A young professional, an aspiring artist or a family-oriented person? Whatever your reason for moving to New York may be, you are in the right place. NYC is a place that can satisfy all your ambitions. This city has a character of its own. There are songs, TV shows and movie scenes featuring New York as one of the characters in the story. However, you need to know that your experience of living in New York will depend on the part of the city you choose to settle in. There are five NYC boroughs overall: Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island. All of them have a lot to offer, but it’s up to you to decide which of these places makes you feel truly at home.
Manhattan
Just walking down the sidewalks of Manhattan can make you feel like a movie star for a moment. Fancy restaurants and bars guarantee fine dining and unforgettable evenings. World-class concert halls have hosted the most famous vocal artists from all over the world.
For those who prefer exhibitions and cultural events, Manhattan boasts some of the finest museums in the world – the Museum of Modern Art and Metropolitan Museum of Art. Take a tour around Central Park and feel like Carrie Bradshaw with the sound of your brand-new trendy shoes hitting the pavement. Do you love it? Well, you should. However, there’s one thing that spoils the magic – prices! A family with average earnings cannot really afford to live in Manhattan. Calculate your overall income and then decide whether the most expensive of all NYC boroughs is fit for you!
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is a neighborhood which used to have a bad reputation for being dangerous, but it’s no longer so. In fact, it’s a great place to raise a family. There are wonderful parks and green spaces such as Prospect Park and McCarren Park. You may have heard about the amazing sea lion show in the New York Aquarium, which is also located in Brooklyn. There’s live music every night in Williamsburg, a hip art scene and a number of restaurants and shops young people enjoy when they come to Brooklyn.
This borough is a true melting pot and one of the most diverse places in New York when it comes to nationality and race. However, speaking of reputation, this neighborhood used to be known as affordable, but it’s no longer the case. Over the years, Brooklyn has transformed from a place with cheap rents to a lively hipster neighborhood which is not as far from Manhattan prices as people may think.
Take a walk across the iconic Brooklyn Bridge to get to Manhattan
Queens
Queens is the largest of all NYC boroughs. Moreover, it is the most diverse borough you can imagine. You can smell the scent of all kinds of international food filling your backyard and hear the most unusual languages in the streets. The offer of international cuisine is truly amazing! From adorable Mediterranean plates to spicy exotic Asian food, you can choose whatever you like.
As for sports enthusiasts, Arthur Ashe Stadium is the main stadium of the US Open tennis tournament and it can host 23,771 spectators. If tennis is not your cup of tea, you can always hop over and watch NYC Mets play baseball in the Citi Field.
It is also nice to know that rents and parking are more affordable in Queens in comparison to Manhattan and Brooklyn. In addition, you can get by without driving a car. Most places are accessible if you take a subway train or a bus and you can even walk a few blocks to get to a certain point. So, affordable and accessible, Queens has enough to offer for a decent family life.
The Bronx
The Bronx ZOO is renowned for the diversity of animal species and exciting exhibitions
(A lion lying and roaring in the Bronx Zoo.)
A train ride away from Manhattan, the Bronx is a borough with amazing parks, cultural institutions, and great public transport. If you’re starting a new life in NYC, the Bronx may be just the right place. The Bronx Zoo and New York Botanical Garden are some of the numerous exciting places to visit in this part of NYC.
The popularity of this borough is on the rise according to the number of home sales in recent years. Many families escape from Manhattan and Brooklyn in search of a more affordable home and find their place in the sun in the Bronx. But affordable housing is not the only asset of this neighborhood:
- It has more green spaces than any other borough in New York.
- There are so many subway lines that you don’t need a car.
- You can watch New York Yankees live because the Yankee Stadium is in the Bronx!
The Bronx ZOO is renowned for the diversity of animal species and exciting exhibitions
The Staten Island – One of our favorite NYC boroughs
The Staten Island is NYC’s southernmost borough. If you want to get to this suburban part of New York, you can take a ferry. Many people take this boat ride to commute to Manhattan on a daily basis but prefer to stay and live in their peaceful neighborhood. The inhabitants of Staten Island cherish their peace and quiet away from the hustle of New York streets.
In addition, the locals of Staten Island are very much environmentally aware. They constantly fight against water pollution, the disposal of toxic waste and other forms of harmful and reckless behavior that affect their surroundings. New York City’s largest forest preserve is located in the Greenbelt, the natural resource in Staten Island.
Many residents of Staten Island take a ferry every day to go to work
Although many people work outside this borough, it’s worth mentioning that Staten Island has the highest median income of all the five NYC boroughs. The fact is a bit contradictory. It seems that there are not many employment opportunities in the borough itself, however, residents are keen on living here. They enjoy their way of life so much that they don’t mind taking a ferry every day to keep it running.