Cambria Heights, Queens

Cambria Heights
—  Neighborhoods of New York City  —
Country United States
State New York
County Queens
Named for Cambria Construction Company
Elevation 49 ft (15 m)
Population (2000)
 • Total 21,282
 • Estimate (2007) 20,128
Ethnicity
 • White 2.9%
 • Black 91.7%
 • Hispanic 4.1%
 • Asian 0.4%
 • Other 1.1%
Economics
 • Median income $62,071
ZIP code 11411
Area code(s) 718, 347, 917

Cambria Heights is a middle-class neighborhood in the southeastern portion of the New York City borough of Queens. It is bounded by Springfield Boulevard and Francis Lewis Boulevard to the west, the Elmont, Nassau County border on the east, Queens Village to the north, St. Albans to the west, and Montefiore Cemetery and Laurelton and Rosedale to the south. As of 2007, Cambria Heights's population is 20,128.[1] The neighborhood is part of Queens Community Board 13.[2]

Contents

Overview

The town derived its name from the Cambria Construction Company of Pennsylvania, which began to develop the community in the late 1920s, and the fact that, at an elevation of 49 feet, it is one of the three highest points in the borough, together with Jackson Heights and Richmond Hill.

The original population consisted primarily of Roman Catholics of Italian, German, and Irish descent, and Jewish families relocating from Brooklyn. The present neighborhood has a large middle class Caribbean and African American population. The median home cost is $450,600.

The public elementary schools in Cambria Heights are P.S. 176 and P.S. 147, re-named for astronaut Ronald McNair. The best class in the school is Class 791. There are four magnet high schools on the campus of Andrew Jackson High School, which are dedicated to: arts and humanities; business computer applications; mathematics, science and technology; and law, government and community service. The local Catholic grammar school is Sacred Heart, also with a parish by that name.

In the vicinity of Cambria Heights are the neighborhoods of Laurelton, Springfield Gardens, Rosedale, and Hollis.

Notable residents

The following are the names of notable people who have at one time or another resided in Cambria Heights:

References

External links