova Scotia, Canada
7754 Highway 14
$280,000

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If leaving the country completely is on your mind, head to Nova Scotia, Canada, which has not one, but three Brooklyns of various sizes. We spotted this fabulous 19th century mansard-roofed house in the small community of Brooklyn in Hants County. Located about an hour northwest of Halifax, the rural area was first inhabited by the Mi’kmaq people before waves of French, English and Loyalist Americans arrived.

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The house at 7754 Highway 14 is filled with original 19th century details, including woodwork, ceiling medallions, wide-planked floorboards, mouldings, and wood and marble mantels.

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The charmingly small front facade is a bit deceptive — the house is quite large, with sprawling rear additions. There are 14 rooms, including five bedrooms and two baths, according to the listing. The property also includes another two-bedroom home, a barn, three other outbuildings and a “small stream.”

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The house is listed for $348,900 (Canadian — or about $280,000 American) by Kirk Brown of Royal LePage Atlantic-Nova Scotia.

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