Little Odessa, Brooklyn, NY

 

Little Odessa (aka Brighton Beach) 

Demographics 

This little area of Brooklyn is one of the less known cultural enclaves that makes up New York City. Located all the way at the bottom of Brooklyn near Coney Island, hitting the Atlantic Ocean, is an area called Brighton Beach, or less commonly known as Little Odessa. Its boundaries are essentially a square, one side spanning the ocean, then up through Ocean Parkway, across Shore parkway and down Corbin Place. 

Famous for its rich Ukrainian and Russian immigrant population, Brighton Beach was appropriately dubbed as Little Odessa as well as Little Russia. The population of the area is around 34,000 people with the majority made up of whites (71%), the next largest group made up of Asians (14%), Latinos making up only about 11% and Blacks/African Americans less than 1%. 

Brighton Beach is mostly made up of residential buildings, small shops, shops and of course the boardwalk. It comes alive during the summer months when the beach is so packed you can barely see any sand. Although it does not have the reputation of being one of the cleanest beaches in NYC, many still flock here from all over the city to soak up the sun and stroll the boardwalk. To get here, take the Brooklyn bound B train all the way to its last stop or the Q until the Brighton Beach stop. For more local residents, the bus is also an option, the B1 or the B68, that takes you right through Brighton Beach itself (the street, not the sand) where you can find a plethora of shops, restaurants, and mini markets. For recommendations, check out a later blog post!