Old Brooklyn Neighborhood Guide

Situated on Cleveland’s western side is Old Brooklyn, a long-standing neighborhood with many great qualities.

As expected of a Cleveland neighborhood, Old Brooklyn has residents from a range of ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds. Around 33,000 residents call Old Brooklyn home, and many families are especially attracted to this neighborhood. In fact, Old Brooklyn’s statistics place it as being one of the most diverse and affordable neighborhoods in Cleveland, and this area is also preferable for young professionals.

Residents cite this neighborhood’s sense of community as a major draw, and Old Brooklyn’s classic, old-school atmosphere lends itself well to the friendly vibes of locally-run establishments, restaurants, bars and lounges, and expansive outdoor areas in the area.

With many well-rated nearby retail and entertainment options, residents can easily visit some of Cleveland’s main attractions without spending too much time travelling from place to place. Whether they’re traveling for work or play, Old Brooklyn residents tend to have short and easy commutes.

Old Brooklyn has a population of around 33,000 residents.

32% of the neighborhood’s population has some college education or an associate’s degree. Meanwhile, another 13% of residents have a bachelor’s degree, and 3% of residents have earned a master’s degree or a higher degree.

64% of Old Brooklyn residents are White, and 21% of residents identify as Hispanic. 9% of the population is African American, 2% of residents are Asian, and 4% of residents are biracial or multiracial.

The estimated median household income is $40K. Specifically, 34% of residents make under $25K annually, 24% make between $25K-$44K, 23% make between $45K-$74K, and 19% make over $75K annually.

As a neighborhood of Cleveland, Old Brooklyn is served by the Cleveland Metropolitan School District.

This impressively large school system educates around 40,000 students across the Greater Cleveland area and is headed by the mayor of Cleveland, who in turn appoints a school board in an effort to continually improve the quality of education Cleveland students receive.

This district has pushed for initiatives that have contributed to an increase in graduation rates, and improvement in academic achievement levels across this district’s campuses is also notable. Campuses in Cleveland MSD typically feature small class sizes, as reflected in the average 14 to 1 student-teacher ratio.

The Cleveland Metropolitan School District covers almost 80 square miles and includes 68 pre-kindergarten-8 campuses and 39 9-12 high schools, so Old Brooklyn students have multiple options to attend public schools.

However, students are also welcome to attend private campuses in the area as well, seeing as there are excellent religious and Montessori schools nearby.

Around 47% of properties in Old Brooklyn are rented residences, which means 53% of housing options in the neighborhood are owner-occupied properties. The vacancy rate in Old Brooklyn tracks around 12.2%, which ranks above 66% of residential areas across the country.

The bulk of residential properties are single family homes and apartment complexes, with smaller apartment buildings accounting for the next highest percentage of properties. As for attached properties, there are little to no condominiums in Old Brooklyn.

About 75% of properties in Old Brooklyn were built between 1940-1969, and another 21.4% of properties were constructed between 1970-1999, which means there are a very small number of newly constructed housing options in the neighborhood, especially considering under 4% of other properties were built in or before 1939.

About 54% of properties in the neighborhood have 3 bedroom layouts, and about 39% of properties have between 1-2 bedrooms. From there, about 7% of properties have 4 or more bedrooms.