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A Shout-Out from Nostrand Ave in Clinton Hill!

Is Nostrand Avenue now in Clinton Hill?

It appears, as more newcomers enter the borough of Brooklyn, fewer can say for certain what neighborhood they actually live in.

This is due in part to realtors who routinely fudge the borders between adjacent neighborhoods—particularly if one neighborhood has, for whatever reason, more appeal over the other—in effort to sell or rent properties faster

The border between Bedford-Stuyvesant and Clinton Hill is a perfect example. You can find a bevy of new businesses that have opened in Bed-Stuy close to Clinton Hill’s border advertising their establishment as located in Clinton Hill or “Bedford-Hill,” or “Stuy-Hill” or “Clinton-Stuy,” either because they prefer to say they’re in Clinton Hill, or because they simply are not sure.

In the article, “You Say You Live Where? In Clinton-Stuy?” Patch addresses the discrepancy of Bed-Stuy’s borders. But the question continues to loom large with each wave of newcomers, as evidenced by the flurry of tweets about the subject, local blog postings and incorrect real estate listings.

So, where does Clinton Hill end and Bed-Stuy begin?

Bed-Stuy’s border to the north is Flushing Avenue, to the south, Atlantic Avenue, and to the east, Broadway Avenue. These borders separate Bed-Stuy from Williamsburg, Crown Heights and Bushwick and they have yet to be challenged.

But when it comes to Bed-Stuy’s border with Clinton Hill (and its fraternal twin sister, Fort Greene), that’s where it starts to get fuzzy.

So, what is your understanding of where Clinton Hill ends and Bed-Stuy begins? Take our poll, and tell us what you think in the comments.

Melissa Danielle March 21, 2012 at 04:01 pm
Interesting. Time for (me to do) a little research into the history of city planning/zoning as it relates to Bedford-Stuyvesant, whose borders once extended to Eastern Parkway and included several blocks of the section proudly known as Clinton Hill.
Morgan Munsey March 21, 2012 at 05:21 pm
The Village of Bedford, Bedford Corners or Bedford has always started around Classon going back to the 1660's . The Bedford Library that has been there for over 110 years is clearly on Franklin (please read brownstoner.com building of the day today). Bedford the neighborhood that we see today started getting heavy developement 130 years ago with the opening of the Brooklyn Bridge. The Neighborhood went from Classon to Tompkins back then. After Tompkins you have the slightly newer development of Stuyvesant Heights. Bedford and Stuyvesant Heights was something people way say 100 years ago and by 1930 you started see Bedford - Stuyvesant. Bed-Stuy came about in the late 50s early 60s. Dekalb and North of the neighborhood it was called East Brooklyn followed by the old eastern district or Tompkins Park North. You also had New Brooklyn pretty much where Ocean Hill is today. My information is all coming from early maps of Brooklyn.
Richard Gershberg March 21, 2012 at 07:17 pm
Zip codes. The USPS creates the borders. Franklin Ave. is the division between 11216 and 11238. And/or school and Congressional districts.
Jad2k March 21, 2012 at 07:47 pm
@ Richard, the zip code 11238 "border" also includes parts of Bed-Stuy, Clinton Hill, Prospect Heights, Crown Heights, and Ft Greene. So are you're implying that this is how the neighborhood should be drawn?
Corey March 21, 2012 at 08:13 pm
The line is Classon.
Rob March 21, 2012 at 09:16 pm
No matter what, at a minimum the Bedford-Stuyvesant area encompases all blocks between BEDFORD and STUYVESANT!
Judah Spechal March 21, 2012 at 09:26 pm
This is crazy about 3 yrs ago I was stopped by a woman & a man on Franklin ave and Monroe st the woman asked me if this was Clinton Hills or Bed Stuy. I told her Bed Stuy. If looks could kill the man would have struck me down on the spot. Turned he was a real estate dude. Showing the ugly new building at the corner
U
BK king March 21, 2012 at 10:27 pm
Classon Avenue it is. Also, since it's a good division between Clinton Hill and Bed Stuy then it's good enough for Prospect Heights and Crown Heights as well. That weird Washington Ave zig zag has always seemed strange.
SuF March 22, 2012 at 12:30 pm
The NY City Planning Office has a map of B-S that defines Classon as the western edge. As other people have noted here, all this "confusion" is the fault of real estate brokers who want to (and can) charge more for what people think is a "nicer" area. http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcp/pdf/lucds/bk3profile.pdf
pat March 22, 2012 at 01:42 pm
It's actually the fault of people not intelligent enough to realize that anyone has access to the information that SuF provided. I have been waiting for months to see if anyone would come up with this useful piece of information that would end this ridiculous argument.
Brooklyn Commoner March 22, 2012 at 05:19 pm
Check the Altrenate side parking signs. In Clinton Hill and Fort Greene. Alternate side are two days a week M-F on mostly residental blocks. Bed-Stuy Alternate sides are 4 days a week M-F. The signs don't lie but brokers do!
Joe Gonzalez March 22, 2012 at 06:03 pm
New York city NEVER named neiborhoods. It has always been local sleazy real estate brokers who are branding our city so that they can sell more properties. Some area have poor images as crime and drug ridden communities and so the real estate brokers begin to change the image of an area by changing the name or changing the borders so they can lie to prospective renters and home buyers coming into the area from outside who dont know all the facts.
Melissa Danielle March 27, 2012 at 05:33 pm
I <3 Morgan Munsey!
Justme April 2, 2012 at 05:00 pm
From the SOURCE - Community Board 3, bedford Stuyvesant _Bedford- Stuyvesant’s boundaries are Flushing Avenue to the north, Broadway to the northeast, Saratoga Avenue to the east, Classon Avenue to the west, and Atlantic Avenue to the South.
The haziness of Clinton Hills' borders are because Bedford Stuyvesant's borders used to include parts of what is now considered Clinton Hills. But thanks to Pratt, some political maneuvering, and gentrification Clinton Hills was born to the proud parents of Fort Greene and Bedford Stuyvesant.
isaiahj May 31, 2012 at 05:16 pm
Clinton hill ends at Franklin and bedsty starts on Bedford simple as that

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