Flatbush Ave Subway Station
An analysis of Flatbush from 2000 to present elucidates the powerful role that immigrant groups play in all aspects of the neighborhood. According to the American Community Survey for 2009-2013, Flatbush is one of the largest immigrant neighborhoods in Brooklyn, with the foreign-born population constituting a majority of the total population.[1]
It is a primarily working-class neighborhood. With roughly half the population foreign-born, immigrants have had a huge effect on Flatbush culture and development. Just by riding on the No. 2 train, one can notice the broad range of individuals from different ethnicities who call Flatbush home. The diverse immigrant population lends to a variety of cultural transfusions. The mix of culture and people gives it a vibrant atmosphere. Immigrant groups also play a major role in other aspects of life in Flatbush. Just by their sheer number, their decisions regarding politics, education, and neighborhood choices really do influence the area as a whole.
Since the major immigrant groups that reside in Flatbush tend to stay strongly connected to their traditional culture and communities, they maintain a strong cultural and ethnic identity. This is one of the unique characteristics of Flatbush, as opposed to many other places where immigrants feel greater pressure to assimilate.
Flatbush contains a wide range of cultural diversity, “from the subdued `Victorian Flatbush’ residential streets to the frenetic commercial corridors of Flatbush, Coney Island and Church avenues.”[2] At the southern end, where Flatbush and Nostrand Avenues intersect, there are businesses like Target and Applebee’s. Diverse Flatbush is made up of Caribbean, Pakistani, Indian, Bangladeshi, Central American, West Indian, Jewish and Asian residents. “It is not unusual to see a Chasidic man standing next to a Muslim woman wearing a hijab while they wait for a bus on Coney Island Avenue.”[3]
[1] American Community Survey for 2009-2013. See also Peter Arun Lobo and Joseph J. Salvo,, “The Newest New Yorkers: Characteristics of the City’s Foreign-Born Population.” Department of City Planning City of New York. 2013. http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcp/pdf/census/nny2013/nny_2013.pdf.
[2] Marjorie Cohen, “City Living: Flatbush Is Big in Size and Diversity,” – AM New York,” November 19, 2014.
[3]Ibid.
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