Flatbush, Brooklyn

Flatbush is a community of the Borough of Brooklyn, a part of New York City, consisting of several neighborhoods.

The name "Flatbush" is an Anglicization of the Dutch language "Vladbos" (approximately "wooded land"). [ [http://www.longislandexchange.com/brooklynqueens/flatbush.html FLATBUSH, LONG ISLAND: Beauty in Diversity] , accessed December 4, 2006]

The Flatbush Post Office is assigned postal zone (ZIP Code) 11226, but the area understood as included in Flatbush extends into other postal zones.

The Flatbush community has been receiving an influx of immigrants from the Caribbean (mostly from Haiti, Trinidad, Jamaica, Grenada, Guyana, Barbados, and Belize)Fact|date=June 2008 since the 1980s, as well as immigrants from India and from African countries (such as Ghana, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, and Kenya). Haitians are the largest ethnic group in Flatbush. Prior to the arrival of these groups, the Flatbush community had already been diverse, with many Italians, African-Americans and Jews.

History

Flatbush was originally chartered as the Dutch Nieuw Nederland colony town of "Midwout" in 1651. Both names were used in the Dutch era, and Midwood was an alternative name for Flatbush into the early 20th century. Midwood now describes the area immediately south of Brooklyn College. Midwood's residents predominately feature a mix of Orthodox Jews and Irish Americans.

Flatbush and the other towns of what was to become Kings County were surrendered to the English in 1664. The influence of Dutch merchant and farming families remained strong in the area until after consolidation into the City of Greater New York in 1898, after which the development of Flatbush as a suburb, and then an integral part of the larger city, proceeded apace.

Before it was incorporated into Brooklyn City in 1894, "Flatbush" described both the Town of Flatbush, incorporating a large swath of central Kings County extending east to the Queens County border, and the Village of Flatbush, formerly the heart of the current community. Many of the remaining early Dutch structures are in the Flatlands and Marine Park neighborhoods.

Notable institutions

Well-known institutions within Flatbush include Erasmus Hall High School, Parade Grounds, the Flatbush Dutch Reformed Church, Brooklyn College, and Ebbets Field (demolished in 1960), the last Brooklyn home of the Brooklyn Dodgers baseball team, as well as Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlin and the Mirrer Yeshiva. Due to imprecisely defined, shifting boundaries, the Ebbets Field site would be considered today by some to be in Crown Heights.

Location and neighborhoods

Flatbush includes the southernmost portion of Prospect Park.

The neighborhoods of Flatbush extend south from the old Brooklyn City Line north of the southern edges of Prospect Park, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden and Empire Boulevard. The southern border of Flatbush neighborhoods is approximately on the line of the Long Island Rail Road's Bay Ridge Line, which runs to the south of Avenue H, the campus of Brooklyn College, and "The Junction" where Flatbush and Nostrand Avenues intersect. "The Junction" is also the location of Brooklyn College–Flatbush Avenue station, the southern terminal of the IRT Nostrand Avenue Line (NYCS Nostrand) of the New York City Subway and the Junction Mall. [ [http://outside.in/places/flatbush-junction-mall-brooklyn Flatbush Junction Mall site] ] Flatbush's eastern border is roughly around New York Avenue , while its western border is Coney Island Avenue.

Neighborhoods within Flatbush include the planned communities of Prospect Park South, Beverly Square West, Beverly Square East, Prospect-Lefferts Gardens, Ditmas Park and Fiske Terrace. Bordering Flatbush on the north are the community of Crown Heights and the former neighborhood of Pigtown. On the east, within the old town of Flatbush, is East Flatbush, on the west are Kensington and Parkville (formerly Greenfield), and on the south is Midwood. Many consider Midwood to be a part of Flatbush, but historically it was part of the neighboring former towns of New Utrecht, Gravesend and Flatlands.

Flatbush today

While Flatbush today is predominantly Black and West Indian, there are sizable numbers of Caucasians, Latinos and Arabs living within its borders. While a majority of residents are working class, there are also middle-class and wealthier residents that call Flatbush home. The primary commercial strips are Flatbush, Church and Nostrand Avenues, with Coney Island Avenue also emerging as a major strip. One can find Caribbean, Soul Food, Chinese, Mexican and South Asian restaurants. Most of the businesses are small ones, with some larger businesses also present, such as Old Navy, Rite-Aid and Target. Flatbush housing varies in character. It generally features apartment buildings, though some rowhouses are also present. Victorian-style (albeit older) housing can be found in Prospect Park South, and brownstones in Prospect-Lefferts Gardens.

Notable residents

Current and former residents of Flatbush include:
*Joseph Barbera
*Foxy Brown
*Red Cafe
*David Draiman
*Patrick Fitzgerald
*Susan Hayward
*Michael Jordan
*Talib Kweli
*Joe Paterno
*Moise Paul
*Busta Rhymes
*Chubb Rock
*Shyne
*Shaggy, reggae musician
*Michael Showalter
*Barbra Streisand
*Michael K. Williams

References