StreetEasy reveals the top 15 most desirable NYC neighborhoods

Location is everything, especially when it comes to real estate. Although New York City is already known as one of the places people most want to move to, it is still hard to determine which NYC neighborhood is the best one. The recent report from StreetEasy might offer some answers. 

The real estate marketplace released a list of the most dreamed-about neighborhoods in the three NYC boroughs: Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens. To compile this list, StreetEasy looked at the search data from 2017 to 2022 and found which neighborhoods received the most inquiries from prospective tenants and homebuyers. 

West Village became the most sought-after Manhattan neighborhood. Since 2017, this area has been no.1 on the most-searched list. The second most popular Manhattan neighborhood was Greenwich Village, followed by Chelsea, SoHo, and Gramercy Park. Manhattan neighborhoods are also one of the most expensive, with the median asking prices starting from $1.3 million and rents nearing $5,000 a month. 

“It’s no big surprise that Manhattan’s most-searched neighborhoods are also the dreamiest,” Elena Lathrop, the author of the report, writes. “Who wouldn’t want to live the boho-chic life in the West Village or Greenwich Village, be near the High Line in Chelsea, own a classic SoHo loft, or have a shot at getting a key to Gramercy Park?” 

Williamsburg topped the list of most searched-for Brooklyn neighborhoods. The breathtaking Manhattan views, charming vintage boutiques, and booming cultural scene have made this neighborhood highly appealing to New Yorkers. Other popular Brooklyn areas include Park Slope, Brooklyn Heights, Greenpoint, and Fort Greene.

The desirable Queens neighborhoods are also one the most affordable. Four out of five most sought-after neighborhoods in this borough still have median asking prices below $1 million. Most homebuyers and renters looking to move to Queens prefer Long Island City and Astoria. Sunnyside, Forest Hills, and Ridgewood rounded the list of the top five most dreamed-about Queens neighborhoods.

Resources:

“The Most Dreamed-About NYC Neighborhoods,” by Elena Lathrop (StreetEasy, 2022)

“15 Most ‘Coveted' NYC Neighborhoods Revealed,” (NBC New York, 2022)

“These are the most coveted neighborhoods in NYC,” by  Shaye Weaver (Time Out, 2022)