New York City is home to some of the best colleges and universities in the United States, as well as a wealth of opportunities for interns and young professionals. Choosing the best area to live in can be difficult, as each neighborhood has its own unique features and characteristics. In this post, we will highlight some of the best areas to live in Manhattan and Brooklyn for students and young professionals, including Midtown Manhattan, East Village, Harlem, and Williamsburg.
Midtown Manhattan
Benefits: A great option for those who want to be right in the heart of the city. With easy access to transportation and a wide range of bars, restaurants, and coffee shops, Midtown is perfect for those who want to be close to the action.
Let’s start with the first place that comes to mind when thinking of New York City, Midtown Manhattan. Yes, this area is familiar to locals as being home to high-rise office blocks and overpriced coffee shops, but it can be a great option to live in if you want to be right in the heart of it. With every food type on your doorstep and fantastic connections to travel anywhere across the city in no time, this can be a great option for you. Midtown living provides easy access to some of the largest transit hubs in the world, including Grand Central Terminal, Penn Station, and the Port Authority Bus Terminal. This provides great access to all colleges and universities across the city as well.
East Village
Benefits: The best in the city for Nightlife and Student Culture
The East Village is known for its vibrant nightlife. Its countless dive bars, performance spaces, and rooftop cocktails bars mean it’s one of the most desired areas to live for students and young professionals to call their New York home. However, besides its effortless nighttime scene, the East Village doesn’t just sleep during the day. It is home to thousands of students and young professionals working at Independent coffee shops, casual cafes, and libraries across the neighborhood. This is of course due to the area being so close to some of the best universities the city has to offer, including NYU, Pace University, and The King’s College. The East Village has been the epicenter of bohemian lifestyle since the early 1900s, with its nooks and crannies being home to bookstores and cafes that inspired some of the city’s great thinkers, now it’s home to New York’s future thinkers!
Harlem
Benefits: Affordable, Community Culture, Home to Columbia University
Being located in upper Manhattan, Harlem offers the best of both worlds, you can find housing on the cheaper end of the New York City scale, and still explore the many restaurants, live music, and cultural events happening all throughout the year, not to mention its home to Columbia University. Harlem is a vibrant community with an increasingly booming nightlife and young presence. With colleges and institutions such as Columbia, New York School of Medicine, Hunter College, and Bernard College all located within Harlem, you’re never going to be far from a student-centered event or gathering. And with Harlem’s cost of living being 25% lower than the city as a whole, choosing to live in Harlem allows you to enjoy a fun, exciting NYC experience that every student deserves, without the hefty price tag.
Williamsburg
Benefits: Commutable to the City, Chilled and Relaxed Area in Comparison to Manhattan
The Williamsburg neighborhood in Brooklyn has quickly become one of the most popular areas for young professionals to live in New York City. Williamsburg provides a slightly slower-paced way of living, establishing itself as a trendy, hipster neighborhood, with streets lined with chic boutiques, trendy bars, and some of the best restaurants in the city, not to mention it’s just across the East River from Manhattan.
The main pulling factor for students and young professionals has been its extensive subway system which can bring you into the main hub of Manhattan in a matter of minutes and can act as an escape from the hustle and bustle of Manhattan. There is no doubt that you will fall in love with what Williamsburg has to offer from its gorgeous waterside view of the city to its hipster flair and everything beyond. It is the perfect place for students and young professionals looking to live the New York lifestyle, without being right in the center.
Bushwick & Bed-Stuy
Benefits: A more Affordable Option, Young & Hipster Vibe
Bushwick and Bedford-Stuyvesant (Bed-Stuy) in Brooklyn are both areas known for their industrial living spaces and venues, live music, galleries, street art, and young culture. Recent studies have shown that Bushwick and Bed-Stuy fit the bill with a larger quantity of affordable shared housing for students and young professionals than in any other neighborhood in the city.
In conclusion, each of these areas has its own unique benefits and attractions. Whether you’re looking for vibrant nightlife, a laid-back atmosphere, or a more affordable cost of living, there is a neighborhood in New York City that is perfect for you.