As residents all over Brooklyn are laboring to fill out those 10 tedious questions, those in Williamsburg as laboring a little less strenuously. Gawker reports that Williamsburgers have only a 30% return rate for the census, significantly less to 50% return rate in all of NYC.

Oh well, at least Williamsburg is pretty, as depicted in this photo via [charlie cravero] on Flickr.

Some things never change! Check out this picture of Borough Park from the early 1980s, courtesy of Betty Blade on Flickr.

Imagine if Goldilocks went apartment-hunting in Brooklyn.

She would shun Crown Heights — although super-convenient for Manhattan commuters, this efficient region is crowded to the point of bustling to the point of claustrophobic. “Too metropolitan,” she would say.

But what about Williamsburg? Metropolitan in a very different way — the jeans are claustrophobic, not the streets — Williamsburg would probably be a little posh for our yellow-haired youth, who still prefers porridge to crêpes. “Too trendy” would be the complaint.

For something, ahem, just right, Ms. Locks would likely travel to Greenpoint. One of our favorite neighborhoods, Greenpoint is a comparatively quieter neighborhood featuring a longstanding Polish community and recent smattering of hipsters overflowing from Williamsburg.

Goldilocks would love the neighborhood’s proximity to the L (…and the G), and even its nearness to Williamsburg, which is good every once in a while.

Now, to shop for chairs…

Image via flickr

As with any other city or state, some neighborhoods in Brooklyn are safer than others. You have places like Park Slope, Clinton Hill, Brooklyn Heights, and Fort Greene, which are considered very secure. At the same time, certain areas like Bedford-Stuyvesant, East New York, and Bushwick and known for being more dangerous.

Of course, not everyone can afford a $500,000 home in Park Slope or even a high-rent apartment. But crime isn’t just about location—it can happen anywhere.

I grew up in a wealthy area of Pittsburgh that was usually considered safe, but every so often we would hear about break-ins and other crimes. Thus, while it’s important to think about crime rate while looking for Brooklyn apartments, you also need to think about what you can do to protect yourself and your family.

Although there is some information online, I prefer to speak to actual people when researching a neighborhood. These include potential roommates and landlords, local businesspeople, and friends in the area. This way, I can learn everything about a given neighborhood: how late people are still on the street, which areas are the most and least safe, how many cops patrol the streets, etc. With this information, you should be able to find the perfect part of Brooklyn for you.