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Eat your heart out, Williamsburg. The millennials have moved on. (Sort of.)
According to a recent survey conducted by the Downtown Alliance, 30,000 people between the ages of 18 to 44 now call Lower Manhattan home. The report indicated that this figure was more than the amount in both the East Village and Williamsburg, although the latter neighborhood does have nearly the same number of millennials, so it’s a close race.
Approximately 70 percent of Downtown residents (that’s below Chambers Street) are now considered millennials—at least by the Downtown Alliance. According to their report, the median income of this group is around $160,000 annually, and they spend near $356 million on things categorized as entertainment.
None of this is terribly surprising—there has been an aggressive campaign to educate New Yorkers about how cool Lower Manhattan is. (You may have seen the posters screaming about how Questlove lives there.)
So does that mean FiDi is the new Brooklyn? Not quite. Yes, the High Line of the Financial District did just open this summer. But here’s the reality of young people moving to Lower Manhattan: They are there because, for several years now, the rents have been cheaper than in many other parts of the borough. These residents choose this area for its price, not its scene. Sorry, FiDi.
The polls are open! Vote for your favorite spots that deserve a Love New York Award.