Midwood, Brooklyn facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Midwood
Neighborhood of Brooklyn
Kings Highway and East 16th Street in Midwood
Country	United States
State	New York
City	New York City
Borough	Brooklyn
Community District	Brooklyn 14
Area
• Total	3.33 km2 (1.29 sq mi)
Population  (2020)
• Total	54,637
• Density	16,408/km2 (42,500/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
ZIP Codes	11210, 11230
Area code	718, 347, 929, and 917

Midwood is a lively neighborhood in the south-central part of Brooklyn, a borough of New York City. It's bordered by Avenue I and the Brooklyn College campus to the north. To the south, you'll find Avenue P and Kings Highway. The eastern side is near Nostrand Avenue, Flatbush Avenue, and Coney Island Avenue. On the west, it's close to McDonald Avenue and Ocean Parkway.

Midwood is part of Brooklyn Community District 14. Its main ZIP Codes are 11210 and 11230. The New York City Police Department's 70th Precinct keeps the area safe.

History of Midwood

Residential building cluster in Midwood

The name "Midwood" comes from an old Dutch word, Midwout. This means "middle woods." Early settlers in New Netherland used this name for the thick forests between the towns of Bushwick and Brooklyn.

In 1652, Dutch settlers started living here. Later, the English took over in 1664. But Midwood stayed mostly rural until the 1890s. That's when it became part of the City of Brooklyn. In the 1920s, many homes and apartment buildings were built for middle-class families.

Many people sometimes call Midwood "Flatbush." Flatbush is an older, well-known neighborhood that used to include Midwood. Even today, some people think Midwood is part of Flatbush.

Midwood's Population

In 2020, Midwood had about 52,835 people living there. Most residents were White (73.6%), with Asian (11.8%), Hispanic/Latino (7.6%), and Black (4.6%) people also living in the area. About 16% of residents were over 65 years old.

The larger area that includes Midwood and Flatbush had about 165,543 people in 2018. People in this area tend to live longer, with an average life expectancy of 82.4 years. This is a bit higher than the average for all New York City neighborhoods.

Most people living here are middle-aged adults and young people. About 25% are kids and teens (0–17 years old). Another 29% are young adults (25–44), and 24% are older adults (45–64).

In 2016, the average family income in this area was about $56,599. In 2018, about 22% of people in Flatbush and Midwood lived in poverty. This is similar to the rest of Brooklyn and New York City. About 9% of people were unemployed. Many residents (57%) find it hard to pay their rent. This is higher than the city average.

What Midwood is Like

Shopping in Midwood

Midwood has several main streets for shopping. These include Kings Highway, Avenue J, Avenue M, Flatbush Avenue, Nostrand Avenue, and Coney Island Avenue.

Kings Highway Shopping

A Midwood shopping street at night

Kingsway Theatre circa 1977

Dubrow's Cafeteria

From the 1950s to the 1970s, Kings Highway was home to Dubrow's Cafeteria. This was a famous place where you'd get a ticket, and they'd punch holes in it to add up your meal cost. Important people like John F. Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy even held campaign events outside Dubrow's.

Today, Kings Highway has many chain stores and different ethnic food shops. You can also find high-fashion stores, jewelry shops, and sushi restaurants. The very first Crazy Eddie store, a famous electronics store, was also on Kings Highway.

Nostrand Avenue Shopping

Nostrand Avenue used to be known for trendy clothing stores. As those businesses closed, the street changed. Now, it's known for its car showrooms. You can also find a U.S. Postal Service office on Nostrand Avenue between Avenues I and J.

Lettered Avenues for Shopping

Avenue J is a busy street in Midwood. It has many kosher restaurants, delis, pizzerias, and butcher shops.

Avenue M is another important business street, especially for kosher food. It has many kosher restaurants and bakeries. In the past, it was home to a famous restaurant called Cookie's. Near the end of June each year, the Midwood Development Corporation holds a fun street fair called the Midwood Mardi Gras along Avenue M.

You can find a public parking lot on East 17th Street, just north of Avenue M. Many stores on Avenue M are closed on Jewish holidays.

Coney Island Avenue Shopping

On Coney Island Avenue in Midwood, you'll find the U.S. Postal Service Midwood station. There's also The Kent Triplex Movie Theater and other shops.

Between Avenue O and Quentin Road, you can find Turkish restaurants and a hookah bar. In 2008, the largest kosher supermarket in the United States opened on Coney Island Avenue and Avenue L.

Ocean Parkway

Ocean Parkway in Midwood

Ocean Parkway apartment buildings

Ocean Parkway is a wide, tree-lined street in Brooklyn. It mostly has apartment buildings and is not a shopping area. It has special lanes for bikes and walking paths separate from the main road.

Movie Theaters in Midwood

Midwood used to have several movie theaters. Most of them are now closed.

• One theater, still open, is The Kent Triplex Movie Theater. It's on Coney Island Avenue, near Avenue H. It opened in 1939 with one screen and became a three-screen theater in the 1990s.
• Another theater was the Century Elm on Avenue M. It later became a bank branch.
• Four theaters were on Kings Highway: The Kingsway, The Jewel, The Avalon, and The Triangle. The Triangle theater opened in 1936 and closed in 1952. It later became a furniture store and then a clothing store.

Avalon Theater

The Avalon Theater (seen here in 1976), formerly the Piccadilly, was designed by Samuel Cohen.

The Avalon Theater opened on January 25, 1928, on Kings Highway. It was first called the Piccadilly. It was a very large theater with seats for over 2,100 people, including a special section for children. It also had a large pipe organ.

Former Avalon Theater, East 18th street, Kings Highway; now a Walgreens

The Avalon Theater closed in 1982. Today, the building has a Walgreens store on the first floor and offices on the upper floors.

East Midwood Area

Ocean Parkway in Midwood

The area east of Ocean Avenue is sometimes called "East Midwood." The local volunteer ambulance service is Flatbush Hatzoloh. The closest hospitals are New York Presbyterian Community Hospital and Mount Sinai, both on Kings Highway. These hospitals can handle emergency calls. One of Brooklyn's last farms used to be in this area until the mid-1960s.

Parks and Green Spaces

Midwood has several parks and outdoor areas for recreation. These include Kolbert Park and the Rachel Haber Cohen Playground. Near Edward R. Murrow High School, you'll find handball and basketball courts. There are also track and playing fields at Brooklyn College and Midwood High School.

Sgt. Joyce Kilmer Triangle

Friends Field, at East Second Street and Avenue L, has baseball fields and tennis courts. Across from it is the Erasmus Hall High School football field.

The large Midwood High School Field (between East 16th and 17th Streets, and Avenues K and L) has handball courts, tennis courts, a running track, and a field for football, rugby, and soccer. Students from nearby Edward R. Murrow High School also use this field.

Midwood also has two public pedestrian plazas:

• Corporal Wiltshire Square is named after Corporal Clifford T. Wiltshire. He was a soldier who died in 1918 during a battle. This square is where Ocean Avenue meets Avenue P and Kings Highway.
• Sgt. Joyce Kilmer Triangle is named after American journalist and poet Sgt. Joyce Kilmer. It's located where Kings Highway and Quentin Road meet. This is the smallest park in New York City.

Fire Safety

The New York City Fire Department (FDNY) has a fire station in Midwood. Engine Co. 276/Ladder Co. 156/Battalion 33 is located at 1635 East 14th Street.

Post Offices and ZIP Codes

Midwood uses two ZIP Codes: 11230 for the area west of East 21st Street, and 11210 for the area east of East 21st Street. The United States Postal Service has three post offices nearby:

• Kingsway Station – 1610 East 19th Street
• Midwood Station – 1288 Coney Island Avenue
• Vanderveer Station – 2319 Nostrand Avenue

Religion in Midwood

East Midwood Jewish Center

Talmud Torah of Flatbush

Midwood is a diverse neighborhood with many different cultures and religions. However, a large number of its residents are Jewish.

Judaism

In the 1980s and 1990s, many Orthodox Jews moved to Midwood. They were drawn by the large homes and tree-lined streets. Today, the area has both Ashkenazic and Sephardic Jewish communities. Along Kings Highway, you can find many Middle Eastern-style restaurants and take-out food shops.

The East Midwood Jewish Center, a Conservative synagogue, was founded in 1924. Its building is a beautiful 1929 structure on Ocean Avenue. The Kingsway Jewish Center is another historic synagogue on Nostrand Avenue.

Midwood is home to several branches of Touro College, a college that started in 1970. There are also many large Orthodox synagogues, like Congregation Beth Torah and the Young Israel of Midwood. Many smaller synagogues, called shtiebelach, are also common.

In 2009, a kosher soup kitchen opened on Coney Island Avenue. It was a partnership between the Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty and Masbia.

Midwood also has many yeshivos (Jewish schools). These include the Mirrer Yeshiva, Yeshiva Rabbeinu Chaim Berlin, and Yeshiva Toras Emes Kaminetz.

Christianity

There are several Christian churches in Midwood. St. Brendan's Parish and Our Lady Help of Christians are two Roman Catholic Church congregations. The Church of the Three Hierarchs Greek Orthodox serves the Greek community. The Episcopal Church of the Epiphany also serves the community.

Islam

The area around Newkirk Avenue has one of Brooklyn's largest mosques, the Muslim Community Center of Brooklyn, also known as Makki Masjid.

Education in Midwood

Hudde Junior High School, named after Andries Hudde

Midwood has a similar number of college-educated residents compared to the rest of New York City. About 43% of adults (age 25 and older) have a college degree or higher. Most students in Midwood do well in math. The percentage of students doing well in math increased from 43% in 2000 to 68% in 2011.

The number of elementary school students who miss a lot of school days in Midwood is about the same as in the rest of New York City. About 18% of elementary students miss twenty or more days each school year. Also, about 75% of high school students in Midwood graduate on time.

Schools and Colleges

Midwood has several public schools run by the New York City Department of Education:

• PS 193 Gil Hodges (for grades PK-5)
• PS 197 The Kings Highway Academy (for grades PK-5)
• PS 199 Frederick Wachtel (for grades PK-5)
• Andries Hudde School (for grades 6-8)
• IS 381 (for grades 6-8)
• Edward R. Murrow High School (for grades 9-12)
• Midwood High School (for grades 9-12)

Private schools in the area include:

• Prospect Park Yeshiva
• Yeshivah of Flatbush
• Masores Bais Yaakov
• Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlin
• The Yeshiva of Brooklyn
• The Wallerstein Yeshiva
• Yeshiva Tiferes Yisroel, part of the Yeshivas Chofetz Chaim
• Masores Bais Yaakov for girls
• Yeshiva Torah Vodaas
• Ahavas Torah Yeshiva
• Yeshivas Bais Joseph Novardok Brooklyn (for adult males)

Colleges in Midwood include:

• Brooklyn College
• Touro College and University System

Libraries

The Brooklyn Public Library (BPL) has two branches in Midwood. The Midwood branch is at 975 East 16th Street near Avenue J. It opened in 1912 and moved several times before settling in its current spot. The Kings Highway branch is at 2115 Ocean Avenue near Kings Highway. It opened in 1910 and was the first BPL branch built by the New York City government.

Transportation

Avenue J on the BMT Brighton Line

Midwood is served by the New York City Subway. You can take the BMT Brighton Line (B and ​Q train), IND Culver Line (F <F>​ trains), and the IRT Nostrand Avenue Line (2 and ​5 train).

The MTA New York City Transit also runs many local bus routes in the community. These include the B2, B6, B7, B9, B11, B31, B41, B44, B44 SBS, B49, B68, B82, B82 SBS, B100, B103 local buses. There are also express buses like the BM1, BM3, BM4 that connect Midwood to other parts of the city.

Famous People from Midwood

Many well-known people have grown up, lived, or gone to school in Midwood: