Flatbush, Brooklyn

Flatbush is a community of the Borough of Brooklyn, a part of New York City, consisting of several neighborhoods.

The name Flatbush is an Anglicization of the Dutch language Vlacke bos (vlacke = vlak = flat; "flat woodland" or "wooded plain").

The Flatbush Post Office is assigned (ZIP Code) 11226, but the area that is considered Flatbush extends into other ZIP codes.

Since the 1980s, Flatbush has been receiving an influx of immigrants from the Caribbean, mostly from Haiti, Trinidad, Jamaica, Grenada, Guyana, Barbados, St. Lucia and Belize, as well as from India and from African countries that include Ghana, Zimbabwe, Nigeria and Kenya. Haitians are the largest ethnic group in Flatbush. Prior to the arrival of these groups, the Flatbush community was already diverse, with many Italians, African-Americans and Jews. Flatbush is served by the NYPD's 67th and 70th Precincts.

Pre-1900
Flatbush was originally chartered as the Dutch Nieuw Nederland colony town of Midwout in 1651. Both names were used in the Dutch era, and Midwood was an alternative name for Flatbush into the early 20th century. Midwood now describes the area immediately south of Brooklyn College. Midwood's residents are predominantly a mix of Orthodox Jews and Irish Americans.

Flatbush and four of the other five towns that combined to become Kings County were surrendered by the Dutch to the English in 1664. (Gravesend was always English.) The influence of Dutch merchant and farming families remained strong in the area until after consolidation into the City of Greater New York in 1898, after which the development of Flatbush as a suburb and then an integral part of the larger city gained speed.

Before it was incorporated into the City of Brooklyn in 1894, Flatbush described both the Town of Flatbush, incorporating a large swath of central Kings County, extending east to the Queens County border, and the Village of Flatbush, formerly the heart of the current community. Flatbush was the county seat of Kings County. Many of the remaining early Dutch structures are in the Flatlands and Marine Park neighborhoods.

Post-1900
In the first half of the 20th century, Flatbush had a sizable population of Irish-Americans, Italian-Americans and Jews. Much as it is today, it was a working-class neighborhood. A vast portion of Flatbush residents closely followed the Brooklyn Dodgers, which at the time was not only the team of Brooklyn but also of Flatbush in particular. Duke Snider was known as “the Duke of Flatbush.” However, by 1958 the Dodgers left Brooklyn, and Ebbets Field was eventually torn down. Due to shifting neighborhood boundaries, today Ebbets Field would technically be in Crown Heights, as the ballpark was located just north of Empire Boulevard.

During the 1970s and early 1980s, Flatbush experienced a shift in demographics as it went from being a mostly White, Irish, Italian and Jewish community to a mostly Black, West Indian community. While most sections of Flatbush were working class before the demographic shift, there were a few affluent areas. Prospect Park South had a sizable number of more affluent homeowners, and many doctors resided on a stretch of Parkside Avenue immediately adjacent to Prospect Park. However by the mid-1980s, there were a number of abandoned or semi-abandoned buildings in the community, with a number of apartment houses falling into a state of disrepair. Many of the affluent residents left Flatbush and were replaced by lower-income residents. While crime has generally been a problem in the community (e.g., a number of stores on Flatbush and Church Avenues were looted during the 1977 blackout), a drug epidemic ravaged Flatbush during the 1980s and early 1990s. The area around the Parade Grounds was particularly notorious for drug turf wars and shootouts. Street gangs were also prevalent in Flatbush. Columbia Pictures shot some of the 1974 film The Lords of Flatbush here, and CBS aired a short-lived sitcom named Flatbush in 1979, based somewhat on "The Lords of Flatbush" but set in contemporary times.

Demographics of zip code 11226
The following are U.S. Census Bureau figures for the principal zip code area of Flatbush, 11226. They exclude major portions of Flatbush that extend into other zip code areas. As of the 2000 U.S. Census, there were 37,132 housing units with 106,154 people living in zip code 11226. Of those 79.8% were Black or African American, 14% were Hispanic or Latino, 6.5% were White, 2.8% were Asian, 0.4% Native American, 5.7% were some other race and 4.9% were two or more races. Of the population 25 and older 64.5% are High School graduates or higher and 12.4% have a Bachelor's degree or higher. 39.9% speak a language other than English at home. The median family income in zip code 11226 as of 1999 was $30,985, the median per capita income was $13,052. 23.2% of residents in this area were below the poverty level.

Flatbush today
While Flatbush today is predominantly African-American and West Indian, there are sizable numbers of Caucasians, Latinos and Arabs living within its borders. While a majority of residents are working class, there are also middle-class and wealthier residents who call Flatbush home. The primary commercial strips are Flatbush, Church and Nostrand Avenues, with Coney Island Avenue also emerging as a major strip. Caribbean, Soul food, Chinese, Mexican and South Asian restaurants can be found.

Flatbush housing varies in character. It generally features apartment buildings, but some rowhouses are also present. Victorian-style (albeit older) houses are in Prospect Park South and nearby neighborhoods, and brownstones prevail in Prospect-Lefferts Gardens.

Notable institutions
Well known institutions within Flatbush include Erasmus Hall High School, Parade Grounds, the Flatbush Dutch Reformed Church, Brooklyn College, and Ebbets Field (demolished in 1960), the last Brooklyn home of the Brooklyn Dodgers baseball team, as well as Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlin and the Mirrer Yeshiva.

Location and neighborhoods
Flatbush includes the southernmost portion of Prospect Park, which was built straddling the City of Brooklyn and the town of Flatbush.

The neighborhoods of Flatbush extend south from the old Brooklyn City Line north of the southern edges of Prospect Park, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden and Empire Boulevard. The southern border of Flatbush neighborhoods is approximately on the line of the Long Island Rail Road's Bay Ridge Line, which runs south of Avenue H, the campus of Brooklyn College and "The Junction," where Flatbush and Nostrand Avenues intersect. "The Junction" is also the location of Brooklyn College–Flatbush Avenue station, the southern terminus of the IRT Nostrand Avenue Line of the New York City Subway and the Junction Mall. Flatbush's eastern border is roughly New York Avenue, while its western border is Coney Island Avenue or Ocean Parkway.

Neighborhoods within Flatbush include the planned communities of Prospect Park South, Beverley Square West, Beverley Square East, Prospect-Lefferts Gardens, Ditmas Park, Fiske Terrace and Albemarle-Kenmare Terrace. Bordering Flatbush on the north are the community of Crown Heights (originally Crow Hill) and the former neighborhood of Pigtown. On the east, within the old town of Flatbush, is East Flatbush, on the west are Kensington and Parkville (formerly Greenfield), and on the south is Midwood, named after the Dutch name for "Middle Woods" as opposed to the "East Woods." Many people consider Midwood to be a part of Flatbush, but historically it straddled the neighboring former towns of New Utrecht, Gravesend and Flatlands.

Transportation
Flatbush is well served by public transportation. The Brighton Line, with its and  trains, has a number of stops within the community. The stretch of stations in the open cut from Prospect Park to Avenue H is in Flatbush. Service to Manhattan can take as little as half an hour. All stations of the IRT Nostrand Avenue Line ( and trains) south of President Street are also within Flatbush.

Several bus routes run through Flatbush. The B6, B8, B35, B41, B44 and B49 are major routes that serve the neighborhood. The Q35 connects Flatbush with Rockaway Beach, while the B103 provides a relatively rapid limited-stop connection with Downtown Brooklyn. For a premium fare, the BM1, BM2, BM3, and BM4 express buses run between Flatbush and Manhattan.

Education
In addition to a number of elementary and intermediate schools, Flatbush has one high school within its borders. Erasmus Hall High School, located near the intersection of Flatbush and Church Avenues, is one of the oldest high schools in the city. With its relatively unique architecture and long list of famous alumni, Erasmus Hall has been a mainstay in Flatbush for centuries but recently has been subdivided.

Additionally, Flatbush shares Brooklyn College with Midwood. While located in what traditionally has been considered Midwood, changing concepts of neighborhood boundaries make some people consider at least part of the institution to be located in Flatbush. Brooklyn College is a member of the CUNY system.

Cultural references

 * The Lords of Flatbush


 * The Aerosmith song "Bone to Bone (Coney Island White Fish Boy)", from the album Night in the Ruts, includes the lyric: "Flatbush boy, cruisin' Sheepshead Bay".

Notable residents
Notable current and former residents of Flatbush include:


 * Michael Badalucco, actor
 * Joseph Barbera
 * Al Davis
 * David Draiman
 * Cella Dwellas
 * East Flatbush Project
 * Patrick Fitzgerald
 * Fu-Schnickens
 * Sonia Greene, writer and H.P. Lovecraft's wife
 * Susan Hayward
 * Leona Helmsley
 * Hurricane G
 * Eric Kaplan
 * Talib Kweli
 * Chris Mullin
 * Joe Paterno
 * JTG, WWE entertainer
 * Rampage
 * Red Cafe
 * Busta Rhymes
 * Chubb Rock
 * Shaggy, reggae musician
 * Special Ed
 * Michael Showalter
 * Shyne
 * Barbra Streisand