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Brooklyn was borough inhabited by many people; a city of its own until 1896. Just like any other city, Brooklyn was separated by class: the upper classes in one area and the lower/working classes in another section. The upper classes were located in Brooklyn Heights (show a map with Brooklyn Heights highlighted). They lived in peace until the first IRT line opened in Brooklyn in 1908, creating another major link (Brooklyn Bridge was the first) between Brooklyn and Manhattan. It was "a fatal blow to elitist Brooklyn." The connection between the two boroughs diverted the expansion of Manhattan northward, pushing it into Brooklyn. The IRT line entered Brooklyn through Brooklyn heights, which allowed newly arriving immigrants and the lower/working classes who were looking for places to live close to the city, to take up residence in The Heights. The working/lower class emigrating from Manhattan were able to afford to live in Brooklyn Heights because the sudden influx of people scared off the upper classes out of Brooklyn Heights and pushed them further into Brooklyn. They were able to afford the housing in The Heights due to the absence of upper class for real estate owners to sell to at high prices, forcing them to sell at prices the working class could afford. The change over in Brooklyn Heights from Upper to Lower class over such a short period of time marked a historic change in the city of New York. It shows how mass transit made it capable for the lower/working class to live further away from the financial district of Lower Manhattan where they worked, maintain their jobs, and raise their standards of living.
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