 |
  |
 |
|
Gowanus, Red Hook Neighborhood Information for Renters
|
 If you look at a map of Brooklyn, there's an actual hook of land/marina on the west coast; that's Red Hook, a once-bustling seaport that suffered when the Gowanas Expressway was built and cut it off from the rest of the borough. Red Hook West is a large housing project with all the usual social ills but with unusually nice grounds. An area called "the Back" (from the Atlantic Basin to the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel) is where you'll find the best renovated town houses. The waterfront has some converted warehouses used by artists, but these renovations are outnumbered by abandoned buildings. This is a neighborhood ripe for gentrification, but its isolation won't make that easy.
 The history of Gowanas has mirrored its namesake: the Gowanus Canal, once the busiest waterway in the US, became one of the most polluted sites in the US when water traffic changed routes and stopped using it. New York residents similarly abandoned the area, and it languished for decades. However, in 1998, the city's Department of Environmental Protection began a clean-up that's revitalizing the canal, and the neighborhood has begun its own revitalization. Boosters like to call it "The Venice of New York." They could be right in a few years.
|
Demographics: |
|
 |
Gowanus / Red Hook: |
|
For complete demographic information on these neighborhoods click here. |
 |
|
|
| Age Group: |
| Gowanus / Red Hook: |
|
| 0 - 17 - 25% |
|
| 18 - 44 - 45% |
|
| 45 - 64 - 20% |
|
| Over 65 - 10% |
|
Singles/families:
Gowanus / Red Hook: This is not yet a hospitable place for kids because of its harsh housing options. Adventurous, artistic singles might like being the new generation of settlers. There's lots of green space.
Type of Housing:
Best for renters who like fixer-uppers.
Typical price range:
Studios: $700 - $900
1 BRs: $850 - $1000
2 Brs: $1200 - $1300
Transportation links to midtown/downtown:
Smith St. / 9th St: F, G
4th Ave. / 9th St: F, D, M, N, R
Estimated Commuter time to arrival in NYC:
To midtown: 20 mins.
To downtown: 10 mins.
Links to other relevant websites:
www.straphangers.org
List of possible photo opportunities:
The Canal, the Red Hook piers, some renovated townhouses in "the Back" (from the Atlantic Basin to the Tunnel), view of the Statue of Liberty from the piers, some parks.
|
All NY Apartment Neighborhoods
|
| |
|
 |
|
|
