A Locals Guide To Brooklyn, NY
This article is sponsored by the local audiologists in Brooklyn, NY at EarSpa and Your Home Audiologist. We hope that you enjoy learning more about the historic neighborhood of Brooklyn and how it has evolved over the years.
Early History Of Brooklyn
Brooklyn was named for the Dutch village of Breukelen which occupied the area in the 1600s. It continued to grow due to its prime location along the East River shore of Long Island. The area was originally an independent incorporated city up until 1898 when it was consolidated into New York City. The Dutch were the first Europeans to settle the area, but it had previously been inhabited by the Lenape American Indian tribe. The English took over in the mid 1660s after it was captured in a prelude to the Second Anglo-Dutch War.
Brooklyn also served as an important area during the Revolutionary War and America’s independence from Great Britain. The Battle of Long Island, or Battle of Brooklyn, was the first major conflict between the two sides after the war began. George Washington lead the Continental Army troops across the heights, although they were pushed back and could not maintain their positions. Brooklyn and the New York Harbor fell to British control once again where it remained for the duration of the war, becoming one of the main base of operations.
Urbanization Of The Borough
After the war and in the early years of the 19th century, Brooklyn saw the development of urban areas along the river shore. The Village of Brooklyn was incorporated in 1817, and ferry service was instated between Brooklyn and Wall Street. This service made it an ideal commuter area for those who worked in the area. The City of Brooklyn was born in 1834 as the area continued to grow and expand with industrial shipbuilding, and manufacturing.
Brooklyn was majority against Southern slavery and local abolitionist, Henry Ward Beecher was a force during the Civil War and the Union cause. His efforts are celebrated with the Henry Ward Beecher Monument downtown, as well as a victory arch, now known as Grand Army Plaza.
Twin City of New York
Brooklyn is referred to as the twin city of New York, and while New York grew quickly so did Brooklyn. Immigration and industrialization helped establish Brooklyn as the third most populous city in the 19th century. The waterfront was integral to this growth, developing piers and new factories as technologies continued to develop.
Due to rapid growth, the city needed to continue to update its infrastructure, including needing more water for residents to use. The City of Brooklyn saw one of its last big explosive growths in the late 19th century as it became a popular place for upper-middle-class lawyers, shopkeepers and merchants, mostly of German and Irish decent.
The Brooklyn Bridge
The Brooklyn Bridge was completed in 1883 and allowed residents to no longer have to commute via waterways, strengthening ties to the City of New York. Residents voted in 1894 to merge with the City of New York and form one of the five boroughs of the united city. This merger took effect in 1898 and many newspapers referred to this as the “Great Mistake of 1898” thinking that Brooklyn had lost its identity.
Demographics Of Brooklyn Today
The Brooklyn neighborhoods are extremely diverse and different ethnic groups have moved across the area. For example, Midwood was primarily Irish residents during the early 20th century, Jewish residents lived in the area for almost the next 50 years and today the area is evolving to house more Pakistani residents.
Brooklyn is known for its global makeup of residents with an extremely diverse makeup of nationalitites, religions and races. In 2014, there were over 910 different religious organizations in Brooklyn. There are dozens of neighborboods in Brooklyn with the most prominent resident groups identifying as:
Jewish American
Chinese American
Caribbean American
African American
Latino American
Russian American
Ukrainian American
Polish American
Italian American
Arab/Muslim American
Irish American
Greek American
Brooklyn is also home to a large population of members of the LGBTQ+ community as well as a home to many artists-in-residence. The cost of living has continued to increase in many neighborhoods of Brooklyn, moving out these artists to less expensive areas of Brooklyn, New York or into New Jersey.
In 1900, Brooklyn was made up of over 98% white residents. As of 2020, this percentage has dropped to 37%, while the African American community has grown to over 26% of residents, from under 2%. The Hispanic or Latino community has grown to almost 19% and the Asian community is approximately 14% of residents, both growing from less than 0.1% of residents in 1900. Thanks to the diversity of residents, language and culture plays an important part in the borough community.
Things To Do In Brooklyn
There are many different venues that have their residence in Brooklyn. Including the Brooklyn Museum which houses the second-largest public art collection in the country. Other popular things to do include visiting:
Brooklyn Academy of Music
Brooklyn Philharmonic
Brooklyn Children’s Museum
DUMBO Arts District
Coney Island Mermaid Parade
Labor Day Carnival
Art of Brooklyn Film Festival
Brooklyn Public Library
Brooklyn is also home to many different parks including the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, a 52-acre garden home to cherry trees, rose garden, a pond garden, conservatories and a children’s garden and different discovery exhibits.
Our Local Office
EarSpa and Your Home Audiologist are based in Brooklyn offering at home services for your audiology needs. Services can include hearing tests, balance tests, tinnitus relief, ear cleanings, and hearing aids. In addition to traditional audiology services, Dr. Srour specializes in a holistic approach to ear health the can have benefits for your entire body health. Auriculotherapy and ear acupressure using ear seeds can help you find relief for many different symptoms by targeting the central nervous system.
Contact our Brooklyn audiology office to discuss your hearing concerns or to schedule a hearing test.
EarSpa New York
By Appointment Only or At Home
1310 Avenue R
Brooklyn, NY 11229
(347) 695-6309
Your Home Audiologist
At Home Visits - We Come to You
Call to schedule a visit. Not sure if we come to you? Call to learn more. Travel fee may apply.
(347) 695-6309
