Ask any American where the Russians live in New York, and he will, without a shadow of a doubt, point you towards Long Island, where Brooklyn and its individual administrative districts are located. It is here that the district, popularly referred to as “Little Odessa”, is located, in which mainly immigrants from the former USSR live. It is called Brighton Beach, and most of the restaurants, shops and even newspaper editorial offices have Russian-language names.
District History
Brooklyn was given its current name in honor of the eponymous resort located in the UK. Soon a railway was laid here, which later became a branch of the New York Metro. At the beginning of the twentieth century, the area attracted tourists, and later Brighton Beach completely became a fashionable resort, where rich Europeans came to rest.
Everything radically changed the Second World War. The area from a popular has turned into a place of residence for the poor and for some time was considered depressed. Over time, the birth rate in Brooklyn grew and the area gradually began to develop again. To a greater extent this was facilitated by the influx of immigrants from the Soviet Union. Soon a kind of Russian district was formed here in New York. Brooklyn attracted immigrants from Eastern Europe for its low cost, as well as good infrastructure, a good transport interchange and location near the coast.
Brighton remained un prestigious until the end of the last century, when the collapse of the USSR and further perestroika followed. It’s a paradox, but it was these events that gave a powerful impetus to the development of Little Odessa, because along with the poor Soviet citizens, a stream of former Russian businessmen poured into the States.
Infrastructure
The first generations who moved to Brighton did everything so that their children not only knew English, but also did not forget Russian. Already at the beginning of the new century, the Russian district in New York was very full of shops and restaurants, in which Russian-speaking staff worked and it was possible to purchase Russian products. The magnificent Millennium Theater was built near the coast, and the entire post-Soviet elite lived in the luxurious Oceana residential complex. Brooklyn traffic intersection to this day remains one of the best in New York.
"Little Odessa"
In most local banks, offices, entertainment and shopping centers, Russian is the norm rather than the exception, and you can hear it here more often than English. Every week in "Little Odessa" there are performances by Russian pop stars, so the locals practically do not have to talk about nostalgia.
100 meters of white sand are separated from the Brighton coast, is it necessary to say that in summer it is just a paradise for tourists? All beaches are equipped with free toilets and soda machines. Rescuers are on duty around the clock around the sea, and along the coastline there are specially designated places for fishing enthusiasts.
Development prospects
Today, the Russian district in New York, along with the neighboring Coney Island, is considered one of the rapidly developing areas. According to experts, these two administrative centers are the most promising in terms of investment for the next decade.
Population
According to the latest census, a little more than 23 thousand people live in Little Odessa. It should be noted right away that this figure is nothing more than a formality, because not all residents conclude leases and, accordingly, are not included in the statistics. In addition, in the summer season, the population of the region increases by 2-3 times due to visiting tourists. With regard to gender, in Brighton, men and women are in approximate equality.
The Russian district in New York fully lives up to its name: 36% of the residents of the administrative center do not speak English or do not speak English well, while in the metropolitan area as a whole this figure does not exceed 7%. About 73% of the inhabitants of Little Odessa are emigrants, while in New York this indicator is within 22%.
Despite the fact that Brooklyn has a generally very high number of people with incomes above the average, the Russian district in New York as a whole shows a low standard of living. For example, about 30% of the population lives in poverty, and the number of cars per capita is almost half that of New York itself.
This is not surprising. A similar scatter is characteristic of present-day Russia and most countries of the post-Soviet space. While some bathe in luxury, the latter are forced to seek a livelihood.
Along with this, it is the breadth of the middle-income population that determines the quality of life in the country as a whole.
Well, so far Brighton Beach is really “Little Odessa” or “Moscow”, rather than the largest metropolitan area of the United States on the Mediterranean coast.