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 AmtrakNortheast Corridor tracks and Sackett Avenue to the east and south, and Bronxdale Avenue and White Plains Road to the west.[3] 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.
Morris Park is named after John Albert Morris, who built the Morris Park Racecourse, which existed from 1889 until 1910.[3][4] In 1890, the Morris Park Racecourse hosted both the Preakness and the Belmont Stakes; the latter continued to be run there until 1905.[5] The track was later used for auto racing and was the site of the first public air show.[6] After a 1910 fire,[7] the property was divided into lots for the current neighborhood. Several streets in Morris Park, including Cruger, Holland, Radcliff, Colden, Paulding, and Hone Avenues, are named after mayors of New York City during the 18th and 19th centuries.
Housing in Morris Park is mostly one and two family homes of various styles. The neighborhood also has several apartment buildings. The total land area is a little over one-third of a square mile.[2] The area is low-lying and relatively flat.
The northern section of Morris Park nearest Jacobi Medical Center is also referred to as Indian Village. Several streets are named after Native American tribes, including Choctaw Place, Narragansett Avenue, Seminole Avenue, and Pawnee Place.[12][13]
Demographics
For census purposes, the New York City government classifies Morris Park as part of a larger neighborhood tabulation area called Van Nest/Morris Park/Westchester Square.[14] Based on data from the 2010 United States Census, the population of Van Nest/Morris Park/Westchester Square was 29,250, a change of 2,115 (7.2%) from the 27,135 counted in 2000. Covering an area of 829.61 acres (335.73ha), the neighborhood had a population density of 35.3 inhabitants per acre (22,600/sqmi; 8,700/km2).[15] The racial makeup of the neighborhood was 27.3% (7,987) White, 11.1% (3,245) African American, 0.3% (82) Native American, 10.6% (3,100) Asian, 0.1% (15) Pacific Islander, 1% (292) from other races, and 1.4% (410) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race were 48.3% (14,119) of the population.[16]
The entirety of Community District 11, which comprises Morris Park and Allerton, had 116,180 inhabitants as of NYC Health's 2018 Community Health Profile, with an average life expectancy of 79.9 years.[17]:2,20 This is lower than the median life expectancy of 81.2 for all New York City neighborhoods.[18]:53 (PDF p. 84)[19] Most inhabitants are youth and middle-aged adults: 22% are between the ages of between 0–17, 30% between 25–44, and 24% between 45–64. The ratio of college-aged and elderly residents was lower, at 9% and 14% respectively.[17]:2
As of 2017, the median household income in Community District 11 was $48,018.[20] In 2018, an estimated 21% of Morris Park and Allerton residents lived in poverty, compared to 25% in all of the Bronx and 20% in all of New York City. One in eight residents (12%) 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 55% in Morris Park and Allerton, compared to the boroughwide and citywide rates of 58% and 51% respectively. Based on this calculation, as of 2018[update], Morris Park and Allerton are considered high-income relative to the rest of the city and not gentrifying.[17]:7
Culture
The neighborhood has a large Italian-American population, and since the early 2000s, has also had a large Albanian-American population and smaller Asian and Hispanic neighborhoods.[21][22] Morris Park has always been predominantly Italian.[22] It is generally more suburban than other neighborhoods in the Bronx.[21]
Italian-American residents have close ties to their heritage.[23] After Italy's World Cup victory in 2006, over 30,000 flocked to the neighborhood for an all-day party. Since then, Morris Park has gained a rival reputation with Arthur Avenue for the prototypical Italian-American neighborhood in the Bronx. Morris Park has one of the highest percentage of Italian populations in the city, along with Bensonhurst in Brooklyn and Staten Island.[24]
Morris Park is famous for its annual Columbus Day parade, which began in 1977 to honor Christopher Columbus. It is held on the Sunday before the national Columbus Day holiday. Rudolph Giuliani, Michael Bloomberg, and Bill de Blasio have attended as mayors.[25][26][27] The procession begins at the intersection of Morris Park Avenue and White Plains Road, marches east on Morris Park Avenue, turns north on Williamsbridge Road, and ends at Pelham Parkway South. The reviewing stand, where the local dignitaries, politicians, civic and business leaders, and Grand Marshal sit, is located on Williamsbridge Road between Lydig and Neill avenues. Past Grand Marshals have included actors Tony LoBianco, Chazz Palminteri, television personality Regis Philbin, and former New York Yankees first baseman Joe Pepitone.
A reflection of its heavily Italian-American and Catholic population, Morris Park was politically conservative and remained one of the Bronx's few solidly Republican neighborhoods until the 1990s.[23] It was represented in the United States Congress from 1953 to 1969 by Paul Fino, a Republican, and then from 1969 to 1988 by Mario Biaggi, a socially conservative and law and order Democrat. Republican State Senators such as John D. Calandra and Guy Velella drew extensive support from Morris Park residents. In his three mayoral campaigns in 1989, 1993, and 1997, Rudy Giuliani, a Republican, carried Morris Park by substantial margins. In recent years, changing demographics have altered the neighborhood's political landscape.
Notable locations
A plaque honoring Officer Alfred Loreto inside Loreto Park.
The Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Jacobi Medical Center, and the Jack D. Weiler Hospital division of Montefiore Medical Center are located on the eastern edge of the neighborhood. The neighborhood is also home to Bronx Psychiatric Center and Calvary Hospital. St. Francis Xavier School and St. Clare of Assisi School are two local Catholic schools. Our Savior Lutheran School, P.S. 83, and P.S. 108 are other local schools.
Loreto Park,[40] bounded by Morris Park, Haight, Van Nest, and Tomlinson Avenues, was named after Alfred Loreto, a police officer who lived nearby at 1870 Hering Avenue and was killed on July 21, 1950 while foiling an attempted kidnapping of his neighbor.[41][42] It underwent a large renovation that was completed in 2012. Councilman James Vacca allocated $500,000 from the New York City Council for the reconstruction. Additions included a play area for toddlers, wheelchair accessible equipment, planting beds, new benches, fencing, and game tables. The bocce court was renovated, and a roller hockey rink was added.[43] However, the Morris Park Hockey League folded several years later and the rink quickly became underutilized,[44] leading to another major reconstruction project costing $2,000,000 that was scheduled for completion in September 2021.[45] However, there were considerable construction delays[46][47] and the park did not re-open until April 2022.[48]
Joseph Garofalo,[49][50] a World War II veteran, persuaded John Dormi & Sons Funeral Home on Morris Park Avenue to display his collection of medals and war memorabilia and named it the Bronx Military Museum. People in the neighborhood have also contributed military memorabilia that belonged to their relatives.[51][52]
Police and crime
49th Precinct
Morris Park and Allerton are patrolled by the 49th Precinct of the New York City Police Department, located at 2121 Eastchester Road.[53] The 49th Precinct ranked 43rd safest out of 69 patrol areas for per-capita crime in 2010.[54]As of 2018[update], with a non-fatal assault rate of 64 per 100,000 people, Morris Park and Allerton's rate of violent crimes per capita is slightly more than that of the city as a whole. The incarceration rate of 372 per 100,000 people is lower than that of the city as a whole.[17]:8
The 49th Precinct has a lower crime rate than in the 1990s, with crimes across all categories having decreased by 71.7% between 1990 and 2022. The precinct reported 7 murders, 17 rapes, 273 robberies, 367 felony assaults, 133 burglaries, 611 grand larcenies, and 371 grand larcenies auto in 2022.[55]
Fire safety
Squad 61
Morris Park is served by the New York City Fire Department's Squad 61/Battalion 20, located at 1518 Williamsbridge Road.[56][57] Engine Company 97 is located just outside Morris Park at 1454 Astor Avenue.[58] Also just off Morris Park Avenue is Engine 90/Ladder 41 located at 1843 White Plains Road.[59] In addition, the Fire Department's Emergency Medical Service's Station 20 is located on the grounds of Jacobi Medical Center.
Health
As of 2018[update], preterm births and births to teenage mothers are slightly more common in Morris Park and Allerton than in other places citywide. In Morris Park and Allerton, there were 90 preterm births per 1,000 live births (compared to 87 per 1,000 citywide), and 19.7 births to teenage mothers per 1,000 live births (compared to 19.3 per 1,000 citywide).[17]:11 Morris Park and Allerton has a low population of residents who are uninsured. In 2018, this population of uninsured residents was estimated to be 12%, the same as the citywide rate of 12%.[17]:14
The concentration of fine particulate matter, the deadliest type of air pollutant, in Morris Park and Allerton is 0.0074 milligrams per cubic metre (7.4×10−9oz/cuft), less than the city average.[17]:9 Fifteen percent of Morris Park and Allerton residents are smokers, which is slightly higher than the city average of 14% of residents being smokers.[17]:13 In Morris Park and Allerton, 32% of residents are obese, 14% are diabetic, and 31% have high blood pressure—compared to the citywide averages of 24%, 11%, and 28% respectively.[17]:16 In addition, 23% of children are obese, compared to the citywide average of 20%.[17]:12
Eighty-three percent of residents eat some fruits and vegetables every day, which is lower than the city's average of 87%. In 2018, 80% of residents described their health as "good", "very good", or "excellent", slightly higher than the city's average of 78%.[17]:13 For every supermarket in Morris Park and Allerton, there are 17 bodegas.[17]:10
The nearest large hospitals are Calvary Hospital, Montefiore Medical Center's Jack D. Weiler Hospital, and Jacobi Hospital. The Albert Einstein College of Medicine campus is also located in Morris Park.[60]
Post office and ZIP Codes
Morris Park is located within ZIP Codes 10461 east of Paulding Avenue and 10462 west of Paulding Avenue.[61] The United States Postal Service operates the Morris Park Station post office at 1807 Williamsbridge Road.[62]
Education
Philip J Abinanti School
Morris Park and Allerton generally have a lower rate of college-educated residents than the rest of the city as of 2018[update]. While 32% of residents age 25 and older have a college education or higher, 24% have less than a high school education and 44% 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.[17]:6 The percentage of Morris Park and Allerton students excelling in math rose from 32% in 2000 to 48% in 2011, though reading achievement remained constant at 37% during the same time period.[63]
Morris Park and Allerton's rate of elementary school student absenteeism is slightly higher than the rest of New York City. In Morris Park and Allerton, 23% of elementary school students missed twenty or more days per school year, a little more than the citywide average of 20%.[18]:24 (PDF p. 55)[17]:6 Additionally, 74% of high school students in Morris Park and Allerton graduate on time, about the same as the citywide average of 75%.[17]:6
Bronx High School for the Visual Arts (grades 9-12)[69]
Library
Morris Park Library
The New York Public Library's Morris Park branch is located at 985 Morris Park Avenue. The two-story, 6,600-square-foot (610m2) branch opened in 2006. It is the first branch library to be built in Morris Park, and one of the newest locations in the system.[70]
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 Bay is a middle class residential neighborhood in the borough of the Bronx, in New York City. It is named for Pelham Bay Park, New York City's largest park, which lies on the neighborhood's northeastern border; and for Pelham Bay, a body of water in that park. The neighborhood is bounded roughly by Pelham Parkway on the north, the New England Thruway (I-95) on the east, the Bruckner Expressway (I-95) on the south, and the Hutchinson River Parkway on the west.
Woodlawn Heights, also known as Woodlawn, is a predominantly Irish-American working class neighborhood at the very north end of the borough of the Bronx in New York City. It is bounded by McLean Avenue to the north, the Bronx River to the east, Woodlawn Cemetery to the south, and Van Cortlandt Park to the west. Woodlawn Heights remains one of the few areas in New York City that still has young Irish immigrants still arriving to the area en masse.
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.
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.
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.
Norwood, also known as Bainbridge, is a residential neighborhood in the northwest Bronx, New York City, U.S. It is bound by Van Cortlandt Park and Woodlawn Cemetery to the north, the Bronx River to the east, and Mosholu Parkway to the southwest. The area is dominated topographically by what was once Valentine's Hill, the highest point being near the intersection of 210th Street and Bainbridge Avenue, where Gun Hill Road intersects, and around the Montefiore Medical Center, the largest landowner and employer of the neighborhood. Norwood's main commercial arteries are Gun Hill Road, Jerome Avenue, Webster Avenue, and Bainbridge Avenue.
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.
East Tremont is a residential neighborhood located in the West Bronx, New York City. From the north and moving clockwise, it is bounded by East 180th Street, Southern Boulevard, the Cross Bronx Expressway and Third Avenue. East Tremont Avenue is the primary thoroughfare through the neighborhood.
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.
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.
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.
Bronx Community Board 11 (CB11) is a small unit of the City of New York (NYC), whose district encompasses the neighborhoods of Allerton, Indian Village, Morris Park, Pelham Gardens, Pelham Parkway (neighborhood), Van Nest and other areas in the borough of the Bronx. Coterminous with the 49th NYPD Precinct, its district is delimited by Bronx Park East and the Bronx River Parkway to the west, Adee Avenue, Boston Road and East Gun Hill Road to the north, the Hutchinson River Parkway to the east, and East Tremont Avenue to the south.
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.
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.
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.
↑ Kaplan, Don. "Mob Hit Gal's Big Break", New York Post, March 26, 2007. Accessed August 16, 2021. "Buono is the youngest of four kids and grew up in the Morris Park section of The Bronx where her parents still live in the same house."
↑ McBride, Carrie. "Remembering Mary Higgins Clark", New York Public Library. Accessed August 16, 2021. "Mary Higgins Clark had strong ties to New York City. She was born in the Morris Park section of the Bronx in 1927 and moved to Stuyvesant Town in Manhattan with her husband, Warren Clark, in 1949."
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