i’ve lived in ft. greene, clinton hill and bed stuy since the late 80s. do you have any specific questions to ask about these places? i’d be happy to answer. let me warn you in advance- i am brutally honest and you may not like what i have to say.

You might want to check out brooklynian.com, a series of forums (forae?) devoted to many neighborhoods of Brooklyn. There’s one for Clinton Hill/Fort Greene/Bed-Stuy there.

I live in Williamsburg and I love it. The Bedford area is notoriously hipster, which you may or may not be into… There’s tons of good restaurants in the area, bars too, and people are always out and about. There is only 1 supermarket in the area called Tops and it’s a matter of debate, but personally I think it sucks.

Going a little futher on the L train, between Lorimer and Grand stops, yields a more down-to-earth, mutli-ethnic vibe. This area has good markets including great butchers, fish markets, and produce markets as well as 2 decently sized supermarkets. There are also tons of cheapo 99 cent stores around and things like that too.

I would also check out Park Slope. It also has tons of good food and bars, a good vibe, and of course, Prospect Park. It’s one of the prettier neighborhoods that I’ve seen in Brooklyn and I suspect that one day I will eventually move there.

Greenpoint is really nice too, but depending upon where in Gp you live, your only subway may be the G train, which blows. If you’re closer to the Williamsburg/Greenpoint border, you can walk down to the Bedford L and catch that. It’s primarily a polish neighborhood, but gets its share of Bedford hipster run-off as well.

I’ve only been out here a year and a half so I’m still learning about these nieghborhoods myself. Brooklyn is great though, I hope you find a good spot in it…

My husband and I are looking to move to Brooklyn within the next 7 – 8 months, and I’ve found a lot of great information through Curbed, an NYC real estate blog, and Brownstoner, which is specifically about Brooklyn neighborhoods and real estate. You’ll also find tons of great links on those two sites that will lead you to other Brooklyn-specific pages.

Best of luck!

I have lived in Bed Stuy, Red Hook, Bushwick, and Vinegar Hill (DUMBO area).

I recommend this site to tell you more detail about the real NYC http://www.forgotten-ny.com

In the three years in Bed Stuy the neighborhood changed a lot. It was sort of like before and after 9-11. Before it was relatively quiet low income family neighborhood, I had little trouble, though some of my gay male friends had trouble (aka. late nights, men thought they were hookers) But after 9-11 things got pretty bad, everyone got laid off so people were out of work, there were more drugs and more guns around.The neighborhood is primarily West Indian (Caribbean) and Islamic, you can hear the call to prayer 5 times a day, very haunting and lovely.

Red Hook is beautiful, right by the East River and very quiet. There are no trains that go there so you will be dependent on the B61 or B77 busses, or get a bike or learn to skate (yay!) my rent was the cheapest I have ever had in the city, rivaling cheaper towns like Portland or Atlanta ($400 a month)good mix of races and cultures.

Bushwick can look very scary and daunting at first, and at night feel barren and dangerous for a woman alone, but as far as neighborhoods go it was full of children and familys in the afternoons, amazing food from all over central and south america. But very noisy at night with Reggaeton. I ended up leaving because I couldn’t sleep through the night without blasting music from someone’s car.

Vinegar Hill is where I live now, it is just north of DUMBO and west of the Old Navy Yard. http://www.forgotten-ny.com/STREET%20SCENES/Vinegar%20Hill%20Page/vinegar.html
this page tells all.

I know people love to hate Park Slope for its strollers, but I’ve rarely had a problem with it. If anything, I find the family-oriented atmosphere of Park Slope less pretentious than that of some other neighborhoods in the city, even though I’m single.

I don’t think anyone has mentioned these places yet, but Carroll Gardens is also very popular. There are tons of bars, trendy restaurants, and boutiques up and down Smith St.

Boerum Hill and Gowanus kind of fall in-between the more well-known neighborhoods. From what I’ve seen, walking through those neighborhoods, they’re quieter, a little more rough around the edges but possibly cheaper.

I’d also recommend taking a look at what’s been dubbed “South Slope,” the neighborhood just south of Park Slope, around Greenwood Cemetary. I used to live there, and I found it to be more space for the money, though the neighborhood is more residential and there are fewer public transportation options.

Oh, and I know someone who lives in Kensington, right off the F train, south of Windsor Terrace. Again, it’s more space for the money, but more residential. As my friend puts it, he feels like he has to “commute” to where the action is (coffee shops, etc.)

But if you have a car though, the more residential, out-of-the-way neighborhoods might be better in terms of finding a parking space.

Good luck!

I lived in Greenpoint for about 5 years right near the Williamsburg border. It can be alot of fun and is a short trip into Manhattan. It’s very trendy which can get old after a while but there is always something going on.

But the best advice I can give you is to get to know the neighborhood by hanging out there and checking out the local crowd to see if it’s for you. Checking some of the websites others mentioned is also a good idea. Above all, make sure it’s a safe area and don’t compromise your safety for a low rent.

My wife and I have since moved up to Harlem and have been very happy.
Best of luck!