Your Complete Williamsburg, Brooklyn Neighborhood Guide
Welcome to Williamsburg.
The Williamsburg neighborhood in Brooklyn was one of the first to see major capital improvements and the benefits of gentrification in the late 90s. Through the years, it's been home to immigrants, working-class families, artists and musicians. Now, all are welcome to enjoy this unique neighborhood's eclectic style and all that it has to offer.
Where is Williamsburg in relation to Manhattan?
Williamsburg is on one side of the Williamsburg Bridge, one of three bridges that connect Brooklyn and the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Williamsburg is in western Brooklyn just north of the borough's downtown district and south of Greenpoint. The neighborhood's ZIP Code is 11206 and offers easy transportation with more than a dozen subway lines, in addition to buses, taxis and rideshares.
Source: Rent.com
Despite more than 20 years of community investment and support from the city, Williamsburg has maintained the hipster vibe it inherited in the '90s. Independent artisans, craftsmen and business owners are reclaiming the retail space. Support for local and black-owned businesses is as strong in Williamsburg as it is across the borough.
But life in a neighborhood as vibrant as Williamsburg in a city as expensive as New York is expensive, and most of that money will go toward your rent.
Studio average rent: $2,716
One-bedroom average rent: $3,512
Two-bedroom average rent: N/A
Walk score: 96
Bike score: 88
Transit score: 96
Living in Williamsburg
It's important to remember that Williamsburg is only a neighborhood within the borough of Brooklyn, which itself is one of five. But that's what life is like in a lot of New York City neighborhoods. Yes, the city is big and hectic and crowded and occasionally overwhelming. But there are neighborhoods here that become communities with their own personalities and traits.
Demographics
Williamsburg is a multiracial and multiethnic neighborhood, much like New York itself. It's about 65 percent white, 20 percent Hispanic and about four percent Black.
The average household income here comes in at $82,000, which outpaces the $64,850 average household income for New York City.
Education
There are hundreds of schools in Williamsburg alone. Public, private, parochial, magnet and charter schools. Schools that focus on the arts, on technology, on faiths and cultures can all be found within a few blocks of one another.
Arts and entertainment
Williamsburg is already a short subway ride to the heart of the theater district. But if you're looking for something a little more low-key and less expensive (think "Hamilton" soundtrack vs. "Hamilton" tickets), you're in luck.
You'll have your choice of movie theaters — from dinner-and-a-show type megaplexes to smaller indie film houses.
Or if you're in the mood for some Off-Off-Broadway live performances, see what's playing at The Brick. This converted garage in Williamsburg is home to local writers and performers.
Recreation
Living in Williamsburg, you have McCarren Park for running and track and Marsha Johnson State Park for a seven-acre riverside stroll right in your backyard. And for anyone living in Williamsburg — consider this recreational area enough.
A 30-minute ride on the G train takes you to Prospect Park — the best park in the city. Don't believe me? Even the engineers that designed both thought so.
Food options
You're in luck. Williamsburg has everything. Coconut fish curry? Check. Pad Thai? Check. Chicken parm sandwich on garlic bread? You already know the answer to that.
Every cultural group from every region of the world is found in Williamsburg's food options. But if you want to go old school, start with Peter Luger's steakhouse. It's a landmark, a cultural institution and it requires a trip to the ATM because it rather famously does not accept credit cards.
Quirkiness/weird factor
This is an X factor. It is difficult to explain, but you know it when you see it. It's a feeling you have when you walk through your neighborhood as you have hundreds of times before when something so unexpected or unique or outlandish happens that you let the moment sink in and think, “Only in Williamsburg."
It's the pride you take in your adopted home showing you the side of itself not intended for visitors or tourists.
10 things to do in Williamsburg
There is so much fun to be had here. So many new experiences and first times in a community barely two square miles. And any one of the nearly 80,000 people who live here, will be happy to guide you in the right direction.
Start your day by shopping small along Grand Street in Williamsburg, home to dozens of artisanal and boutique retail stores that focus on sustainability and high quality.
Get a snack at any one of the dozens of coffee shops, diners, patisseries and bakeries and head to McCarren Park for the Saturday farmer's market and a stop at one of the best dog parks in the neighborhood.
Stop streaming and start experiencing the music scene, Williamsburg has clubs, bars and live performance venues, as well as some great indie record stores.
Walk or bike across the other Brooklyn Bridge — the Williamsburg Bridge, which was the longest suspension bridge in the world when it opened in 1903.
Drink like a local by taking the Brooklyn Brewery tour or bellying up to one of the many neighborhood bars, each with its own personality.
Picnic in Domino Park on East River and enjoy amazing views of the Manhattan skyline from beneath the Williamsburg Bridge.
Embrace the weirdness, like the City Reliquary, a small museum for relics, ephemera, souvenirs, memorabilia and artifacts from all over the city.
Take in a movie at the Skyline Drive-In along the East River in nearby Greenpoint.
Stock up on lox and other goodies at the family-run Acme Smoked Fish, which is open to the public on Fridays only.
Go on a historic walking tour and learn about Williamsburg's former status as its own city.
Finding an apartment in Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Williamsburg is a world unto itself. It's continental but feels local. Culture and cuisine from every corner of the world. It is consistently one of the hippest and trendiest places to live in New York, and for good reason. Given the opportunity, why not experience it firsthand?
Rent prices are based on a rolling weighted average from Apartment Guide and Rent.com's multifamily rental property inventory of one-bedroom apartments. We pulled our data in May 2021, and it goes back for one year. Our team uses a weighted average formula that more accurately represents price availability for each individual unit type and reduces the influence of seasonality on rent prices in specific markets.
The rent information included in this article is used for illustrative purposes only. The data contained herein do not constitute financial advice or a pricing guarantee for any apartment.
