[1] Myrtle is a main thoroughfare through the neighborhoods of Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, Bedford-Stuyvesant, Bushwick, Ridgewood, and Glendale.

In the neighborhoods of Fort Greene and Clinton Hill, the development of Myrtle Avenue was directly related to the Brooklyn Navy Yard, built in 1801.

Some parts of Myrtle Avenue, for example around Pratt Institute, have become a main street of commerce, with many trendy restaurants and boutique retail shops.

Today many sections of the avenue, especially in Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, and adjacent areas are lined with shops, bars, and restaurants and have been commercially revitalized.

With a steam trolley running on the avenue, and its ample adjacent beer gardens and park space, people from as far as Eastern Brooklyn came to Myrtle.

The completed line ran from Middle Village to Downtown Brooklyn and Park Row, Manhattan, using the avenue for most of its route.

The popularity of the nickname "Murder Avenue" dates back to the minor 1993 hit of the same name by the Geto Boys.