Welcome to Cobble Hill!
Cobble Hill is one of New York’s earliest 19th-century historic districts populating one of the closely-knit residential urban communities in America. With over a 21-block district, Cobble Hill is one of few places where one can readily discern the trends in style and technology. Remarkably, the first families to move to the neighborhood were primarily Italian dockworkers and industrial laborers. In the early 20th century, these Italian families began to share the neighborhood with Middle Easterners. Today, many families and young white urban professionals, or “yuppies,” are currently moving into Cobble Hill. The neighborhood of Cobble Hill is in many ways a microcosm for New York City as a whole.
HOME TO:
Young Urban Professional “Yuppie” Population
Where is Cobble Hill?
Cobble Hill is bordered by Atlantic Avenue on the north and Degraw Street on the south, and encompasses the area east and west between Hicks Street and Smith Street. The neighborhood shares borders with Brooklyn Heights, Carroll Gardens, and Boerum Hill.
Who lives in Cobble Hill?
(Based on US Census Fact Finder information from Census Tract 45)
Cobble Hill is home to approximately 7,260 people. The neighborhood’s selected social, economic, housing, and demographic statistics all offer valuable insight into what the peopling of Cobble Hill truly looks like. Not only do these particular statistics paint a demographic picture of Cobble Hill, but they also serve as a microcosm for gentrifying areas of New York City as a whole.
2008 Racial Breakdown of Cobble Hill
http://www.city-data.com/neighborhood/Cobble-Hill-Brooklyn-NY.html
The highest percentage of the population in Cobble Hill is between 35 to 44 years old. The median age is 39.4.
This part of Brooklyn is also home to a large foreign-born population. Approximately 15.6% of the population is comprised of foreign born residents. Furthermore, 31.1% of the foreign born population are not U.S. citizens and majority of the foreign born population entered the Unites States before the year 2010.
Aside from being home to a foreign-born population, Cobble Hill is also comprised of a fairly educated population. 44.4% of the population twenty-five years or older have a graduate or professional degree. This high education rate also correlates to impressive economic characteristics. Approximately 24.1% of the population earns money in the $200,000+ income bracket.
However, economic disparity becomes apparent when one observes that the next highest percentage for an income bracket is from $50,000 to $74,999 and 1.7% of the population lives below the poverty level. Furthermore, the median household income is $102,460, but the mean household income is $172,715. This skewed data indicates that there are several extremely high-earning outliers accounted for in the population.
With a new Trader Joe’s, a high-end Barney’s, and median rent prices of $1,876, Cobble Hill is now an up-and-coming neighborhood that is slowly becoming affordable and appealing only to a young middle-class population.
What is Cobble Hill’s history?
Dutch Governor Willem Kieft
The history of Cobble Hill starts during the 1600s, when the Dutch governor, Willem Kieft, granted patents for farms north of Red Hook. Cobble Hill was originally called Ponkiesbergh by the Dutch farmers who settled in that area. Cobble Hill, today, got its name from the translation done by the Continental English Army. The ‘hill’ referred to a hill centered an area that Court Street meets Atlantic Avenue. The British leveled the hill during the Revolutionary War. This was done because the British wanted to keep George Washington, who had occupied the hill with his troops in the summer of 1776 during the Battle of Long Island, from having this strategic vantage point over their headquarters in Brooklyn Heights.
Major development in Cobble Hill started in 1836 with ferry service between the Battery Tunnel and the foot of Atlantic Avenue. It started at the waterfront and spread inland, which caused it to become a more industrial place with more workers.
Battery Tunnel Trolley
Battery Tunnel
Until three or four years ago, housing prices in Cobble Hill were usually 10%-15% cheaper than housing prices in the Brooklyn Heights. Now, the disparity has shrunk, if not totally disappeared. Rents and prices for co-ops and townhouses have slowly increased due to new construction, with limitations. Any construction or alterations that want to be done to existing buildings that are part of the historic district, must be approved by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. Today, Cobble Hill’s increase in its standard of living is partially illustrated by corner cafes, cinemas, fire escapes, stoops, and parks. Known for its mom-and-pop shops, Italian meat markets, and boutique shopping, Cobble Hill is home to many and is extremely diverse, which dates back partly from its proximity to the Brooklyn Bridge and to trolleys bringing newcomers. Historically an Italian neighborhood, Cobble Hill is primarily populated by Italian Americans, Arab Americans, and Yuppies today.
NYC’s Landmarks Preservation Commission Building
NYC’s Landmarks Preservation Commission
“Boerum Hill & Cobble Hill.” Curbed NY: Archives : Page 3. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 May 2014.
“Cobble Hill District.” Historic District Designation Report. City of New York, 1969. Web. 13 May 2014. <http://www.nyc.gov/html/lpc/downloads/pdf/reports/COBBLE_HILL_HISTORIC_DISTRICT>.
“Cobble Hill History.” Cobble Hill Towers. A Brooklyn Icon. Reinvigorated.. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 May 2014. http://www.cobblehilltowers.com/history
“Cobble Hill Neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York (NY), 11201, 11231 Detailed Profile.” “Cobble Hill Neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York (NY), 11201, 11231 Subdivision Profile. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 May 2014. <http://www.city-data.com/neighborhood/Cobble-Hill-Brooklyn-NY.html>.
Donovan, Aaron. “If You’re Thinking of Living In/Boerum Hill; Neighborhood With a 19th-Century Feel.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 5 Jan. 2002. Web. 13 May 2014. <http://www.nytimes.com/2002/01/06/realestate/if-you-re-thinking-living-boerum-hill-neighborhood-with-19th-century-feel.html>
“Lost City: Lost City’s Guide to Cobble Hill.” Lost City: Lost City’s Guide to Cobble Hill. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 May 2014. <http://lostnewyorkcity.blogspot.com/2009/01/lost-citys-guide-to-cobble-hill.html>.
