Red Hook Is The Healthiest Neighborhood In NYC, Study Says

RED HOOK, BROOKLYN — A new study that looked at healthy food options, recreation spots and even access to doctor's offices has put Red Hook at the top of a list of NYC's healthiest neighborhoods.

The neighborhood was number one out of 10 areas deemed the healthiest in the city, the top of which fell in Brooklyn and Queens. The study — led by experts from StreetEasy and Seamless — used data about apartment buildings access to bike rooms or gyms, the number of restaurants with healthy-food orders and the amount of recreational and wellness options, including doctor's offices, gyms and public space or bike lanes.

And although Red Hook is usually thought of as an industrial neighborhood, its public park space and healthy eaters beat out other areas, the study found.

"Foods linked to brain power, like salmon, and leafy greens, like spinach, are ordered via Seamless from restaurants in Red Hook at a rate higher than the NYC average," the study said. "Restaurants in the area also receive twice the orders for brown rice as for white rice."

The neighborhood had the most public park space per capita of any others on the list and the second-highest number of bike lanes per capita in the whole city.

The researchers found that to take advantage of this healthy lifestyle, residents are paying a median asking rent in Red Hook of $2,735 — slightly higher than the Brooklyn-wide median of $2,500.

"But with all of the park space, affordable recreation centers, bike lanes, and apartment buildings offering bike storage rooms, residents are free to break a sweat at little-to-no cost," the report said.

Other Brooklyn neighborhoods that made the list were Dumbo, which got the second-place spot, and Brooklyn Heights, which came in seventh.

Read the full report here.

Photo from Shutterstock.