Bay Ridge

Bay Ridge Brooklyn has seen an influx of people from the city and other boroughs flocking to Bay Ridge. As rent prices in Brooklyn sore to new heights, people are looking to Bay Ridge as a reasonably priced and up and coming neighborhood to live in. The average one bedroom is $1400 to rent and average home is $620k, states 25 Realty co-owner Adam Hamdan. Although this is much less than other neighborhoods in Brooklyn, Bay Ridge does not go unaffected by the influx in prices which has increased over the years.

Although Bay Ridge is quickly becoming one of Brooklyn’s go to spots, the neighborhood wasn’t always coveted. Positioned in the southwest side of Brooklyn, the Bay Ridge community is known for its historical architecture and gorgeous surroundings. In the early 20th century Bay Ridge attracted the wealthiest of Manhattanites who were drawn to the area by the incredible views of New York Bay. However, over time more working class citizens moved into the neighborhood and today there is a diverse combination of blue collar and white collar residents.

The Bay Ridge neighborhood provides an eclectic mix of historical and modern real estate. It is also family orientated while remaining modern enough to entice a younger crowd. There is plenty to do and see right within the few blocks that make up the Bay Bridge neighborhood. With over 113 different bars and nightclubs you won’t need to head out to Manhattan to have fun. Restaurants are also aplenty from modern corporate chains like Five Guys to more eclectic options like the famous Middle Eastern restaurant, Tanoreen.

In addition, well paved bike paths and parks like Owls Head Park provide plenty of outdoor activities for fitness junkies. Families are enticed in part by Bay Ridge’s superior educational opportunities including a plethora of public school options and a few private schools to choose from.
Not surprisingly, Bay Ridge is seeing an influx in new home buyers and renters. The classic Brooklyn atmosphere with a modern flair has encouraged people to purchase property in the neighborhood. Real estate ranges from quiet tree-lined detached Victorian homes to apartment buildings and condos. The location is also important, as residents enjoy a seemingly insignificant commute to work.

Adam Hamdan from 25 Realty says, “The neighborhood has taken more city-like qualities. Stores stay open later, late night delivery, the train runs later all week. Bay Ridge in general has become more cultured with the various restaurants of all types of foods. With more of a demand to live in Bay Ridge where years ago the supply of apartments was higher verses the demand. I believe the roles have switched.”
With the best selection of bayfront homes in a variety of prices, it is no surprise that more people are renting and buying property in Bay Ridge.

Bay Ridge is a really excellent middle ground between a classic, homely Brooklyn neighborhood and a 'trendy' Brooklyn neighborhood (i.e Park Slope, Carroll Gardens). Bay Ridge has quite, tree-lined blocks, some with detached victorian homes, some with brownstones, some with charming pre-war buildings. It also has bustling avenues (3rd, 4th, 5th, 86th St), with both older mom & pop stores and chains like CVS or Five-Guys burgers and Starbucks. The restaurants here absolutely phenomenal...from sports bar fare to Mediterranean food. You can find any kind of cuisine you want in Bay Ridge and it is full of old staples and newer modern establishments, (favorites are Gino's for Italian, Ho-Brah for Mexican and Tanoreen for Mediterranean).

I noticed that Bay Ridge has been rated 'not good for nightlife' on this site. This sort of perplexes me, as Bay Ridge has the most Bars per capita out of any Brooklyn neighborhood. Many Bars in Bay Ridge are very popular and packed on weekends (Kettle Black, LoneStar, Wicked Monk, Trace). For a south Brooklyn neighborhood, Bay Ridge actually has a ton of nightlife.

My only real gripe with Bay Ridge is parking. It's not nightmarishly bad, but still quite an annoyance. Most people have cars here and it shows. If you live in the 70s and 80s, between 6th-3rd avenues, you will have a very hard time finding a spot after 6pm, even on the metered avenues. During the day time and mornings, parking is attainable. Parking gets better toward the 60s streets and closer to the shore, but is still relatively difficult.

I would also like to express my very strong objection to the idea that Bay Ridge is "far form civilization"....this is a total fallacy. Bay Ridge IS civilization, it's a well populated and lively neighborhood, which borders other urban neighborhood. To the north is Sunset Park, which is a diverse and densely populated urban/industrial area which borders Park Slope. To the East is Dyker Heights, which is admittedly quite and residential but still densely populated. Too add to that, Bay Ridge is serviced by the R train which connects to the N express at 59th st (1-4 stops away depending on where in Bay Ridge you live), from 59th, it's a mere 20 minutes to Manhattan. 30-40 minutes gets you to Union Square from Bay Ridge, which I think is very comparable to many trendier neighborhoods.

Bay Ridge, Brooklyn is the most beautiful place in all of New York City, and one of the best in the country! Sandwiched in between two highways and right in the shadow of the beautiful, modern Verrazano Bridge, Bay Ridge has a little bit of everything. The blocks between Shore Road and 3rd Avenue between 90th and 75th Streets are filled with the most beautiful shorefront mansions in the whole country! There are even some very old Victorian mansions lining the streets closer to the 3rd Avenue. The streets are also filled with beautiful trees and gardens especially near the richer homes of the neighborhood. During the summer, Bay Ridge's boardwalk, which is located down the hill from the Shore Road is a magic place to be due to the majestic sea breezes, which sometimes blow even a couple of roads down from the coast. Meanwhile, the 3rd, 4th, 5th Avenues, and 86th Street are filled with all kinds of different shops and Italian-European-Arabic restaurants. For such a nice place, the commute to Manhattan is not all that bad, as it is surrounded by the BQE and the Belt Parkway. Also, the neighborhood has straight access to NYC's beautiful Manhattan Beach, and to beautiful towns in Staten Island and Long Island. Overall, Bay Ridge is a great, and exceptionally beautiful place inside a busy, ugly city!

Bay Ridge is an interesting town with quiet residential areas, a bustling nightlife, and plenty of recreational activities, shops, and restaurants. The homes in Bay Ridge cover a wide spectrum of styles and prices. The housing here is mostly made up of single family homes on tree-lined streets, but there are also a lot of co-ops and some apartments. It's very safe; the neighbors in Bay Ridge are friendly and look out for each other. The population is mainly Italian, Greek, and Irish, but there is a good number of Arabic speaking residents as well. It also has a huge elderly population because this is a town where people stay their whole lives. There is no shortage of things to do with lots of restaurants that serve ethnic foods, nice parks, and a lovely pier where people fish. Most of the action takes place on 86th street, and there are more than one hundred bars in this town. While there are subway stations and an express bus in Bay Ridge, the commute to Manhattan is lengthy. Drivers have easy access to major highways, but parking can be challenging. People often compare Bay Ridge with Park Slope; while Park Slope may be trendier, it is also far more expensive. Overall, this is a nice, affordable community with a lot to offer.

I think it is a little deceiving judging all of Bay Ridge and Fort Hamilton in one post, but I really like one particular area of Bay Ridge, so I will still give it 5 stars. Bay Ridge is known for having families that lived in the area for multiple generations and therefore the average age tends to skew a bit old. However, I think that this tends to apply more to Fort Hamilton and the southern parts of Bay Ridge more than the northern sections. If you stick close to Owl's Head Park, the residents appear to skew younger and the streets are a little bit more lively. Couple that with Bay Ridge's great schools and gorgeous homes, and the neighborhood is tough to beat.

My girlfriend and I are keeping a blog of our home search and if you want to read our full report on Bay Ridge, you can check it out here:

http://iwantawalkup.tumblr.com/post/1030935655/field-report-bay-ridge

Bay Ridge is one of those neighborhoods where many of the residents are from Brooklyn and have lived here there whole lives. Sure, many of their parents were newly integrated immigrants, but that only adds to the classic Brooklyn vibe emitted from Bay Ridge. There are so many true blue New Yorkers wandering around Bay Ridge it's hard not to feel like you've woken up in one of those gangster movies that throwback to the sixties and seventies.

If there's anything off-putting about this 'hood, it's that it's so far away from the action in Manhattan. You'll be on the M/R for a good 45 minutes before you get back into the city, but maybe that's why so many people DO move out here. (Or, maybe their families have just lived here for a few generations.) Anyway - I wouldn't want to wait that long to get home after a long day of shopping in the city, but that's just me.

Because there is a Century 21 store in Bay Ridge, a lot of people head down to this otherwise sort-of-obscure Brooklyn neighborhood. I have to admit that this store is the reason I'm familiar with the neighborhood in the first place. But, that aside, Bay Ridge doesn't seem like too shabby of a place to live: there shops in the form of pet supplies, hair care and just about anything you can think of in the area around 4th and 5th Aves. The residential buildings nearby are behind tree-lined streets, and they look nice enough. Bay Ridge is definitely an even-level middle class neighborhood, perhaps with some working class flavor.

I absolutely adore this area of Brooklyn. It is the perfect compromise between the hussle and bussle of city life and the quiet tree-lined streets of the suburbs. It is so rare to find a neighborhood where you can enjoy a summer evening sitting out in your yard hearing the children playing and the crickets chirping, yet still be down the block from your favorite restaurant or bar scene.
The nightlife is outstanding, the best place to be outside of Manhattan. Many of the restaurants are top-rated in Zagats. There is a choice of bar on every block, with every type of music imaginable- from R&B/ hip hop to 80s style.
Mansions and beautiful brownstones line many of the streets, and the breathtaking view of the Verrazzano Bridge is at your fingertips.

what can i say, i love bay ridge. i grew up here i worked here. bay ridge is one of the last few areas in brooklyn where you can enjoy what new york has to offer from the outer boros. it has eclectic night life and restaurants, bars. its trendy and fashionable. yet it also has that family oriented feel. its lined with beautiful victorians, mansions, 2 family buildings with ground floor retail, co-ops , condos, theres something here for every one. did i mention the bars and restaurants?? years ago, they used to call it "bar ridge" due to the number of bars that lined the city steets in this area.only hoboken has more bars per block than bay ridge, altho i have noticed alot more opening up around the area. great place to live work and play.

This is a middle class residential area – perfect if you’re looking to raise a family away from the chaos of Manhattan, but not so great if you’re a Columbia student looking to commute to class everyday (it’s way down in south Brooklyn). They say that a lot of “yuppies” have moved in to the area, but there are still a number of international eateries maintained by locals.
This area is really a residents-only kind of place, not because it isn’t welcoming, but because anyone who doesn’t live here might find themselves a bit bored – especially if you are in your twenties and looking for a party.