East Williamsburg

You might hear this neighborhood referred to as one of the "up and coming" Brooklyn neighborhoods. (For those not in-the-know, "up and coming" is a polite/politically correct term for gentrifying.) Like neighboring Bushwick, East Williamsburg offers a residential area convenient for Manhattan commutes to renters who can't afford Williamsburg or the other nicer areas closer to the river. Like Bushwick, it is still populated with old residents who have lived there for decades, before it started gentrifying. Unlike Bushwick, it offers few of the charms of hipster attention or nightlife, mostly lacking in both of these. It does offer the authentic just-beginning-to-gentrify neighborhood experience: broken glass on the sidewalk that nobody feels inclined to clean up, neighbors who will happily blast rap music without any concern for their fellow residents (about which the local police will do nothing even when called at late night/early morning hours), and liquor stores where the clerks will unhelpfully linger behind a wall of thick (bulletproof?) glass and have you pay by putting cash in a three-walled glass box that can be turned around for access from the other side.

With that said, this area is legitimately cheaper than most other "up and coming" Brooklyn neighborhoods at the moment. The L and the JMZ provide easy and quick commutes to Manhattan. It's convenient, and crime statistics suggest that the feel of the neighborhood belies its actual safety. For someone on a budget, this may be a great option. But it should be kept in mind that East Williamsburg has a long way to go before it can boast anything more appealing than (relatively) low rent (though this is rising) and quick commute (and since the L is due to close at the beginning of 2018, this latter attraction should be discounted for anything beyond the short term).