Briarwood, Queens
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Briarwood is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens. It is located northwest of Jamaica and roughly bounded by Queens Boulevard, Parsons Boulevard, Union Turnpike, and Hillside Avenue. The neighborhood is part of Queens Community Board 8.[1] It is serviced by the IND Queens Boulevard Line of the New York City Subway at the Van Wyck Boulevard station (E F).
Briarwood is mainly a residential neighborhood. Once primarily a way station for Jewish families on their way to the suburbs, Briarwood is today a very diverse community, with lead fractions of the population being African-Americans (36.6%) and European-Americans (30.2%). It has many Bukharian Jewish, Greek, Hispanic, African American, Albanian, and South American residents. It now has a distinguishable and fast-growing Asian American (14.4%) community as well.[2] Economic activity is mostly confined to small restaurants, delis, markets, and other small businesses.[citation needed]
The neighborhood is named for the Briarwood Land Company, headed by Herbert O'Brien, which built housing there beginning in 1905. However, the company quickly went bankrupt and the area was largely empty until the 1920s. The New York Life Insurance Company and the United Nations constructed housing in the 1940s; United States diplomat Ralph Bunche and feminist writer Betty Friedan have lived there.
The lack of major landmarks in the neighborhood coupled with its small size have caused Briarwood to remain relatively unknown; many life-long-residents of Queens have never heard of it,[citation needed] and the local ZIP Code 11435 is actually designated as Jamaica. Parkway Village, a garden apartment complex initially built for United Nations employees is also in Briarwood and, in years past, lent the area a very international flavor with families from all over the world living there and attending the local public schools.
Briarwood is home to the Catholic Archbishop Molloy High School. One of the school's more famous alumni is actor David Caruso, who is currently featured on the series CSI Miami. The school is named in honor of Archbishop Thomas Molloy. It has about 1,550 students.
Also located in Briarwood is Robert A. Van Wyck M.S. 217Q, a middle school of 1,300 students in grades 6-8. The school was established in 1955 and was named after the first mayor of the Greater City of New York, Robert A. Van Wyck, a Tammany Hall lawyer.
In the Briarwood-Van Wyck subway station hang many paintings done by the students of Archbishop Molloy High School, M.S. 217Q, and P.S.117Q. They are titled, "Beautifying Briarwood".
[edit] Noted natives
Notable current and former residents of Briarwood include:
- Steve Hofstetter - Comedian/Radio Personality.[3]
- Hanna Rosin - U.S. journalist and author of God's Harvard.[citation needed]
- Steven Weber, actor who appeared in the television series Wings
- John Kerwin, talk show host of The John Kerwin Show[4]
[edit] References
- ^ Queens Community Boards, New York City. Accessed September 3, 2007.
- ^ http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/QTTable?_bm=y&-geo_id=87100US3611435&-qr_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U_DP1&-ds_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U&-redoLog=false
- ^ Silverberg, Alex. "Comic Thanks His Queens Upbringing", copy of article from The Queens Tribune, July 6, 2007. Accessed October 18, 2007. "Hofstetter has been all around Queens. He spent his younger years in Briarwood before moving on to Forest Hills, and finally settling down in Rego Park for the duration of his teen years."
- ^ Garron, Barry. [1], copy of article from Emmy Magazine, January, 2008.
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![[1]](http://www.thejohnkerwinshow.com/general_webdocs/JK-Emmymag.jpg){kind=link}