Flatbush, NY

Flatbush is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood consists of several subsections in central Brooklyn and is generally bounded by Prospect Park to the north, East Flatbush to the east, Midwood to the south, and Kensington and Parkville (which were characterized throughout much of the 20th century as subsections of Flatbush) to the west. The neighborhood had a population of 105,804 as of the 2010 United States Census. The modern neighborhood includes or borders several institutions of note, including Brooklyn College.

Flatbush was originally chartered as the Dutch Nieuw Nederland colony town of Midwout (or Midwoud or Medwoud). The town’s former border runs through what is now Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Before it was incorporated into the City of Brooklyn in 1894, Flatbush described both the Town of Flatbush, incorporating a large swath of central Kings County extending east to the Queens County border, and the Village of Flatbush, formerly the heart of the current community. The neighborhood was consolidated into the City of Greater New York in 1898 and was connected to the rest of the city with the development of the New York City Subway in the early 20th century. During the 1970s and early 1980s, Flatbush experienced a shift in demographics due to white flight.

Flatbush is part of Brooklyn Community District 14, and its primary ZIP Code is 11226. It is patrolled by the 67th and 70th Precincts of the New York City Police Department. Politically, Flatbush is represented by the New York City Council’s 40th and 45th Districts.