Tremont is a low income residential neighborhood geographically located in the west Bronx, New York City. The neighborhood is part of Bronx Community Board 5. Its boundaries, starting from the north and moving clockwise are: East 183rd Street to the north, Webster Avenue to the east, the Cross-Bronx Expressway to the south, and the Jerome Avenue to the west. The Grand Concourse is the primary thoroughfare through Tremont. The local subway is the IND Concourse Line (B D), operating along the Grand Concourse. Zip codes include 10453 and 10457. The area is patrolled by the 46th Precinct located at 2120 Ryer Avenue within Tremont.
Contents |
Tremont has a population under 45,000. For decades, Tremont 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 neighborhood is now predominantly Dominican with a significant longstanding Puerto Rican and African American population. The vast majority of households are renter occupied.[1]
Tremont is dominated by 5 and 6-story tenements. The apartments on the Grand Concourse are often taller. The total land area is less than 1-square-mile (2.6 km2). The area is elevated above adjacent areas and is very hilly. Stair streets connect areas located at different elevations.
The landmarked Morris Avenue Historic District lines Morris Avenue between East Tremont and East 179th Street. The district consist of attached brownstones, most of which have been converted into S.R.O.'s (Single Room Occupancy).[2]
Rather than having come from a colonial settlement, the name "Tremont" was invented by a postmaster in the 1800s, derived from the three ("tre") neighborhoods of Mount Eden, Mount Hope, and Fairmount in the west-central Bronx.
The Cross Bronx Expressway bisects Tremont, by design of developer Robert Moses.
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 heroin and crack epidemics violent crime continues to be a serious problem in the community.[3] Tremont's rates of dropout and violence in its schools are significantly higher than average.[4] Students must pass through metal detectors and swipe ID cards to enter the buildings. It is reminiscent of 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 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.[5] Many had their children at a very young age and could not provide for their children. Many of the families living in Tremont have been in poverty for generations. The incarceration rate in the area is also very high.[6] 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. Tremont is home to a significant number of inmates currently held in New York state prison and jail facilities.
After a wave of arson ravaged the low income communities of New York City throughout the 1970s, many of the residential structures in Tremont 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 the neighborhood.
