It’s a neighborhood, by Georgetown!
When a new Fairway Market opened on Ralph Avenue in place called “Georgetown,” many Downtown Brooklynites were perplexed that such a neighborhood exists in the County of Kings.
But it does, and it’s hotter than ever!
In fact, shortly after the popular food market moved in, the cable network Cold War spy drama “The Americans” began filming along the neighborhood’s main drag — the awesomely named Ralph Avenue. And — you guessed it — a Five Guys Burgers and Fries is on the way.
Sure, Georgetown doesn’t have a subway or a hippy dippy Whole Foods (yet), but residents who have lived in the suburban enclave for years say they love everything about the place they call home — especially their ability to get to the places they need to go without having to swipe a MetroCard.
“There’s driveways, that’s very rare to see,” said Adam Diamond, the president of the Georgetown Civic Association, which recently revived after being defunct for years. “There’s a shopping center with a parking lot, which is also rare to see in the city.”
Geographically, Georgetown forms somewhat of a triangle bounded by Ralph, Bergen, and Veterans avenues, with its eponymous shopping center on Ralph Avenue anchored by a beloved International House of Pancakes.
The neighborhood started developing in the 1950s and 1960s, after nearby Old Mill Basin, so it has newer homes and buildings, according to local pol, Councilman Alan Maisel (D–Georgetown — yes, Georgetown).
And Georgetown often gets conflated with Bergen Beach, of which it is a sub neighborhood — but it exists all on its own, even though many people have no idea where it is, said Maisel.
“Georgetown is a really small area. I’m not sure how many people know that there’s a community called Georgetown,” he said.
Of course, that can’t be said for the people who live here, can it?
“Obviously if you live in the local area, people know about Georgetown,” he said. “They know about the general area, but don’t necessarily know that it’s called Georgetown.”
Okay, maybe not.
So if the Fairway brought one thing, it’s recognition, and while Downtowners probably won’t be heading out here to shop, at least they now know it exists.
“Sometimes it’s good not to be that well-known, but you also don’t want to be forgotten about by the city,” Diamond said. “But if people wanted to move here, if they found out about it and wanted to be close to Fairway and not near a train and the hustle of bustle of the city, I would be perfectly okay with that too.”
