Highbridge is a residential neighborhood geographically located in the central-west section of the Bronx, New York City. Its boundaries, starting from the north and moving clockwise, are the Cross-Bronx Expressway to the north, Jerome Avenue to the east, Macombs Dam Bridge to the south, and the Harlem River to the west. Ogden Avenue is the primary thoroughfare through Highbridge.
At the time of European settlement, the southern Bronx was inhabited by the Siwanoy, a tribe of the Wappinger confederacy. They called the hill that is now Highbridge "Nuasin", or "the land between", for its location between the Harlem River and an estuary that formerly flowed in the area of modern-day Jerome Avenue.[5]
The neighborhood takes its name from the High Bridge, built in 1848 by Irish immigrants.[6] The structure originally carried Croton Aqueduct water across the Harlem River.[7] In 1864, a walkway was built across the High Bridge.[8] Use of the structure to deliver water to Manhattan ceased in 1949. The bridge was closed to pedestrian traffic in the early 1960s, and allowed to fall into disrepair; in 2015 a reconstruction project was undertaken and completed with the opening of the bridge in 2019.
In the mid-late 19th century, the area was developed as a suburban retreat for the elite, who built large homes overlooking the Harlem River. The names of these families and their estates are reflected in the names of Highbridge's north-south avenues: Ogden Avenue and Boscobel Place for William B. Ogden,[5] Merriam Avenue for Francis W. Merriam,[5] Anderson Avenue and Woodycrest Avenue for the Anderson family, and Shakespeare Avenue for the Shakespeare Garden on the Marcher family estate.[9] Around the turn of the 20th century, many of these estates were subdivided for urban development, however a few older houses still remain.[5]
In the late 1960s, the residents of Highbridge were predominantly of Irish, Italian and Eastern European Jewish descent. They have since been replaced by large numbers of Hispanics and African Americans.[10] As of 2017, the neighborhood is undergoing gentrification.[11]
Demographics
Prior to the 1960s, Highbridge was a predominantly Irish American neighborhood.[10] Today the vast majority of residents in the area are of Dominican, Puerto Rican and African American descent. Almost 40% of families live below the federal poverty line.[12]
Based on data from the 2010 United States Census, the population of Highbridge was 37,727, an increase of 3,883 (11.5%) from the 33,844 counted in 2000. Covering an area of 373.14 acres (151.00ha), the neighborhood had a population density of 101.1 inhabitants per acre (64,700/sqmi; 25,000/km2).[3]
The entirety of Community District 4, which comprises Highbridge and Concourse, had 155,835 inhabitants as of NYC Health's 2018 Community Health Profile, with an average life expectancy of 78.6 years.[14]:2,20 This is lower than the median life expectancy of 81.2 for all New York City neighborhoods.[15]:53 (PDF p. 84)[16] Most inhabitants are youth and middle-aged adults: 27% are between the ages of between 0–17, 29% between 25–44, and 23% between 45–64. The ratio of college-aged and elderly residents was lower, at 11% and 10% respectively.[14]:2
As of 2017, the median household income in Community District 4 was $30,900.[17] In 2018, an estimated 32% of Highbridge and Concourse residents lived in poverty, compared to 25% in all of the Bronx and 20% in all of New York City. One in eight residents (13%) were unemployed, compared to 13% in the Bronx and 9% in New York City. Rent burden, or the percentage of residents who have difficulty paying their rent, is 61% in Highbridge and Concourse, compared to the boroughwide and citywide rates of 58% and 51% respectively. Based on this calculation, as of 2018[update], Highbridge and Concourse are considered low-income relative to the rest of the city and not gentrifying.[14]:7 However, as of 2017[update], rents in Highbridge have risen more than any other neighborhood in New York City, at a rate of 22%.[11]
Land use and terrain
A street with steps in Highbridge
Highbridge is dominated by townhouses and 5 and 6-story apartment buildings, including numerous Art Deco landmarks built by the developer Bernard J. Noonan and the architects Horace Ginsberg and Marvin Fine.[18] Many older detached mansions still remain on Woodycrest Avenue and Ogden Avenue. The total land area is roughly one square mile. The terrain is elevated and very hilly.
Stair streets connect the parts of the neighborhood that are located at different elevations.[19] One particular stair street between Shakespeare and Anderson Avenues became known as the "Joker Stairs", drawing tourists after the 2019 film Joker was filmed there.[20][21]
Landmarks
The Woodycrest Children's Home on Woodycrest Avenue was built as an orphanage by the American Female Guardian Society and Home for the Friendlessto rescue from degradation, physical and moral, the children of want, homelessness and sorrow.[22] This grand Beaux Arts building was designed by William Tuthill, the architect of Carnegie Hall.[22] Opening in 1902, it housed 120 children in five dormitories, and contained a chapel, a kindergarten, a hospital, a dining room and a quarantine ward for new arrivals.[22] The building is now managed by the Bronx-Lebanon Hospital Center as the Highbridge-Woodycrest center, providing long-term geriatric and AIDS care.[23]
The "Lighthouse" building at Sedgewick Avenue and University Avenue has housed the H.W. Wilson Company, an educational publisher and index services provider, since 1917. The building's distinctive lighthouse was added in 1929. The company merged with EBSCO Publishing in June 2011.[26]H.W. Wilson Company "Lighthouse" Building, Highbridge
Parks
The eponymous High Bridge, part of the former Croton Aqueduct and now a pedestrian bridge. terminates in a park in the northwest corner of the neighborhood.[27] The High Bridge connects it to Highbridge Park in Manhattan.
Highbridge and Concourse are patrolled by the 44th Precinct of the NYPD, located at 2 East 169th Street.[4] The 44th Precinct ranked 39th safest out of 69 patrol areas for per-capita crime in 2010.[38]As of 2018[update], with a non-fatal assault rate of 123 per 100,000 people, Highbridge and Concourse's rate of violent crimes per capita is greater than that of the city as a whole. The incarceration rate of 813 per 100,000 people is higher than that of the city as a whole.[14]:8
The 44th Precinct has a lower crime rate than in the 1990s, with crimes across all categories having decreased by 77.3% between 1990 and 2022. The precinct reported 19 murders, 36 rapes, 713 robberies, 1,048 felony assaults, 421 burglaries, 934 grand larcenies, and 396 grand larcenies auto in 2022.[39]
Fire safety
High Bridge is located near two New York City Fire Department (FDNY) fire stations.[40] Engine Co. 50/Ladder Co. 19/Battalion 26 is located at 1155 Washington Avenue,[41] while Engine Co. 68/Ladder Co. 49 is located at 1160 Ogden Avenue.[42]
As of 2018[update], preterm births and births to teenage mothers are more common in Highbridge and Concourse than in other places citywide. In Highbridge and Concourse, there were 93 preterm births per 1,000 live births (compared to 87 per 1,000 citywide), and 34 births to teenage mothers per 1,000 live births (compared to 19.3 per 1,000 citywide).[14]:11 Highbridge and Concourse has a relatively average population of residents who are uninsured. In 2018, this population of uninsured residents was estimated to be 13%, slightly higher than the citywide rate of 12%.[14]:14
The concentration of fine particulate matter, the deadliest type of air pollutant, in Highbridge and Concourse is 0.0083 milligrams per cubic metre (8.3×10−9oz/cuft), more than the city average.[14]:9 Fifteen percent of Highbridge and Concourse residents are smokers, which is higher than the city average of 14% of residents being smokers.[14]:13 In Highbridge and Concourse, 34% of residents are obese, 17% are diabetic, and 42% have high blood pressure—compared to the citywide averages of 24%, 11%, and 28% respectively.[14]:16 In addition, 23% of children are obese, compared to the citywide average of 20%.[14]:12
Eighty-three percent of residents eat some fruits and vegetables every day, which is less than the city's average of 87%. In 2018, 72% of residents described their health as "good", "very good", or "excellent", lower than the city's average of 78%.[14]:13 For every supermarket in Highbridge and Concourse, there are 18 bodegas.[14]:10
Highbridge and Concourse generally have a lower rate of college-educated residents than the rest of the city as of 2018[update]. While 36% of residents age 25 and older have a college education or higher, 43% have less than a high school education and 21% are high school graduates or have some college education. By contrast, 26% of Bronx residents and 43% of city residents have a college education or higher.[14]:6 The percentage of Highbridge and Concourse students excelling in math rose from 17% in 2000 to 40% in 2011, and reading achievement increased from 21% to 25% during the same time period.[46]
Highbridge and Concourse's rate of elementary school student absenteeism is more than the rest of New York City. In Highbridge and Concourse, 28% of elementary school students missed twenty or more days per school year, higher than the citywide average of 20%.[15]:24 (PDF p. 55)[14]:6 Additionally, 67% of high school students in Highbridge and Concourse graduate on time, lower than the citywide average of 75%.[14]:6
Schools
PS 11, 1257 Ogden AvenueSacred Heart School, 1248 Nelson Avenue
Public schools include:
PS 11: High Bridge (Merriam and Ogden Avenues)
PS 73: Joseph Dellacava (West 165th Street and Anderson Avenue)
PS 114x: Luis Llorens Torres Schools (East 166th Street and Cromwell Avenue)
PS 126: Dr. Marjorie Dunbar (West 166th Street and University Avenue)
PS 199: William Shakespeare (West 172nd Street and Shakespeare Avenue)
PS/IS 218: Rafael Hernandez Dual Language Magnet School (East 167th Street and Gerard Avenue)
The New York Public Library (NYPL) operates two branches near Highbridge. The Grand Concourse branch is located at 155 East 173rd Street. The branch is a two-story structure that opened in 1959.[49] The High Bridge branch is located at 78 West 168th Street. The branch was opened in the early 20th century and was renovated in 2010.[50]
Morrisania is a residential neighborhood in the southwestern Bronx, New York City, New York. Its boundaries are the Cross-Bronx Expressway to the north, Crotona-Prospect Avenue to the east, East 163rd Street to the south, and Webster Avenue to the west. Third Avenue is the primary thoroughfare through Morrisania.
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.
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.
Longwood is a mixed-use neighborhood in the southeast Bronx in New York City. Its boundaries, starting from the north and moving clockwise are East 167th Street to the north, the Bronx River and the Bruckner Expressway to east, East 149th Street to the south, and Saint Anns Avenue to the west. Southern Boulevard is the primary thoroughfare through Longwood.
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.
Fordham Manor is a neighborhood located in the western Bronx, New York City. Fordham is roughly bordered by East 196th Street to the north, the Harlem River to the west, Fordham Road to the south, and Southern Boulevard to the east. The neighborhood's primary thoroughfares are Fordham Road and Grand Concourse.
Kingsbridge is a residential neighborhood in the northwest portion of the Bronx, New York City. Kingsbridge's boundaries are Manhattan College Parkway to the north, the Major Deegan Expressway or Bailey Avenue to the east, West 230th Street to the south, and Irwin Avenue to the west.
Tremont is a residential neighborhood in the West Bronx, New York City. Its boundaries are East 181st Street to the north, Third Avenue to the east, the Cross-Bronx Expressway to the south, and the Grand Concourse to the west. East Tremont Avenue is the primary thoroughfare through Tremont.
Melrose is a mostly residential neighborhood in the southwestern section of the New York City borough of the Bronx. It adjoins the business and one-time theater area known as The Hub. Melrose is rectangular-shaped, being bordered by Saint Anns Avenue on the east, 149th Street on the south, Park Avenue on the west, and 163rd Street to the north. Melrose Avenue and Third Avenue are the primary thoroughfares through Melrose.
Mott Haven is a primarily residential neighborhood in the southwestern section of the New York City borough of the Bronx. It is generally bounded by East 149th Street to the north, the Bruckner Expressway to the east and south, and the Harlem River to the west, although these boundaries are not precise. East 138th Street is the primary east–west thoroughfare through Mott Haven.
Williamsbridge is a neighborhood geographically located in the north-central portion of the Bronx in New York City. Its boundaries, starting from the north and moving clockwise are East 222nd Street to the north, Boston Road to the east, East Gun Hill Road to the south, and the Bronx River to the west. White Plains Road is the primary thoroughfare through Williamsbridge.
Country Club is a residential neighborhood located in the East Bronx in New York City. The neighborhood's boundaries are Middletown Road and Watt Avenue to the north, Eastchester Bay to the east, Layton Avenue and the Throggs Neck neighborhood to the south, and the New England Thruway and Pelham Bay neighborhood to the west. Pelham Bay Park, the largest public park in New York City, is located just north of Country Club.
Bedford Park is a residential neighborhood in the northwest Bronx, New York City, adjacent to the New York Botanical Garden. Its boundaries, starting from the north and moving clockwise, are: Mosholu Parkway to the north, Webster Avenue to the east, East 196th Street to the south, and Jerome Avenue to the west.
University Heights is a neighborhood of the West Bronx in New York City. Its boundaries, starting from the north and moving clockwise, are: West Fordham Road to the north, Jerome Avenue to the east, West Burnside Avenue to the south and the Harlem River to the west. University Avenue is the primary thoroughfare in University Heights.
Crotona Park East, also known as Crotona or East Morrisania, is a residential neighborhood geographically located in the southwest Bronx in New York City. Crotona Park East is considered part of the South Bronx. Its boundaries, starting from the north and moving clockwise are the Cross-Bronx Expressway to the north, the Bronx River to the east, East 167th Street to the south, and Crotona/Prospect Avenues to the west. Southern Boulevard is the primary thoroughfare through the area. The neighborhood is adjacent to, but distinct from, the nearby park named Crotona Park.
Morris Heights is a residential neighborhood located in the West Bronx. Its boundaries, starting from the north and moving clockwise are: West Burnside Avenue to the north, Jerome Avenue to the east, the Cross-Bronx Expressway to the south, and the Harlem River to the west. University Avenue is the primary thoroughfare through Morris Heights.
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: Pelham Parkway South, to the east the IRT Dyre Avenue Line tracks and to the south Bronxdale Avenue and to the west, Bronx Park East. 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.
West Farms is a residential neighborhood in The Bronx, New York City. Its boundaries are Bronx Park to the north, the Bronx River to the east, the Cross Bronx Expressway to the south, and Southern Boulevard to the west. East Tremont Avenue is the primary thoroughfare through West Farms.
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.
Concourse is a neighborhood in the southwestern section of the New York City borough of the Bronx which includes the Bronx County Courthouse, the Bronx Museum of the Arts, and Yankee Stadium. Its boundaries, starting from the north and moving clockwise, are East 169th Street to the north, Webster Avenue to the east, East 149th Street to the south, and Jerome Avenue and Harlem River to the west. The neighborhood is divided into three subsections: West Concourse, East Concourse, and Concourse Village with the Grand Concourse being its main thoroughfare.
↑ Winant, Edward (1996). The Hydraulics Revolution: Science and Technical Design of Urban Water Supply during the Enlightenment. West Virginia University.
↑ Itzkoff, Dave. "For Tracy Morgan, Every Day Is a Show", The New York Times, October 28, 2008. Accessed June 12, 2017. "He was the second of five children, raised in housing projects in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, and the High Bridge section of the Bronx."
↑ "William B. Ogden.", Illinois During the Gilded Age. Accessed June 12, 2017. "His business causing him, of late years, to spend much of his time in New York, he purchased a handsome villa, in the spring of 1866, in Westchester County, at Fordham Heights, adjoining the High Bridge."
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