East Morrisania, Bronx
Encyclopedia
East Tremont, Bronx
East Tremont is a low income residential neighborhood geographically located in the west Bronx, New York City. The neighborhood is part of Bronx Community Board 6. Its boundaries, starting from the north and moving clockwise are: East 183rd Street to the north, Crotona Avenue to the east, the...
), is a low income residential neighborhood geographically located in the southwest Bronx in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. The neighborhood is part of Bronx Community Board 3
Bronx Community Board 3
Bronx Community Board 3 is a local government unit in the New York City borough, of the Bronx, encompassing the neighborhoods of Crotona Park East, Claremont, Concourse Village, Melrose, and Morrisania...
. Its boundaries, starting from the north and moving clockwise are: the Cross-Bronx Expressway
Cross-Bronx Expressway
The Cross Bronx Expressway is a major expressway in the New York City borough of the Bronx, conceived by Robert Moses and built between 1948 and 1972. It carries traffic on Interstate 95 through the city, and serves as a portion of Interstate 295 toward Long Island; a portion is also designated U.S...
to the north, the Bronx River
Bronx River
The Bronx River, approximately long, flows through southeast New York in the United States. It is named after colonial settler Jonas Bronck. The Bronx River is the only fresh water river in New York City....
to the east, East 167th Street to the south, and Crotona–Prospect Avenue to the west. Southern Boulevard is the primary thoroughfare through East Morrisania. Zip codes include 10459 and 10460. The area is patrolled by the 42nd Precinct located at 830 Washington Ave in Morrisania. NYCHA property in the area is patrolled by P.S.A. 7 at 737 Melrose Avenue in the Melrose
Melrose, Bronx
Melrose is primarily a residential neighborhood geographically located in the SouthWestern section of the borough of The Bronx in New York City. The neighborhood is part of Bronx Community Board 1. Its boundaries, starting from the North and moving clockwise are: East 161st Street to the North,...
section of the Bronx.
Demographics
Crotona Park East has a population of 75,656. The demographics are 14.2% WhiteWhite
White is a color, the perception of which is evoked by light that stimulates all three types of color sensitive cone cells in the human eye in nearly equal amounts and with high brightness compared to the surroundings. A white visual stimulation will be void of hue and grayness.White light can be...
, 51.5% African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
, 1.2% Native American
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
, 0.8% Asian
Asian people
Asian people or Asiatic people is a term with multiple meanings that refers to people who descend from a portion of Asia's population.- Central Asia :...
, 0.1% Pacific Islander
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islander , is a geographic term to describe the indigenous inhabitants of any of the three major sub-regions of Oceania: Polynesia, Melanesia and Micronesia.According to the Encyclopædia Britannica, these three regions, together with their islands consist of:Polynesia:...
, 26.3% other, 6.0% two or more races and 50.4% Hispanic
Hispanic
Hispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...
or Latino
Latino
The demonyms Latino and Latina , are defined in English language dictionaries as:* "a person of Latin-American descent."* "A Latin American."* "A person of Hispanic, especially Latin-American, descent, often one living in the United States."...
. For decades East Morrisania has been one of the poorest communities in America. Over half the population lives below the poverty line and receives public assistance. The majority of residents in the area are of Puerto Rican or African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
descent. The vast majority of households are renter occupied, 93.5% of all housing.
Land use and terrain
Crotona Park East is dominated by tenement buildings, older multi-unit homes, vacant lots, public housing projects, and newly constructed subsidized attached multi-unit townhouses and apartment buildings. Most of the original housing stock was structurally damaged by arson and eventually razed by the city. The total land area is less than a square mile. The terrain is somewhat hilly.Low income public housing projects
- There are eight NYCHA properties located in East Morrisania.
- Bryant Avenue-East 174th Street; one, 6-story building.
- East 173rd Street-Vyse Avenue; seven buildings, 3-stories tall.
- Hoe Avenue-East 173rd Street; one, 6-story building.
- Murphy Houses; two, 20-story buildings.
- Prospect Avenue M.H.O.P. (Multi Family Homeownership Program); one, rehabilitated 5-story tenement building.
- West Farms Square Rehab; four rehabilitated tenement buildings, 6-stories tall.
- West Farms Square (Conventional); one, 5-story rehabilitated tenement building.
- West Farms Square M.H.O.P. (Multi Family Homeownership Program); two rehabilitated tenement buildings, 5 and 6-stories tall.
History
From 1670, the land of the neighborhood was the estate of the Morris family in Westchester County.In the 1970s, Crotona Park East and many other low income sections of the New York City were being ravaged by arson. By the 1980s, the South Bronx had become a national symbol of urban decay. Community groups such as Banana Kelly, the Mid-Bronx Desperadoes, and SEBCO (Southeast Bronx Community Organization) were helping to maintain existing buildings which were structurally intact after fires. They played a pivotal role in the construction of subsidized multi-family homes and apartment buildings in most of Crotona Park East
Schools
- PS 50: Clara Barton (East 172nd Street and Vyse Avenue)
- PS 61/MS 190: Francisco Oller (Charlotte Street and Crotona Park East)
- PS 66: Daniel Boone (Jennings Street and Boone Avenue)
- PS 134: George Frederic Bristow (Freeman and Bristow Streets)
- IS 98: Herman Ridder (East 173rd Street and Boston Road)
- PS 271: East Bronx Academy for the Future (Southern Boulevard and 174th Street at Boston Road)
Transportation
- Bx11: to Simpson StreetSimpson Street (IRT White Plains Road Line)Simpson Street is a local station on the IRT White Plains Road Line of the New York City Subway. Located at the intersection of Simpson Street and Westchester Avenue in the Bronx, it is served by the 2 train at all times, and the 5 train at all times except late nights and rush hours in the peak...
station or George Washington Bridge Bus TerminalGeorge Washington Bridge Bus TerminalThe George Washington Bridge Bus Station is a commuter bus terminal located at the east end of the George Washington Bridge in the Washington Heights area of Manhattan in New York City, New York....
(via 170th Street–Claremont Parkway) - Bx17: to Fordham PlazaFordham (Metro-North station)The Fordham Metro-North Railroad station serves the residents of the Fordham neighborhood of the Bronx, New York via the Harlem Line and New Haven Line. It is the only Harlem Line stop in the Bronx that is an express station. It is 8.9 miles from Grand Central Terminal...
or Port MorrisPort Morris, BronxPort Morris is a neighborhood in the southwest Bronx, New York City. It is a heavily industrial neighborhood. Its boundaries are the Major Deegan Expressway and Bruckner Expressway to the north, East 149th Street to the east, the East River to the southeast, the Bronx Kill south, and the Harlem...
(via Prospect–Crotona Avenues) - Bx19: to New York Botanical Gardens or Riverbank State ParkRiverbank State ParkRiverbank State Park is a park built on the top of a sewage treatment facility on the Hudson River, in the New York City borough of Manhattan....
(via 149th Street–Southern Boulevard) - Bx21: to Westchester Square station or Third Avenue–138th Street station (via Boston Road–Morris Park Avenue)
- Bx27: to Clason PointClason Point, BronxClason Point is a peninsula geographically located in the south central Bronx. The area includes a collection of neighborhoods including: Bronx River, Harding Park, Soundview-Bruckner, and Soundview. The neighborhoods are part of Bronx Community Board 9...
(via Rosedale Avenue) - Bx35: to Simpson StreetSimpson Street (IRT White Plains Road Line)Simpson Street is a local station on the IRT White Plains Road Line of the New York City Subway. Located at the intersection of Simpson Street and Westchester Avenue in the Bronx, it is served by the 2 train at all times, and the 5 train at all times except late nights and rush hours in the peak...
station or George Washington Bridge Bus TerminalGeorge Washington Bridge Bus TerminalThe George Washington Bridge Bus Station is a commuter bus terminal located at the east end of the George Washington Bridge in the Washington Heights area of Manhattan in New York City, New York....
(via 167th Street) - Bx36: to Castle HillCastle Hill, BronxCastle Hill is primarily a residential neighborhood geographically located in the South Central section of the borough of The Bronx in New York City. The neighborhood is part of Bronx Community Board 9...
or George Washington Bridge Bus TerminalGeorge Washington Bridge Bus TerminalThe George Washington Bridge Bus Station is a commuter bus terminal located at the east end of the George Washington Bridge in the Washington Heights area of Manhattan in New York City, New York....
(via 180th Street) - 174th Street (IRT White Plains Road Line)174th Street (IRT White Plains Road Line)174th Street is a local station on the IRT White Plains Road Line of the New York City Subway. Located at the intersection of 174th Street and Southern Boulevard in the Crotona Park East section of the Bronx, it is served by the 2 train at all times, and by the 5 train at all times except late...
- Freeman Street (IRT White Plains Road Line)Freeman Street (IRT White Plains Road Line)Freeman Street is a local station on the IRT White Plains Road Line of the New York City Subway. Located at the intersection of Freeman Street and Southern Boulevard in the Bronx, it is served by the 2 train at all times and the 5 at all times except late nights and rush hours in the peak...
Facts
- Crotona Park East is the site of the infamous Charlotte Street, which then-President Jimmy CarterJimmy CarterJames Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
visited, declaring the South Bronx to be the worst neighborhood in the United States. - The 1981 film Fort Apache, The BronxFort Apache, The BronxFort Apache, The Bronx is a 1981 crime drama film made by Producers Circle, Time-Life Television Productions Inc., and distributed by Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation. It was directed by Daniel Petrie and produced by Martin Richards, Thomas Fiorello, with David Susskind as executive producer...
was filmed in the area. - The subsidized homes built along Charlotte Street during the late 1980s in Crotona Park East were the first and still are the only ranch style homes in the South Bronx today. This type of housing was selected due to its desirable traits. Today they are home to many African American and Puerto Rican families. The funding for these homes were provided in part by former Assemblyman Louis Nine, whom after dying in 1983, Wilkins Avenue was renamed to Louis Nine Boulevard in his honor.
- Crotona Park East is considered part of the socioeconomic South BronxSouth BronxThe South Bronx is an area of the New York City borough of The Bronx. The neighborhoods of Tremont, University Heights, Highbridge, Morrisania, Soundview, Hunts Point, and Castle Hill are sometimes considered part of the South Bronx....
.