The Middle Class Neighborhood of Flatbush in Brooklyn

Flatlands is a quiet, well-maintained, middle class community primarily consisting of two-story detached, semi-detached, and attached homes covered in brick, vinyl siding, and stucco that also possess rare but highly desired amenities in Brooklyn—driveways and garages.

In the 1830s, Flatlands was a small, agricultural community with 700 people, but the extension of horse car services encouraged some population growth. After streetcars were electrified in 1893, developers began offering new homes, and after extension past Flatbush, brick row houses with garages were built. The IRT Subway line stops. Beginning in the late 1950s, Futurama homes, new attached, brick homes with driveways and garages were developed.

Initially Jewish, Italian, and Irish residents lived in Flatlands, beginning in the 1980s immigrants from Jamaica, Haiti, and Guyana moved into the community, and in recent years Orthodox Jews arrived.

Of historic interest is the Hendrick I. Lott House, a Dutch Colonial home built around 1720. The New York City landmark has attracted students from Brooklyn College and the Science, Technology, and Research High School, who have conducted excavations to find evidence of Brooklyn's agrarian history.

The John and Altje Baxter House, also known as the Stoothoff-Baxter-Kouwenhoven House, is a landmark, another New York City landmark, the Joost and Elizabeth Van Nuyse House. The Flatlands Dutch Reformed Church was founded in 1654. The current and third church built on the site was constructed in 1848 and is New York City landmark. The church also has a graveyard in which notable Dutch families are buried.

Local businesses operating feature retail shopping, and outdoor malls. Flatlands is a block from Kings Plaza Shopping Center and Marina, which offers bookstores, Macy's, Sears, Home Depot, local and chain retail stores, movies and boat slips.