Is Dorchester the New Brooklyn?

Lower Dot is officially calling it. Dorchester is the new Brooklyn. As most people know, Brooklyn is the hippest American 'hood of this last decade. It has become a cultural hub and commonly associated with being urban cool, edgy, and fresh. Perhaps they are migrating from Allston or J.P., but in the past year, we have noticed more of our neighbors looking like this these days...

Why has there been this influx of cooler younger folks? To show that DOT is the new BKLN, we first offer a comparison of the two neighborhoods followed by a visual quiz.

1. In population terms, Brooklyn is the largest borough of New York; Dorchester is the largest neighborhood of Boston.

2. Brooklyn and Dorchester both transitioned from farmland to streetcar suburb to urban cityscape roughly around the same periods over the past 150 years. Both experienced their darkest days in the 1970s and 80s. In movies about New York, the accent you hear is usually Brooklyn; in movies about Boston, the accent you usually hear is Dorchester. Both neighborhoods are known for the politicians they breed.

3. Crown Heights Brooklyn and Dorchester were both named in the top 10 hottest neighborhoods of 2013 (Dorchester was also named one of the 10 best neighborhoods in Boston this year). 

4. Brooklyn and Dorchester both share diverse and multicultural populations.
Brooklyn: 37% White, 33% Black, 20% Latino, 10% Asian
Dorchester: 37% Black, 28% White, 14% Latino, 12% Asian

5. Brooklyn and Dorchester have seen a steady migration of artists and musicians since the 1970s, fostered by artists lofts being built in former warehouses. Brooklyn and Dorchester are the heart of hip hop in their respective cities.

6. Brooklyn and Dorchester have become home to hip restaurants that take culinary risks featured on nationally televised cuisine programs (For example, in Dorchester, we have Ashmont Grill and dbar).

7. Brooklyn and Dorchester are both a mix of dense urban apartment buildings and leafy residential side streets and both Brooklyn and Dorchester are served by partially elevated and partially underground subway lines.

8. Both Brooklyn and Dorchester have become centers for urban farming, bicycle culture, and public art. Both Brooklyn and Dorchester offer their own breweries (For example, Dorchester has the new Percival Beer Company).

9. Brooklyn and Dorchester are often strongly associated with both their Irish and African American communities. Both are traditional hubs for immigrants and they are places where many Caribbean Americans, Latinos, and eastern Europeans call home. Both Brooklyn and Dorchester have growing gay communities.

10. Brooklyn and Dorchester are both relatively affordable for housing, attracting a new wave of younger residents.

The below visual quiz highlights how difficult it is to separate Brooklyn from Dorchester...

A.) Is the above image of Dorchester or Brooklyn? Answer at the bottom of the post.

B.) Is the above image of Dorchester or Brooklyn? Answer at the bottom of the post.

C.) Is the above image of Dorchester or Brooklyn? Answer at the bottom of the post.

D.) Is the above image of Dorchester or Brooklyn? Answer at the bottom of the post.

E.) Is the above image of Dorchester or Brooklyn? Answer at the bottom of the post.

F.) Is the above image of Dorchester or Brooklyn? Answer at the bottom of the post.

G.) Is the above image of Dorchester or Brooklyn? Answer at the bottom of the post.

H.) Is the above image of Dorchester or Brooklyn? Answer at the bottom of the post.

Answer: A. Brooklyn. B. Dorchester. C. Brooklyn. D. Dorchester. E. Brooklyn. F. Dorchester G. Brooklyn. H. Dorchester.

Food Trucks Return to Ashmont

After a hiatus, Dot has its food trucks back. Makin' Jamaican will be near Ashmont Station on Dorchester Ave. from 3-7 pm every Friday. St. Mark's Main Streets reports that the owner, who normally parks his truck in Malden, will be a regular in the city designated food truck space outside Flat Black Coffee. We dropped by this afternoon and enjoyed the beef and vegetable patties, as well as the curry chicken with rice, beans, and plantains. Luckily, we stopped by early (food trucks have a tradition of selling out quickly in Dorchester), and good thing we did, because when we walked by later in the evening there was a long line. It is delicious food and we are happy to have this addition to the 'hood.