Williamsburg

If you live in New York City, Williamsburg, Brooklyn and its resurgence as a vibrant community, comes as no secret. The press/media as well as its readers, love stories about the next SoHo, the Next Neighborhood, the American version of Le Marais and other analogies intended to drive sales of newspapers, magazines and real estate properties. 

Many changing neighborhoods have been over-hyped, later to miss the mark on the predicted trajectory. Williamsburg, however, appears to living up to its expectations. Domination of conversation about these new burgeoning neighborhoods should not be interpreted to mean that prime real estate in New York City's finest neighborhoods are now out of favor and can be had for a pittance. There's just little excitement and buzz about neighborhoods whose future have long been a fait accompli and where prices are now stratospheric. Everyone is looking for the next new place.

It would be difficult to overstate Williamsburg's importance - its history is quite remarkable. The neighborhood was once home to Corning Glass, Pfizer Pharmaceutical, Esquire Shoe Polish and the iconic Domino Sugar factory. 

From 1827 to 1855, Williamsburgh became its own incorporated town/village/city, later annexed into the city of Brooklyn. It was home to mansions owned by Vanderbuit, Fisk and James Pratt who founded Pratt Institute. The area became an American industrial powerhouse and at one time in the 19th century it had 10 percent of the wealth in the United States. This is an enormous subject - read more here.

The area is also very ethnically diverse with many groups including hispanic, Italian and Hasidic Jews - over 70,000 Satmar Hasidic Jews live in Williamsburg.

Since the 1970s, as rents escalated in SoHo and the East Village, Williamsburg became a magnet for a growing community of artists and musicians. The trend has continued but as to be expected, the cost of real estate has forced those shopping for less expensive alternatives to look further afield. According to a New York Times article, Old Europe and New Brooklyn in Williamsburg, there has been an enormous influx of Europeans to the neighborhood with shops to service their needs.

One feature of the neighborhood has always been convenience - Bedford Avenue (the heart of the area) is only one subway stop from Manhattan. However it should be noted that this stop is serviced by the L train which only travels crosstown on 14th Street in Manhattan.

There is a enormous number of shops, clubs, cafes, restaurants and galleries catering to the wave of newcomers in the last few decades. To anyone unfamiliar with this neighborhood, I would highly recommend a visit to Williamsburg ...