East Bronx

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The neighborhood of Co-op City is the largest cooperative housing development in the world. Co-op City Hutch River.jpg
The neighborhood of Co-op City is the largest cooperative housing development in the world.
In 1895 the West Bronx already had many streets; the east had few The Great north side, or, Borough of the Bronx, New York (1897) (14784785953).jpg
In 1895 the West Bronx already had many streets; the east had few
Aerial view of Bronx River and southern part of East Bronx Soundview - Clason Point - Castle Hill, Bronx (34432171054).jpg
Aerial view of Bronx River and southern part of East Bronx

The East Bronx is the part of the New York City borough of the Bronx which lies east of the Bronx River; this roughly corresponds to the eastern half of the borough. Neighborhoods include: Baychester, Castle Hill, City Island, Co-op City, Country Club, Eastchester, Edenwald, Edgewater Park, Harding Park, Morris Park, Parkchester, Pelham Bay, Pelham Parkway, Soundview, Throggs Neck, Van Nest, Wakefield, Westchester Square, and Williamsbridge.

The East Bronx is less densely populated than the West Bronx. While the West Bronx is older and its underlying Fordham gneiss is very hilly, the East Bronx is not only later-settled but also underlain by younger schist and in most parts flat and coastal, much like the neighboring borough of Queens. The East Bronx was annexed by the City of New York decades later; the West Bronx in 1874, while the East Bronx remained part of Westchester County until 1895. [1]

Unlike the West Bronx, the East Bronx has numbered streets in only a few neighborhoods. Because the Bronx uses the same street numbering system as Manhattan, streets designated as "east" (e.g., East 161st Street) may actually be located west of the Bronx River. This is because the east-west divider is Fifth Avenue in Manhattan and Jerome Avenue in the Bronx (which is directly north of Fifth Avenue), and only a relatively small area of the Bronx west lies of Jerome Avenue. Thus while all numbered streets in the East Bronx are necessarily designated "east", an "east" street designation does not automatically mean that the area in question is part of the East Bronx.

The East Bronx has historically had a large Italian American population, and they still make up the biggest group in the neighborhoods of City Island, Country Club, Morris Park, Pelham Bay, Pelham Gardens and Throggs Neck. The Northeast Bronx has a large Afro-Caribbean population, in particular in the neighborhoods of Baychester, Edenwald and Wakefield. Parkchester is home to a large Asian American population (including Bengalis, Pakistanis, and Chinese), although the Asian population at 13% is far surpassed by the Hispanic population, mostly Puerto Ricans. Throughout the East Bronx, Hispanic Americans—of Puerto Rican and Dominican heritage—can be found and they are majority populations in Castle Hill, Parkchester, Soundview, Van Nest and Westchester Square. Albanians are a presence throughout the East Bronx, in particular in Morris Park, Pelham Parkway and Van Nest.

The differences between the East and West Bronx go largely neglected today. Prior to the 1970s, New Yorkers generally saw the Bronx as being split into its eastern and western halves. With the urban decay that hit the southwestern Bronx starting in the 1960s, this traditional division received less attention. People began to see the borough as being fundamentally divided between the southwestern area (“The South Bronx”) and everywhere else. This notion became less relevant in the 21st century as crime, poverty and urban decay declined from their peaks in the late 1970s. [2]

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Bronx</span> Borough in New York City and county in New York, United States

The Bronx is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New York City borough of Queens, across the East River. The Bronx has a land area of 42 square miles (109 km2) and a population of 1,472,654 in the 2020 census. If each borough were ranked as a city, the Bronx would rank as the ninth-most-populous in the U.S. Of the five boroughs, it has the fourth-largest area, fourth-highest population, and third-highest population density. It is the only borough of New York City not primarily on an island. With a population that is 54.8% Hispanic as of 2020, it is the only majority-Hispanic county in the Northeastern United States and the fourth-most-populous nationwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Throggs Neck</span> Neighborhood of the Bronx in New York City

Throggs Neck is a neighborhood and peninsula in the south-eastern portion of the borough of the Bronx in New York City. It is bounded by the East River and Long Island Sound to the south and east, Westchester Creek on the west, and Baisley Avenue and the Bruckner Expressway on the north.

Baychester is a neighborhood geographically located in the northeast part of the Bronx, New York City. Its boundaries are East 222nd Street to the northeast, the New England Thruway (I-95) to the east, Gun Hill Road to the southwest, and Boston Road to the northwest. Eastchester Road is the primary thoroughfare through Baychester.

Pelham Gardens is a neighborhood located in the Northeast section of the Bronx, New York City. Its boundaries, starting from the north and moving clockwise are East Gun Hill Road to the north and east, Pelham Parkway to the south, and the IRT Dyre Avenue Line to the west ending at the esplanade. Eastchester Road is the primary thoroughfare through Pelham Gardens.

Allerton is a working-class neighborhood geographically located in the East Bronx section of the Bronx, New York City. It is named in honor of Daniel Allerton, an early Bronx settler who purchased and farmed this area with his wife Hustace. It consists of two subsections called Bronxwood and Laconia. Its boundaries, starting from the north and moving clockwise, are Adee Avenue, Boston Road, and Gun Hill Road to the northeast; the IRT Dyre Avenue Line to the east; Waring Avenue to the south; and Bronx River Parkway to the west. White Plains Road and Boston Road are the primary thoroughfares through Allerton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Soundview, Bronx</span> Neighborhood of the Bronx in New York City

Soundview is a neighborhood on the Clason Point peninsula, on the southern section of the borough of the Bronx in New York City. Its boundaries, starting from the north and moving clockwise, are the Cross-Bronx Expressway to the north, White Plains Road to the east, Lacombe Avenue to the south, and the Bronx River to the west. The Bruckner Expressway bisects the neighborhood horizontally along the center and the Bronx River Parkway runs north to south. Soundview Avenue is the primary thoroughfare through Soundview.

The Bruckner Expressway is a freeway in the borough of the Bronx in New York City. It carries Interstate 278 (I-278) and I-95 from the Triborough Bridge to the south end of the New England Thruway at the Pelham Parkway interchange. The highway follows a mostly northeast–southwest alignment through the southern portion of the borough, loosely paralleling the course of the East River. It connects to several major freeways including the Bronx River Parkway, and at the Bruckner Interchange, it connects to the Cross Bronx Expressway, the Whitestone Expressway, and the Hutchinson River Parkway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastchester, Bronx</span> Neighborhood of the Bronx in New York City

Eastchester is a working-class neighborhood in the northeast Bronx in New York City. Its boundaries, starting from the north and moving clockwise are the Bronx-Westchester County border to the north, the New England Thruway to the east, Baychester Avenue to the south, and the intersection of 233rd Street and Baychester Avenue to the west. Boston Road is the primary thoroughfare through Eastchester and Dyre Avenue is the main commercial street. Eastchester includes the sub-neighborhood of Edenwald.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Morris Park, Bronx</span> Neighborhood of the Bronx in New York City

Morris Park is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of the Bronx. Its approximate boundaries, starting from the north and moving clockwise, are Neill Avenue and Pelham Parkway to the north, Eastchester Road to the East, the Amtrak Northeast Corridor tracks and Sackett Avenue to the east and south, and Bronxdale Avenue or White Plains Road to the west. It borders the neighborhoods of Van Nest to its southwest and Pelham Parkway to its northeast. Williamsbridge Road and Morris Park Avenue are the primary thoroughfares.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Van Nest, Bronx</span> Neighborhood of the Bronx in New York City

Van Nest is a working-class neighborhood geographically located in the East Bronx section of the Bronx, New York City. Going clockwise, its boundaries are Bronxdale Avenue to the northeast, the Amtrak tracks to the southeast, and Bronx Park to the west. Van Nest predated Morris Park by 20 years and is considered the older of the two communities. Morris Park Avenue and White Plains Road are the primary commercial thoroughfares through Van Nest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parkchester, Bronx</span> Neighborhood of the Bronx in New York City

Parkchester is a planned community and neighborhood originally developed by the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company and located in the central Bronx, New York City. The immediate surrounding area also takes its name from the complex. Its boundaries, starting from the north and moving clockwise, are East Tremont Avenue to the north, Castle Hill Avenue to the east, Westchester Avenue to the south, East 177th Street/Cross Bronx Expressway to the southwest, and White Plains Road to the west. Metropolitan Avenue, Unionport Road, and White Plains Road are the primary thoroughfares through Parkchester.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pelham Parkway (neighborhood), Bronx</span> Neighborhood of the Bronx in New York City

Pelham Parkway is a working- and middle-class residential neighborhood geographically located in the center of the Bronx, a borough of New York City in the United States. Its boundaries, starting from the north and moving clockwise are: Waring Avenue to the north, the IRT Dyre Avenue Line tracks to the east, Neill Avenue to the South, and Bronx River Parkway to the west. White Plains Road is the primary commercial thoroughfare through Pelham Parkway. The neighborhood is named after Pelham Parkway, a major west–east parkway that travels through the East Bronx.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Castle Hill, Bronx</span> Neighborhood of the Bronx in New York City

Castle Hill is a neighborhood located in the southeast section of the borough of the Bronx in New York City. Its boundaries are Waterbury Avenue and Westchester Avenue to the north, Westchester Creek to the east, the East River to the south, and White Plains Road to the west. Unionport is a subsection of Castle Hill, typically considered north of Lafayette Avenue.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clason Point, Bronx</span> Neighborhood of the Bronx in New York City

Clason Point is a peninsula in the East Bronx, New York City. The area includes a collection of neighborhoods including Harding Park, and Soundview. Its boundaries, starting from the north and moving clockwise, are: Lafayette Avenue to the north, White Plains Road/Pugsley Creek Park to the east, the East River to the south, and the Bronx River to the west.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New York State Route 164 (1940–1960s)</span>

New York State Route 164 (NY 164) was a state highway in the New York City Metropolitan Area. It extended for 5 miles (8 km) from U.S. Route 9 (US 9) and NY 9A in Yonkers to US 1 in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The route ran mostly along the New York City line and indirectly met both the Saw Mill River Parkway and the New York State Thruway in Yonkers. NY 164 followed McLean Avenue in Yonkers and Nereid and Baychester Avenues in the Bronx.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ferry Point Park</span> Public park in the Bronx, New York

Ferry Point Park is a 413.8-acre (167.5 ha) park in the Bronx, New York City. The park site is a peninsula projecting into the East River roughly opposite the College Point and Malba neighborhoods of Queens. The park is located on the eastern shore of Westchester Creek, adjacent to the neighborhood of Throggs Neck. The park is operated by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. The Hutchinson River Expressway crosses the park to the Bronx-Whitestone Bridge, splitting it into east and west sides.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Schuylerville, Bronx</span> Neighborhood of the Bronx in New York City

Schuylerville is a middle-class neighborhood located in the East Bronx area of New York City. Housing is mostly single-family and two-family houses. It is located next to other middle-to-upper-class residential neighborhoods of Country Club and Pelham Bay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Westchester Square, Bronx</span> Neighborhood of the Bronx in New York City

Westchester Square is a residential neighborhood geographically located in the eastern section of the New York City borough of the Bronx. Its boundaries, starting from the north and moving clockwise are: East Tremont Avenue and Silver Street, Blondell Avenue and Westchester Creek to the east, Waterbury Avenue to the south and Castle Hill Avenue to the west. The main roadways through Westchester Square are East Tremont Avenue, Westchester Avenue and Williamsbridge Road.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Westchester Avenue</span> Avenue in the Bronx, New York

Westchester Avenue is a major east-west street in the South and East portions of the Bronx, New York City. It runs from Third Avenue and East 150th Street in the Hub to Pelham Bay Park in the Pelham Bay section. It crosses many neighborhoods of the Bronx, which include Melrose, Longwood, Soundview, Parkchester, and Pelham Bay. Westchester Avenue parallels the Bruckner Expressway until their junction at Pelham Bay Park.

References

  1. Macy Jr., Harry. Before the Five-Borough City: The Old Cities, Towns and Villages That Came Together to Form “Greater New York”, New York Genealogical and Biographical Society from The NYG&B Newsletter, Winter 1998, accessed April 29, 2007. “In 1683, when the Province of New York was first divided into counties, the City of New York also became New York County... In 1874, to accommodate this growth, New York City and County annexed from Westchester County what is now the western Bronx... In 1895 New York City annexed the eastern Bronx”.
  2. Berger, Joseph. "Goodbye South BronxBlight, Hello SoBro" . Retrieved July 4, 2018.

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