BOROUGH PARK, LONG ISLAND

Borough Park, Long Island

Borough Park is a neighborhood located in the southwestern part of the borough of Brooklyn, Long Island, New York. It lies between 12th and 18th Avenues and 40th and 62nd Streets have virtually no vacant land not even a public park. The neighborhood is home to the world's largest Jewish community outside Israel with an estimated Jewish population that may be as high as 250,000 Jews. It has a unique personality, ethnic identity, vibrancy, and historical significance. Borough Park has been described as being the "baby boom capital" of New York City, because of its high birth rate. In 2004, the neighborhood recorded 4,523 births which were the highest in the city. Borough Park's birth rate, 24.4 per 1,000 residents has translated into major growth in the neighborhood. The population demographics have a total of 78,765, 26,872 households, and a median age of 33.82. Elevation is 66 feet.

The neighborhood was originally named as Blythebourne when William H. Reynolds bought farmland north of a resort area. Blythebourne later became part of Borough Park and today all that recalls the earlier era is the local post office, Blythebourne Station. Borough Park is home to many inter-connected Jewish Orthodox communities with the largest being the Hasidic community of Bobov, as well as large numbers of Hasidic Jews in the Belz, Satmar, Stolin, Vizhnitz, Munkacz, Spinka, Burshtin, Puppa, and many others. There are also some small groups of non-Hasidic Lithuanian Haredi Jews, and a smaller number of Modern Orthodox Jews. The Hasidic community has developed a network of residents to handle emergencies in the neighborhood. They are the one responsible to form close ties with the local authorities, leading to a sometimes close but often fragile relationship.

Notable people living in Borough Park include Buddy Hackett (comedian) and Robert Merrill (singer). Culturally and religiously, Borough Park is considered one of the most Orthodox in the world. It has almost 200 Jewish Houses of Worship including that of the Bobover sect, Mikva's, and Religious Organizations. It also has five Roman Catholic Churches and Mosques. The New York City Department of Education operates Borough Park's public schools. Virtually all of the large population of school-children born into Borough Park’s Hasidic families attends local yeshivas for boys and Bais Yaakov-type schools for girls. This has led to a public school population drain for local schools such as Montauk Intermediate School. Several stores and businesses are currently expanding and gaining economically in Borough Park. The 13th Avenue shopping district is their main shopping strip roughly one mile in length from 39th street to about 55th street that is packed with many storefronts to supply Jewish households. The Avenue Plaza Hotel is the first hotel to rise in Borough Park that has amenities to maximize comfort and give total satisfaction in every individual.