East Flatbush is a residential

neighborhood A neighbourhood (Commonwealth English) or neighborhood (American English) is a geographically localized community within a larger town, city, suburb or rural area, sometimes consisting of a single street and the buildings lining it. Neigh ...

in the

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

borough A borough is an administrative division in various English language, English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History ...

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

. East Flatbush is bounded by Crown Heights and Empire Boulevard to the north; Brownsville and East 98th Street to the east; Flatlands,

Canarsie Canarsie ( ) is a mostly residential neighborhood in the southeastern portion of Brooklyn, New York City. Canarsie is bordered on the east by Fresh Creek Basin, East 108th Street, and Louisiana Avenue; on the north by Linden Boulevard; on th ...

and the

Long Island Rail Road The Long Island Rail Road , or LIRR, is a Rail transport, railroad in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, stretching from Manhattan to the eastern tip of Suffolk County, New York, Suffolk County on Long Islan ...

Bay Ridge Branch The Bay Ridge Branch is a rail line in New York City, owned by the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) and operated by the New York and Atlantic Railway. It is the longest freight-only line of the LIRR, connecting the Montauk Branch and CSX Transporta ...

to the south; and the neighborhood of

Flatbush Flatbush is a neighborhood in the New York City Borough (New York City), borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood consists of several subsections in central Brooklyn and is generally bounded by Prospect Park (Brooklyn), Prospect Park to the nort ...

and New York Avenue to the west. East Flatbush is a predominantly black neighborhood of

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

and

Afro-Caribbeans Afro-Caribbean or African Caribbean people are Caribbean people who trace their full or partial ancestry to Sub-Saharan Africa. The majority of the modern Afro-Caribbean people descend from the Africans (primarily from West and Central Africa) ...

and has a population of 135,619 as of the 2010 United States census. East Flatbush is part of Brooklyn Community District 17, and its primary ZIP Code is 11203. It is patrolled by the 67th Precinct of the

New York City Police Department The City of New York Police Department, also referred to as New York City Police Department (NYPD), is the primary law enforcement agency within New York City. Established on May 23, 1845, the NYPD is the largest, and one of the oldest, munic ...

. Politically it is represented by the

New York City Council The New York City Council is the lawmaking body of New York City in the United States. It has 51 members from 51 council districts throughout the five boroughs. The council serves as a check against the mayor in a mayor-council government mod ...

's 40th, 41st, and 45th Districts.

Geography

As with many

neighborhoods in Brooklyn This is a list of neighborhoods in Brooklyn, one of the five boroughs of New York City, United States. By geographical region Central Brooklyn * Crown Heights ** Weeksville * Flatbush ** Beverley Squares: Beverley Square East, Beverley Sq ...

, the borders of East Flatbush are subjective/porous, but its northern border is roughly at Empire Boulevard and

East New York Avenue Jamaica Avenue is a major avenue in the New York City boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens, New York, in the United States. Jamaica Avenue's western end is at Fulton Street and Broadway, as a continuation of East New York Avenue, in Brooklyn's ...

east of East 91st Street, its southern border is in the vicinity of the

, its eastern border is roughly at East 98th Street and its western border is roughly at Nostrand/New York Avenues. East Flatbush is split up into three subsections. From west to east they are Erasmus, Farragut, and Remsen Village/Rugby.How East Flatbush Got Its Name
By Norm Goldstein, Brooklyn Reporter.com. Accessed 11 December 2024.

Farragut

The central section of East Flatbush is called Farragut. Farragut is roughly bounded by Cortelyou Road and Holy Cross Cemetery to the north, Kings Highway to the east, Brooklyn Avenue on the west, and the LIRR

to the south. Farragut was originally part of the colonial Town of Flatbush, and was named for

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

Admiral

David Farragut David Glasgow Farragut (; also spelled Glascoe; July 5, 1801 – August 14, 1870) was a flag officer of the United States Navy during the American Civil War. He was the first Rear admiral (United States), rear admiral, Vice admiral (United State ...

. The area was largely populated by

Jews Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

and

Italians Italians (, ) are a European peoples, European ethnic group native to the Italian geographical region. Italians share a common Italian culture, culture, History of Italy, history, Cultural heritage, ancestry and Italian language, language. ...

before 1950. By the 1990s,

s became a majority, along with many immigrants from the

West Indies The West Indies is an island subregion of the Americas, surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, which comprises 13 independent island country, island countries and 19 dependent territory, dependencies in thr ...

. Farragut is adjacent to Paerdegat Woods, a formerly wooded area near

Paerdegat Basin Paerdegat Basin is a channel that connects to Jamaica Bay between the neighborhoods of Bergen Beach and Canarsie in southeast Brooklyn, New York, United States. It connects to Jamaica Bay to the south, and the north end of the basin is adjacent to ...

where real-estate developer

Fred Trump Frederick Christ Trump Sr. (October 11, 1905 – June 25, 1999) was an American real-estate developer and businessman. He was the father of the 45th and 47th U.S. president, Donald Trump. Born in the Bronx in New York City to Germans, German ...

constructed housing in the 1940s. Farragut also contains Flatbush Gardens (formerly named Vanderveer Estates), a 59-building complex erected in 1949. Vanderveer Estates was built on the site of the old Flatbush Water Works. The complex is one of the largest privately held working-class housing complexes in New York City, and owned in part by

David Bistricer David Bistricer (born August 10, 1949) is a New York-based real estate developer and the founder and principal of Clipper Equity. His firm focuses on the conversion of non-residential buildings to residential uses. Early life and education Bis ...

. Notable people who once lived in Vanderveer Estates include

Barbra Streisand Barbara Joan "Barbra" Streisand ( ; born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, actress, songwriter, producer, and director. With a career spanning over six decades, she has achieved success across multiple fields of entertainment, being the ...

and

Michael K. Williams Michael Kenneth Williams (November 22, 1966 – September 6, 2021) was an American actor. He rose to fame for his acclaimed portrayals of Omar Little on the HBO drama series ''The Wire'' (2002–2008) and List of Boardwalk Empire characters, Alb ...

Remsen Village

Remsen Village has been described as a "subsection of the larger East Flatbush neighborhood," with an estimated 60,000 residents. but is also sometimes considered its own neighborhood and also as "Rugby-Remsen Village". The origin of using the name ''Remsen Village'' seems to be in the mid-1990s. Remsen Village's population is over one third of that of Brooklyn Community Board 17, which consists entirely of East Flatbush and its subsections. The name "Rugby" was described in 2016 by the New York Times as "the old name for the area." It persists as the name of a road in East Flatbush, as well as a library branch in eastern East Flatbush. The name "Rugby" was chosen be developers in the 1890s.

Demographics

East Flatbush is divided into three neighborhood tabulation areas (Erasmus, Farragut, and Remsen Village), which collectively comprise the population of the area.New York City Neighborhood Tabulation Areas*, 2010
Population Division -

Department of City Planning, February 2012. Accessed June 16, 2016. Based on data from the 2010 United States census, the combined population of East Flatbush's neighborhood tabulation areas was 135,619, a change of -9,740 (-7.2%) from the 145,359 counted in

2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...

. Covering an area of , the neighborhood had a population density of .Table PL-P5 NTA: Total Population and Persons Per Acre - New York City Neighborhood Tabulation Areas*, 2010
Population Division -

Department of City Planning, February 2012. Accessed June 16, 2016. The racial makeup of the neighborhood was 1.3% (1,816)

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 88.7% (120,231)

, 0.3% (366) Native American, 1.1% (1,480) Asian, 0% (45)

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 0.4% (523) from other races, and 1.6% (2,140) from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 6.6% (9,018) of the population.Table PL-P3A NTA: Total Population by Mutually Exclusive Race and Hispanic Origin - New York City Neighborhood Tabulation Areas*, 2010
Population Division -

Department of City Planning, March 29, 2011. Accessed June 14, 2016. The entirety of Community Board 17 had 154,575 inhabitants as of NYC Health's 2018 Community Health Profile, with an average life expectancy of 82.6 years. This is higher than the median life expectancy of 81.2 for all New York City neighborhoods. Most inhabitants are middle-aged adults and youth: 21% are between the ages of 0 and 17, 28% between 25 and 44, and 28% between 45 and 64. The ratio of college-aged and elderly residents was lower, at 9% and 15% respectively. As of 2016, the median

household income Household income is a measure of income received by the household sector. It includes every form of cash income, e.g., salaries and wages, retirement income, investment income and cash transfers from the government. It may include near-cash gover ...

in Community District 17 was $49,349. In 2018, an estimated 19% of East Flatbush residents lived in poverty, compared to 21% in all of Brooklyn and 20% in all of New York City. One in eleven residents (9%) were unemployed, compared to 9% in the rest of both Brooklyn and New York City. Rent burden, or the percentage of residents who have difficulty paying their rent, is 54% in East Flatbush, higher than the citywide and boroughwide rates of 52% and 51% respectively. Based on this calculation, , East Flatbush is considered to be high-income and not

gentrifying Gentrification is the process whereby the character of a neighborhood changes through the influx of more affluent residents (the "gentry") and investment. There is no agreed-upon definition of gentrification. In public discourse, it has been us ...

, relative to the rest of the city.

Ethnic groups and subsections

East Flatbush generally is very similar in nature to neighboring

, as both are predominantly West Indian and working class; however, Flatbush has a higher percentage of White and Asian residents than East Flatbush. The area was populated after

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

predominantly by immigrant

and

, then in the 1960s by

African Americans African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa ...

, but most recently has seen many West Indian immigrants such as Guyanese,

Haiti Haiti, officially the Republic of Haiti, is a country on the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and south of the Bahamas. It occupies the western three-eighths of the island, which it shares with the Dominican ...

ans,

Jamaica Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...

ns, Saint Lucians,

Trinidadians Trinidadians and Tobagonians, colloquially known as Trinis or Trinbagonians, are the people who are identified with the country of Trinidad and Tobago. The population of Trinidad is notably diverse, with approximately 35% Indo-Trinidadian, 34% ...

, Grenadians,

Vincentians Vincentian can refer to: People *A citizen of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines *A person from Saint Vincent (island), the largest island in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines *A member of one of the orders or societies in the Vincentian Family, both ...

, Bajans,

Panama Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...

nians and

Dominicans Dominicans () also known as Quisqueyans () are an ethnic group, ethno-nationality, national people, a people of shared ancestry and culture, who have ancestral roots in the Dominican Republic. The Dominican ethnic group was born out of a fusio ...

groups coming to the area. Within its confines is the

Holy Cross Cemetery, Brooklyn Holy Cross Cemetery, located at 3620 Tilden Avenue in East Flatbush, Brooklyn, New York City, is a Catholic cemetery operated by the Diocese of Brooklyn. Notable burials * John J. Bennett Jr. – Soldier and lawyer * Diamond Jim Brady – Am ...

, which is located at 3620 Tilden Avenue. While some residents are affluent, East Flatbush is mostly populated by working-class Brooklynites. Similar to other eastern Brooklyn neighborhoods, Blacks predominate East Flatbush. The area is 91.4% Black or African-American and 51% foreign born, the majority of whom are from the Caribbean. Considering this data, East Flatbush has been noted as being the single largest West Indian neighborhood in all of New York City and America as a whole. According to the 2020 census data from

New York City Department of City Planning The Department of City Planning (DCP) is the department of the government of New York City responsible for setting the framework of city's physical and socioeconomic planning. The department is responsible for land use and environmental review, p ...

, East Flatbush has been given three different names for three different sections, which are East Flatbush Erasmus to the west, East Flatbush Farragut to the east, and East Flatbush Rugby to the north. The Erasmus portion had between 30,000 and 39,999 Black residents and between 5,000 and 9,999 Hispanic residents, meanwhile each the White and Asian populations were under 5000 residents. The Rugby portion had 30,000 to 39,999 Black residents while each the Hispanic, White, and Asian populations were all under 5000 residents. The Farragut portion had 20,000 to 29,999 Black residents while each the Hispanic, White, and Asian population were also all under 5000 residents.

Little Caribbean and Little Haiti

Since the 1960s and especially through the 1970s, Caribbean immigrants have largely settled into East Flatbush, as well as in other surrounding areas such as

, and Crown Heights. Since 2017, the areas surrounding Nostrand and Church Avenues have been given the nickname, ''Little Caribbean''. In addition to Little Caribbean, the south tip of the neighborhood has been given the name Little Haiti due to the high concentration of Haitians. Additionally, the Newkirk Avenue–Little Haiti station of the

New York City Subway The New York City Subway is a rapid transit system in New York City serving the New York City boroughs, boroughs of Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx. It is owned by the government of New York City and leased to the New York City Tr ...

's was formally renamed from Newkirk Avenue in 2021.

Police and crime

The

NYPD The City of New York Police Department, also referred to as New York City Police Department (NYPD), is the primary law enforcement agency within New York City. Established on May 23, 1845, the NYPD is the largest, and one of the oldest, munic ...

's 67th Precinct (known internally by NYPD officers as Fort Jah) is located at 2820 Snyder Avenue. The 67th Precinct ranked 40th safest out of 69 patrol areas for per-capita crime in 2010. , with a non-fatal assault rate of 80 per 100,000 people, East Flatbush's rate of

violent crime A violent crime, violent felony, crime of violence or crime of a violent nature is a crime in which an offender or perpetrator uses or threatens to use harmful Force (law), force upon a victim. This entails both crimes in which the violence, vio ...

s per capita is greater than that of the city as a whole. The incarceration rate of 597 per 100,000 people is higher than that of the city as a whole. The Precinct has a lower crime rate than in the 1990s, with crimes across all categories having decreased by 79.9% between 1990 and 2018. The precinct reported 6 murders, 43 rapes, 246 robberies, 601 felony assaults, 225 burglaries, 586 grand larcenies, and 98 grand larcenies auto in 2018. A drug epidemic ravaged East Flatbush during the late 1970s, 1980s and early 1990s, mostly in Vanderveer Estates. The intersection of Foster Avenue and Nostrand Avenues was nicknamed "the Front Page" because of media attention to drug murders there. The intersection of Foster between New York Avenue and Brooklyn Avenue area to the south was called "the Back Page" because its many murders went unnoticed. The area around the Nostrand playground had various gangs:

Crips The Crips are a primarily African-American alliance of street gangs that are based in the coastal regions of Southern California. Founded in Los Angeles, California, in 1969, mainly by Raymond Washington and Stanley Williams, the Crips ...

Gangster Disciples The Gangster Disciple Nation (often abbreviated as the GD's; formally, GDN or simply Gangster Disciples), also known as Growth & Development, is an African American street and prison gang founded by former rivals David Barksdale and Larry H ...

Jamaicans Jamaicans are the citizens of Jamaica and their descendants in the Jamaican diaspora. The vast majority of Jamaicans are of Sub-Saharan African descent, with minorities of Europeans, Indians, Chinese, Middle Eastern, and others of mixed a ...

(

Shower Posse The Shower Posse is a Jamaican posse, Jamaican gang, started by Lester Lloyd Coke, which is involved in drug smuggling, drug and arms smuggling. Its home is in Tivoli Gardens, Kingston, Tivoli Gardens in Jamaica. It has several North American b ...

and Grenadians particularly notorious for turf wars, shootouts, and pitbull fights. Crime is still somewhat of a problem in the neighborhood today as well.

Fire safety

The firehouse for the

New York City Fire Department The New York City Fire Department, officially the Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY) is the full-service fire department of New York City, serving all Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs. The FDNY is responsible for providing Fi ...

(FDNY)'s Engine Co. 310/Ladder Co. 174 is located at 5105 Snyder Avenue.

Health

preterm birth Preterm birth, also known as premature birth, is the Childbirth, birth of a baby at fewer than 37 weeks Gestational age (obstetrics), gestational age, as opposed to full-term delivery at approximately 40 weeks. Extreme preterm is less than 28 ...

s and births to teenage mothers are more common in East Flatbush than in other places citywide. In East Flatbush, there were 126 preterm births per 1,000 live births (compared to 87 per 1,000 citywide), and 20.6 births to teenage mothers per 1,000 live births (compared to 19.3 per 1,000 citywide). East Flatbush has a high population of residents who are

uninsured Insurance is a means of protection from financial loss in which, in exchange for a fee, a party agrees to compensate another party in the event of a certain loss, damage, or injury. It is a form of risk management, primarily used to protect ...

, or who receive healthcare through

Medicaid Medicaid is a government program in the United States that provides health insurance for adults and children with limited income and resources. The program is partially funded and primarily managed by U.S. state, state governments, which also h ...

.New York City Health Provider Partnership Brooklyn Community Needs Assessment: Final Report

New York Academy of Medicine The New York Academy of Medicine (the Academy) is a health policy and advocacy organization founded in 1847 by a group of leading New York metropolitan area physicians as a voice for the medical profession in medical practice and public health r ...

(October 3, 2014). In 2018, this population of uninsured residents was estimated to be 15%, which is higher than the citywide rate of 12%. The concentration of fine particulate matter, the deadliest type of

air pollutant Air pollution is the presence of substances in the air that are harmful to humans, other living beings or the environment. Pollutants can be gases like ozone or nitrogen oxides or small particles like soot and dust. It affects both outdoor ...

, in East Flatbush is , lower than the citywide and boroughwide averages. Eight percent of East Flatbush residents are smokers, which is lower the city average of 14% of residents being smokers. In East Flatbush, 34% of residents are

obese Obesity is a medical condition, considered by multiple organizations to be a disease, in which excess body fat has accumulated to such an extent that it can potentially have negative effects on health. People are classified as obese when ...

, 15% are

diabetic Diabetes mellitus, commonly known as diabetes, is a group of common endocrine diseases characterized by sustained high blood sugar levels. Diabetes is due to either the pancreas not producing enough of the hormone insulin, or the cells of th ...

, and 36% have

high blood pressure Hypertension, also known as high blood pressure, is a long-term medical condition in which the blood pressure in the arteries is persistently elevated. High blood pressure usually does not cause symptoms itself. It is, however, a major ri ...

—compared to the citywide averages of 24%, 11%, and 28% respectively. In addition, 22% of children are obese, compared to the citywide average of 20%. Eighty percent of residents eat some fruits and vegetables every day, which is lower than the city's average of 87%. In 2018, 83% of residents described their health as "good", "very good", or "excellent", higher than the city's average of 78%. For every supermarket in East Flatbush, there are 21 bodegas. East Flatbush is home to three major hospitals, Kings County Hospital,

SUNY Downstate Medical Center SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University is a public medical school and hospital in Brooklyn, New York. It is the southernmost member of the State University of New York (SUNY) system and the only academic medical center for health education, ...

, and Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center.

Transportation

East Flatbush does not have as much access to the

as Flatbush. However, the

IRT Nostrand Avenue Line The IRT Nostrand Avenue Line is a rapid transit line of the A Division of the New York City Subway running under Nostrand Avenue in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. It is served by the train at all times and is also served by the trai ...

() has some stops located near the western border of East Flatbush, particularly Newkirk Avenue–Little Haiti, Beverly Road, and Church Avenue. Additionally, along the neighborhood's eastern border with Brownsville, the

IRT New Lots Line The IRT New Lots Line or Livonia Avenue Line is a rapid transit line in the A Division of the New York City Subway. Located in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, the line runs from the Crown Heights–Utica Avenue station in Crown Heigh ...

() has a

station Station may refer to: Agriculture * Station (Australian agriculture), a large Australian landholding used for livestock production * Station (New Zealand agriculture), a large New Zealand farm used for grazing by sheep and cattle ** Cattle statio ...

at the intersection of Sutter Avenue, Rutland Road, and East 98th Street.

MTA Regional Bus Operations MTA Regional Bus Operations (RBO) is the Public transport bus service, bus operations division of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority in New York City. The MTA operates local, limited-stop, express, and Select Bus Service (bus rapid transit ...

' routes run north–south through East Flatbush, while the run east–west. The B12 bus takes a serpentine route at the north end of the neighborhood, and the runs on Kings Highway at the southeast edge of East Flatbush. The B6 runs via Bay Pkwy, Avenue J, and Flatlands Av and although passing through several neighborhoods, makes a few stops in East Flatbush. The also makes a few stops in the area on Avenue H, by the border with Flatlands.

Education

East Flatbush generally has a lower ratio of college-educated residents than the rest of the city . While 30% of residents age 25 and older have a college education or higher, 15% have less than a high school education and 55% are high school graduates or have some college education. By contrast, 40% of Brooklynites and 38% of city residents have a college education or higher. The percentage of East Flatbush students excelling in math has been increasing, with math achievement rising from 32 percent in 2000 to 51 percent in 2011, though reading achievement within the same time period stayed steady at 42%. East Flatbush's rate of elementary school student absenteeism is slightly higher than the rest of New York City. In East Flatbush, 23% of elementary school students missed twenty or more days per

school year An academic year, or school year, is a period that schools, colleges and universities use to measure the duration of studies for a given educational level. Academic years are often divided into academic terms. Students attend classes and do rel ...

, compared to the citywide average of 20% of students. Additionally, 78% of high school students in East Flatbush graduate on time, higher than the citywide average of 75% of students.

Schools

Schools located in East Flatbush include: * Cristo Rey High School, a Catholic

college preparatory A college-preparatory school (often shortened to prep school, preparatory school, college prep school or college prep academy) is a type of secondary school. The term refers to public, private independent or parochial schools primarily design ...

high school located at East 37 Street and Foster Avenue * Cultural Academy for the Arts and Sciences (CAAS) * Kurt Hahn Expeditionary Learning School * It Takes A Village Academy (ITAVA) * Nazareth Regional High School, a co-educational private Catholic high school located at East 57th Street and Avenue D * St. Francis of Assisi School * The School for Human Rights * The School for Democracy and Leadership * High School for Public Service: Heroes of Tomorrow * P.S. 208K (Elsa Ebeling School), a public elementary school, located at East 48th Street and Avenue D * St. Catherine of Genoa/St. Therese of Lisieux Catholic Academy * Meyer Levin Junior High School *

* PS 135 Sheldon A Brookner The neighborhood was the home of the former General George W. Wingate and Gov.

Samuel J. Tilden High School Samuel J. Tilden High School was a List of high schools in New York City, New York City public high school in the East Flatbush, Brooklyn, East Flatbush section of Brooklyn, New York City. It was named for Samuel J. Tilden, the former govern ...

Libraries

The

Brooklyn Public Library The Brooklyn Public Library is the public library system of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. It is the sixteenth largest public library system in the United States by holding and the seventh by number of visitors. Like the two Brooklyn Publ ...

(BPL) has two branches in East Flatbush. The Rugby branch is located at 1000

Utica Avenue Utica Avenue is a major avenue in Brooklyn, New York City, New York (state), New York, United States. It is one of several named for the city of Utica, New York, Utica in Upstate New York. It runs north–south and occupies the position of East ...

and opened in 1957. It was closed for renovations in 2017 and reopened in 2021. The East Flatbush Library is located at 9612 Church Avenue, between East 96th Street and

Rockaway Parkway Rockaway Parkway is a major commercial street in the Canarsie neighborhood as well as the border between the Brownsville and East Flatbush neighborhoods of Brooklyn, New York. It occupies the position of East 97th Street in the Brooklyn stre ...

, and was opened in 1945. In September 2018, this library was also closed for renovations; it reopened in June 2023.

Notable places

In summer 2006, the

New York City Department of Transportation The New York City Department of Transportation (NYCDOT) is the agency of the government of New York City responsible for the management of much of New York City's transportation infrastructure. Ydanis Rodriguez is the Commissioner of the Departm ...

co-named a portion of Church Avenue from Remsen Avenue to East 98th Street in East Flatbush as "

Bob Marley Robert Nesta Marley (6 February 1945 – 11 May 1981) was a Jamaican singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Considered one of the pioneers of reggae, he fused elements of reggae, ska and rocksteady and was renowned for his distinctive voca ...

Boulevard". The former Congregation Beth Israel, now known as Mt. Zion Church of God 7th Day, was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 2009.

Notable people

Notable current and former residents of East Flatbush include: * Roosevelt Chapman (born 1962), basketball player *

Edwidge Danticat Edwidge Danticat (; born January 19, 1969) is a Haitian American novelist and short story writer. Her first novel, '' Breath, Eyes, Memory'', was published in 1994 and went on to become an Oprah's Book Club selection. Danticat has since written ...

(born 1969), writer *

Flatbush Zombies Flatbush Zombies (stylized as Flatbush ZOMBiES) are an American hip hop group from the Flatbush section of Brooklyn, New York City, formed in 2010. The group is composed of rappers Meechy Darko, Zombie Juice and Erick Arc Elliott, with Elliot ...

, hip-hop group *

Fu-Schnickens Fu-Schnickens were an American hip-hop trio from 1988 to 1995, based in Brooklyn, New York. History Fu-Schnickens was composed of Chip Fu (Roderick Roachford), Moc Fu (Joe Jones), and Pac Fu (Lennox Maturine). ''Fu'' stood for unity and ''sc ...

, hip-hop group *

Rudy Giuliani Rudolph William Louis Giuliani ( , ; born May 28, 1944) is an American politician and Disbarment, disbarred lawyer who served as the 107th mayor of New York City from 1994 to 2001. He previously served as the United States Associate Attorney ...

(born 1944), former

mayor of New York City The mayor of New York City, officially mayor of the City of New York, is head of the executive branch of the government of New York City and the chief executive of New York City. The Mayoralty in the United States, mayor's office administers all ...

* Ira Glasser (born 1938), civil liberties defender and author *

Jamie Hector Jamie Hector (born October 7, 1975) is an American actor. He is known for his portrayal of drug kingpin Marlo Stanfield on the HBO drama series ''The Wire'' and as Detective Jerry Edgar in the drama series '' Bosch''. Career Hector began acti ...

(born 1975), actor *

Jidenna Jidenna Theodore Mobisson (born May 4, 1985), known mononymously as Jidenna, is an American rapper, singer and songwriter. He signed with Janelle Monáe's record label Wondaland Arts Society, an imprint of Epic Records to release his debut sing ...

(born 1985), "Wondaland Records" rapper/singer *

Joey Badass Jo-Vaughn Virginie Scott (born January 20, 1995), known professionally as Joey Badass (stylized as Joey Bada$$), is an American rapper and actor. Born in Brooklyn, New York City, he formed the regional hip-hop group Pro Era in 2011, with whom h ...

(born 1995), rapper *

Ivan Lee Ivan James Lee (born March 31, 1981) is an American former Olympic sabre fencer and coach. He was a two-time NCAA Men's Sabre Champion, a five-time national sabre champion, and was inducted into the List of USFA Hall of Fame members, US Fencin ...

(born 1981), Olympic

saber A sabre or saber ( ) is a type of backsword with a curved blade associated with the light cavalry of the Early Modern warfare, early modern and Napoleonic period, Napoleonic periods. Originally associated with Central European cavalry such a ...

fencer *

MC Lyte Lana Michele Moorer (born October 11, 1970), better known by her stage name MC Lyte, is an American rapper. Considered one of the pioneers of female rap, MC Lyte first gained fame in the late 1980s, becoming the first female rapper to release a ...

(born 1970), rapper * Romona Moore, murdered college student * James P. O'Neill (born 1958), NYC Police Commissioner *

Rowdy Rebel Chad Marshall (born November 24, 1991), known professionally as Rowdy Rebel, is an American rapper. He is a member of the Brooklyn-based GS9 collective, formed by hometown rapper Bobby Shmurda. He is best known for his guest appearance on Pop Sm ...

(born 1991), rapper *

Busta Rhymes Trevor George Smith Jr. (born May 20, 1972), known professionally as Busta Rhymes, is an American rapper, singer and actor. Chuck D of Public Enemy gave him the moniker Busta Rhymes, after National Football League, NFL and Canadian Football Lea ...

(born 1972), rapper *

Bobby Shmurda Ackquille Jean Pollard (born August 4, 1994), known professionally as Bobby Shmurda, is an American rapper. Along with Rowdy Rebel, Shmurda is considered a pioneer of Brooklyn drill music. He rose to international fame in 2014 when his single, ...

(born 1994), rapper *

Shyne Moses Michael Levi Barrow (born Jamal Michael Barrow; November 8, 1978), best known by his stage name Shyne, is a Belizean politician and former rapper. He served as Leader of the Opposition in the Belize House of Representatives, and the lead ...

(born 1978 as Jamal Michael Barrow), rapper and politician *

(born 1942), singer and actress * The Underachievers, rappers * Unlocking the Truth, heavy metal group *

(born 1966), actor

References

{{authority control Caribbean-American culture in New York City Neighborhoods in Brooklyn