Flatlands, Brooklyn

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Neighborhood in New York City

title: "Flatlands, Brooklyn" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["flatlands,-brooklyn", "neighborhoods-in-brooklyn", "former-towns-in-new-york-city", "1623-establishments-in-the-dutch-empire"] description: "Neighborhood in New York City" topic_path: "geography/netherlands" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flatlands,_Brooklyn" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Neighborhood in New York City ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox settlement"]

FieldValue
nameFlatlands
native_name
native_name_lang
settlement_typeNeighborhood of Brooklyn
image_skylineSchenk-Crooke House2.jpg
imagesize300px
image_captionJans Martense Schenck house, Flatlands, built 1675, formerly at Avenue U and East 63rd Street
motto
mapsize250x200px
mapframeyes
mapframe-zoom12
mapframe-pointnone
map_captionLocation in New York City
coordinates
pushpin_map
subdivision_typeCountry
subdivision_nameUnited States
subdivision_type1State
subdivision_name1New York
subdivision_type2City
subdivision_name2Flag of New York City.svg New York City
subdivision_type3Borough
subdivision_name3Flag of Brooklyn, New York.svg Brooklyn
subdivision_type4Community District
subdivision_name4Brooklyn 18
established_title
established_date
parts_style
parts
total_type
unit_prefImperial
area_total_km25.9053
elevation_footnotes
elevation_min_ft
population_total64,762
population_as_of2010
population_footnotes
population_density_km2auto
population_density_sq_mi
demographics_type1Ethnicity
demographics1_footnotes
demographics1_title1Black
demographics1_info166.3%
demographics1_title2White
demographics1_info218.2
demographics1_title3Hispanic
demographics1_info38.9
demographics1_title4Asian
demographics1_info44.0
demographics1_title5Other
demographics1_info52.6
timezone1Eastern
utc_offset1−5
timezone1_DSTEDT
utc_offset1_DST−4
postal_code_typeZIP Code
postal_code11234
area_code_typeArea codes
area_code718, 347, 929, and 917
::

| name = Flatlands | official_name = | native_name = | native_name_lang = | other_name = | etymology = | settlement_type = Neighborhood of Brooklyn | image_skyline = Schenk-Crooke House2.jpg | imagesize = 300px | image_caption = Jans Martense Schenck house, Flatlands, built 1675, formerly at Avenue U and East 63rd Street | nickname = | motto = | mapsize = 250x200px | mapframe = yes | mapframe-zoom = 12 | mapframe-point = none | map_alt = | map_caption = Location in New York City | coordinates = | pushpin_map = | pushpin_map_caption = | subdivision_type = Country | subdivision_name = United States | subdivision_type1 = State | subdivision_name1 = New York | subdivision_type2 = City | subdivision_name2 = Flag of New York City.svg New York City | subdivision_type3 = Borough | subdivision_name3 = Flag of Brooklyn, New York.svg Brooklyn | subdivision_type4 = Community District | subdivision_name4 = Brooklyn 18 | established_title = | established_date = | seat_type = | seat = | parts_type = | parts_style = Default is list if up to 5 items, coll if more than 5-- | parts = | p1 = | government_footnotes = | government_type = | leader_title = | leader_name = | leader_title1 = | leader_name1 = | total_type = | unit_pref = Imperial | area_footnotes = | area_magnitude = | area_total_km2 = 5.9053 | area_land_km2 = | area_water_km2 =

| elevation_footnotes = tags-- | elevation_m = | elevation_ft = | elevation_min_m = | elevation_min_ft = | population_total = 64,762 | population_as_of = 2010 | population_footnotes = | population_density_km2 = auto | population_density_sq_mi = | population_note = | demographics_type1 = Ethnicity | demographics1_footnotes = | demographics1_title1 = Black | demographics1_info1 = 66.3% | demographics1_title2 = White | demographics1_info2 = 18.2 | demographics1_title3 = Hispanic | demographics1_info3 = 8.9 | demographics1_title4 = Asian | demographics1_info4 = 4.0 | demographics1_title5 = Other | demographics1_info5 = 2.6

| timezone1 = Eastern | utc_offset1 = −5 | timezone1_DST = EDT | utc_offset1_DST = −4 | postal_code_type = ZIP Code | postal_code = 11234 | area_code_type = Area codes | area_code = 718, 347, 929, and 917

Flatlands is a neighborhood in the southeast part of the borough of Brooklyn in New York City. The current neighborhood borders are roughly defined by the Bay Ridge Branch to the north, Avenue U to the south, Ralph Avenue to the east, and Flatbush Avenue to the southwest.

Originally an independent town, Flatlands became part of the City of Brooklyn in 1896.

Flatlands is part of Brooklyn Community District 18, and its primary ZIP Code is 11234. It is patrolled by the 63rd Precinct of the New York City Police Department. Politically it is represented by the New York City Council's 45th and 46th Districts.

History

Flatlands was originally known as Nieuw Amersfoort, after the Dutch city of Amersfoort, and was established as a farming community in 1636 when Wolfert Gerritse Van Couwenhoven and Andries Hudde purchased 15,000 acres of land centered on what is now the intersection of Kings Highway and Flatbush Avenue.

The land was ostensibly purchased from the Native Lenape people, who had lived near the fishing rich waters of Jamaica Bay for a thousand years. However, it is unlikely that the Lenape leaders, who did not practice the concept of land ownership, understood the agreement to which they were being conjoined. Rather, leaders such as Sachem Penhawitz more probably believed they were negotiating a treaty regarding the usage of the land. Wealthy Dutch land owners disagreed and within two generations, the once-powerful Canarsee tribe of the Lenape was brought to near extinction by bloody conflict with Europeans and other tribes, as well as the ravages of disease.

Flatlands was given the right to local rule in 1661 by Peter Stuyvesant as one of the five Dutch Towns on Long Island.

The town's growth and development came late, largely due to the lack of a transit system or set of roads connecting it with other parts of Brooklyn. Flatlands was annexed by the city of Brooklyn in 1896. At the time, it contained numerous small islands on Jamaica Bay, including Mill Island, Bergen Island, and Barren Island.

Land use

Crops typically grown in the area were beans, corn, marsh hay, squash, potato bean and tobacco. Oysters and clams were also farmed and harvested from Jamaica Bay, surrounding marshes and basins. The land-controlling families of Nieuw Amersfoort also kept black slaves to work their farms until the state declared emancipation of all slaves in 1827, after which black laborers took up farming jobs, many times on the farms they worked on as slaves.

Historic buildings

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e1/EuropeanBUilding1238a.jpg" caption="Colonial architectural details in Flatlands"] ::

Historic homes dated to the 18th century include the Stoothoff-Baxter-Kouwenhaven House and Joost Van Nuyse House.

Other historic structures are the Hendrick I. Lott House (East 36th Street between Fillmore Ave and Ave. S, built around 1720), which was a stop on the Underground Railroad, and the Flatlands Dutch Reformed Church, founded by Pieter Clausen Wycoff.

Demographics

Based on data from the 2010 United States census, the population of Flatlands was 64,762, a decrease of 1,964 (2.9%) from the 66,726 counted in 2000. Covering an area of 1249.32 acres, the neighborhood had a population density of 51.8 PD/acre.

The racial makeup of the neighborhood was 18.2% (11,793) White, 66.3% (42,935) African American, 0.2% (158) Native American, 4.0% (2,577) Asian, 0.0% (16) Pacific Islander, 0.5% (334) from other races, and 1.8% (1,196) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.9% (5,753) of the population.

The entirety of Community District 18, which comprises Canarsie and Flatlands, had 165,543 inhabitants as of NYC Health's 2018 Community Health Profile, with an average life expectancy of 82.0 years. This is slightly higher than the median life expectancy of 81.2 for all New York City neighborhoods. Most inhabitants are middle-aged adults and youth: 25% are between the ages of 0 and 17, 29% between 25 and 44, and 24% between 45 and 64. The ratio of college-aged and elderly residents was lower, at 9% and 13% respectively.

As of 2016, the median household income in Community District 18 was $76,647. In 2018, an estimated 15% of Community District 18 residents lived in poverty, compared to 21% in all of Brooklyn and 20% in all of New York City. One in eleven residents (9%) were unemployed, compared to 9% in the rest of both Brooklyn and New York City. Rent burden, or the percentage of residents who have difficulty paying their rent, is 50% in Community District 18, lower than the citywide and boroughwide rates of 52% and 51% respectively. Based on this calculation, , Community District 18 is considered to be high-income relative to the rest of the city and not gentrifying.

The 2020 census data from New York City Department of City Planning showed that there were 40,000+ Black residents, the White and Hispanic populations were each between 5,000 and 9,999 residents, and the Asian residents were less than 5000.

Shopping district

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/56/Flatlands_Av_East_20_-_Ave_N_End.jpg" caption="End of Avenue N at Flatlands Avenue"] ::

The main shopping streets in Flatlands are Utica Avenue, Flatbush Avenue, Avenue N, and Ralph Avenue. Residents also commonly shop at the nearby indoor mall, Kings Plaza, located at the border of Flatlands, Marine Park and Mill Basin. The mall is located in Mill Basin, just south of the subsection within the neighborhood called, Old Mill Basin.

Police and crime

Flatlands is patrolled by the New York City Police Department's 63rd Precinct. The precinct also covers Marine Park, Mill Basin, and Bergen Beach. The 63rd Precinct ranked 31st safest out of 69 patrol areas for per-capita crime in 2010. , with a non-fatal assault rate of 46 per 100,000 people, Community District 18's rate of violent crimes per capita is less than that of the city as a whole. The incarceration rate of 380 per 100,000 people is lower than that of the city as a whole.

The 63rd Precinct has a lower crime rate than in the 1990s, with crimes across all categories having decreased by 82.7% between 1990 and 2022. The precinct reported 1 murder, 10 rapes, 114 robberies, 170 felony assaults, 119 burglaries, 537 grand larcenies, and 135 grand larcenies auto in 2022.

Fire safety

The New York City Fire Department (FDNY)'s Engine Co. 309/Ladder Co. 159 is located at 1851 East 48th Street.

Health

Preterm births are more common in Community District 18 than in other places citywide, though births to teenage mothers are less common. In Community District 18, there were 89 preterm births per 1,000 live births (compared to 87 per 1,000 citywide), and 11.6 births to teenage mothers per 1,000 live births (compared to 19.3 per 1,000 citywide). Community District 18 has a relatively low population of residents who are uninsured, or who receive healthcare through Medicaid. In 2018, this population of uninsured residents was estimated to be 21%, which is higher than the citywide rate of 12%.

The concentration of fine particulate matter, the deadliest type of air pollutant, in Community District 18 is 0.0071 mg/m3, lower than the citywide and boroughwide averages. Fifteen percent of Community District 18 residents are smokers, which is slightly higher than the city average of 14% of residents being smokers. In Community District 18, 30% of residents are obese, 14% are diabetic, and 37% have high blood pressure—compared to the citywide averages of 24%, 11%, and 28% respectively. In addition, 21% of children are obese, compared to the citywide average of 20%.

Eighty-one percent of residents eat some fruits and vegetables every day, which is lower than the city's average of 87%. In 2018, 77% of residents described their health as "good", "very good", or "excellent", slightly less than the city's average of 78%. For every supermarket in Community District 18, there are 9 bodegas.

Post offices and ZIP Code

Flatlands is covered by ZIP Code 11234. The United States Post Office's Canarsie Station is located at 10201 Flatlands Avenue, while the Ryder Station is located at 2222 Flatbush Avenue.

Education

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f3/Flatlands_Av_East_22_-_PS_207_Annex.jpg" caption="PS 207 Annex"] ::

Community District 22 generally has a similar ratio of college-educated residents to the rest of the city . Though 40% of residents age 25 and older have a college education or higher, 13% have less than a high school education and 48% are high school graduates or have some college education. By contrast, 40% of Brooklynites and 38% of city residents have a college education or higher.

Community District 22's rate of elementary school student absenteeism is slightly lower than the rest of New York City.

Schools

Flatlands contains the following public elementary schools that serve grades PK-5 unless otherwise indicated:

  • PS 119 Amersfort
  • PS 203 Floyd Bennett
  • PS 251 Paerdegat
  • PS 326 (grades PK-2)

The following schools are located nearby:

  • PS 207 Elizabeth G Leary (grades PK-8), in Marine Park
  • PS 222 Katherine R Snyder (grades PK-5), in Marine Park
  • PS 236 Mill Basin (grades PK-5), in Mill Basin
  • PS 312 Bergen Beach (grades PK-5), in Bergen Beach
  • JHS 78 Roy H Mann (grades 6–8), in Bergen Beach
  • South Shore High School Education Complex
  • S.J. Tilden High School Education Campus
  • Brooklyn Theatre Arts High School (grades 9–12), in Canarsie

Libraries

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/42/BPL_Flatlands_Av_P_jeh.JPG" caption="Brooklyn Public Library, Flatlands branch"] ::

The Brooklyn Public Library (BPL) has two branches in Flatlands. The Flatlands branch is located at 2065 Flatbush Avenue near Avenue P. It was opened in a former Prudential Savings Bank branch in 1949, and moved to its current 6,000 ft2 space in 1955.

The Paerdegat branch is located at 850 East 59th Street near Paerdegat Avenue South. It opened in 1950 and moved to its current building in 1959.

Transportation

No New York City Subway service runs into Flatlands. Many residents live within walking distance of the IRT Nostrand Avenue Line (), however, which terminates at the junction of Flatbush and Nostrand Avenues; others use buses to get to the BMT Brighton Line () or the BMT Canarsie Line (). Local and express buses are also used as a means of travel in and around the area. , the buses that serve Flatlands are the .

Notable residents

References

Notes

Further reading

References

  1. "NYC Planning {{!}} Community Profiles". New York City Department of City Planning.
  2. Stiles, Henry Reed. (c. 2009). "A history of the city of Brooklyn : including the old towns of Brooklyn, Bushwick, and Williamsburgh". Applewood Books.
  3. "Narrows-Jamaica Bay, Brooklyn. - David Rumsey Historical Map Collection".
  4. {{cite brooklyn, p.79
  5. [http://www.nyc.gov/html/dc/downloads/pdf/brooklyn.pdf Current City Council Districts for Kings County] {{Webarchive. link. (January 31, 2017 , [[New York City]]. Accessed May 5, 2017.)
  6. "Flatlands Historic Hubbards Lane".
  7. {{NRISref
  8. [http://www1.nyc.gov/assets/planning/download/pdf/data-maps/nyc-population/census2010/t_pl_p5_nta.pdf Table PL-P5 NTA: Total Population and Persons Per Acre - New York City Neighborhood Tabulation Areas*, 2010] {{Webarchive. link. (June 10, 2016 , Population Division - [[New York City]] Department of City Planning, February 2012. Accessed June 14, 2016.)
  9. [http://www1.nyc.gov/assets/planning/download/pdf/data-maps/nyc-population/census2010/t_pl_p3a_nta.pdf Table PL-P3A NTA: Total Population by Mutually Exclusive Race and Hispanic Origin - New York City Neighborhood Tabulation Areas*, 2010] {{Webarchive. link. (June 10, 2016 , Population Division - [[New York City]] Department of City Planning, March 29, 2011. Accessed June 14, 2016.)
  10. (2018). "Flatlands and Canarsie (Including Bergen Beach, Canarsie, Flatlands, Georgetown, Marine Park and Mill Basin)". NYC Health.
  11. (2016). "2016-2018 Community Health Assessment and Community Health Improvement Plan: Take Care New York 2020". [[New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene]].
  12. (June 4, 2017). "New Yorkers are living longer, happier and healthier lives".
  13. "NYC-Brooklyn Community District 18--Canarsie & Flatlands PUMA, NY". Census Reporter.
  14. (August 2021). "Key Population & Housing Characteristics; 2020 Census Results for New York City". [[New York City Department of City Planning]].
  15. (August 14, 2021). "Map: Race and ethnicity across the US".
  16. "NYPD – 63rd Precinct". [[New York City Police Department]].
  17. "Flatlands – DNAinfo.com Crime and Safety Report".
  18. "63rd Precinct CompStat Report". [[New York City Police Department]].
  19. "Engine Company 309/Ladder Company 159".
  20. {{Cite FDNY locations
  21. [http://www.health.ny.gov/health_care/medicaid/redesign/dsrip/pps_applications/docs/maimonides_medical_center/3.8_maimonides_cna.pdf New York City Health Provider Partnership Brooklyn Community Needs Assessment: Final Report] {{Webarchive. link. (July 23, 2018 , [[New York Academy of Medicine]] (October 3, 2014).)
  22. (November 7, 2014). "NYC Neighborhood ZIP Code Definitions".
  23. "Location Details: Canarsie".
  24. "Location Details: Ryder".
  25. (2011). "Flatlands/Canarsie – BK 18". [[Furman Center for Real Estate and Urban Policy]].
  26. Zillow. "Flatlands New York School Ratings and Reviews".
  27. (December 19, 2018). "P.S. 119 Amersfort".
  28. (December 19, 2018). "P.S. 203 Floyd Bennett School".
  29. (December 19, 2018). "P.S. 251 Paerdegat".
  30. (December 19, 2018). "P.S. 326".
  31. (December 19, 2018). "P.S. 207 Elizabeth G. Leary".
  32. (December 19, 2018). "P.S. 222 Katherine R. Snyder".
  33. (December 19, 2018). "P.S. 236 Mill Basin".
  34. (December 19, 2018). "P.S. 312 Bergen Beach".
  35. (December 19, 2018). "J.H.S. 078 Roy H. Mann".
  36. (August 19, 2011). "Flatlands Library".
  37. (August 22, 2011). "Paerdegat Library".
  38. {{Cite NYC bus map. B
  39. link. (December 28, 2022 , p. 263. [[Balboa Press]], 2018. {{ISBN). 9781982200282. Accessed August 13, 2019. "Bogart (Neil Scott Bogatz) was born in the same neighborhood as Joe, Bruce and Eddie, and there was this connection that occurs whenever you meet a fellow Brooklynite. He grew up in the Glenwood housing projects in the Flatlands section of Brooklyn, the same area as Joe, Eddie and Bruce."
  40. 9781386305439. "But the Brooklyn faction had a crew that was even more violent, some were certifiable psychopaths, led by capo Roy DeMeo. Working out of the Flatlands section of Brooklyn, DeMeo, who was a trained butcher by trade, had taught his young proteges how to kill cleanly and efficiently."
  41. [[Selwyn Raab. Raab, Selwyn]]. [https://www.nytimes.com/1996/12/19/nyregion/reputed-new-gambino-boss-is-arrested.html "Reputed New Gambino Boss Is Arrested"] {{Webarchive. link. (August 13, 2019 , ''[[The New York Times]]'', December 19, 1996. Accessed August 13, 2019. "Another major defendant in the case is Leonard DiMaria, 55, who officials say is Mr. Corozzo's right-hand capo who recently took command of Mr. Corozzo's old Brooklyn crew. Mr. DiMaria was arrested by the F.B.I. at his home in Flatlands, Brooklyn.")
  42. [[Dave Anderson (sportswriter). Anderson, Dave]]. [https://www.nytimes.com/1985/03/16/sports/sports-of-the-times-the-mullins-live-a-family-fantasy.html "Sports Of The Times; The Mullins Live A Family Fantasy"] {{Webarchive. link. (August 13, 2019 , ''[[The New York Times]]'', March 16, 1985. Accessed August 13, 2019. "It's known as basketball, but it's really rimball. That's what the players shoot at - a rim, not a basket. Chris Mullin learned to shoot by aiming at the rim on the garage in the driveway of his Brooklyn home.... A rim is a rim is a rim - 18 inches in diameter. But the battered old rim on the Mullin garage is now a shrine in the Flatlands neighborhood.")

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flatlands,-brooklynneighborhoods-in-brooklynformer-towns-in-new-york-city1623-establishments-in-the-dutch-empire