Park Slope

Brownstone townhouses on quiet, tree-lined blocks, with Prospect Park at the end of the street and some of the city’s best schools.

Park Slope grew up in the late 1800s, when merchants built their homes along the edge of Prospect Park. The brownstones are still there: carved stoops, tall parlor-floor windows and original woodwork, on streets where the trees meet overhead.

The best homes are the full-house brownstones on the blocks nearest the park, with garden levels, working fireplaces and backyards. Prewar co-ops on Prospect Park West offer park views and high ceilings, and the newer condos along Fourth Avenue bring modern layouts for less.

Life here is easy and neighborly. Mornings start with a run around the park loop, Saturdays belong to the Grand Army Plaza farmers market, and evenings are spent in the restaurants and bars along Fifth and Seventh avenues. Several subway lines reach Manhattan in half an hour.