Belmont, Bronx
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Belmont is a low income residential neighborhood geographically located in the west Bronx. The neighborhood is part of Bronx Community Board 6. Its boundaries, starting from the north and moving clockwise are: Fordham Road to the north, Bronx Park to the east, East 183rd Street to the south, and the Third Avenue to the west. These boundaries give the neighborhood a crescent like shape. Arthur Avenue is the primary thoroughfare through Belmont. Zip codes include 10458. The area is patrolled by the 48th Precinct located at 450 Cross Bronx Expressway in East Tremont.
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[edit] Demographics
Belmont has a population over 15,000. For decades Belmont has been one of the poorest communities in America. Over half the population lives below the poverty line and receives public assistance (AFDC, Home Relief, Supplemental Security Income, and Medicaid). The vast majority of residents in the area are of Puerto Rican descent. There is also a small population of Albanians and longstanding Italians along East 187th Street near Arthur Avenue. The vast majority of households are renter occupied.[1]
[edit] Land Use and Terrain
Belmont is dominated by 5 and 6-story tenement buildings, older multi-unit homes, vacant lots, and newly constructed subsidized attached multi-unit townhouses and apartment buildings. A significant percentage of the original housing stock was structurally damaged by arson and eventually razed by the city. The total land area is roughly half a square mile. The terrain is somewhat hilly.
[edit] Arthur Avenue
Arthur Avenue at East 187th Street was once the heart of the Italian community in the Bronx. Although the historical and commercial center of "Little Italy" is Arthur Avenue itself, the area stretches across East 187th Street from Arthur Avenue to Prospect Avenue, and was once similarly lined with delis, bakeries, cafes, and various Italian merchants. Most recently, this retail strip has transitioned with a growing number of Albanian and Mexican restaurants, bodegas, and other businesses.
[edit] Social Problems
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Many social problems associated with poverty from crime to drug addiction have plagued the area for some time. Despite crime declines versus their peaks during the crack and heroin epidemics violent crime continues to be a serious problem in the community. [2] Belmont has significantly higher drop out rates and incidents of violence in its schools.[3] Students must pass through metal detectors and swipe ID cards to enter the buildings. Reminiscent a prison environment which many feel encourages bad behavior. Other problems in local schools include low test scores and high truancy rates. Drug addiction is also a serious problem in the community. Due to the lucrative drug trade in the area many addicted reside in the community. Peer pressure among children who come from broken homes contributes to the high rate of usage. Many households in the area are headed by a single mother which contributes to the high poverty rate.[4] Many of whom had their children at a very young age and unfortunately could not provide for their children. Many of the families living in Belmont have been in poverty for generations. The incarceration rate in the area is also very high.[5] Many if not most males in the community have been arrested at some point in their lives. This has a direct correlation to aggressive policing tactics including "sweeps" due to the area's high crime rate. Belmont is home to a significant number of inmates currently held in New York state prison and jail facilities.
[edit] Urban Renewal
After a wave of arson ravaged the low income communities of New York City throughout the 1970s, many of the residential structures in Belmont were left seriously damaged or destroyed. The city began to rehabilitate many formally abandoned tenement style apartment buildings and designate them low income housing beginning in the late 1970s. Also many subsidized attached multi-unit townhouses and newly constructed apartment buildings have been or are being built on vacant lots across across the neighborhood.
[edit] Transportation
- Bx9: to Riverdale or West Farms Square station (via Kingsbridge Rd)
- Bx12: to Bay Plaza Shopping Center or Inwood-207th St station (via Fordham Road-Pelham Parkway)
- Bx17: to Port Morris (via Prospect Av)
- Bx19: to Riverbank State Park (via Southern Blvd-149th St)
- Bx22: to Bronx High School of Science or Castle Hill (via Castle Hill Av)
- BL60: to White Plains
- BL61: to Port Chester
- BL62 Limited: to White Plains
[edit] Facts
- Fordham University is located just north of Belmont at Fordham Road.
- The Bronx Zoo is located east of Belmont in Bronx Park.
- The 1993 film A Bronx Tale was set in Belmont, though it was actually filmed in Astoria, Queens.
- Belmont is often considered part of the socioeconomic South Bronx.
[edit] References
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