One of our readers wrote in last week letting us know that one of our links was broken (thanks!). Alas, the link was to a great source of info about NYC neighborhoods and so now she feels rather left in the lurch.
Well, let me first do a bit of self-advertising and let you all know that My First Apartment actually has our own NYC guide. But, if you need more, here are good places to look:
New York Magazine did a real estate profile back in 2003 which, one could argue, is out of date. It is — and yet — not entirely. Looking at their prices for my neighborhood, Park Slope, the low end is still too low (decent two bedrooms run closer to 2,000 +) but the neighborhood profile is accurate.
Beyond that, many of the key neighborhood elements haven’t changed and if you’re not sure where a neighborhood in NY is, the map is uber-helpful. Additionally, you should probably assume that neighborhoods “on the brink” of popularity, such as Long Island City and Astoria have now broke and while still cheaper than Manhattan are not exactly a Midwestern.
In terms of editorial, they have a separate 2006 article detailing how neighborhoods that used to epitomize the NYC dream…and how times have changed significantly. It’s kind of a sad article, but one you should read if you’re moving here based on the Sex and the City version you think you know…(bubble:pop)
Curbed NY has a very stat-friendly report talking about the rental market this year. The 2009 market for average 1 bedrooms, 2 bedrooms, etc is summarized by price point in a neat lil chart. It’s not by neighborhood, but the prices are a good average for Manhattan.
Yelpers also get in on the neighborhood opinion action, as there’s a page devoted to NYC neighborhood advice with yelpers giving their own take on where to live.
Finally, About.com has a decent guide, though its a cross in that its both for tourists and nyc residents. Still, it has the key basics: subway stops and good restaurants. The rest you can find out by exploration — which every good apartment hunter knows is the secret weapon of the neighborhood search.
If any of you know of good nyc neighborhood guides, do leave a comment below!
