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We all have that one NYC neighborhood we’d move to in an instant given the chance, even if you love your own area. New Yorkers tend to love tree-lined streets, easy access to shops and public transportation as well as hopping nightlife. When these intersect in one neighborhood, it’s a dream come true.
StreetEasy released a list of the most coveted (aka the most-searched-for) neighborhoods in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens, based on its own data and the results are what you’d expect—the West Village, Williamsburg and Long Island City.
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The West Village
West Village has topped StreetEasy’s Manhattan most-searched list for five consecutive years, followed by Greenwich Village, Chelsea, the East Village and Soho. Of course, prices are high here—median asking prices hover around $1.5 million and rents are nearing $5,000 per month.
But there’s a reason it’s so high. The West Village may have lost its bohemian roots a while ago, but it still maintains its old landmarks like White Horse Tavern and the legendary Village Vanguard and its LGBTQ+ friendly Christopher Street shops and bars, including the Stonewall Inn. It’s also just a beautiful neighborhood with extremely walkable, leafy streets. Check out our neighborhood guide to plan your next visit.
Williamsburg
Say what you will about Williamsburg’s worn trendiness, but it is still the most searched-for Brooklyn neighborhood on StreetEasy and is still pulling in high rent and sales prices. This summer, the median asking rent was $4,400 and the median asking price was over $1.4 million.
As we know, Williamsburg is the place in the city to shop for vintage, to catch a concert, peep at some street art, or seek out restaurants, flea markets and shops. There’s always a good reason to hit up the neighborhood. You can find out some of the best things to do there in our neighborhood guide.
Its neighbors, Park Slope, Brooklyn Heights, Greenpoint and Fort Greene were also highly coveted this year.
“The borough still offers more cost-effective options for renters as well as buyers looking to purchase their first home,” StreetEasy economist Kenny Lee says. “In Brooklyn, a typical starter home with at least one bedroom offered more square footage for each dollar than in Manhattan, making it an attractive alternative for young professionals hoping to put down roots in the city.”
Long Island City
Long Island City and Astoria are where most people are looking to live in Queens, and while these two neighborhoods are more popular than ever, they still had median asking prices below $800,000 this summer, and a median asking rent of $2,650 in Astoria (the borough median was $2,600).
People enjoy LIC for its sweeping Manhattan views, easy commute to midtown, and abundant warehouse space but also its cultural offerings that have been multiplying in recent years from MoMA PS1 where the Warm Up party takes place every summer to the Obie-winning theater the Chocolate Factory. As time goes on, LIC gets more of those trademark “cool neighborhood” markers—a Trader Joe’s, an H Mart, an Ample Hills, and a smattering of breweries and climbing gyms. Read our neighborhood guide to find out more.
Sunnyside and Forest Hills are following closely behind—median asking prices were $420,000 and $418,000, respectively and rents were $2,300 and $2,395 this summer, below the borough median of $639,000 and $2,600.
Jackson Heights and Ridgewood are also contenders for the most coveted Queens neighborhood. We recently named Ridgewood as the coolest neighborhood in NYC.
