West Bronx

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The West Bronx is a region in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The region lies west of the Bronx River and roughly corresponds to the western half of the borough.

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The West Bronx is more densely populated than the East Bronx, and is closer to Upper Manhattan. From the late 17th century to the middle 19th century this included the central and southern part of the Town of Yonkers, but then became the separate Town of Kingsbridge. In 1874, the then towns of Kingsbridge, West Farms and Morrisania were transferred to New York County, becoming the first area outside Manhattan to be annexed by the City of New York. Today's West Bronx was then known as the "Annexed District". In 1895, the city annexed the modern-day East Bronx, followed in 1898 by western Queens County (today's borough of Queens, with the remainder of what was eastern Queens County becoming the newly formed Nassau County), all of the City of Brooklyn (today's borough of Brooklyn), and all of Richmond County (today's borough of Staten Island) to form the consolidated city of New York. [1] [2]

Physically, the western parts of the Bronx are hilly, underlain by Fordham gneiss and dominated by a series of parallel ridges running south to north. The West Bronx has older tenement buildings, low-income public housing complexes, multifamily homes in its lower-income areas as well as larger single family homes in more affluent areas such as Riverdale. It includes New York City's third largest park: [3] Van Cortlandt Park which runs along the Westchester-Bronx border. The Grand Concourse, a wide ridgeline boulevard runs through the area from north to south. Because the West Bronx uses the same street numbering system as Manhattan, large portions of 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. Jerome Avenue was approximately the centerline of the original Annexed District, though not of the expanded modern Bronx. [2] [4]

Prior to the 1970s, New Yorkers generally saw the Bronx as being split into its eastern and western halves. However, with the urban decay that hit the southwestern Bronx starting in the 1960s, people began to see the borough as being fundamentally divided between the southwestern area ("The South Bronx") and everywhere else. [5]

Neighborhoods

West Bronx neighborhoods include:

Map showing the old border of Kingsbridge and West Farms Bromley Manhattan and Bronx Plate 39 publ. 1879.jpg
Map showing the old border of Kingsbridge and West Farms

From the Town of Kingsbridge (originally the southern part of the Town of Yonkers).

West Farms (pink), and Morrisania (green), 1867 Bronx1867.jpg
West Farms (pink), and Morrisania (green), 1867

From the Town of Morrisania (Encompasses areas now considered to be the South Bronx):

From the Town of West Farms:

The West Bronx is the home of Yankee Stadium.

See also

Related Research Articles

<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">Yonkers, New York</span> City in New York, United States

Yonkers is a city in Westchester County, New York, and a suburb of New York City. Developed along the Hudson River, it is the third most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City and Buffalo. The population of Yonkers was 211,569 as enumerated in the 2020 United States Census. It is classified as an inner suburb of New York City, located directly to the north of the Bronx and approximately 2.4 miles (4 km) north of Marble Hill, Manhattan, the northernmost point in Manhattan.

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

The North Bronx is the northern section of the Bronx, one of the five boroughs of New York City. It is bordered by Westchester County to the north, the South Bronx to the south, the Hudson River to the west and the Long Island Sound to the east. The western part is more urbanized and hilly than its eastern counterpart, just like the rest of the borough. Despite being recognized as different from the South Bronx, the actual borders of the North Bronx is undefined. One commonly set border is Fordham Road/Pelham Parkway, the upper limit for widespread poverty and arson during the 1970s and 1980s.

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

Bedford Park is a residential neighborhood in the northwest Bronx, New York City, between the New York Botanical Garden and. 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.

Kingsbridge Heights is a residential neighborhood geographically located in the northwest Bronx, New York City. 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.

Van Cortlandt Village is a subsection of the Kingsbridge neighborhood in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The neighborhood is part of Bronx Community Board 8. Named after Van Cortlandt Park, it is bordered by the Major Deegan Expressway to the west, the Jerome Park Reservoir to the east, West 238th Street to the south, and Van Cortlandt Park to the north. Its ZIP Code is 10463.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East Bronx</span> Region of the Bronx in New York City

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.

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

Jerome Avenue is one of the longest thoroughfares in the New York City borough of the Bronx, New York, United States. The road is 5.6 miles (9.0 km) long and stretches from Concourse to Woodlawn. Both of these termini are with the Major Deegan Expressway which runs parallel to the west. Most of the elevated IRT Jerome Avenue Line runs along Jerome Avenue. The Cross Bronx Expressway interchanges with Jerome and the Deegan. Though it runs through what is now the West Bronx neighborhood, Jerome Avenue is the dividing avenue between nominal and some named "West" and "East" streets in the Bronx; Fifth Avenue, and to a lesser extent, Broadway, also splits Manhattan into nominal "West" and "East" streets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael J. Garvin</span> American architect

Michael John Garvin, also known as Michael J. Garvin and M. J. Garvin (1861–1918), was an American architect from The Bronx, New York. A graduate of Manhattan College, he served as the first Building Commissioner of the borough (1897–1903) and its first Under Sheriff. With the placement of the influential IRT Third Avenue Elevated train, Garvin was immersed in designing many surrounding structures during the borough's increasing growth at the turn of the 20th century. Of his architectural contributions the Haffen Building; the Fire House, Hook and Ladder 17; and the Bronx Borough Courthouse have all become New York City landmarks while the latter a US National Historic Place.

The following is a timeline of the history of the borough of the Bronx in New York City, New York, United States.

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

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, the Metro-North Railroad's Hudson Line to the south, and Jerome Avenue 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.

The following is an alphabetical list of articles related to New York City.

References

  1. "History of the Bronx" . Retrieved 24 October 2015.
  2. 1 2 Gordon, Doug. "The "The"". Archived from the original on 6 September 2008. Retrieved 24 October 2015.
  3. "Frequently Asked Questions : NYC Parks". www.nycgovparks.org. Retrieved 2019-04-29.
  4. "Geography & Neighborhoods" . Retrieved 24 October 2015.
  5. Fernandez, Manny (16 September 2006). "As Maps and Memories Fade, So Do Some Bronx Boundary Lines". The New York Times. Retrieved 24 October 2015.

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