Kensington

Kensington is a neighborhood in the center of Brooklyn, just south of historic Prospect Park and West of the Flatbush Ditmas-Park neighborhood. The land where Kensington now sits was first colonized by Dutch farmers during the seventeenth century within the Town of Flatbush. It was re-settled by British colonists in 1737 and developed in 1885 after the completion of Ocean Parkway. The area is now populated by a mix of many different styles and cultures; multiculturalism that is reflected in the windows of its bodegas, boutiques, and barber shops–their languages change by the storefront. Overall, it's a low-key, mixed area where a stunning variety of people live with, and among each other.

This is a mostly residential area and the neighborhood doesn’t have much in terms of big named restaurants, bars or entertainment. There are an array of local area carry-out restaurants – Thai food at To Be Thai and Sawasde, celebrated pizza at Korner Pizza on Church, Japanese at Sake Sushi, and Bangladeshi food on McDonald. There’s also, the diner Faros, which is a neighborhood standby offering reliable diner fare. The neighborhood is also home to Kensington Stables, a horse stable that offers pony rides, lessons, trail rides, children’s programs, teen horsemanship, and horses for special occasions.

Kensington is known for its affordable rents and spacious apartments although the prices in the neighborhood have risen over the past few years. The neighborhood is currently 38% above its 2014 market prices. There are many single- and two-family houses in the neighborhood houses that often have front yards and porches, with very diverse architectural styles. Kensington is also home to many apartment buildings, some prewar and mid-century brick six-story buildings, and some newer and taller. Ocean Parkway houses many pre-war buildings with grand lobbies that have original crown molding throughout. There a condos in the area but co-ops are most common. The current median sales asking price is a little over a million dollars and the median asking rent price is $2,100, much lower than most Brooklyn neighborhoods.

The subway lines for Kensington are the F and the G, both of which stop at Church Avenue and give commuters access to other Brooklyn neighborhoods, as well as Manhattan in about 45 minutes. Residents also have the option to walk or take the bus to the Q train in nearby Ditmas Park. Ocean Parkway, which is a major thoroughfare, also has the first dedicated bike path in the U.S.