Williamsburg, Brooklyn, Explained | a history

Okay 3 things i am obsessed with: 1) nyc history 2) the editing 3) everything about this

Dude, I loved this whole video. Can’t wait to see what you become on this channel!

Thank you for the in-depth and interesting video about such a culturally significant and historic neighborhood!! A small note, but the Hasidic Jewish areas of NYC that you refer to actually have signs in Yiddish, not Hebrew. The language traditionally uses the same alphabet as Hebrew, but is actually closer to a dialect of German with some Hebrew elements incorporated in it. Sadly, many Yiddish speakers died during the Holocaust and the language is now quite rare, but Hasidic communities are still working to keep it alive!

My family is from Williamsburg. I appreciate this content but I feel it fails to mention how divided Williamsburg was. The polish and Italians of the north side would often get into street fights with the Puerto Ricans in the south side and the major influx of Dominicans in the 80’s. Puerto Ricans created gangs to protect themselves from racism.

Also Domino Sugar has a dark history of slavery back in Puerto Rico. The man that created Domino Sugar was also a US Army general appointed governor by the US when Puerto Ricans couldn’t vote for their own politicians, who also own sugar plantations throughout the island. Conflict of interest much?

As a native Brooklyn resident this entire commentary is spot on. However I digress please do not send corporate hipster bros to Flatbush lmfao.

As an immigrant who moved to south Brooklyn at 6 years old, ive watched this neighborhood and others like it in Brooklyn transform. Great video!

I was born in Greenpoint in 85, and moved to Philly in 92. Grandmom is still there(rent lock) and we regularly went up there growing up in the 90s. I've grown up watching the process of gentrification happen in real time and it seems like the real estate market has utilized Williamsburg as a model for modern urban revitalization(gentrification) in other major cities in the U.S.. Displacement has been and always will be a part of urban revitalization. Philadelphia is now being heavily gentrified and redeveloped, rapidly, without all the cool ish NYC has available. It's not playing out the same way (not many jobs here, dining is concentrated in certain neighborhoods, clubs, and bars close relatively early, too many buy and hold real estate investors, crime is high and happens in gentrified areas commonly, open-air drug market due to the opioid epidemic, smaller streets, less parking, not enough police, not a strong transit system(not to mention how unsafe it is), etc...in short, we are not NYC). Good video. Earned the sub, like, and a few shares.

Those signs are most likely in Yiddish which usually uses the Hebrew alphabet but is actually a Germanic language with influences from Slavic languages as well as others. The Hasidim are mostly from Eastern Europe.

hope ur channel picks up, keep working hard and create great content like this!

I live in S Williamsburg and moved here last year as an aspiring (and poor) painter. It is not affordable for artists / working class. I work fulltime and can't afford health insurance and other basic necessities. Time will tell if it's worth it.

What a cool video! Glad I found this channel early. Keep it up!

Super high quality video! Would love to see you dig into history in Queens and neighborhoods like Jackson Heights

Every video keeps getting better! love this

really nailed the johnny harris vibe. Stoked to see your evolution!

My friend recommended this video after we were talking about gentrification in Jersey City, NJ. Excellent video. Subscribed!

Wonderful video! I have always wanted to know more about NYC neighborhoods and I didn’t know that it is actually a home of many artists. I love your style of editing too!

Amazing work. As a Willamsburger, this was super interesting. Would love more videos on Williamsburg.

Super glad I found this vid!! I lived in The Bronx for most of my life and I first started hanging out in Williamsburg in highschool because I was on a quest to do photography in all of the five boroughs. That was only 10 years ago and the change that I’ve seen has been staggering. For me, it’s always been a hipster semi rich neighborhood but now it is completely turned into the next upper east side. I would love a longer video speaking more about how this gentrification really affects Spanish Williamsburg and the Jewish community ! Best believe I’m subscribed and excited to see more😁

Always so great to be reminded that Williamsburg existed before my ambiguous patchwork tattoos did. Loved this—really well done