Everyone moves around NYC at some point; most New Yorkers do it frequently. Since property values in the city are so high, most can only afford to rent if they want to keep up a desirable standard of living. Many people will chronically move around, never finding one place to settle. For those wanderers, New York City is like a delicious buffet, with numerous and diverse options to try that all look tasteful. Most New Yorkers live in Queens & Brooklyn, with plenty left over in Manhattan too. Take our shortcut and get your search started in our neighborhoods of choice , and remember, when you’re ready to move,talk with our experienced team of New York movers. We will take a lot of stress off your shoulders, as you prepare to move into a new home.
BEST NEIGHBORHOODS IN MANHATTAN
YORKVILLE
Yorkville is in the Upper-eastern part of Manhattan, but it’s considered separate from the “Upper East Side”. Closer to the East River than most of the island, renters should be able to find a reasonably priced apartment while still close to the center of the universe. Yorkville puts you steps from Central Park, the Museum Mile, and plenty of shopping and eating options in the proper “Upper East Side”. Yorkville is somewhat on the pricey side; those who can’t compromise on price will likely compromise on space, or distance to the subway. The building of the 2nd avenue subway, however, is very good news for transport access in Yorkville. For now, good schools in the area and a “residential” environment makes Yorkville especially desirable for families.
Median Rent: $2,750
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WEST HARLEM
The always-hip Harlem has a lot more to offer than people realize. The vibrant cultural history of New York’s unofficial home for African-American art has left plenty of relics behind; just visit Langston Hughes’s old brownstone, or peer inside the hundred-year-old Apollo Theatre. If you like southern “soul food”, Sylvia’s or one of the many other restaurants in the area could become a part of your routine. In West Harlem, you’re never too far away from a nice park, whether it’s Morningside park near Columbia, St. Nicholas Park a few blocks north, or the aptly named Riverside Park along the water. Heading north, you’ll find something not commonly found in Manhattan: small hills, one of the few diverse features in the landscape of Manhattan. West Harlem has lots of subway access, with the 1-2-3, B-D-F-M, and A-C-E lines all accessible in the area.
Median Rent (All Harlem): $2,000
View Streeteasy’s Harlem Neighborhood Guide
STUYTOWN/ALPHABET CITY
Heading downtown, this easternmost part of Manhattan makes the most sense for renters. The “Stuyvesant Town” apartment complex in-between avenues 1st and C and streets 14th and 18th hosts 8,757 apartments in 87 buildings. This heavily residential part of Manhattan will probably stay that way for one big reason: transit access. The only subway stations east of 4th avenue in the village area are on the 14th street “L” train line. Given the area’s proximity to the epicenter of NYC, the spatial confinements will be cozy too. Still, this area has plenty of great bars and restaurants to try, easy transit access to the village and the rest of midtown Manhattan, and easy access to parks with East River Park and Tompkins Square Park close by.
Median Rent (East Village): $3,150
View Streeteasy’s East Village Neighborhood Guide
BEST NEIGHBORHOODS IN QUEENS
ASTORIA
Just across the river from the Upper East Side, Astoria is one of New York’s most underrated neighborhoods. Astoria has almost anything you could ask for; reasonably priced rents, plenty of great restaurants and bars, easy access to downtown Manhattan, and a friendly neighborhood environment good for both millennials and families. Unlike Long Island City to the south, Astoria offers a good mix of residential and commercial areas, so the feeling of “New York” never dissipates. If you love pyros, Astoria has a huge population of Greeks as well. One of the only downsides is the transit options are limited to just two lines (N/W).The commute is not ideal for someone working in the financial district, but Astoria offers an easy to commute to most of the popular areas of Manhattan.
Median Rent: $2,167
View Streeteasy’s Astoria Neighborhood Guide
WOODSIDE
LiC to the left of me, Long Island to the right, here you are in Woodside, stuck in the middle of the more suburban and the more urban areas of Queens. This heavily residential area has historically been most popular with Irish immigrants, which helps keep the beers flowing at the neighborhood pubs. It’s easy to see the appeal of the area; its convenience and safety comes at a low price. Most in the neighborhood rely on the above-ground 7 line to commute to Manhattan, which was ranked the city’s best subway line among 19 ranked by non-profit group Straphangers. Woodside has more area north-south than east-west, so the northern part of the region catches the E, F-M and R lines that run through some other parts of Queens. Woodside hasn’t completely undergone the New York-standard transformation from single family residences to multi family residences, but in years to come it’s likely Woodside will be unable to stave out the wave of change.
Median Rent: $2,050
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RIDGEWOOD
Brooklynites might claim Ridgewood as their own, but for all intents and purposes, the neighborhood is a part of Queens. Decidedly residential and “low-rise”, the area a New Yorker looking for a bit of an escape from the hectic pace of the city on a lazy sunday afternoon. Like in Brooklyn, an artisanal breakfast or a hip nightlife option isn’t hard to find in Ridgewood, but it’s a bit tougher to find a public park. The area relies on the L train for its transit to Manhattan, which will be undergoing maintenance shortly that will prohibit its normal service. Like with other developing areas, the multi-family home space has not been fully developed. For those who call it home, Ridgewood is a community oriented neighborhood with an experience both intrinsically “New York”, and unique, in its own comfort.
Median Rent: $2,249
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BEST NEIGHBORHOODS IN BROOKLYN
EAST WILLIAMSBURG
Sometime in the new millennium, Williamsburg became the out-right hippest part of New York City. Along with that hipness rose luxury condo buildings, and rents. Just to the east, not quite in Bushwick, is East Williamsburg, near the Newtown Creek and the National Grid electricity plant. The area has plenty of the same appeal as Bedford & Kent Ave Williamsburg, but without some of the downsides: high prices or an infestation of “yuppies”. The area is still transitioning from one of New York City’s industrial hubs to a hipster paradise, so there are plenty of relics of factories and plants past. East Williamsburg is just a stone’s throw away from some of Williamsburg’s most loved locales like Rough Trade and Peter Lugers, and a lot of that modernity has slipped into East Williamsburg without turning it into Yuppietown, USA. The L train suits East Williamsburg just as well as it does its western neighbors, but with a shutdown looming, the area is threatened to become a transit desert without easy access to bridges or the G train.
Median Rent (Williamsburg): $3,094
View Streeteasy’s Williamsburg Neighborhood Guide
CROWN HEIGHTS
In a city infamous for its cold shoulders and impatient sighs, Crown Heights is a neighborhood more characterized by its community and togetherness. Not far from Bedford-Stuyvesant, Crown Heights shares many of that neighborhood’s characteristics. The neighborhood’s high African and Caribbean-American population helps keep the community tight-knit, and the demographics are well represented in the cuisine options available in the neighborhood. Not too long a ride from downtown Manhattan on the express 4 or 5 trains or the nearby 2-3 trains, Crown Heights is seeing a resurgence of interest from the usual suspects. An aptly named hip new beer hall and food market, Berg’n, recently opened on Bergen St. The area is just a stone’s throw away from Prospect Park & the Brooklyn Museum, and the neighborhood is home to two children’s museums, the Brooklyn Children’s’ museum and the Jewish Children’s’ museum. Classic architecture has held up in Crown Heights, as the neighborhood was once an interest point for many wealthy New Yorkers, helping the area keep an aura of historicity. Prices are rising rapidly in the Brooklyn neighborhood already, and with many parts of Brooklyn becoming less appealing with an L train shutdown, it might be time to buy now on Crown Heights.
Median Rent: $2,356
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PARK SLOPE
Park Slope’s reputation as a destination for New Yorkers settling down is well earned. If Trader Joe’s was a neighborhood, it would probably look like Park Slope. Within footsteps of Barclays Center, Prospect Park, Brooklyn Museum, and a plethora of trendy cafes, restaurants and markets, Park Slope is something of a 30-something’s paradise. Plenty of subway lines swing by the Park Slope area too, and the commute is not too far to downtown Manhattan. All these appealing features make Park Slope one of Brooklyn’s more desirable neighborhoods, and pricing in the area reflects that, so it might be ha+rder to find a deal in the area. Park Slope has a lot of appeal for parents, with parks, day care, and other family-friendly locales in the area, so those looking to avoid encountering strollers on the sidewalk might want to steer clear of Park Slope. For those looking for a calm, suburban-like atmosphere that still captures plenty of what makes New York such an incredible city, Park Slope is a great option.
Median Rent: $2,750
View Streeteasy’s Park Slope Neighborhood Guide
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