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A little about Williamsburg

Over the past 15 years, Williamsburg has developed into one of New York City's most culturally vibrant enclaves. The Brooklyn neighborhood, which extends roughly from the East River to Bushwick Avenue, bounded by McCarren Park to the north and Flushing to the south (though Broadway is the cutoff for most of the action), is home to an incredible array of the borough's most creative restaurants, fashion emporiums, music venues and arts organizations—little wonder why it's garnered global renown.

The history of Williamsburg

Williamsburg was incorporated as the Village of Williamsburgh within the Town of Bushwick in 1827. In two years it had a fire company, a post office and a population of over 1,000. The deep drafts along the East River encouraged industrialists, many from Germany, to build shipyards around Williamsburg. Raw material was shipped in, and finished products were sent out of factories straight to the docks. Several sugar barons built processing refineries. Now all are gone except the now-defunct Domino Sugar (formerly Havemeyer & Elder). Other important industries included shipbuilding and brewing. On April 18, 1835, the Village of Williamsburgh annexed a portion of the Town of Bushwick. The Village then consisted of three districts. The first district was commonly called the "South Side"; the second district was called the "North Side", and the third district was called the "New Village". The names "North Side" and "South Side" remain in common usage today.