queens v. brooklyn... help (Benson: apartments, rental, safe neighborhoods)

[synapseed]

Hi. HELP!
I'm currently living in chicago very very seriously considering moving to NYC. it's worked its magic on me and i fell in love with it. every time i've been in new york i'm energized & inspired by the pace of the city, and the diversity, the culture, its crazies, its general additude, the people. the list goes on.

i'm interested in living in the burroughs, since the "city" itself is not in my price range eventually that would be amazing, but not possible now. Rent ranges and cost of living in chicago are starting to match ny prices in the burroughs (i work at an apartment finding service here, so i see it happening first hand) so the expense wouldn't be as much of a shock to me. it's just a matter of finding an affordable-ish area that doesn't land you in the middle of a gang war or crack flop-house.

i have friends in both queens and brooklyn and have visited & stayed in both & enjoy many aspects of both. my friends are totally biased about their burrough. i could use an outside opinion here & some insight on some areas to consider in either or both burroughs that aren't too from the city, which is where i'll probably end up working. i'm used to a 45 minute commute or biking everywhere. safety as a single woman is a priority, but i don't want to break the bank. no matter where you go i know you have to be aware of your surroundings, but i don't feel like needlessly stacking the deck against myself.

please help! any insights would be really appreciated.
thanks in advance

[mead]

Do you have a price range? Brooklyn is currently all over the map, even within the perfectly safe neighborhoods. You can find everything from $2000+ 1br in Brooklyn Heights, Williamsburg, & Park Slope down to $1,000 or less for a 1br in areas like Bensonhurst and Gravesend. The same thing applies to Queens.

Rental prices aren't always reflective of the safety of a neighborhood (although they can be). Generally the rental price is more of a reflection of the ease of the commute into Manhattan.

[synapseed]

I would like to spend around $7-800, so I'm kind of curious if that is a realistic expectation (meaning 800 each, not total) for a 2 bed. I am definitely ok with having a roommate, and kind of planned on that for the first year until i got more established. If I could find something less than that, great.

On another note, I noticed that a few people I know have railroad style apartments (have to walk through your roommates room in order to get to your own). Did they just find really awkwardly & crappily laid out apartments, or is that common? In all of the apartments I've seen in Chicago, and I've seen many doozies, I have never run across this kind of craziness.

So far it looks like brooklyn in winning in the poll.... why is that?

[SilkCity0416]

Both Brooklyn and Queens are great. It is just what you want personally. Brooklyn feels like a city in itself ( it was a city before 1898 unlike Queens which was, and to a degree, a county). I live in Queens, and most people see it a nothing more than a suburb. However, this is not the case all the time. The parts of Queens that are closer to Manhattan ( LIC, Astoria, Jackson Heights, etc) are urban while if you're away from Manhattan, and more importanly, away from a subway line, Queens can be quite suburban. (like Bayside, Whitestone, Cambria Heights, etc) With that price range of 7-$800, it is tough to find an apartment like that. I guess you can have a roomie.

[synapseed]

i meant 7-800 as my portion of the rent, so about 1600 for a 2 bed.

[mead]

Yeah $1,600 for a 2br is definitely doable in most neighborhoods. Where do you plan on working, as this can affect where you should look at apartments in Brooklyn and Queens.

[CrazyJerzyKidUNO]

1,600 is definatley doable. The only places I would think you might have a problem doing that is in Brooklyn Heights. Very very expensive neighborhood and always has been. In Queens you pretty much can find any neighborhood with prices like that. Maybe just maybe not Long Island City but if you can find a place in Long Island City than living in Manhattan might not even be something you want to do. LIC is about a 5 minute train ride into Manhattan and when compared to the city is much cheaper.

[synapseed]

a few neighborhoods in queens i was told i should check out: woodside, astoria & sunnyside
in brooklyn: flatbush.. and that's about it
any ideas on some more neighborhoods?
oh- and as far as the jobs go, i don't know where yet.

[baby_firefly]

if i had to pick between the 2 i'd go with queens its safer and nicer
also check out the bronx in the vancortland/riverdale section woodlawn or city island these are the nicer sections

[betheroonie]

Queens. Queeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeens!!!!!!!