Get to know East New York

Founded in the 1650s as the Town of New Lots, today’s East New York was annexed by the City of Brooklyn in 1886 before becoming part of New York City in 1898. You'd be correct if you guessed that East New York got its name because of its location — found farther east than any other neighborhood in Brooklyn. A merchant named John Pitkin wanted to signify the area as the eastern end of New York City, with the idea that it would rival and perhaps surpass Manhattan, and the name has stuck. While Pitkin’s plans never came to fruition in his time, the modern East New York is being revitalized, unconcerned with whatever is happening on the NYC “mainland.” Various new developments continue to grow, pointing the way forward for East New York’s future.

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East New York Commerce & Culture

East New York is eminently enormous. It shares an eastern border with several Queens neighborhoods and, if you include Cypress Hills in its area, also brushes up against Queens to the north. The boundaries extend south down to Shirley Chisholm State Park and Jamaica Bay. Luckily, several forms of public transportation running through East New York — including at the hub of Broadway Junction — make it easy to get from point to point inside and out. Given its size, it should be no surprise that East New York has several major commercial strips, including along Atlantic Avenue up north and Gateway Center down south. Fresh Creek Nature Preserve is a secluded stronghold of wildlife, providing a glimpse of how the entire area would have looked before the founding of Brooklyn across over 42 acres of salt marsh. Several community gardens and urban farms continue the creep of nature back into city life.