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The real estate market has been through a lot since the recession. After “the big housing crash” home buying humbly stepped aside, allowing renting to come out of the shadows, stripped of its old “low-income” stigma, all glamorous and hip, making its way into the nicest, most sought after American neighborhoods.

That’s how the great apartment boom happened. Since 2010, new apartment buildings have been popping up faster than you can say “concierge”, revitalizing forgotten downtowns and turning run-down neighborhoods into trendy new hotspots. We analyzed construction data from Yardi Matrix and Property Shark, in about 1,000 neighborhoods from coast to coast, to see which neighborhoods grew the most from a rental perspective. We took into account large-scale rental buildings of 50 or more units located in the largest 30 cities in the U.S.

Top 10 U.S. Neighborhoods with Most New Apartments

Rank Neighborhood City/Borough State New Apartments 1 Long Island City Queens, NY NY 12,533 2 Downtown L.A. Los Angeles CA 7,551 3 North San Jose San Jose CA 6,814 4 Clinton - Hell's Kitchen Manhattan, NY NY 6,058 5 Uptown Dallas TX 5,839 6 Williamsburg Brooklyn, NY NY 5,269 7 Oak Lawn Dallas TX 4,892 8 Downtown Brooklyn Brooklyn, NY NY 3,851 9 Washington Ave - Memorial Park Houston TX 3,569 10 Upper West Side Manhattan, NY NY 3,536

Table by RENTCafe

New apartments: 12,533

12,533 New apartment buildings: 41

41 Neighborhood type: Gentrified

Gentrified Percentage of new apts from total apts in the nhood: 36%



More than a decade ago, Long Island City was tagged to become a hot nabe. It had the 3 things that any neighborhood deemed for greatness needs: location, location, and location. In a matter of just a few years, the neighborhood has gone from dated industrial vibe to gleaming new glass towers, to take the number 1 spot for building by far more apartments than any other neighborhood in the country has done in recent (post-recession) history. A massive total of 12,533 new apartments in 41 buildings were built between 2010 and 2016 in this Queens neighborhood.

New apartments: 7,551

7,551 New apartment buildings: 35

35 Neighborhood type: Urban core

Urban core Percentage of new apts from total apts in the nhood: 63%



To say that Downtown LA has been reborn is an understatement. What used to be a vibrant downtown at the turn of the 20th century became a declining neighborhood with rundown, dilapidated buildings by the turn of the 21st century. But thanks to local effort to revive DTLA, record numbers of new buildings have gone up in the past decade, bringing people back to what is now a lively, thriving residential and commercial area worthy of its “downtown” designation. As many as 35 new large-scale rental properties were built between 2010-2016, making up 63% of all the apartments located in Downtown L.A.

New apartments: 6,814

6,814 New apartment buildings: 11

11 Neighborhood type: Tech hub

Tech hub Percentage of new apts from total apts in the nhood: 74%



North San Jose takes the #3 spot on this list. Located in the third most populous city in California, the neighborhood is already an enclave for tech professionals, making tremendous strides in industrial, commercial and residential development. With new tech companies constantly opening offices in the area, including Apple’s 86-acre R&D campus, demand for rental housing has skyrocketed in North San Jose, prompting a boom in new apartments, especially from 2014 onward. About three-quarters of all rentals in the neighborhood are newer than 2010. (Photo Credit: Google Maps)

New apartments: 6,058

6,058 New apartment buildings: 15

15 Neighborhood type: Gentrified

Gentrified Percentage of new apts from total apts in the nhood: 22%



Hell’s Kitchen is hot, and not that the devil’s cooking here, rather it’s one of the hottest up and coming neighborhoods in Midtown Manhattan. At least that’s what developers were betting on when they decided to build over 6,000 new apartments on less than one square mile of space.

New apartments: 5,839

5,839 New apartment buildings: 22

22 Neighborhood type: Live-work-play community

Live-work-play community Percentage of new apts from total apts in the nhood: 67%



Dallas is one of the fastest growing rental markets, so it’s no surprise that it ranks in the top 10 with 2 neighborhoods: Uptown and Oak Lawn. Located North of Downtown Dallas, the trendy enclave of single white-collar young professionals that is known as Uptown is becoming more vertical and denser year after year, with 22 new large-scale apartment developments opening in just 7 years, including some pretty impressive high-rises. What’s even more impressive is that the new apartments represent two-thirds of the total apartments in Uptown.

New apartments: 5,269

5,269 New apartment buildings: 29

29 Neighborhood type: Gentrified

Gentrified Percentage of new apts from total apts in the nhood: 25%



The king of Brooklyn gentrification, Williamsburg has become virtually unrecognizable from what it used to look like in the 1980s. It has grown exponentially both on the commercial and residential front. The metamorphosis brought along unprecedented demand and rapidly rising housing prices, exacerbating the need for more high-density apartment developments. Between 2010 and 2016, 29 new large-scale apartment buildings opened in this Brooklyn neighborhood, which, along with the opening of a Whole Foods store and an Apple store, undoubtedly took Williamsburg into a new era. And the neighborhood’s irreversible transformation continues with another colossal project under construction along the riverfront known as the Domino redevelopment.

New apartments: 4,892

4,892 New apartment buildings: 17

17 Neighborhood type: LGBT community

LGBT community Percentage of new apts from total apts in the nhood: 56%



Back in the day, Oak Lawn used to be an inexpensive Dallas suburb, but nowadays it’s better known as one of the most affluent neighborhoods in the Metroplex, outdoing many other wealthy neighborhoods throughout the country in high-end rentals. Moreover, the apartment market saw a huge boom after the recession, with more than half of Oak Lawn’s rental units having been built during this period. (Photo Credit: Google Maps)

New apartments: 3,851

3,851 New apartment buildings: 13

13 Neighborhood type: Business district

Business district Percentage of new apts from total apts in the nhood: 31%



Downtown Brooklyn is the second largest business district in NYC after Manhattan. Since its rezoning in 2004, the neighborhood has been transforming on all fronts, thanks in part to private investments worth billions of dollars. Since 2010, 13 modern apartment developments have popped up in Downtown Brooklyn, competing with historical office buildings for the most amazing views of the Lower Manhattan skyline.

New apartments: 3,569

3,569 New apartment buildings: 12

12 Neighborhood Type: Eclectic entertainment district

Eclectic entertainment district Percentage of new apts from total apts in the nhood: 55%

The area along Washington Avenue in Houston has been the fastest changing strip of land in the entire city. The convenient location of the Washington Ave – Memorial Park neighborhood, which encompasses the urban Memorial Park, makes it very attractive for young professionals working downtown. Previously a predominantly commercial area, residential development has really taken off in recent years, adding over 3,500 new apartments since 2010, which is more than half of the total existing apartments in the neighborhood.

New apartments: 3,536

3,536 New apartment buildings: 11

11 Neighborhood type: Residential

Residential Percentage of new apts from total apts in the nhood: 11%

Nestled between Riverside and Central Park, the UWS is one of the most upscale residential neighborhoods in the country. Boasting historic brownstone residences and lots of green space, the neighborhood has added a fresh dose of new rental apartments since the recession.

New apartments: 3,504

3,504 New apartment buildings: 13

13 Neighborhood type: Art District

Art District Percentage of new apts from total apts in the nhood: 72%

New apartments: 3,496

3,496 New apartment buildings: 29

29 Neighborhood type: Residential and entertainment district in Seattle

Residential and entertainment district in Seattle Percentage of new apts from total apts in the nhood: 67%

New apartments: 3,147

3,147 New apartment buildings: 10

10 Neighborhood type: Commercial district

Commercial district Percentage of new apts from total apts in the nhood: 45%



(Photo Credit: Google Maps)

New apartments: 3,029

3,029 New apartment buildings: 10

10 Neighborhood type: Mixed-use

Mixed-use Percentage of new apts from total apts in the nhood: 59%

New apartments: 3,008

3,008 New apartment buildings: 10

10 Neighborhood type: Business district

Business district Percentage of new apts from total apts in the nhood: 30%



(Photo Credit: Google Maps)

New apartments: 2,838

2,838 New apartment buildings: 15

15 Neighborhood type: Live-work-play community

Live-work-play community Percentage of new apts from total apts in the nhood: 68%

New apartments: 2,830

2,830 New apartment buildings: 8

8 Neighborhood type: Business district in Chicago

Business district in Chicago Percentage of new apts from total apts in the nhood: 76%

New apartments: 2,785

2,785 New apartment buildings: 12

12 Neighborhood type: Mixed-use

Mixed-use Percentage of new apts from total apts in the nhood: 49%



(Photo Credit: Google Maps)

New apartments: 2,739

2,739 New apartment buildings: 6

6 Neighborhood type: Commercial district in Austin

Commercial district in Austin Percentage of new apts from total apts in the nhood: 82%

New apartments: 2,663

2,663 New apartment buildings: 14

14 Neighborhood type: Urban core

Urban core Percentage of new apts from total apts in the nhood: 48%

Look-up table: Top 50 U.S. neighborhoods with most new apartments post-recession

Rank Neighborhood City/Borough State New Apartments 1 Long Island City Queens, NY NY 12,533 2 Downtown L.A. Los Angeles CA 7,551 3 North San Jose San Jose CA 6,814 4 Clinton - Hell's Kitchen Manhattan, NY NY 6,058 5 Uptown Dallas TX 5,839 6 Williamsburg Brooklyn, NY NY 5,269 7 Oak Lawn Dallas TX 4,892 8 Downtown Brooklyn Brooklyn, NY NY 3,851 9 Washington Ave - Memorial Park Houston TX 3,569 10 Upper West Side Manhattan, NY NY 3,536 11 Chelsea Manhattan, NY NY 3,504 12 Broadway Seattle WA 3,496 13 Greenway - Upper Kirby Houston TX 3,147 14 Memorial Houston TX 3,029 15 Greater Uptown Houston TX 3,008 16 South Lake Union Seattle WA 2,838 17 The Loop Chicago IL 2,830 18 Northwest San Antonio TX 2,785 19 North Burnet Austin TX 2,739 20 Downtown San Jose San Jose CA 2,663 21 Vance Jackson San Antonio TX 2,662 22 Downtown Austin TX 2,656 23 Hollywood Los Angeles CA 2,570 24 Five Points Denver CO 2,491 25 Camelback East Phoenix AZ 2,458 26 Potranco San Antonio TX 2,321 27 Belltown Seattle WA 2,309 28 Theatre District - Times Square Manhattan, NY NY 2,283 29 Sursum Corda Washington DC 2,245 30 Playa Vista Los Angeles CA 2,231 31 South Beach San Francisco CA 2,217 32 South of Market San Francisco CA 2,216 33 Stone Oak San Antonio TX 2,182 34 Central City Phoenix AZ 2,082 35 Hillside Dallas TX 2,017 36 Murray Hill Manhattan, NY NY 1,988 37 Afton Oaks - River Oaks Houston TX 1,948 38 Neartown - Montrose Houston TX 1,904 39 Cochran Heights Dallas TX 1,826 40 Eldridge - West Oaks Houston TX 1,777 41 Koreatown Los Angeles CA 1,755 42 LoDo Denver CO 1,748 43 Serra Mesa San Diego CA 1,725 44 Zilker Austin TX 1,720 45 Midtown Houston TX 1,661 46 South Boston Boston MA 1,646 47 Central Midtown Manhattan, NY NY 1,623 48 Greenpoint Brooklyn, NY NY 1,604 49 University Campus Austin TX 1,579 50 Heritage - Coventry Hills Fort Worth TX 1,570

Table by RENTCafe

Methodology:

Apartment construction data was provided by our sister companies Yardi Matrix and Property Shark. Yardi Matrix is a business development and asset management tool for brokers, sponsors, banks and equity sources underwriting investments in the multifamily, office, industrial and self-storage sectors. Property Shark is an established data provider for the NY real estate industry and other major U.S. markets, offering in-depth property reports, sales data, foreclosure listings, and other research tools.

This analysis includes all rental units built between 2010 and 2016 in multifamily properties of 50+ units, located in the top 30 most populous cities in the United States.

Neighborhood mapping by RENTCafe.

Fair use and redistribution We encourage you and freely grant you permission to reuse, host, or repost the images in this article. When doing so, we only ask that you kindly attribute the authors by linking to RENTCafe.com or this page, so that your readers can learn more about this project, the research behind it and its methodology. For more in-depth, customized data, please contact us at media@rentcafe.com.

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