Greenpoint, Long Island
 Greenpoint is the northernmost neighborhood located in the borough of Brooklyn, Long Island, New York. The neighborhood is bounded on the southwest by Williamsburg at the Bushwick inlet, on the southeast by the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway and East Williamsburg, on the north by Newton Creek and Long Island City, Queens at the Pulaski Bridge, and on the west by the East River. Greenpoint continues to rule the lost kingdoms of hawsers and pencils. The age of electronics and financial services has bypassed this previous stronghold of heavy industry and blue collar job-intensive factories. As of the 2000 census, there were 39,360 people, 15,865 households, and 8,744 families residing in the area. The median income for a household in the neighborhood was $33,578 as compared to Williamsburg's median household income of $23,567. Males had a median income of $32,019 and only $26,183 for females.
In 1657, the Dutch settlers founded the area and refer its name to a small peninsula of land at what is now the westernmost end of Freeman Street that protruded into the East River, hence the name, Green Point. Some of its important early industries in the neighborhood include shipbuilding, refining, glassmaking, and ironmaking. Most local manufacturing ceased after World War II. After a long history as a stable, working-class neighborhood and immigrant haven, Greenpoint began to see some of the effects of gentrification by the 1980s. The homes constructed for the merchants and the buildings raised for their workers sprang up along streets that lead down to the waterfront. In recent time, this area is on the National Register of Historic Places as Greenpoint’s Historic District and the rents in Greenpoint are among Brooklyn's highest. In May 2005, the local officials approved a plan that will allow redevelopment of industrial waterfront as a residential neighborhood.
Greenpoint is sometimes referred to as “Little Poland” due to its large population of working-class Polish immigrants. Aside from them, there were also a significant population of Hispanics (Puerto Ricans, Dominicans, Ecuadorans and Mexicans) can be found north of Greenpoint Avenue. Italian Americans and Irish Americans can be found in the southeastern section of Greenpoint. The Greenpoint Historic District roughly bounded by Kent, Calyer, Noble, and Franklin Sts., Clifford Pl. Lorimer St. and Manhattan Ave. The McCarren Park formerly known as Greenpoint Park is the neighborhood's largest green space. The park is a popular destination for recreational softball, volleyball, soccer, handball, and other games. It is also used for sunbathing and dog-walking. Other historical landmark is the Episcopal Church of Ascension, the oldest church in Greenpoint on Kent Street. The Brooklyn Botanical Gardens and the Brooklyn Academy of Music are the most popular of the many tourist attractions near this high value and affordable accommodation close to the heart of the downtown area.
|
