Cypress Hills

I've lived here a little over 3 years. The neighborhood has definitely changed. I've never felt unsafe, although I don't go south of Atlantic Ave. Friendly neighbors who watch out for each other. Really affordable compared to other neighborhoods especially if you want to buy a place; there's a lot of upside in this neighborhood as it grows. New places are popping up and there's an art gallery called Norte Maar that's on Pine street (they have cool events happening all the time)

I have lived here for four years - The area is generally quiet, working-middle class, and my neighbors have been lovely and welcoming. The area is safer than many of the comments would have you believe - gangs and drugs? I haven't seen any of that (south of Atlantic Ave, that's another story). Highland Park is an amazing asset - a really large park with trails, a bird sanctuary, and free athletic activities like basketball, tennis, handball, etc. I believe they are also building a dog run there as part of the rezoning. There is good latin food, but there isn't a lot of diversity in other restaurant options yet; I do believe that will come. The neighborhood has the framework for a great future.

Its needs to be gentrified, its third world at best on the weekends, still lots of drugs and gangs. its loud, the recent rezoning seems to be making a difference, the new residents that are buying homes really make a difference. 4 homes sold on my block, Pine street near crescent street J line, this summer alone. Silver lining it seems to be improving this summer. Out with the old and in with the new, residents that is.

This is a great neighborhood that is often left out of the discussion about Brooklyn real estate. We bought a home here last year and we are loving the access to public transportation, friendly neighbors, great local library and wonderful YMCA. We often take walks in Highland Park to watch the swans take off and land. There are tons of interesting restaurants and we just hop on over to Bushwick if we are craving something a bit "trendier" to do.

Located on the Queens-Brooklyn border, Cypress Hills is a vibrant immigrant community where residents have worked to reform the town's negative image. When I was younger (about 15 years ago), my father worked near Cypress Hills. Whenever I went to visit him at work, he would tell me to take a cab there because it wasn't safe to walk around alone - even during the day. Even today, Cypress Hills is part of a larger area of Brooklyn that has a terrible reputation for public safety and consistently sees increases in robberies. This may be caused by the fact that Cypress Hills is generally a lower class neighborhood with many public housing projects and affordable housing developments. Rentals are hard to come by; most of the housing here is in private homes. Many of the homeowners were able to purchase their homes because the prices are very cheap and because they have received subsidies from the government. You'll see that the majority of people here use food stamps. The schools in Cypress Hills are mediocre at best, so I am not convinced that this is the best place to raise your kids. However, there are plenty of recreational activities, such as visiting Highland Park, which is huge and filled with great amenities.

Cypress Hills is an alright neighborhood, albeit a little far from the Manhattan. This is made up for by its proximity to the Broadway Junction station, which will give you access to the A, L and J trains. This is great for commuting, and it opens the option of an easy commute to Long Island as well because you can catch the Long Island Railroad from the Atlantic Avenue station. The quality of life here is varied. If a block is near an undesirable element like a major highway or right beside a train track, it’s usually a little run down and inhospitable. Otherwise, the north of Cypress Hills is bordered by cemeteries and parks, which provide a nice quiet backyard to many streets. On a related note, Harry Houdini is buried in Machpelah cemetery in Cypress Hills, and this is worth a visit for those touring New York cemeteries.