Where do we go now? The eternal question. The rent has gone up again so it’s back out, further and further out, looking for a place we can afford that’s not too far from work and a place to get non-egg sandwich food items after 10pm.
Manhattan is a mausoleum for millionaires. Brooklyn is a borough of brands instead of neighborhoods. Queens is for drivers, the Bronx is too far from our friends, and that one guy who moved to Staten Island – no one’s seen him since. But the city is huge. There must be places to go.
Here they are.
The Best Neighborhoods in New York, 2014
I. The Best
II. The Best Places to Rent
III. The Best Places to Buy
IV. The Worst
……..
What’s important in a neighborhood? And what can we measure? How much it costs to live there. How long it takes to get there. How walkable the neighborhood is, how safe it is, and how much open space it has. Parameter by individual parameter – which neighborhoods are best?
Cheapest Rent
Hunts Point, Bronx
Cheapest to Buy
St. Albans, Queens
Fastest Commute
Financial District, Manhattan
Most Walkable
Little Italy, Chinatown, NoHo, Flatiron, SoHo, Greenwich Village (tie)
Safest
Tottenville, Staten Island
Most Open Space
Inwood & Washington Heights, Manhattan
One factor won’t make our decision. We pretend we’re more complicated than that. Combining five factors – weighing rent, commute time and walkability three times as much as safety and open space – into a single score will reveal, hype and friends and articles aside, the top ten places where we ought to be renting in New York.
drumroll.aiff…
#10 Maspeth, Queens
Best place for dinner according to Yelp: Forno Pizzeria E Trattoria (Italian)
#9 Flatlands, Brooklyn
Best place for dinner according to Yelp: Ashoka Indian Grill (Indian)
#8 Ridgewood, Queens BEST IN BOROUGH
Best place for dinner according to Yelp: La Taqueria Kermes (Mexican)
#7 Sunset Park, Brooklyn
Best place for dinner according to Yelp: Tacos El Bronco (Mexican)
#6 Greenwood Heights, Brooklyn BEST IN BOROUGH
Best place for dinner according to Yelp: Lot 2 (New American)
#5 Hamilton Heights, Manhattan
Best place for dinner according to Yelp: Harlem Public (New American)
#4 Harlem, Manhattan
Best place for dinner according to Yelp: Seasoned Vegan (Vegan)
#3 East Harlem, Manhattan
Best place for dinner according to Yelp: Cafe Olin (Mexican)
#2 Inwood, Manhattan
Best place for dinner according to Yelp: Beans and Vines (New American)
#1 #1 #1 #1…
#1 Washington Heights, Manhattan
Best place for dinner according to Yelp: Saggio (Italian)
HONORABLE MENTION
Best in the Bronx: #16 Morrisania
Best of Staten Island: #37 New Dorp
III. The Best Neighborhoods in New York (for Buyers)
Buying? We’ll swap out average rents with average purchase price per square foot. Six of the top ten neighborhoods make the list for both renters and buyers.
#10 Jamaica Hills, Queens
Musical legacy: This, apparently
#9 Canarsie, Brooklyn
Musical legacy: The Fat Boys
#8 Hamilton Heights
Musical legacy: Duke Ellington
#7 Greenwood Heights, Brooklyn BEST IN BOROUGH
Musical legacy: Paul Jabara (in death)
#6 Murray Hill, Queens
Musical legacy: Robert Moog (Flushing)
#5 Concourse, Bronx BEST IN BOROUGH
Musical legacy: Kool Herc (Highbridge)
#4 East Harlem, Manhattan
Musical legacy: The Ronettes
#3 Ridgewood, Queens BEST IN BOROUGH
Musical legacy: Cause Co-Motion!
#2 Washington Heights, Manhattan
Musical legacy: MIMS
#1 #1 #1 #1…
#1 Inwood, Manhattan
Musical legacy: Lionel Mapleson
HONORABLE MENTION
Best of Staten Island: #23 Dongan Hills
IV. The Worst Place to Live in New York
For both renters and buyers, the numbers agree.
Midtown is the worst.
Rent: Average prices of one and two bedroom apartments, Streeteasy and Zillow. Purchase price: Price per square foot, Streeteasy and Zillow. Commute: time to Times Square and Wall Street on public transportation, Google Maps. Walkability: Walk Score. Safety: WNYC Crime Map. Open space: Department of City Planning. Images: Google Street View.