The most desirable neighborhoods in Brooklyn right now are without a doubt Greenpoint and Williamsburg, they’re the newest “hip” places to live and the rents are skyrocketing accordingly. Both have traditionally been blue-collar enclaves of immigrant families, but recently, they’ve become the epicenter of young, cool, affluent New Yorkers. What used to be warehouses and factories are becoming (high priced) apartments/condos, art spaces, nightlife, restaurants, and shops. Brooklyn Heights and Park Slope remain very popular, and are largely populated with affluently professionals and young(ish) families. Also very pricey. But with both Park Slope and Brooklyn Heights, the immediate surrounding neighborhoods are pretty great as well, with decreasing rents depending on subway proximity, etc. Some of the cheapest neighborhoods to live in are Bedford-Stuyvusant and Bushwick, which are undoubtedly, more than a little rough around the edges, but if you look carefully, you can get some great deals. For example, I live on the far eastern edge of Williamsburg, right where it collides with Bushwick to the north and Bed-Stuy to the south, and I have a great, huge , beautiful apartment a block away from the subway…. for a comparative steal. The trade off is my neighborhood is pretty crummy. Especially at night. That’s the hitch in NYC: you can live in a great apt. in a bad neighborhood, if you’re willing to do the legwork and find one, or you can get a crummy shoebox in an amazing neighborhood, for roughly the same rent. You just have to make a decision as to where your priorities lie: personal space, or community. With regard to safety, it’s NY, you have to keep your eyes open everywhere, but the neighborhoods I named besides Bushwhick and Bed-Stuy are generally safe®, and to be fair there are better, up-and -coming parts of those two neighborhoods as well… one of the few nice products of gentrification. For my money the best mixture of price, location, safety, and general quality of life are in Fort Greene and Clinton Hill… great cultural diversity, surprisingly lower rents, ever-declining crime, great restaurants, good bar scene, urban renewal all around. If I could snap my fingers and move, it’d be to one of those two.