Brooklyn avenues, Lettered A-Z
Encyclopedia
This article provides details of the lettered avenues in the flat south central portion of New York City
borough
of Brooklyn
. Improved public transport brought urban sprawl
to this area in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, after the hilly areas to its west and north had already been developed. The avenues are oriented east to west and unless specified have two traffic lanes, carrying two-way traffic. Route descriptions are given west to east. Avenue J and the majority of those north of there have their west end at Dahill Road. Avenue P and the majority of those south of there have their west end at Stillwell Avenue
. Most of the north/south cross streets in this grid are numbered, with the word "East" preceding, for example "East 3rd Street". There is no Avenue E nor Avenue G.
.
In 1897, at the request of developers, the City of Brooklyn renamed several streets in what is now known as Prospect Park South
. Among these are Avenues A and B, and five numbered streets which cross them. Avenue A was renamed Albemarle Road, and a portion of Avenue B between Coney Island Avenue
and Flatbush Avenue was renamed Beverley Road.
After Brooklyn was annexed into the City of New York
, three more segments of Avenue B, namely between Church Avenue and Coney Island Avenue, between Flatbush Avenue and Brooklyn Avenue, and between Schenectady Avenue and Ralph Avenue, were renamed with an Americanized spelling: Beverly Road. This explains the spelling discrepancy between the two subway stations along what was once known as Avenue B: the Beverley Road station
on the BMT Brighton Line, and the Beverly Road station
on the IRT Nostrand Avenue line.
The portion of Avenue B east of Ralph Avenue was not given the name in order to compliment an Avenue A which is distinct from what is now known as Albemarle Road.
and is less than a mile long. Cortelyou Road, which is one block south, can be easily confused with Avenue C, since Cortelyou starts with the letter "C".
. Nearby Ditmas Avenue and Dorchester Road are commonly associated with Avenue D, since Ditmas and Dorchester start with the letter "D".
lies between these avenues for most of their length. Avenue H is interrupted by the campus of Brooklyn College
.
and Flatlands
. It begins at Dahill Road and runs to Ralph Avenue in Georgetown, just short of Paerdegat Basin. It resumes across the water in Canarsie and runs from East 80th Street to East 108th Street. The house numbers increase from west to east.
in Midwood. It gets interrupted with a brief concurrency
along Flatbush Avenue. It then runs to Bergen Avenue in Bergen Beach, where it is interrupted by Paerdegat Basin. It resumes across the water in Canarsie and runs from East 80th Street to East 108th Street. The house numbers increase from west to east.
. The house numbers increase from west to east.
Avenue M starts at Dahill Road in Mapleton
. It gets interrupted at Flatlands Avenue, resumes at Flatbush Avenue and is juxtaposed to the south at Ralph Avenue, from which it runs as a two-way street to Bergen Avenue along Paedergat Basin. Across the water, it resumes at East 80th Street in Canarsie and runs to its terminus at East 108th Street. The house numbers increase from west to east. Avenue M is a one-way street westbound from Ralph Avenue to Flatbush Avenue.
. It gets interrupted when intersecting 65th Street. It then picks up again at Dahill Road in Mapleton
. It becomes a one way street with traffic flowing from east to west, between Coney Island Avenue and Kings Highway (its eastern terminus).
and its eastern terminus at Flatbush Avenue in Marine Park. It gets interrupted at Kings Highway and again with a short concurrency along Nostrand Avenue.
and Q
trains. In Marine Park, the street has a short concurrency along Nostrand Avenue. It then continues towards its eastern terminus at Flatbush Avenue and East 45th Street. After World War II
, Avenue Q was renamed Quentin Road. It was named after Theodore Roosevelt
's youngest son, Quentin Roosevelt
, who was shot down in France behind enemy lines. The Broadway show named after the street
is about a college graduate who comes to New York City with big dreams and a small amount of money. He soon discovers that the only neighborhood in his price range is Avenue Q. The set of Avenue Q depicts several tenements on a rundown fictional street located in New York City in a borough other than Manhattan. The authors have stated that Avenue Q is fictional and is not related to this or any other particular street in Brooklyn.
, between East 7th Street and Coney Island Avenue. In Marine Park, the street has a brief concurrency along Gerritsen Avenue. It then continues towards its eastern terminus at Flatbush Avenue and Avenue O in Marine Park.
, and then Avenue S continues from East 32nd Street and Avenue T continues from East 33rd Street. Avenue S has its eastern terminus at Avenue T. From here, Avenue T resumes until its eastern terminus at Bergen Avenue in Bergen Beach.
tracks. It resumes its path opposite the tracks at a dead end west of West 7th Street and runs to Van Sicklen Street. The third segment takes Avenue V from Gravesend Neck Road east of East 1st Street to Burnett Street at Marine Park. Over the course of the third segment, the traffic pattern of Avenue V changes four times. From Gravesend Neck Road to Ocean Avenue the avenue serves two-way traffic on two lanes; after Ocean Avenue, traffic travels one way westbound on two lanes until Gravesend Neck Road. East of Gravesend Neck Road, traffic travels one way eastbound on two lanes until Nostrand Avenue, where traffic once again resumes its regular pattern, ending at Burnett Street. The fourth segment of Avenue V begins on the other side of Marine Park at East 38th Street and runs till Flatbush Avenue. The final segment begins some distance away in Bergen Beach, just east of a dead end at Mill Basin
and terminates at Bergen Avenue.
. The easternmost segment begins some distance away in Bergen Beach, across several creeks and two neighborhoods. This last stretch runs from a dead end just east of Mill Basin to Bergen Avenue.
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
borough
Borough
A borough is an administrative division in various countries. In principle, the term borough designates a self-governing township although, in practice, official use of the term varies widely....
of Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
. Improved public transport brought urban sprawl
Urban sprawl
Urban sprawl, also known as suburban sprawl, is a multifaceted concept, which includes the spreading outwards of a city and its suburbs to its outskirts to low-density and auto-dependent development on rural land, high segregation of uses Urban sprawl, also known as suburban sprawl, is a...
to this area in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, after the hilly areas to its west and north had already been developed. The avenues are oriented east to west and unless specified have two traffic lanes, carrying two-way traffic. Route descriptions are given west to east. Avenue J and the majority of those north of there have their west end at Dahill Road. Avenue P and the majority of those south of there have their west end at Stillwell Avenue
Stillwell Avenue
Stillwell Avenue is a major north/south thoroughfare in southern Brooklyn and the central section of Coney Island. It is 2.4 miles long and begins at a dead end on Coney Island. Traffic is two way. The road goes north, leaving Coney Island, ending at Bay Parkway, where the road continues as the...
. Most of the north/south cross streets in this grid are numbered, with the word "East" preceding, for example "East 3rd Street". There is no Avenue E nor Avenue G.
Avenues A & B
These are less than a mile long, in northern CanarsieCanarsie, Brooklyn
Canarsie is a neighborhood in the southeastern portion of the borough of Brooklyn, in New York City, United States. The area is part of Brooklyn Community Board 18....
.
In 1897, at the request of developers, the City of Brooklyn renamed several streets in what is now known as Prospect Park South
Prospect Park South, Brooklyn
Prospect Park South is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, within the community of Flatbush. It is bordered by Church Avenue to the north, the Brighton Line of the New York City Subway to the east, Beverley Road to the south, and between Stratford Road and Coney Island Avenue...
. Among these are Avenues A and B, and five numbered streets which cross them. Avenue A was renamed Albemarle Road, and a portion of Avenue B between Coney Island Avenue
Coney Island Avenue
Coney Island Avenue is a roadway in the New York City borough of Brooklyn that runs north-south for a distance of roughly five miles, almost parallel to Ocean Parkway. It begins at Brighton Beach Avenue in Coney Island and goes north to Park Circle at the southwest corner of Prospect Park, where...
and Flatbush Avenue was renamed Beverley Road.
After Brooklyn was annexed into the City of New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, three more segments of Avenue B, namely between Church Avenue and Coney Island Avenue, between Flatbush Avenue and Brooklyn Avenue, and between Schenectady Avenue and Ralph Avenue, were renamed with an Americanized spelling: Beverly Road. This explains the spelling discrepancy between the two subway stations along what was once known as Avenue B: the Beverley Road station
Beverley Road (BMT Brighton Line)
Beverley Road is a local station on the BMT Brighton Line of the New York City Subway. It is located over a private right-of-way at Beverley Road between Marlborough Road and East 16th Street in the neighborhood of Flatbush, Brooklyn...
on the BMT Brighton Line, and the Beverly Road station
Beverly Road (IRT Nostrand Avenue Line)
The Beverly Road station on the IRT Nostrand Avenue Line of the New York City Subway. Located at Beverly Road and Nostrand Avenue in Flatbush, Brooklyn, it is served by the 2 train at all times and the 5 train on weekdays....
on the IRT Nostrand Avenue line.
The portion of Avenue B east of Ralph Avenue was not given the name in order to compliment an Avenue A which is distinct from what is now known as Albemarle Road.
Avenue C
Avenue C is located in KensingtonKensington, Brooklyn
Kensington is a neighborhood in the center of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. It is the area south of Prospect Park and the Green-Wood Cemetery. It is bordered by Coney Island Avenue to the east, Fort Hamilton Parkway and Caton Avenue to the north, McDonald Avenue and 37th Street to the...
and is less than a mile long. Cortelyou Road, which is one block south, can be easily confused with Avenue C, since Cortelyou starts with the letter "C".
Avenue D
Over a mile in length, Avenue D is located in the southern part of FlatbushFlatbush, 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 ....
. Nearby Ditmas Avenue and Dorchester Road are commonly associated with Avenue D, since Ditmas and Dorchester start with the letter "D".
Avenue F
Located in the southern part of Kensington, Avenue F is less than a mile long. It is commonly confused with nearby Foster Avenue and Farragut Road, since Foster and Farragut begin with the letter "F".Avenues H & I
The Bay Ridge BranchBay Ridge Branch
The Bay Ridge Branch is a rail line owned by the Long Island Rail Road and operated by the New York and Atlantic Railway in the U.S. State of New York...
lies between these avenues for most of their length. Avenue H is interrupted by the campus of Brooklyn College
Brooklyn College
Brooklyn College is a senior college of the City University of New York, located in Brooklyn, New York, United States.Established in 1930 by the New York City Board of Higher Education, the College had its beginnings as the Downtown Brooklyn branches of Hunter College and the City College of New...
.
Avenue J
Avenue J travels through the neighborhoods of MidwoodMidwood, Brooklyn
Midwood is a neighborhood in the south central part of the New York City borough of Brooklyn, New York, USA, roughly halfway between Prospect Park and Coney Island. The neighborhood is within Community District 14...
and Flatlands
Flatlands, Brooklyn
Flatlands is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The area is part of Brooklyn Community Board 18.One of the original five Dutch towns on Long Island , this neighborhood was originally known as Nieuw Amersfoort, after the Dutch city of Amersfoort, but the name was changed to...
. It begins at Dahill Road and runs to Ralph Avenue in Georgetown, just short of Paerdegat Basin. It resumes across the water in Canarsie and runs from East 80th Street to East 108th Street. The house numbers increase from west to east.
Avenue K
Avenue K starts off its western terminus at Ocean ParkwayOcean Parkway (Brooklyn)
Ocean Parkway is a broad boulevard in the west central portion of the borough of Brooklyn in New York City.-Route description:Ocean Parkway extends over a distance of about five miles , running almost north to south from the vicinity of Prospect Park to Brighton Beach...
in Midwood. It gets interrupted with a brief concurrency
Concurrency (road)
A concurrency, overlap, or coincidence in a road network is an instance of one physical road bearing two or more different highway, motorway, or other route numbers...
along Flatbush Avenue. It then runs to Bergen Avenue in Bergen Beach, where it is interrupted by Paerdegat Basin. It resumes across the water in Canarsie and runs from East 80th Street to East 108th Street. The house numbers increase from west to east.
Avenues L & M
Avenue L starts off at its western terminus at East 4th Street in Midwood and continues to Flatbush Avenue in Flatlands. It resumes at East 41st Street and Troy Avenue and continues as a one-way street going from west to east to Ralph Avenue, where it becomes a two-way street again until its eastern terminus at Bergen Avenue in Bergen BeachBergen Beach, Brooklyn
Bergen Beach is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The area is part of Brooklyn Community Board 18.What is now Bergen Beach was an island off the coast of Canarsie that was connected to the mainland in the early 1900s using landfill....
. The house numbers increase from west to east.
Avenue M starts at Dahill Road in Mapleton
Mapleton, Brooklyn
Mapleton is a neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York City. Mapleton is sometimes mixed up with Bensonhurst or Borough Park According to the website of Public School 48, The Mapleton School, the area was originally part of Borough Park and developed around 1913-1919...
. It gets interrupted at Flatlands Avenue, resumes at Flatbush Avenue and is juxtaposed to the south at Ralph Avenue, from which it runs as a two-way street to Bergen Avenue along Paedergat Basin. Across the water, it resumes at East 80th Street in Canarsie and runs to its terminus at East 108th Street. The house numbers increase from west to east. Avenue M is a one-way street westbound from Ralph Avenue to Flatbush Avenue.
Avenue N
Avenue N begins its western terminus at McDonald Avenue. It continues to Ocean Parkway and becomes a one way street with traffic flowing from west to east. It becomes interrupted when intersecting East 35th Street in Marine Park. Avenue N starts up again from an intersection at Flatbush Avenue, continuing east towards Bergen Beach. In this neighborhood, Avenue N branches off Veterans Avenue, traveling northeast. Avenue N ends at Royce Street in Bergen Beach, continuing as Cove Lane, until intersecting Bergen Avenue, along Paedergat Basin. Across the water, Avenue N resumes at East 80th Street and runs to its terminus at East 108th Street and the East Mill Basin.Avenue O
Avenue O begins its western terminus at Bay Parkway in BensonhurstBensonhurst, Brooklyn
Bensonhurst is a neighborhood located in the southwestern part of the New York City borough of Brooklyn.-Geography:Sometimes erroneously thought to include all or parts of such neighborhoods as Bath Beach, Dyker Heights, and Borough Park, or to be defined by the streets where the concentration of...
. It gets interrupted when intersecting 65th Street. It then picks up again at Dahill Road in Mapleton
Mapleton, Brooklyn
Mapleton is a neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York City. Mapleton is sometimes mixed up with Bensonhurst or Borough Park According to the website of Public School 48, The Mapleton School, the area was originally part of Borough Park and developed around 1913-1919...
. It becomes a one way street with traffic flowing from east to west, between Coney Island Avenue and Kings Highway (its eastern terminus).
Avenue P
Avenue P is four lanes wide, with its western terminus at Bay Parkway in GravesendGravesend, Brooklyn
Gravesend is a neighborhood in the south-central section of the New York City borough of Brooklyn, USA.The derivation of the name is unclear. Some speculate that it was named after the English seaport of Gravesend, Kent. An alternative explanation suggests that it was named by Willem Kieft for the...
and its eastern terminus at Flatbush Avenue in Marine Park. It gets interrupted at Kings Highway and again with a short concurrency along Nostrand Avenue.
Quentin Road (Avenue Q)
Avenue Q, which is currently signed as Quentin Road, stretches from its western terminus at Stillwell Avenue in Gravesend to its eastern terminus at Flatbush Avenue in Marine Park. The street gets interrupted by Kings Highway in Midwood from East 13th Street to East 16th Street. It then continues from East 16 Street, which is parallel to the railroad tracks for the BB (New York City Subway service)
The B Sixth Avenue Express is a rapid transit service of the New York City Subway. It is colored orange on route signs, station signs, and the official subway map, since it runs over the IND Sixth Avenue Line in Manhattan....
and Q
Q (New York City Subway service)
The Q Broadway Express is a service of the New York City Subway. It is colored yellow on the route sign, on station signs and the official subway map, as it represents a service provided on the BMT Broadway Line through Manhattan....
trains. In Marine Park, the street has a short concurrency along Nostrand Avenue. It then continues towards its eastern terminus at Flatbush Avenue and East 45th Street. After World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Avenue Q was renamed Quentin Road. It was named after Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...
's youngest son, Quentin Roosevelt
Quentin Roosevelt
Quentin Roosevelt was the youngest and favorite son of President Theodore Roosevelt. Family and friends agreed that Quentin had many of his father's positive qualities and few of the negative ones. Inspired by his father and siblings, he joined the United States Army Air Service where he became a...
, who was shot down in France behind enemy lines. The Broadway show named after the street
Avenue Q
Avenue Q is a musical in two acts, conceived by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx, who wrote the music and lyrics. The book was written by Jeff Whitty and the show was directed by Jason Moore and produced by Kevin McCollum, Robyn Goodman, and Jeffrey Seller...
is about a college graduate who comes to New York City with big dreams and a small amount of money. He soon discovers that the only neighborhood in his price range is Avenue Q. The set of Avenue Q depicts several tenements on a rundown fictional street located in New York City in a borough other than Manhattan. The authors have stated that Avenue Q is fictional and is not related to this or any other particular street in Brooklyn.
Avenue R
Avenue R begins its western terminus at Kings Highway and East 5th Street in Gravesend. In Gravesend, Avenue R has a medianCentral reservation
On divided roads, such as divided highways or freeways/motorways, the central reservation , median, parkway , median strip or central nature strip is the area which separates opposing lanes of traffic...
, between East 7th Street and Coney Island Avenue. In Marine Park, the street has a brief concurrency along Gerritsen Avenue. It then continues towards its eastern terminus at Flatbush Avenue and Avenue O in Marine Park.
Avenues S & T
These avenues begin their western terminus at Stillwell Avenue in Gravesend and continue until an intersection with Stuart Street in Marine Park. They get interrupted by Marine ParkMarine Park, Brooklyn
Marine Park is a public park located in the borough of Brooklyn in New York City. Its 798 acres surround the westernmost inlet of Jamaica Bay. Most of the land for Marine Park, Brooklyn was donated to New York City to be turned into public park land by the Whitney family in 1920 and by Frederic B....
, and then Avenue S continues from East 32nd Street and Avenue T continues from East 33rd Street. Avenue S has its eastern terminus at Avenue T. From here, Avenue T resumes until its eastern terminus at Bergen Avenue in Bergen Beach.
Avenue V
Avenue V exists in five segments. The first segment runs from Stillwell Avenue to West 8th Street, where its route is blocked by the BMT Sea Beach LineBMT Sea Beach Line
The BMT Sea Beach Line is a rapid transit line of the BMT division of the New York City Subway, connecting the BMT Fourth Avenue Line subway at 59th Street via a four-track wide open cut to Coney Island in Brooklyn...
tracks. It resumes its path opposite the tracks at a dead end west of West 7th Street and runs to Van Sicklen Street. The third segment takes Avenue V from Gravesend Neck Road east of East 1st Street to Burnett Street at Marine Park. Over the course of the third segment, the traffic pattern of Avenue V changes four times. From Gravesend Neck Road to Ocean Avenue the avenue serves two-way traffic on two lanes; after Ocean Avenue, traffic travels one way westbound on two lanes until Gravesend Neck Road. East of Gravesend Neck Road, traffic travels one way eastbound on two lanes until Nostrand Avenue, where traffic once again resumes its regular pattern, ending at Burnett Street. The fourth segment of Avenue V begins on the other side of Marine Park at East 38th Street and runs till Flatbush Avenue. The final segment begins some distance away in Bergen Beach, just east of a dead end at Mill Basin
Mill Basin, Brooklyn
Mill Basin is a neighborhood in New York City in the southern portion of the borough of Brooklyn lying along Jamaica Bay and bounded to the north by Avenue U, and to the east, south, and west by the Mill Basin/Mill Island Inlet...
and terminates at Bergen Avenue.
Avenue W
Avenue W exists in four segments. The first segment runs from Stillwell Avenue to West 11th Street, where its path is impeded by a public housing project. Its second segment runs from West 7th Street to its intersection with Sheepshead Bay Road and Gravesend Neck Road. During the second segment, traffic patterns on the road change four times. From West 7th Street one block east to 86th Street, traffic travels one way on one lane westbound. On the block between 86th Street and West 6th Street traffic travels two ways on two lanes. On the block between West 6th Street and Van Sicklen Street, traffic travels one way on one lane eastbound. Finally, from Van Sicklen Street to the end of its second segment, traffic on Avenue W travels two ways on two lanes. The third segment runs from East 16th Street to Gerritsen Avenue. The fourth segment begins some distance away in Bergen Beach, across several creeks and two neighborhoods. This last stretch runs from a dead end just east of Mill Basin to Bergen Avenue.Avenue X
Avenue X exists in four segments. The westernmost segment is served by a Culver Line station. It runs from Stillwell Avenue to West 8th Street, where its path is interrupted by the Coney Island Yards. The second segment begins at a dead end at Boynton Place just east of the yards and continues to another dead end just east of East 15th Street at the BMT Brighton Beach Line. Avenue X once again resumes its course opposite the train tracks at East 16th Street and ends at Knapp StreetKnapp Street
Knapp Street is a major street in the Sheepshead Bay neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. It runs north to south, with its northern terminus at Gerritsen Avenue in Marine Park, and its southern terminus at Emmons Avenue in Sheepshead Bay. Knapp Street has an interchange with the Belt Parkway at...
. The easternmost segment begins some distance away in Bergen Beach, across several creeks and two neighborhoods. This last stretch runs from a dead end just east of Mill Basin to Bergen Avenue.