Eastchester, Bronx

Eastchester is a working class neighborhood geographically located in the northeast Bronx borough of New York City in the United States. The neighborhood is part of Bronx Community Board 12. Its boundaries, starting from the north and moving clockwise are: the Bronx-Westchester border to the north, the New England Thruway to the east, Baychester Avenue to the south, and Boston Road to the west. Boston Road is the primary thoroughfare through Williamsbridge. Zip codes include 10475. The area is patrolled by the 47th Precinct located at 4111 Laconia Avenue in Williamsbridge.

History

The neighborhood was historically heavily Jewish and Italian-American, however, during the 1970s it became predominantly African American and from the 1980s on received an influx of Caribbean and West Indian immigrants. Currently, the neighborhood is almost entirely Black.

It has the same name as a modern-day town located approximately 5 miles to the north, as the neighborhood was included in the Town of Eastchester's extent until the late 1800s upon annexation by the City of New York. The modern-day city of Mount Vernon, located right across the city line and bordering the Eastchester neighborhood, was also once part of the town. While Mount Vernon has developed along similar lines as the neighborhood of Eastchester, the modern-day Town of Eastchester (i.e. north of Mount Vernon) is markedly more affluent.

233rd Street and Boston Road are the major thoroughfares in Eastchester. Intersecting both of these streets, Dyre Avenue is the neighborhood's main commercial strip. The New York City Parks Dept. recently rehabilitated a nature preserve in the area called Seton Falls Park.

Since the mid-20th century, the neighborhood's name began to decline in currency, meaning that in recent years residents have not really been cognizant about living in a neighborhood called "Eastchester." This is perhaps due to confusion with Eastchester Road, a thoroughfare which runs through other parts of the Bronx, or with the actual Town of Eastchester in Westchester County. It is more common to hear the Eastchester neighborhood described as "east of White Plains Road", "south of Mount Vernon", "near Pelham", "East 233rd Street", etc.

Land use and terrain

Eastchester is dominated by one and two family homes of various types, one large public housing project, and an industrial district. The total land area is roughly half a square mile. The area is low laying and flat.

Demographics

Eastchester has a population over 5,000. The neighborhood has predominantly African American and West Indian. 17.8% of the population lives below the poverty line. [ [http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcp/pdf/lucds/bx12profile.pdf Bronx Community District 12] ]

Transportation

*Bx16: to Norwood-205th St station (via Nereid Av)
*Bx30: to Co-op City or Norwood-205th St station (via Boston Rd)
*Baychester Av station (IRT 5)
*Eastchester-Dyre Av station (IRT 5)

Facts

There is one NYCHA development located in Eastchester. [ [http://www.nyc.gov/html/nycha/html/home/home.shtml NYCHA] ]
#Boston Secor Houses; four buildings, 13, 14, 17 and 18-stories tall.

References