Bergen Beach is a small neighborhood on the eastern coast of Brooklyn that is regarded for its quiet atmosphere and suburban feel. Bergen Beach is bordered to the northeast by the Paerdegat Basin and the southeast by the Mill Basin. In the northwest, it extends to Ralph Avenue, and in southwest border extends along Veterans Avenue, East 67th Street, and the East Mill Basin.

Bergen Beach is named in honor of Hans Hansen Bergen, one of the earliest European settlers of the Dutch colony of New Amsterdam. Bergen began his career in the Americas as the overseer of a tobacco plantation on Manhattan Island. He eventually relocated to Brooklyn, where he raised his family and worked as a farmer. At the time of Bergen’s arrival to Brooklyn, the area known today as Bergen Beach was an island off the coast of what is now Canarsie. In the early twentieth century, the island was connected to Brooklyn by landfill.

Bergen Beach is served by P.S. 312, a public school that enrolls students through grade 5 and strives to provide “a safe, supportive, and engaging learning environment that promotes high expectations, excellence in learning and social and emotional growth for all learners.” New to the neighborhood is a Success Academy Charter School that opened in 2014 and serves grades K-2, with plans to serve grades K-4.

Bergen Beach is an ideal choice for those seeking a suburban community with a relaxed atmosphere. Without having to leave the borough of Brooklyn, residents enjoy a waterfront setting and the soothing allure of a quiet neighborhood.