East Williamsburg, Brooklyn

Knickerbocker Avenue looking south at Grattan Street

In the 18th century, Bushwick was already an established town, and the waterfront area that provided ferry service to the island of Manhattan was simply known as Bushwick Shore.[4] The land of scrub bush that stood between Bushwick Shore and the town of Bushwick was known as Cripplebush. During the Revolutionary War occupation of the area by the British, the land was cleared, with the wood of the thickets being used for fuel. In 1800, Richard M. Woodhull purchased the waterfront property and laid out a settlement, naming it Williamsburgh after his friend and surveyor Colonel Jonathan Williams. Williamsburgh was incorporated as a village in 1827 (as a part of the town of Bushwick), and included 26 streets running East to West and 12 streets east of the shore line running North to South.[4][5]

On April 18, 1835, the village of Williamsburg was extended eastward to Bushwick Avenue and to Flushing Avenue on the Southeast (then known as Newtown Road). The region that is now circumscribed on the west by Union Ave, on the south by Broadway, then along Flushing Avenue to Bushwick Avenue on the east and on the north (approximately) by the Newtown Creek was designated as the Third District of the Village of Williamsburg in 1835.[6] At this time, the three districts of Williamsburg were more commonly known as the North Side, South Side, and the New Village. The names "North Side" and "South Side" remain in common usage today, but the name for the Third District has changed often. The New Village became populated by Germans and for a time was known by the sobriquet of "Dutchtown". In 1844, Williamsburg separated from the Town of Bushwick and became the Town and Village of Williamsburg. Parts of the Third District were known as "Irish Town" and "The Green" during the latter half of the 19th century.[4]

In 1854, Williamsburg was incorporated into the City of Brooklyn, which was one of the original six Dutch Townships of western Long Island. Upon consolidation with Brooklyn in 1854, Districts one (North Side) and two (South Side) became, respectively, Wards 14 and 13 of the City of Brooklyn. The third District was split and became Wards 15 and 16 of the City of Brooklyn. Ward 15 was the section north of Ten Eyck Street, between Union Avenue and Bushwick Avenue, with the addition of the portion of Ainslie, Grand, Hope, and South Second Streets between west of Union Avenue and east of Rodney Street. Ward 16 was the section south of Ten Eyck Street, bounded by Broadway, Flushing Avenue, and Bushwick Avenue.[4]

Based on data from the 2010 United States Census, the population of East Williamsburg was 34,158, an increase of 2,280 (7.2%) from the 31,878 counted in 2000. Covering an area of 895.74 acres (362.49 ha), the neighborhood had a population density of 38.1 inhabitants per acre (24,400/sq mi; 9,400/km²).[1]

The racial makeup of the neighborhood was 43.1% (14,706) White, 9.3% (3,189) African American, 0.1% (40) Native American, 12.7% (4,354) Asian, 0.1% (21) Pacific Islander, 0.3% (115) from other races, and 1.6% (561) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 32.7% (11,172) of the population.[3]

As according to the 2020 census data from New York City Department of City Planning, there were between 20,000 to 29,999 White residents and 10,000 to 19,999 Hispanic residents, however Black and Asian residents were each between 5,000 to 9,999 residents. [7][8]

East Williamsburg is well served by the New York City Subway. It is mainly served by the Grand Street, Montrose Avenue, and Morgan Avenue stops of the BMT Canarsie Line (L train). On the border with Bedford-Stuyvesant is the Flushing Avenue stop of the BMT Jamaica Line (J and ​M trains) and the Flushing Avenue stop of the IND Crosstown Line (G train).[9]

East Williamsburg is also served by the B24 bus on Kingsland and Meeker Avenues, the B57 on Flushing Avenue, the B60 on Montrose, Johnson and Morgan Avenues, the Q54 on Metropolitan Avenue and Grand Street, and the Q59 on Grand Street.[10]

The Kosciuszko Bridge (carrying Interstate 278) and the Grand Street Bridge across the Newtown Creek connect East Williamsburg with Maspeth, Queens.

East Williamsburg is in Brooklyn Community Board 1[11] and is bounded by the East River, Kent Avenue, Flushing Avenue, and the Newtown Creek.

However, various parts of the East Williamsburg are served by different post offices. The neighborhood includes the zip codes 11211, served by the Williamsburg Post Office at 263 S. 4th Street; 11206, served by the Metropolitan-Bushwick Post Office at 47 Debevoise Street; 11222, served by the Greenpoint Post Office at 66 Meserole Avenue; and 11237, served by the Wyckoff Heights-Bushwick Post Office at 86 Wyckoff Avenue.[12]

There are several public housing projects in East Williamsburg, including the Williamsburg Houses, Borinquen Plaza Houses, Cooper Park Houses, John Francis Hylan Houses, and the Bushwick Houses.

Greenspaces include Cooper Park.

The Brooklyn Public Library (BPL)'s Bushwick branch is located at 340 Bushwick Avenue near Seigel Street. The Bushwick branch was founded in 1903 and its current building opened in 1908.[17]

There are several communities and neighborhoods within East Williamsburg. Since the late 19th century, most of the immigrants to this section have come from Italy or from Puerto Rico and other Latin American countries. Graham Avenue (also known as Avenue of Puerto Rico to the south of Grand Street, and Via Vespucci to the north), Grand Street, and Metropolitan Avenue are the main shopping districts. The Moore Street Market, often referred to as La Marqueta de Williamsburg, is located at 110 Moore Street.[18]

I. DeFrancisci & Son, 219 Morgan Avenue, Brooklyn, 1917

The first wave of Italian immigration to East Williamsburg occurred in the second half of the 19th century. By the late 1880s, the neighborhood along Graham Avenue was inhabited by many Italian immigrants,[19] as evidenced by The Our Lady of the Snow Society at 410 Graham Avenue, established in 1888.[19] Italians also attended St. Cecilia's Catholic Church at 84 Herbert Street, which was established in 1871 and run mainly by Irish.[20] Other Italian societies in the neighborhood include Sabino Society on Withers St., the San Cono Society on Ainslie St. A second wave of Italian immigration occurred from World War II until the 1970s.[19] While the neighborhood has changed significantly, the established Italian community still thrives along the north end of Graham avenue, also referred to as "Via Vespucci".[19] The neighborhood also was home to The Motion Lounge, the former nightclub at 420 Graham Avenue owned by Bonanno crime family caporegime Dominick Napolitano.

There are also many Puerto Rican residents. The south end of Graham Avenue (also known as "Avenue of Puerto Rico") has been the center of a Latin American immigrant neighborhood since the 1950s.

Since the 1990s, the area has seen a great influx of young artists, professionals, students and "hipsters", mainly due to its close proximity to Manhattan and major universities (e.g. Pratt Institute, New York University, School of Visual Arts, Fashion Institute of Technology, The New School) and the relatively inexpensive rent. The rent is rising however, and the influx of said students has made housing more competitive pushing out those who cannot afford the rising cost of living in the north.