Whether you choose queens or Brooklyn, either of the two is diverse but also great to stay in.
Brooklyn is one of the most significant yet most common boroughs in New York.
Brooklyn has a thriving economy fast growing and even better than Manhattan.
Similarly, Queens doesn’t receive as much credit, but it’s, proliferating and by far one of the best places to move.
So, let’s talk Queens.
When you’re going to Queens, you should know it’s one of the most diverse living spaces.
This then means that you will have cultural and ethnic diversity. It translates to the restaurants that are in this neighborhood. Whether you want Italians, Mexicans, Chinese or Japanese cuisine, you are bound to find the best around these streets.
Queens stretches about 109 square miles, and it has a large population of about 2.3 million people.
I ought to mention that Queens is for those who like a quiet environment. Although significant airports are present, it’s one of the quietest boroughs of New York.
You can expect about 52,000 great businesses that will employ new staff almost daily.
Is Queens an urban or more suburban?
While Long Island gives you the suburban feel, queens will blend both worlds. You will feel the presence of urban life as well as suburban bliss too.
You will be finding even the seafront property while you can also have a fast-paced lifestyle.
Let’s talk about the cost of living.
Like any other New York boroughs, this one isn’t cheap. However, Queens is more affordable compared to many other urban areas.
- For the median rent, you expect it to be $1520 per month.
- So, then you expect that your household income should be about $64987.
- If you intend to buy a house, you should have about $504900.
Can I have my family here?
Of course, you can bring your family here. There are many activities to engage in, and you will still have the best schools you can go to. You can also have the perfect environment where you can have kids growing up.
Suppose you like games like baseball, tennis, boating and more. Whether you are participating in the games or just spectating them, you are in the right place in Queens.
Is it safe?
Compared to many other parts of New York, Queens is generally safe, and that’s why you will find diverse communities living here as long as you know where to go and live-in Queens just like Brooklyn, Bronx, and Manhattan, you are good to go.
Five safest and best places you can live in.
Auburndale
Mostly if you’re looking for the safest neighborhood, then this one shoots up as the first one anyone can use—this one you will usually find in the east of Queens hill Murray.
The area mostly has Tudor-style homes so expect to see the cutch colonial-style homes as well. You will notice that it has tree-lined streets, but it always maintains lush green lawns.
Most people prefer it a lot more because it has about a 64% lower crime rate than the national average.
Kew gardens
This area you will find in central Queens. It just happens to be one of the most preferred residential areas.
You will find that the garden neighborhood is one of the unique areas to live in. I like the gardens more, and it’s designed to suit family-style homes and structures.
Generally, this area gives you the suburban feel, although it will give you more of the apartment. Here you will even have the forest park, which is the third-largest park in Queens.
Woodhaven
If your main interest is safety and transport, you will know that the area makes even better sense. Those who live in this area of Queens only complain that the distance to get shopping is much further.
You will rarely hear of property crime in the neighborhood.
For some reason then this area is home to most immigrants. But it’s one of the safe havens you can live in.
What of the shopping
Of course, anyone staying anywhere wants to make sure they can access shopping. So you will be expected to shop in the big malls as well as large shops. In this area, they have family-run businesses.
Most of the neighborhoods then have access to the different shopping malls, so you want to be strategic when moving here.
Brooklyn
When we are talking of the second-largest boroughs of NYC, then we talk of the famous Brooklyn. It has a larger population, yet it has all the best spaces you can go and live in.
It’s safe to live in many Brooklyn neighborhoods. But, then remember you will be staying in an area more popular than even Queens.
Below are the best and safest areas to live in when in Brooklyn.
Dumbo
This is one of the most common options that’s trendiest. The good thing is that they will show you even the greatest places you only notice in movies.
This area is one of the busiest neighborhoods with some of the best shops and restaurants and it’s also where some of the fashion icons leave it.
Greenpoint
This neighborhood is on the northern side of Brooklyn, and it has the adjacent roads of Franklin and avenue streets that you can see.
There’s so much going on at Greenpoint, where you have the presence of shops, restaurants, and malls that make life easier. It’s one of the safest options of places you can stay in.
Park Slope
This is one of the most common neighborhoods where families can stay comfortably. Here you will notice the comfortable tree-lined pavements. It further has excellent schools and community that makes it perfect.
What you will like about it the most is that you can access the shopping places next to you. Other than that, this is one of the safest places you can decide to stay at. You will even find the coffee shops.
Carol Gardens
Another one of the familiar places you could go to is the carol gardens. For most people, it gives you the vibe of a quiet and laid-back village lifestyle.
Whether you enjoy the Latina foods or the Italian ones are bound to get your favorite restaurant here.
This area will always work for youths, single, and family settings.
The cost of living
Brooklyn is part of New York, so the cost of living is bound to be high. You will find that the apartments cost you a lot more than you expect. But generally, life is expensive in these areas.
The average rent in Brooklyn is about $2675. So you can have it be more or less. But also, it depends on the size of the house you are buying.
Queens vs. Brooklyn
What of the housing cost?
The first thing we will think of when going to look for a house is the cost. So, if you intend to get a house in Brooklyn, it will cost you about $2675. However, when you rent it in queens, you can expect it to be about $2194.
Of course, the cost is not the only thing you’re looking at when you rent an apartment. There’s a lot more to think about regarding the house cost and the cost of living.
Notice that with the pandemic, these places have reduced in price generally, though the rent is higher in Brooklyn than in Queens.
Are you into the view?
If you spend so much time at home, let’s say you work from home, then you will need to get a home or room with a perfect view. But, of course, the perfect view is varied to different people. In most cases, the skyline view is what we are going for when we are in New York.
The good thing is that whether you are staying in Queens or Brooklyn, you will view the skyline. When you know where to look, you are okay, and you will see the view in most cases.
Notice, though, that you won’t need to spend a lot if the only thing you want is to see the skyline. If you live in a neighborhood that borders the east river, then you are good to go.
You can live in Williamsburg or Greenpoint if the view is significant for you.
Do you care about the attractions?
For some people, home is where you spend most of your time. This is why you should consider the attractions you may also have there.
You will enjoy smorgasbord and varying food cuisines in the town area. This is not just it in Brooklyn. You can have it in queens too and other places. Regardless there are also a lot of attractions in Brooklyn.
My favorite space is the botanical garden because it gets me bonding with nature and just feeling like myself again. For this then you are sure you will have tourists frequenting the area.
If you are not so much into attraction sites, then maybe go on and live in Queens. The area doesn’t receive very many tourists because it doesn’t have many attraction sites. However, it still has museums, parks, and sporting events.
Are you a foodie?
I would gladly say that both of these areas will give you the perfect foods since they bring together diverse people. Regardless I should mention that Brooklyn is home to varying dining scenes.
So first off, you will get different cuisines, but you can dine in different settings too.
You can expect to find tracks, buffet, cocktail bars, restaurants, and many more areas of eating.
Unless you have lived in queens, though, you may not know much about its food area. For some reason, people don’t talk much about it, but I must say you will equally enjoy it if you are a foodie.
They offer diverse foods; they even sell the international style of foods. You will always have quality food.
Nightlife
I know many people like the nightlife and therefore before you move to an area you want to know whether it will work for your night lifestyle. Here there’s no one select borough working better than the other. Both Brooklyn and queens work great when it comes to nightlife.
You will find night markets for food in these areas, and they also have great nightclubs. You will even notice that they are not as crowded as the clubs you have in Manhattan. So, if your life is not so much about the crowds, you should be okay with these two boroughs.
Preference
Again, what you would like matters to help you choose the perfect place just for you. Brooklyn is more like your second-best Manhattan.
Its population has massively increased with so many young people living here these days in the recent past. Most people were running away from the rising prices of the Manhattan rentals. With this, we have seen Brooklyn thriving.
Today it carries the largest population, and to some people, this is not an ideal situation. If you like a quieter environment, go to queens. It’s still not so populated, and you can find the quiet spaces you need.
If you enjoy the suburban community, then queens will serve you much better. However, I must say that queens, too, is still thriving, mainly because it’s home to diverse communities.
Queens harbors more of the foreigners. So if you enjoy the diversity and mingle with the different cultures, this will serve you much better in one way or another.
Which will it be for you?
You see, I can tell you all the good things that we have in these two lands, but in the end, the decision is yours. Several things will help you decide where you go to.
Brooklyn has done many growing, so the prices are higher and almost to the Manhattan level. Equally, queens is a great place to live in, especially those like me who value quietness. It’s even much cheaper compared to Brooklyn.
So, although I know the place I would choose, I can’t tell you that this is better than the other. Your priorities differ, so as long as the area you choose meets them, that’s the most important.
