East Williamsburg is a name for the area in the northwestern portion of the borough

Borough (New York City)

New York City, one of the largest cities in the world, is composed of five boroughs. Each borough now has the same boundaries as the county it is in. County governments were dissolved when the city consolidated in 1898, along with all city, town, and village governments within each county...

 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...

 in New York City

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...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, which lies between Williamsburg

Williamsburg, Brooklyn

Williamsburg is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, bordering Greenpoint to the north, Bedford-Stuyvesant to the south, Bushwick to the east and the East River to the west. The neighborhood is part of Brooklyn Community Board 1. The neighborhood is served by the NYPD's 90th ...

, Greenpoint

Greenpoint, Brooklyn

Greenpoint is the northernmost neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. It is bordered on the southwest by Williamsburg at the Bushwick inlet, on the southeast by the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway and East Williamsburg, on the north by Newtown Creek and Long Island City, Queens at the...

, and Bushwick

Bushwick, Brooklyn

Bushwick is a neighborhood in the northern part of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood, formerly Brooklyn's 18th Ward, is now part of Brooklyn Community Board 4...

. Much of this area has been and still is referred to as either Bushwick, Williamsburg, or Greenpoint with the term East Williamsburg falling out of use until the 1990s. East Williamsburg consists roughly of what was the 3rd District of the Village of Williamsburg and what is now called the East Williamsburg In-Place Industrial Park (EWIPIP), bounded by the neighborhoods of Northside

Northside

Northside or North Side may refer to:Music:* Northside , a musical group from Manchester, England* NorthSide, an American record labelPlaces:* North Side, California, former name of Oildale, California, United States...

 and Southside

Southside

-United Kingdom:* South Side, County Durham, a village in the County Durham, England* Southside Wandsworth, a shopping centre in Wandsworth, South London.* South London, the area of London south of the River Thames....

 Williamsburg

Williamsburg, Brooklyn

Williamsburg is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, bordering Greenpoint to the north, Bedford-Stuyvesant to the south, Bushwick to the east and the East River to the west. The neighborhood is part of Brooklyn Community Board 1. The neighborhood is served by the NYPD's 90th ...

 to the west, Greenpoint

Greenpoint, Brooklyn

Greenpoint is the northernmost neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. It is bordered on the southwest by Williamsburg at the Bushwick inlet, on the southeast by the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway and East Williamsburg, on the north by Newtown Creek and Long Island City, Queens at the...

 to the north, Bushwick

Bushwick, Brooklyn

Bushwick is a neighborhood in the northern part of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood, formerly Brooklyn's 18th Ward, is now part of Brooklyn Community Board 4...

 to the south and southeast, and both Maspeth

Maspeth, Queens

Maspeth is a small community in the borough of Queens in New York City. Neighborhoods sharing borders with Maspeth are Woodside and Sunnyside to the north, Long Island City to the northwest, Greenpoint to the west, East Williamsburg to the southwest, Fresh Pond and Ridgewood to the south, and...

 and Ridgewood

Ridgewood, Queens

Ridgewood is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens. It borders the neighborhoods of Maspeth, Middle Village and Glendale, as well as the Brooklyn neighborhood of Bushwick. Historically, the neighborhood straddled the Queens-Brooklyn boundary. The neighborhood is part of Queens...

 in Queens

Queens

Queens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....

 to the east.

Although the City of New York recognizes East Williamsburg as a neighborhood, there are no official boundaries to East Williamsburg since the City only officially delineates Community Districts and Boroughs, not neighborhoods.

Cripplebush

In the 18th century, Bushwick was already an established town, and the waterfront area that provided ferry service to the island of Manhattan was simply known as Bushwick Shore. The land of scrub bush that stood between Bushwick Shore and the town of Bushwick was known as Cripplebush. During the Revolutionary War occupation of the area by the British, the land was cleared, with the wood of the thickets being used for fuel. In 1800, Richard M. Woodhull purchased the waterfront property and laid out a settlement, naming it Williamsburgh after his friend and surveyor Colonel Jonathan Williams

Jonathan Williams (engineer)

Jonathan Williams , American businessman, military figure, politician and writer.Williams was born in Boston, Massachusetts. He was a grandnephew of Benjamin Franklin...

. Williamsburgh was incorporated as a village in 1827 (as a part of the town of Bushwick), and included 26 streets running East to West and 12 streets east of the shore line running North to South.

The Third District of the Village of Williamsburg

On April 18, 1835, the village of Williamsburg was extended eastward to Bushwick Avenue and to Flushing Avenue on the Southeast (then known as Newtown Road). The region that is now circumscribed on the west by Union Ave, on the south by Broadway, then along Flushing Avenue to Bushwick Avenue on the east and on the north (approximately) by the Newtown Creek

Newtown Creek

Newtown Creek is a estuary that forms part of the border between the boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens, in New York City, New York, United States. It derives its name from New Town , which was the name for the Dutch and British settlement in what is now Elmhurst, Queens...

 was designated as the Third District of the Village of Williamsburg in 1835. At this time, the three districts of Williamsburg were more commonly known as the North Side, South Side, and the New Village. The names "North Side" and "South Side" remain in common usage today, but the name for the Third District has changed often. The New Village became populated by Germans and for a time was known by the sobriquet of "Dutchtown". In 1844, Williamsburg separated from the Town of Bushwick and became the Town and Village of Williamsburg. Parts of the Third District were known as "Irish Town" and "The Green" during the latter half of the 19th century.

Ward 15 and Ward 16 of the City of Brooklyn

In 1854, Williamsburg was incorporated into the City of Brooklyn, which was one of the original six Dutch Townships of western Long Island. Upon consolidation with Brooklyn in 1854, Districts one (North Side) and two (South Side) became, respectively, Wards 14 and 13 of the City of Brooklyn. The third District was split and became Wards 15 and 16 of the City of Brooklyn. Ward 15 was the section north of Ten Eyck Street, between Union Avenue and Bushwick Avenue, with the addition of the portion of Ainslie, Grand, Hope, and South Second Streets between west of Union Avenue and east of Rodney Street. Ward 16 was the section south of Ten Eyck Street, bounded by Broadway, Flushing Avenue, and Bushwick Avenue.

Present Day Districting

As of 2009, New York City

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...

 is divided into 5 boroughs, 59 community districts, and hundreds of neighborhoods. The neighborhood called East Williamsburg is listed in the nyc.gov website as a part of Brooklyn Community District 1

Brooklyn Community Board 1

Brooklyn Community Board 1 is a local governmental body in the New York City borough of Brooklyn that encompasses the neighborhoods of Williamsburg and Greenpoint. It is delimited by the Newtown Creek and Queens Borough line on the east, Flushing and Kent Avenue on the south, as well as by the...

, which comprises Greenpoint, North Side Williamsburg, South Side Williamsburg, and East Williamsburg. It is circumscribed (in a counterclockwise manner) by the East River, Kent Avenue, Flushing Avenue, and the Queens County border (which is for the most part, the Newtown Creek). Bushwick is Brooklyn Community District 4

Brooklyn Community Board 4

Brooklyn Community Board 4 is a local governmental body in the New York City borough of Brooklyn that encompasses the neighborhood of Bushwick. It is delimited by Broadway on the west, Flushing Avenue on the north, the Queens Borough line and Vermont Avenue on the east, as well as by Highland...

.

Different parts of the East Williamsburg section are served by different post offices. Addresses with zip code 11211 are served by the Williamsburg Post Office at 263 S 4th Street. Addresses with 11206 zip code are served by the Metropolitan-Bushwick Post Office at 47 Debevoise Street. Addresses with zip code 11222 are served by the Greenpoint Post Office at 66 Meserole Avenue. Addresses with zip code 11237 are served by the Wyckoff Heights-Bushwick Post Office at 86 Wyckoff Avenue.

Neighborhoods and communities of East Williamsburg

There are several different communities and neighborhoods within the East Williamsburg section of Brooklyn. Since the late 19th century, most of the immigrants to this section have come from Italy or from Puerto Rico and other Latin American countries. Graham Ave (also known as Avenue of Puerto Rico to the South and Via Vespucci to the North), Grand Street, and Metropolitan Avenue are the main shopping districts. There are several public housing

Public housing

Public housing is a form of housing tenure in which the property is owned by a government authority, which may be central or local. Social housing is an umbrella term referring to rental housing which may be owned and managed by the state, by non-profit organizations, or by a combination of the...

 projects in East Williamsburg, including the Williamsburg Houses

Williamsburg Houses

The Williamsburg Houses, originally called the Ten Eyck Houses, is a New York City Housing Authority development in the Williamsburg, Brooklyn neighborhood, New York City, New York....

, Borinquen Plaza Houses, Cooper Park Houses, John Francis Hylan Houses,and the Bushwick Houses. A large industrial park, the East Williamsburg Industrial Park (EWIP), stands in eastern portion of East Williamsburg.

East Williamsburg is well served by the New York City Subway

New York City Subway

The New York City Subway is a rapid transit system owned by the City of New York and leased to the New York City Transit Authority, a subsidiary agency of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and also known as MTA New York City Transit...

. It is mainly served by the Grand Street

Grand Street (BMT Canarsie Line)

Grand Street is a station on the BMT Canarsie Line of the New York City Subway. Located at the intersection of Grand Street and Bushwick Avenue in Brooklyn, it is served by the L train at all times....

 and Montrose Avenue

Montrose Avenue (BMT Canarsie Line)

Montrose Avenue is a station on the BMT Canarsie Line of the New York City Subway. Located at the intersection of Montrose and Bushwick Avenues in East Williamsburg, Brooklyn, it is served by the L train at all times....

, and Morgan Avenue

Morgan Avenue (BMT Canarsie Line)

Morgan Avenue is a station on the BMT Canarsie Line of the New York City Subway. Located at the intersection of Morgan Avenue and Harrison Place in East Williamsburg, Brooklyn, it is served by the L train at all times.-History:...

 stops of the BMT Canarsie Line

BMT Canarsie Line

The Canarsie Line is a rapid transit line of the BMT Division of the New York City Subway system, named after its terminus in the Canarsie neighborhood of Brooklyn...

 ( train). On the border with Bedford-Stuyvesant

Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn

Bedford-Stuyvesant is a neighborhood in the central portion of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. Formed in 1930, the neighborhood is part of Brooklyn Community Board 3, Brooklyn Community Board 8 and Brooklyn Community Board 16. The neighborhood is patrolled by the NYPD's 79th and 81st...

 is the Flushing Avenue

Flushing Avenue (BMT Jamaica Line)

Flushing Avenue is a local station on the BMT Jamaica Line of the New York City Subway. Located at the intersection of Flushing Avenue and Broadway in Brooklyn, it is served by the J train at all times except rush hours and middays in the peak direction and the M at all times except weekends and...

 stop of the BMT Jamaica Line

BMT Jamaica Line

The Jamaica Line is an elevated rapid transit line of the B Division of the New York City Subway, in Brooklyn and Queens, New York City, United States. It runs from the Williamsburg Bridge southeast over Broadway to East New York, Brooklyn, and then east over Fulton Street and Jamaica Avenue to...

 ( trains) and the Flushing Avenue

Flushing Avenue (IND Crosstown Line)

Flushing Avenue is a station on the IND Crosstown Line of the New York City Subway. Located at the intersection of Flushing and Union/Marcy Avenues in the boundary of Bedford-Stuyvesant and Williamsburg, Brooklyn, it is served at all times by the G train....

 Crosstown line stop.

Greenspaces

Open space reserve

Open space reserve, open space preserve, and open space reservation, are planning and conservation ethics terms used to describe areas of protected or conserved land or water on which development is indefinitely set aside...

 include Cooper Park.

Italian Community of East Williamsburg

The first wave of Italian immigration to the East Williamsburg section of Brooklyn occurred in the second half of the 19th century. By the late 1880s, the neighborhood along Graham Avenue was inhabited by many Italian immigrants, as evidenced by The Saint Mary of the Snow Society at 410 Graham Avenue, established 1888, and St. Cecilia's Catholic Church at 84 Herbert Street, established 1871. Other Italian societies in the neighborhood include Sabino Society on Withers St., the San Cono Society on Ainslie St. A second wave of Italian immigration occurred from World War II until the 1970s. While the neighborhood has changed significantly, the established Italian community still thrives along the north end of Graham avenue, also referred to as "Via Vespucci".

The neighborhood also was home to the The Motion Lounge

The Motion Lounge

The Motion Lounge was a Williamsburg, Brooklyn, nightclub owned by Bonanno crime family caporegime Dominick Napolitano which also was the capo's apartment away from his home. The lounge was located at 420 Graham Avenue, across the street from the Wither's Italian-American War Veterans Club. It was...

, the former nightclub at 420 Graham Avenue owned by Bonanno crime family

Bonanno crime family

The Bonanno crime family is one of the "Five Families" that dominates organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia ....

 caporegime Dominick Napolitano.

Puerto Rican and Latin American Communities

The south end Graham Ave (also known as "Avenue of Puerto Rico") has been the center of a Latin American immigrant neighborhood since the 1950s.

Artist community

Since the 1990s, the area has seen a great influx of young artist

Artist

An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...

s, professionals, and "hipster

Hipster (contemporary subculture)

Hipsters are a subculture of young, recently settled urban middle class adults and older teenagers with musical interests mainly in alternative rock that appeared in the 1990s...

s", mainly due to its close proximity to Manhattan

Manhattan

Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...

 and the relatively inexpensive rent.

East Williamsburg Industrial Park (EWIP)

The eastern half of East Williamsburg, roughly bounded by the Newtown Creek

Newtown Creek

Newtown Creek is a estuary that forms part of the border between the boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens, in New York City, New York, United States. It derives its name from New Town , which was the name for the Dutch and British settlement in what is now Elmhurst, Queens...

 East and by the BQE and Flushing Avenue on the North and South, is mostly zoned for industry with some residential housing mixed among the warehouses and factories. The section is currently referred to by the city as the East Williamsburg Industrial Park (EWIP), or formally the East Williamsburg In-Place Industrial Park (EWIPIP). The western boundary runs approximately along Kinsgland Ave, then Morgan Avenue and then just East of Bushwick Avenue.

The EWIP is one of eight In-Place Industrial Parks in New York City and is managed by the East Williamsburg Valley Industrial Development Corporation (EWVIDCO), a company founded in 1982 with the goal of revitalizing East Williamsburg by attracting new businesses, providing business assistance to existing firms and grow overall job opportunities in the neighborhood

Historically, this neighboorhood was not part of the Village of Williamsburgh. In the late 19th century the region east of Smith Street (now Humboldt Street), west of the Newtown Creek

Newtown Creek

Newtown Creek is a estuary that forms part of the border between the boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens, in New York City, New York, United States. It derives its name from New Town , which was the name for the Dutch and British settlement in what is now Elmhurst, Queens...

, south of Meeker Avenue (now the BQE service road)), and north of Metropolitan Avenue was the 18th ward of the City of Brooklyn. The north part of the EWIP is served by the Greenpoint Post Office and is considered by some to be part of Greenpoint. The portion of the EWIP to the South of Metropolitan Avenue was historically part of Bushwick and is still referred by many as being in Bushwick.

East of Bushwick Avenue

The section of Brooklyn that lies East of Bushwick Avenue, bordered by Metropolitan Avenue and Flushing Avenue on the North and South, is referred to some as being part of East Williamsburg since the region is part of EWIP. Factories and warehouses are being decommissioned due to heavy and light industry leaving the area, and were converted into loft and apartment space, similar to the residential development of the DUMBO

DUMBO, Brooklyn

Dumbo, an acronym for Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass, is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. It encompasses two sections: one located between the Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridges, which connect Brooklyn to Manhattan across the East River, and another that continues...

 neighborhood in Brooklyn . An example of this can be seen in the adjacent picture which shows the two loft buildings on McKibbin St. 255 McKibbin

255 McKibbin

The McKibbin Street Lofts are two opposing loft buildings in East Williamsburg, Brooklyn. They share similar features, such as 5 floors . The apartments range in size from 400 to 2500 square feet...

 and 248 McKibbin.

At present it lies within the boundaries of Community Board 1

Brooklyn Community Board 1

Brooklyn Community Board 1 is a local governmental body in the New York City borough of Brooklyn that encompasses the neighborhoods of Williamsburg and Greenpoint. It is delimited by the Newtown Creek and Queens Borough line on the east, Flushing and Kent Avenue on the south, as well as by the...

, the Brooklyn Community Board for Greenpoint

Greenpoint, Brooklyn

Greenpoint is the northernmost neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. It is bordered on the southwest by Williamsburg at the Bushwick inlet, on the southeast by the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway and East Williamsburg, on the north by Newtown Creek and Long Island City, Queens at the...

 and Williamsburg

Williamsburg, Brooklyn

Williamsburg is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, bordering Greenpoint to the north, Bedford-Stuyvesant to the south, Bushwick to the east and the East River to the west. The neighborhood is part of Brooklyn Community Board 1. The neighborhood is served by the NYPD's 90th ...

.