Kingsbridge Heights, Bronx

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Location of Kingsbridge Heights in New York City

Kingsbridge Heights is a working class residential neighborhood geographically located in the northwest Bronx, New York City. The neighborhood is part of Bronx Community Board 8. Its boundaries are Van Cortlandt Park to the north, Jerome Avenue to the east, Kingsbridge Road to the south, and the Major Deegan Expressway to the west. Sedgwick Avenue is the primary thoroughfare through Kingsbridge Heights. Zip codes include 10463 and 10468. The area is patrolled by the 50th Precinct located at 3450 Kingsbridge Ave in Kingsbridge. NYCHA property in the area is patrolled by P.S.A. 8 at 2794 Randall Avenue in the Throgs Neck section of the Bronx.

Demographics

Kingsbridge Heights has a population over 35,000. The neighborhood has a high concentration of Dominicans especially in the southern and central sections of the neighborhood.[1] In these two areas over 30% of the population lives below the poverty line. A small aging White non-Hispanic population is concentrated near Van Cortlandt Park or Van Cortlandt Village. In more recent years young professionals, mostly White non-Hispanic, have started to move into Van Cortlandt Village. The vast majority of households are renter occupied.

Local school

Recently the northern subsection known as Van Cortlandt Village has seen an increase in higher-end rental and co-op building construction. This subsection is bordered by the Major Deegan Expressway to the west, the Jerome Park Reservoir to the east, W 238th Street to the south, and Van Cortlandt Park to the north. On April 4, 2007, Business Week Online (MSNBC.com) called Van Cortlandt Village one of "America's next hot neighborhoods".[2]

The Fort Independence Street-Heath Avenue Houses are a one, 21-story NYCHA development in Kingsbridge Heights.

Land use and terrain

Kingsbridge Heights is dominated by multi-unit detached homes. There is also a significant presence of tenement buildings concentrated mostly in the central and southern sections of the neighborhood.

The Jerome Park Reservoir is the most dominant landmark in the area. It was originally part of the Bathgate Estate that was later purchased by Leonard Jerome and Associates, to build The Jerome Park Racetrack. The Jerome Park Reservoir replaced the racetrack and was built in 1906 to serve the Croton Aqueduct as part of the New York City water supply system. The perimeter of this reservoir is approximately 2.2 miles.

Kingsbridge Armory is on Kingsbridge Road.

History

Historically, Kingsbridge Heights once had a predominantly Jewish and Irish population followed by a large working class African-American migration. However, White flight over the past few decades led to the neighborhood's demographics shifting to mostly Hispanic, with Dominicans becoming the largest ethnic group in the community. Puerto Ricans are also a prominent ethnic group.

Urban renewal

Due to White flight some of the homes in the southern and central parts of the area have been left vacant. Many homes today are being rehabilitated and offered as rentals to the booming Dominican population found in the area. At the same time higher end construction is taking place in the northernmost section of the neighborhood.

Transportation

References

  1. ↑ Bronx Community District 8
  2. ↑

Coordinates: 40°52′20″N 73°54′02″W / 40.8723220°N 73.9006916°W / 40.8723220; -73.9006916

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike; additional terms may apply for the media files.