Ah, Boerum Hill, the land of lHeath Ledger and Michelle Williams. Gossips were shocked when the Brokeback Mountain twosome decided to buy their $2 million townhouse there. But locals who'd long been in Boerum Hill weren't: They understood the allure of its leafy streets, its burgeoning dining and nightlife scene, and its brownstone Brooklyn charms. (The name, by the way, comes from Simon Boerum, who, according to the South Brooklyn Network, was a local farmer.) Besides, the neighborhood has had its share of fame before, though of a literary sort — writer Jonathan Lethem set his books, Motherless Brooklyn and Fortress of Solitude there. Like other pockets in the city, its borders have become more malleable recently; it's more or less between Schermerhorn Street and Douglass Street west of Fourth Avenue, depending on which real-estate brokers are talking. Boerum Hill is no question one of the most vibrant parts of the borough, making true bargains as unlikely here as in the nearby prime areas of Brooklyn Heights, Carroll Gardens, and Park Slope. So take a look at the open houses listed below and wish for the foresight to have bought long ago or the movie-world moola to stake a claim there now. —S.Jhoanna Robledo

Two-Bedroom

480 State St., nr. Third Avenue, Apt. 4A
Sunday, by appointment; Sunday, 1 p.m.–4p.m.
$1.15 million

Three-Bedroom

11 Sterling Pl., nr. Sixth Ave., Apt. 1B
Sunday, 1 p.m.–3 p.m.
$1.95 million

480 State St., nr. Third Ave., Apt. 5A
Sunday, by appointment; Sunday, 1 p.m.–4 p.m.
$1.15 million

House

470 Carroll St., nr. Third Ave.
Sunday, 2:30 p.m.–4 p.m.
$1.1 million

394 Pacific St., nr. Bond St.
Sunday, 12:30 p.m.–2:30 p.m.
By appointment: Nancy McKiernan (718-858-3822)
$1.825 million