Midwood is a neighborhood located in the borough of Brooklyn, New York. It is roughly halfway between Prospect Park and Coney Island; bounded on the north by the Long island Rail Road tracks just above Avenue I and the Brooklyn campus of the New York City University, and on the south by Avenue P and Kings Highway. The eastern border is Nostrand Avenue or Flatbush Avenue (depending on whom you ask), and Coney Island Avenue or Ocean Parkway to the west is the other boundary (again, depending upon whom you ask).
As of 2010 census, there were 52,835 people, 18,881 households, and 12,402 families residing in the area. The median income for a household in the village is $51,308.
The neighborhood’s former and merged name includes Midwout which came from the Dutch word meaning the “middle woods”. The settlers of New Netherland gave the area of western Long Island, between the towns of “Boswijck” and “Brueckelen,” because of its broad, opaque forests. Then, it became a part of old Flatbush located between the towns of Gravesend and Flatlands.
In 1652, the Dutch began their settlement in the area and they later gave way to the English who conquered it in 1664, but the neighborhood remained rural and undeveloped for the most part until its seizure as part of the City of Greater New York in 1898, and then became more developed in the 1920s, when large middle class tracts of developed houses and apartment buildings were constructed. In 1980s, Midwood underwent renaissance and many immigrants from different countries came in.
Notable people living in Midwood include Arthur Miller (playwright), Marisa Tomei (actress), Woody Allen (actor), Erich Segal (novelist), Adam Yauch (singer), and Bernard Sanders (senator). Most of its resident’s ancestries came from Soviet Union, China, Eastern Europe, Haiti, Israel, Pakistan, Guyana, Ireland, Greece, Poland, Mexico, Korea, Turkey, and Italy. The Midwood Free Schools District has not abdicated its responsibilities but there are 3 Public Elementary Schools in and near Midwood and the Isaac Asimov School functions as P. S. 99 for the area. The Brooklyn College of the City University of New York and the Touro College are important institutions of higher learning in the neighborhood.
The Brooklyn Public Library has a branch in Midwood on Lawrence Street which is also an important factor for students to develop their knowledge and skills. There are several houses of worships in the neighborhood including the Church of the Epiphany and Saint Simon which is very active in social service apart from its routine religious role. Midwood is primarily residential, with a mix of rental and co-op apartments and a diversity of detached and semi-detached houses. In fact, the area combines some of the best aspects of urban and suburban life. Home price value in Midwood starts at $220,000 and may goes as high as $750,000.
