Metropolitan Avenue

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Metropolitan Avenue

Forest Hills East on Metro Av fr RBB jeh.JPG
Forest Hills
Eastern end, Jamaica Avenue Jamaica Av Metropolitan Av jeh.jpg
Eastern end, Jamaica Avenue
Ridgewood, Queens Western Beef (Ridgewood, Queens, New York) 001.jpg
Ridgewood, Queens

Metropolitan Avenue is a major east-west street in Queens and northern Brooklyn, New York City. Its western end is at the East River in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and the eastern end at Jamaica Avenue in Jamaica, Queens. The avenue was constructed in 1816 as the Williamsburgh and Jamaica Turnpike, though previously it served as an Indian trail.

Contents

There are also streets named Metropolitan Avenue in Staten Island and the Bronx.

History

In 1814, the Williamsburgh Turnpike Company was chartered to upgrade an old Indian trail from Jamaica to the East River into a road, and their work was carried out in 1816. Locally known as the Williamsburgh and Jamaica Turnpike, [1] what became Metropolitan Avenue was a toll road which connected the then villages of Williamsburgh (as it was originally spelled) and Jamaica, New York. The road became a farmer's and stage coach route to the Williamsburgh ferries across the East River to Manhattan. [2] The easternmost segment of the present avenue in Williamsburg initially had several names before it was joined to Metropolitan Avenue circa 1858: [3] Bushwick Street, then Woodhull Street, and, later, North Second Street. The City of Brooklyn acquired Metropolitan Avenue from the Williamsburgh Turnpike Road Company in 1872. [4] Several of the neighborhoods through which it passes originated as villages along its length.

Route description

Metropolitan Avenue runs mainly through the neighborhoods of Williamsburg and East Williamsburg in Brooklyn and Ridgewood, Maspeth, Middle Village, Glendale, Forest Hills, Kew Gardens, Richmond Hill and Jamaica in Queens. The avenue, which ranges between four and six lanes wide, marks the northern borders of Ridgewood and Glendale and the southern border of Maspeth; it also splits Middle Village and passes through Forest Park. The street is 7.9 miles (12.7 km) long.

Transportation

The Metropolitan Avenue Bridge over Newtown Creek with its bascule spans opened Metropolitan Ave Bridge with bascule span opened - view from ship (2010).jpg
The Metropolitan Avenue Bridge over Newtown Creek with its bascule spans opened

Metropolitan Avenue is served by the following subway stations:

The avenue crosses the Long Island Rail Road's Bushwick Branch at one of the busiest level crossings in New York City. ( 40°42′49.4″N73°55′10″W / 40.713722°N 73.91944°W / 40.713722; -73.91944 )

Education

Queens Metropolitan High School, a public high school, opened in 2010 on the avenue in Forest Hills. [5] [6]

Other Metropolitan Avenues

Metropolitan Avenue in Parkchester, the Bronx is a boulevard approximately 0.8 miles (1.3 km) long. Aileen B. Ryan Oval, formerly Metropolitan Oval, [7] is halfway along Metropolitan Avenue in the Bronx.

Metropolitan Avenue in Silver Lake, Staten Island, is a side street approximately 0.5 miles (0.80 km) long.

Metropolitan Oval, along Metropolitan Avenue in the Bronx. ParkchesterOval722 08.jpg
Metropolitan Oval, along Metropolitan Avenue in the Bronx.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East Williamsburg, Brooklyn</span> Neighborhood of Brooklyn in New York City

East Williamsburg is a name for the area in the northwestern portion of Brooklyn, New York City. East Williamsburg consists roughly of what was the 3rd District of the Village of Williamsburgh and what is now called the East Williamsburg In-Place Industrial Park (EWIPIP), bounded by the neighborhoods of Northside and Southside Williamsburg to the west, Greenpoint to the north, Bushwick to the south and southeast, and both Maspeth and Ridgewood in Queens to the east. Much of this area is still referred to as either Bushwick, Williamsburg, or Greenpoint with the term East Williamsburg falling out of use since the 1990s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bushwick, Brooklyn</span> Neighborhood of Brooklyn in New York City

Bushwick is a neighborhood in the northern part of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. It is bounded by the neighborhood of Ridgewood, Queens, to the northeast; Williamsburg to the northwest; East New York and the cemeteries of Highland Park to the southeast; Brownsville to the south; and Bedford–Stuyvesant to the southwest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maspeth, Queens</span> Neighborhood of Queens in New York City

Maspeth is a residential and commercial community in the borough of Queens in New York City. It was founded in the early 17th century by Dutch and English settlers. Neighborhoods sharing borders with Maspeth are Woodside to the north; Sunnyside to the northwest; Greenpoint, Brooklyn to the west; East Williamsburg, Brooklyn to the southwest; Fresh Pond and Ridgewood to the south; and Middle Village and Elmhurst to the east.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glendale, Queens</span> Neighborhoods of Queens in New York City

Glendale is a neighborhood in the west-central portion of the New York City borough of Queens. It is bounded by Forest Hills to the east, Ridgewood to the west, Woodhaven to the south, and Middle Village to the north.

The Myrtle Avenue Line, also called the Myrtle Avenue Elevated, is a fully elevated line of the New York City Subway as part of the BMT division. The line is the last surviving remnant of one of the original Brooklyn elevated railroads. The remnant line operates as a spur branch from the Jamaica Line to Bushwick, Ridgewood, and Middle Village, terminating at its original eastern terminal across the street from Lutheran Cemetery. Until 1969, the line continued west into Downtown Brooklyn and, until 1944, over the Brooklyn Bridge to the Park Row Terminal in Manhattan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Middle Village, Queens</span> Neighborhood of Queens in New York City

Middle Village is a mainly residential neighborhood in the central section of the borough of Queens, New York City, bounded to the north by the Long Island Expressway, to the east by Woodhaven Boulevard, to the south by Cooper Avenue and the former LIRR Montauk Branch railroad tracks, and to the west by Mount Olivet Cemetery. A small trapezoid-shaped area bounded by Mt. Olivet Crescent to the east, Fresh Pond Road to the west, Eliot Avenue to the north, and Metropolitan Avenue to the south, is often counted as part of Middle Village but is sometimes considered part of nearby Ridgewood.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brooklyn City Railroad</span>

The Brooklyn City Railroad (BCRR) was the oldest and one of the largest operators of streetcars in the City of Brooklyn, New York, continuing in that role when Brooklyn became a borough of New York City in 1898.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ridgewood, Queens</span> Neighborhood of Queens in New York City

Ridgewood is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens. It borders the Queens neighborhoods of Maspeth to the north, Middle Village to the east, and Glendale to the southeast, as well as the Brooklyn neighborhoods of Bushwick to the southwest and East Williamsburg to the west. Historically, the neighborhood straddled the Queens-Brooklyn boundary.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Myrtle Avenue</span> Avenue in Brooklyn and Queens, New York

Myrtle Avenue is a 8.1-mile-long (13.0 km) street that runs from Duffield Street in Downtown Brooklyn to Jamaica Avenue in Richmond Hill, Queens, in New York City, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jackie Robinson Parkway</span> Highway in New York

The Jackie Robinson Parkway is a 4.95-mile (7.97 km) parkway in the New York City boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens. The western terminus of the parkway is at Jamaica Avenue in the Brooklyn neighborhood of East New York. It runs through Highland Park, along the north side of Ridgewood Reservoir, and through Forest Park. The eastern terminus is at the Kew Gardens Interchange in Kew Gardens, Queens, where the Jackie Robinson Parkway meets the Grand Central Parkway and Interstate 678. It is designated New York State Route 908B (NY 908B), an unsigned reference route. The parkway was officially named the Interboro Parkway until 1997, when it was renamed for trailblazing Major League Baseball player Jackie Robinson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DeKalb Avenue</span> Avenue in Brooklyn, New York

DeKalb Avenue is a thoroughfare in the New York City boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens, with the majority of its length in Brooklyn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Myrtle–Wyckoff Avenues station</span> New York City Subway station complex in Brooklyn and Queens

The Myrtle–Wyckoff Avenues station is a New York City Subway station complex formed by the intersecting stations of the BMT Canarsie Line and the BMT Myrtle Avenue Line, served by the L and M trains at all times. It is located at Myrtle Avenue and Wyckoff Avenue in the Bushwick neighborhood of Brooklyn and the Ridgewood neighborhood of Queens. The complex is connected by a set of stairs and several elevators and escalators between the elevated and underground levels. The station was renovated completely from 2004 to 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Q59 (New York City bus)</span> Bus route in Queens and Brooklyn, New York

The Grand Street Line is a public transit line in Brooklyn and Queens, New York City, running mostly along the continuous Grand Street and Grand Avenue between Williamsburg, Brooklyn and Maspeth, Queens. It then continues down Queens Boulevard to the 63rd Drive–Rego Park station. Originally a streetcar line, it is now the Q59 bus route, operated by the New York City Transit Authority between Williamsburg and Rego Park, Queens.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grand Street and Grand Avenue</span> Avenue in Brooklyn and Queens, New York

Grand Street and Grand Avenue are the respective names of a street which runs through the boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens, New York City, United States. Originating in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, Grand Street runs roughly northeast until crossing Newtown Creek into Queens, whereupon Grand Street becomes Grand Avenue, continuing through Maspeth where it is a main shopping street, until reaching its northern end at Queens Boulevard in Elmhurst.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flushing Avenue</span> Avenue in Brooklyn and Queens, New York

Flushing Avenue is a street running through northern Brooklyn and western Queens, beginning at Nassau Street in Fort Greene, Brooklyn, and ending at Grand Avenue in Maspeth. It divides the neighborhood of Williamsburg from Clinton Hill and East Williamsburg from Bushwick. After crossing the Queens border, the avenue serves as the dividing line between Ridgewood, Queens and West Maspeth. Flushing Avenue then terminates in Maspeth. Despite its name, however, the avenue does not extend to Flushing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fresh Pond, Queens</span>

Fresh Pond was a small middle class neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens, separated from Juniper Valley by the Lutheran and Mount Olivet cemeteries. In present day, it is now considered part of the surrounding neighborhoods of Maspeth, Middle Village, Glendale, and Ridgewood and is no longer referred to by the name "Fresh Pond." The area was originally named for two freshwater ponds that, in the early 1900s, were filled in. Other ponds were lower, and brackish due to Newtown Creek being estuarine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bushwick Branch</span> Long Island Rail Road freight branch in New York

The Bushwick Branch, also called the Bushwick Lead Track, is a freight railroad branch in New York City. It runs from Bushwick in Brooklyn to Fresh Pond Junction in Glendale, Queens, where it connects with the Montauk Branch of the Long Island Rail Road. It is owned by the LIRR but operated under lease by the New York and Atlantic Railway, which took over LIRR freight operations in May 1997.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Broadway (Brooklyn)</span> Avenue in Brooklyn, New York

Broadway is an avenue in the New York City borough of Brooklyn that extends from the East River in the neighborhood of Williamsburg in a southeasterly direction to East New York for a length of 4.32 miles (6.95 km). It was named for the Broadway in Manhattan. The East New York terminus is a complicated intersection with East New York Avenue, Fulton Street, Jamaica Avenue, and Alabama Avenue. The BMT Jamaica Line of the New York City Subway runs on elevated tracks over Broadway from the Williamsburg Bridge to East New York on its way to Queens. Broadway forms the boundary between the neighborhoods of Bushwick, which lies above Broadway to the northeast, and Bedford–Stuyvesant, which is to the southwest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Q58 (New York City bus)</span> Bus route in Queens, New York

The Q58 and Q58 Limited are bus routes that constitute a public transit line operating primarily in Queens, New York City, with its southern terminal on the border with Brooklyn. The Q58 is operated by the MTA New York City Transit Authority. Its precursor was a streetcar line that began operation in November 1899. and was known variously as the Flushing–Ridgewood Line, the Corona Avenue Line, and the Fresh Pond Road Line. The route became a bus line in 1949.

References

  1. Jackson, K.T. (ed.) (1995). The Encyclopedia of New York City. New Haven, CT: Yale
  2. "A Picture History of Kew Gardens, NY - Metropolitan Avenue". Kewgardenshistory.com. Retrieved 2014-03-22.
  3. "Brooklyn Revealed". Brooklyn Revealed. Retrieved 2014-03-22.
  4. "Bridges - Metropolitan Avenue Bridge Over English Kills". NYCDOT. Archived from the original on November 19, 2009.
  5. Rosen, Daniel Edward (2009-12-23). "$158M Metropolitan Avenue Campus in Forest Hills gets two new schools and principals". NY Daily News. Archived from the original on 2016-03-06. Retrieved 2014-03-22.
  6. Gustafson, Anna (2009-12-09). "Dept. of Ed eyeing new Queens schools | New York Post". Nypost.com. Retrieved 2014-03-22.
  7. Lent, Elizabeth (July 2006). "A Successful Experiment in Living: The Evolution of Parkchester". The Cooperator. Retrieved 25 September 2013.

Route map:

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