- Tremont, Bronx
Tremont is a low income residential neighborhood geographically located in the west Bronx,New York City . The neighborhood is part ofBronx Community Board 5 . Its boundaries, starting from the north and moving clockwise are: East Burnside Avenue to the north, Webster Avenue to the east, theCross-Bronx Expressway to the south, and the Jerome Avenue to the west. The Grand Concourse is the primary thoroughfare through Tremont. The local subway is theIND Concourse Line (NYCS Concourse), operating along the Grand Concourse. Zip codes include 10453 and 10457. The area is patrolled by the 46th Precinct located at 2120 Ryer Avenue in Fordham.Demographics
Tremont has a population under 45,000. For decades Tremont has been one of the poorest communities in America. Over half the population lives below the poverty line and receives public assistance (AFDC, Home Relief, Supplemental Security Income, and Medicaid). The neighborhood is now predominantly Dominican with a significant longstanding Puerto Rican and
African American population. The vast majority of households are renter occupied. [ [http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcp/pdf/lucds/bx5profile.pdf Bronx Community District 5] ]Land use and terrain
Tremont is dominated by 5 and 6-story tenements. The apartments on the Grand Concourse are often taller. The total land area is less than 1 square mile. The area is elevated above adjacent areas and is very hilly. Stair streets connect areas located at different elevations.
Morris Avenue Historic District
The landmarked Morris Avenue Historic District lines Morris Avenue between East Tremont and East 179th Street. The district consist of attached brownstones, most of which have been converted into S.R.O.'s (Single Room Occupancy). [ [http://www.nyc.gov/html/lpc/downloads/pdf/maps/morris_ave.pdf Morris Avenue Historic District] ]
History
Rather than having come from a colonial settlement, the name "Tremont" was invented by a postmaster in the 1800s, derived from the three ("tre") neighborhoods of Mount Eden, Mount Hope, and Fairmount in the west-central Bronx.The
Cross Bronx Expressway bisects Tremont. This is no coincidence, as developerRobert Moses rammed the infamous highway through the neighborhood, more or less destroying it. This in part is considered to be the cause of the fall of theSouth Bronx in the latter part of the 20th century, as discussed in the book "The Power Broker ".ocial problems
Many social problems associated with poverty from crime to drug addiction have plagued the area for some time. Despite crime declines versus their peaks during the heroin and
crack epidemic s violent crime continues to be a serious problem in the community. [http://www.nyc.gov/html/nypd/downloads/pdf/crime_statistics/cs046pct.pdf 46th Precinct CompStat Report] ] Tremont's rates ofdropout and violence in its schools are significantly higher than average. [http://www.gothamgazette.com/article/fea/20060320/202/1792 NYC Dropout Rates] ] Students must pass through metal detectors and swipe ID cards to enter the buildings. It is reminiscent of a prison environment which many feel encourages bad behavior. Other problems in local schools include low test scores and high truancy rates. Drug addiction is also a serious problem in the community. Due to the lucrative drug trade in the area many addicted reside in the community. Peer pressure among children from broken homes contributes to the high rate of usage. Many households in the area are headed by a single mother which contributes to the high poverty rate. [ [http://www.lehman.cuny.edu/deannss/bronxdatactr/discover/bxtext.htm Bronx Census Data Analysis] ] Many had their children at a very young age and could not provide for their children. Many of the families living in Tremont have been in poverty for generations. The incarceration rate in the area is also very high. [ [http://www.wnyc.org/blog/lehrer/archives/archive/NYC%20Analysis-9%20copy2.gifNYC Prison Expenditure] ] Many if not most males in the community have been arrested at some point in their lives. This has a direct correlation to aggressive policing tactics including "sweeps" due to the area's high crime rate. Tremont is home to a significant number of inmates currently held in New York state prison and jail facilities.Urban renewal
After a wave of arson ravaged the low income communities of New York City throughout the 1970s, many of the residential structures in Tremont were left seriously damaged or destroyed. The city began to rehabilitate many formally abandoned tenement style apartment buildings and designate them low income housing beginning in the late 1970s. Also many subsidized attached multi-unit townhouses and newly constructed apartment buildings have been or are being built on vacant lots across across the neighborhood.
chools
*PS 9: Ryer (East 183rd Street and Ryer Avenue)
*PS 28: Mount Hope (Mount Hope Place and Anthony Avenue)
*PS 79: Creston (East 181st Street and Creston Avenue)
*PS 163: Arthur Alonso Schomburg (East 180th Street and Webster Avenue)
*PS 173: (Walton Avenue and Mount Hope Place)
*PS/MS 279: Captain Manuel Rivera (East 181st Street and Walton Avenue)
*MS 117: Joseph H. Wade (East 176th Street and Morris Avenue)
*MS 391: Henry Ford (East 182nd Street and Webster Avenue)Transportation
*Bx1: Riverdale to Third Avenue–138th Street station (via Grand Concourse)
*Bx2: Kingsbridge Heights to Third Avenue–138th Street station (via Grand Concourse)
*Bx36: Castle Hill toGeorge Washington Bridge Bus Terminal (via 180th Street)
*Bx40/42: Throg's Neck to Morris Heights (via Tremont–Burnside Avenues)
*Tremont Avenue station (NYCS Concourse)
*176th Street station (NYCS Jerome)Facts
*Tremont is also known as Mount Hope.
*In 2006 off duty officer Erick Hernandez was violently assaulted in a local White Castle. He was shot and killed by officers from the 46th Precinct, mistaken for one of the perps.
*Tremont is often considered part of the socioeconomicSouth Bronx .Notable natives
*Rapper
Hell Rell is originally from Weeks Avenue in Tremont.References
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