Background
HISTORY/STORY:
History/Background of Brighton Beach/West Brighton
Like many other sections of New York, Brighton Beach was largely farmland during the 18th and part of the 19th centuries. It was not until the latter part of the 19th century that it was developed as a resort with hotels and an amusement park.
Early Map of Brighton Beach
Nancy Foner dedicates a chapter to the Soviet Jews and the “Russification of Jewish New York.” In the early 1970s, Soviet Jewish émigrés have already started settling in South Brooklyn, where the communities had been Jewish ethnic enclaves. One community in particular that Nancy Foner brings up multiple times is Brighton Beach. In the early 1990sthere was a huge wave of 1.6 million Jewish immigrants from the former Soviet Union. Brighton Beach was the epicenter of the immigration; of all the Soviet émigrés in New York City, 75% settled in Brooklyn. Half of the Russian-speaking Jews in the U.S. live in New York City and of these half, 60% live in Brooklyn. Most of New York’s Soviet émigrés have high levels of education, however 69% of them make less than $50,000 a year, which is relatively low for someone with education. One of the reason that the income is so low is because of third of the Russian-speaking Jews are elderly. Nancy Foner clearly depicts the story that the demographic data tells. She explains the reason for the dominant race in Coney Island-Seagates, West Brighton, and Brighton Beach. She also explains that 1 out of 3 Russian-speaking Jews are of the age 65 and older.
In Nancy Foner’s text, From Ellis Island to JFK: New York’s Two Great Waves of Immigration, it is stated that the new residents (those Russians and Ukrainians that came in the ‘90s) turned the neighborhood into a commercial center, as currently visible by the long blocks with nothing but stores.
As Brooklyn borough historian Ron Schweiger put it, “the collapse of the Soviet Union saved Brighton Beach.” By 1995, Brighton Beach had the world’s largest concentration of Soviet emigres according to Nancy Foner.
Brighton Today
West Brighton and Brighton Beach, as of the year 2014, is known as a hub for Russian/Ukrainian immigrants that came to the United States around the 1990s. The neighborhood of Brighton Beach came to be known as “Little Odessa by the Sea,” in reference to its likeness to the city back home. The neighborhood is home to many elderly residents, with a large percentage (as compared to the New York City average) being over the age of 65. It is also known for its proximity to the waterfront, and the Coney Island amusements. Due to this proximity, the area has been experiencing a change in the past years. Around 10-15 years ago, The Oceana–a multi million-dollar development–was built by Muss Development, and stands as the most expensive piece of real estate Brighton Beach has ever seen. Like any other waterfront neighborhood, it appears as if it is going the way of luxury developments, but in forthcoming years, we will be able to better see what will become of this family-oriented community with a large senior center and a Y.
On New Luxury in Brighton Beach
Neighborhood resident, Lisa Gavaletz, comments that there is an attempt being made to “force cram” luxury into a neighborhood that does not warrant it.
New Luxury Building in Brighton Beach (Oceana)
