Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn
My neighborhood is an extension of my family. Everyone I meet in my community cares for each other because we all share a similar ethnicity and story of immigration to the United States. Since the first day my parents immigrated with me to the USA, our home has always been in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn. According to Poverty Maps, the poverty rate of my neighborhood is below 11%, which is astonishing to imagine that we are a financially stable community. After years of meeting its residents, I’ve learned that my community is a cultural blend of many Slavic refugees that escaped the former USSR. Sheepshead Bay is a moderately expensive area to live because of its proximity to the ocean, the good quality of infrastructure, and the extensive number of family-owned stores, so I’m not surprised that many people want to live here. My district consists of plenty of restaurants that a lot of families regularly go to, many clothing stores that sell quality upper-tier clothes such as Armani, Guess, and much more. Slavic people like to dress nicely, thus it doesn’t surprise me that my neighborhood has these stores.
The schools in my area are generally pretty good and competitive such as the middle school Bay Academy and the high school Leon M. Goldstein, both of which have a rating of 8+ out of 10. Moreover, there are many family-run medical and attorney practices in my area. Almost every store in my community is privately operated by a small family and many locals tend to shop at these stores because they have reasonable prices. People with disabilities should have no problem accessing these stores because all the buildings are small, with the entrance being easily accessible on the ground floor. The data that was presented on Poverty Maps supports my view of my neighborhood because the abundance of stores in my community would not exist if my district was financially struggling.
The grocery stores mostly contain foods that pertain to Russian and Ukrainian culture. Although most of the stores are Slavic-based, we do have some Hispanic, Chinese, Japanese restaurants that introduce diversity into my neighborhood. My area is predominantly a mixture of young Slavic families that have entered the United States during the last twenty years. Most of the families are from Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Czech Republic, and even Belarus. There aren’t a lot of elderly in my area since most older folks prefer to live in Brighton Beach because that’s the heart of the Slavic community. Moreover, my neighborhood is one of the cleanest places in Brooklyn because we have a lot of family-oriented parks, a fresh breeze from the ocean, and a few public beaches. The parks have some green areas, but it’s nothing compared to the great-out-doors. One of the most interesting events happening in my neighborhood is the removal of old buildings and the erection of luxurious condos. Sheepshead Bay is one of the oldest neighborhoods in Brooklyn; therefore, there are many apartment buildings that are getting too old. To be able to sustain the great influx of young families that want to live in my area, entrepreneurs buy large slots of unused land and build very expensive condominiums that only the middle-class can afford.
After living in Sheepshead Bay for more than a decade, I can safely say that gentrification is rapidly occurring in my neighborhood. Even when the recession hit and later hurricane Sandy, the price for real estate stayed relatively stable. According to the online article BKLYNER, “In Sheepshead Bay, there has been a 10 percent decline in property prices, a figure that puts it in the stagnant zone. Those worried about a hipster invasion in Sheepshead Bay can take comfort” (http://bklyner.com). This statistical fact was posted during 2013. Now, the prices for real estate have skyrocketed by nearly 30% and most of the wealthy families moving in are relatively young, somewhere between the age of 20 and 30. After more researching of the demographics of Sheepshead Bay, I discovered that 72% are White Collar workers (administrative work) and only 28% were Blue Collar workers (manual laborers). There is a greater female population 52.5% than male population 47.5%. Additionally, the average household income was roughly 61k and the average household net worth was nearly 600k. Consumer spending in my neighborhood is above the national average and the crime rate is also above average. In a nutshell, I think my district is one of the best places to currently live in Brooklyn if you have a young family and want to live comfortably.
Sources:
- http://www.point2homes.com/US/Neighborhood/NY/Brooklyn/Sheepshead-Bay-Demographics.html
- http://bklyner.com/brooklyn-gentrification-highs-and-lows-sheepshead-bay/