Will Everyone Go Running Back to Manhattan?
Crain’s recycles the question (asked by The Times a week earlier) that seems to be on everyone’s mind these days: Do falling Manhattan rents spell the end of Brooklyn? We don’t think so. Clearly some people who work in Midtown and were living in Brooklyn based on price alone (“If it’s as expensive in Brooklyn…
Crain’s recycles the question (asked by The Times a week earlier) that seems to be on everyone’s mind these days: Do falling Manhattan rents spell the end of Brooklyn? We don’t think so. Clearly some people who work in Midtown and were living in Brooklyn based on price alone (“If it’s as expensive in Brooklyn as Manhattan, I’d rather just be in the real thing, says one publicist) will return to Manhattan but, we’d bet, most of the creative professionals who’ve put down roots in the County of Kings are here to stay. Real housewife Alex McCord summed up how we—and, if this poll is to be believed, many others—feel when she told the paper, Even if we had Warren Buffett money, we would never leave.
Can Brooklyn Keep Its Mojo? [Crain’s]
Brooklynites Jumping Ship to Manhattan? [Brownstoner]
Photo by cornell100
Hannible, you are right. The people I see earning grocery store wages split $1200 two-bedroom apartments between three adults and their children. (Usually the adults are related — usually a married couple and a sister). But Tybur6 was asking about “middle class” New Yorkers. Tons of affordable and spacious places for them, many of which have already been mentioned. Bed Stuy is another.
That is just the issue. We need homes to raise our families in not to share with another 5 people!
You miss my point, Tybur6. You referenced all of New York City, not just brownstone Brooklyn. New York City is full of inexpensive housing that the middle class can afford. Hamilton Heights, Inwood, Lower East Side, Chinatown, Upper East Side, East Harlem, many areas in Queens, Bronx, and Brooklyn such as Astoria, Jackson Heights, Bay Ridge, and Sunset Park just to name a few. Even in brownstone Brooklyn, which is a relatively small part of New York City, there are teachers splitting rental apts and living in houses their families own. Prices are no different outside the city, although you will generally have more room. We’ve considered moving to the suburbs, but taxes, heat, and commute costs will wipe out any gains. In other words, it’s actually more expensive to live outside the city. As for my own situation, I live in a very inexpensive part of Brookyn (Bushwick) where the majority of my neighbors are construction and grocery store workers. A teacher or fireman would be considered quite well off here, as the average income is less than $30,000. Rents range from $1000 to $1900 for a whole apt. Most people typically pay $600 to $800 for a share. There are many SROs. We’ve been over this countless times on this blog and I know you’re not new here.
Call the semantic police!!!!!!!
If you make your living in that pursuit then you are a professional. If you are paid to wipe down toilet seats, you are a professional toilet seat wiper. Doesn’t matter if the pay is not that great, you are still a professional.
Good bring on the housing market collapse in New York Cit! It is time that the hard working middle class get their affordable homes back and these morons that came here to speculate on homes with the help of banks get the hell out of here.
mopar… it’s obviously not a problem for you. you’re a lucky little bitch.
yo dirty – correct as always! the LES costs a fortune to do anything. and the “cool” bars are full of frat boys and tourists and wall streeters. there’s no going back. the east village is just as bad. drive down second ave on a saturday night and watch drunks dodge cars. puking galore! hilarious.
i’ve worked in soho for most of the last 16 years, and it’s a total joke. you can’t move even on a weekday. full of tourists just standing in the middle of every sidewalk. literally standing. i’d gladly move my biz to brooklyn and may when my lease is up.
also, i never said that 20 somethings buy apartments altho some may. pretty sure they are renters. i can speak from experience and it seems that it’s mostly 30’s and up buying condos in wiliamsburg. and mostly couple/families. or, they’ve bought and have roommates. really, there’s a huge creative professional group buying. friend (close to 40) just bought and moved into a 2 bed this weekend.
of course, there are rich people who are young and buy – that is probably more in williamsburg if it exists than in other parts of BK. but, probably also in manhattan.
tybur6 is right.the middle class is shrinking in NYC.at this pace New York will become a city for the rich and the poor.(there will always be poor in NY because of so much public housing).im a contractor who does work all over the east coast.i have come across countless former New Yorkers in places like Allentown PA,Philly,Wilmington Del,all over northern and southern Jersey,and Maryland.all born and raised,and priced out of NY.
tybur6: Hard to tell – the student loans and family size are the wild cards there. As to where they’d live, I’d guess – as a teacher who knows quite a few people in roughly the situation you describe – somewhere in Brooklyn, anywhere from Williamsburg to Bensonhurst to Crown Heights to PLG to Marine Park. Or Kensington/Ditmas Park, in my case.