Special Neighborhood Report, Fall 2012:
Bay Ridge, Brooklyn.
Too Far, But Close Enough.
By Mayara Guimaraes
The residents of Bay Ridge, a Brooklyn neighborhood, live in one of the best areas that surround the City. Or at least that is what an article published by This Old House magazine in April 2012, said when the editors chose Bay Ridge as the best neighborhoods to buy a house.
Comprised of Italians, Irish, Greeks, Chinese and Arabic, the neighborhood is a predominately middle class, family oriented area, in which a great part of the population, 20 per cent, according with the latest census, is over 60 years old.
The many bars and restaurants in Bay Ridge illustrate the diversity of the area, offering to its residents a variety of different foods, settings and attractions, all conglomerated on 3rd and 4th Avenues.
Most commuters seem to think that Bay Ridge is too far from Manhattan, therefore choosing other areas of Brooklyn to live. For that reason rents in the area are still affordable, and commerce has grow to support its resident’s need so that they don’t have to commute excessively.
This combination has contributed to create a safe neighborhood, with a population that seems to be happy to be far, but close enough from Manhattan.
However, as any other neighborhood, Bay Ridge has a lot of room for improvement. Recent problems regarding drugs, traffic tickets, and business owners being killed in their store have made residents alert and worried.
An investigation of Bay Ridge success as a neighborhood, as well as the emerging problems in the area will be our focus this Fall on the Special Neighborhoods Report.
I basically grew up in Bay Ridge because my grandparents lived on 60th between 19th and 20th. When I was little, most of my grandparent’s neighbors were Italian, which was perfect because they are from Italy. As I got older, I noticed that a lot more cultures were moving in, now I think only two Italian families live on that block. I definitely think you should write an article on the different cultures since it has changed so much throughout the years. I haven’t went to Bay Ridge in years so it’s scary to hear about all of the crime that has been happening. I think that would be interesting to focus on as well.
Good basic information on Bay Ridge. I especially like the idea of how the neighborhood has evolved into a self-sufficient community because of its distance from Manhattan. Try to find story ideas that are unique –stories that has not yet been discovered by anyone else!
I was born in Bay Ridge to Greek immigrant parents and once again live there now. I’ve written many papers on the neighborhood; it’s full of flavor! The building of the Verrazano bridge was an exciting, controversial time for the neighborhood as so many people were forced out of their homes to make room for the bridge. Bay Ridgites are tough and traditional, you’ll have a lot of fun doing neighborhood scoops. Definitely focus on how much the cultural dominance has shifted. My block–once lined with Greeks and Italians only–is now predominantly Chinese, although that can be said for many New York City blocks nowadays. Thankfully the thick “so-big-you-can’t-see-my-face” moustache donned by my Italian neighbor keeps my block at bay.