The Bronx 3338 226095348 2008-07-16T20:19:56Z Shakescene 6739670 /* Since 1914 */ Pertinent excerpts from Supt Neiman's remarks added to footnote {{redirect|Bronx}} {{Infobox Settlement <!--See Template:Infobox Settlement for additional fields that may be available--> <!--See the Table at Infobox Settlement for all fields and descriptions of usage--> <!-- Basic info ----------------> |name = The Bronx <!-- at least one of the first two fields must be filled in --> |official_name = Bronx County |other_name = |native_name = |nickname = |settlement_type = [[Borough (New York City)|Borough]] of New York City <!-- e.g. Town, Village, City, etc.--> |total_type = <!-- to set a non-standard label for total area and population rows --> |motto = <!-- images and maps -----------> |image_skyline = Yankee stadium exterior.jpg |imagesize = |image_caption = The Bronx is the home for the world-famous [[Yankee Stadium]] |image_flag = |flag_size = |image_seal = |seal_size = |image_shield = |shield_size = |image_blank_emblem = |blank_emblem_type = |blank_emblem_size = |image_map = Bronx Highlight New York City Map Julius Schorzman.png |mapsize = |map_caption = Location of the Bronx shown in yellow. |pushpin_map = <!-- the name of a location map as per http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Location_map --> |pushpin_label_position = <!-- the position of the pushpin label: left, right, top, bottom, none --> |pushpin_map_caption = |pushpin_mapsize = <!-- Location ------------------> |subdivision_type = Country |subdivision_name = [[United States]] |subdivision_type1 = State |subdivision_name1 = [[New York]] |subdivision_type2 = County |subdivision_name2 = [[The Bronx|Bronx]] |subdivision_type3 = City |subdivision_name3 = [[New York City]] <!-- Smaller parts (e.g. boroughs of a city) and seat of government --> |seat_type = |seat = |parts_type = |parts_style = <!-- =list (for list), coll (for collapsed list), para (for paragraph format) Default is list if up to 5 items, coll if more than 5--> |parts = <!-- parts text, or header for parts list --> |p1 = |p2 = <!-- etc. up to p50: for separate parts to be listed--> <!-- Politics -----------------> |government_footnotes = |government_type = [[Borough (New York City)]] |leader_title = [[Borough President|Borough&nbsp;president]] |leader_name = [[Adolfo Carrión Jr.]] |leader_title1 = <!-- for places with, say, both a mayor and a city manager --> |leader_name1 = |established_title = Borough created |established_date = 1898 &nbsp;('''County''' in 1914) |official flower = [[Tiger Lily]] (Day Lily) <!-- Area ---------------------> |area_magnitude = |unit_pref = |area_footnotes = |area_total_sq_mi = 57.43 |area_land_sq_mi = 42.03 |area_water_sq_mi = 15.40 |area_water_percent = <!-- Elevation --------------------------> |elevation_footnotes = http://www.peakbagger.com/peak.aspx?pid=7110 "Bronx High Point" at Peakbagger.com |elevation_m = |elevation_ft = |elevation_max_m = |elevation_max_ft = 280 |elevation_min_m = |elevation_min_ft = <!-- Population -----------------------> |population_as_of = [[April 1]], [[2000]] [[U.S. Census]] |population_footnotes = |population_note = |population_total = 1332650 |population_density_sq_mi = 31709 <!-- General information ---------------> |timezone = [[Eastern Time Zone|Eastern Standard Time (North America)]] |utc_offset = -5 |timezone_DST = [[Eastern Time Zone|Eastern Daylight Time (North America)]] |utc_offset_DST = -4 |latd=40 |latm=50 |lats=14 |latNS=N |longd=73 |longm=53 |longs=10 |longEW=W <!-- Area/postal codes & others --------> |postal_code_type = [[ZIP code|ZIP Code]] |postal_code = 104 + two digits |area_code = |website = [http://www.ilovethebronx.com/ www.ilovethebronx.com]—Official website of the Bronx Borough President |footnotes = }} '''The Bronx''' is the northernmost of [[New York City]]'s [[five boroughs]] and the newest of [[New York State]]'s 62 counties. It is located northeast of [[Manhattan]] and south of [[Westchester County, New York|Westchester County]]. The Bronx is the only borough situated primarily on the North American mainland (while the other four are on islands). In 2008, the [[U.S. Census Bureau]] estimated that the borough's population on [[July 1]], [[2007]] was 1,373,659,<ref>[http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/GCTTable?_bm=y&-geo_id=04000US36&-_box_head_nbr=GCT-T1&-ds_name=PEP_2007_EST American Fact Finder (U.S. Census Bureau): Table GCT-T1, 2007 Population Estimates for New York State by County], retrieved on [[July 2]], [[2008]]</ref> ranking fourth of the five boroughs in population and area, and third in density.<ref>In July, 2007, the Bronx also had more people than Maine (which is entitled to two Representatives in Congress) or any of ten other states. See [[List of U.S. states by population]] More people lived on the 42 square miles (109 square km) of the Bronx's land than on the combined land area of Alaska and Wyoming (over 650,000 square miles or 1.7 million km², according to Table 359 of the ''[[Statistical Abstract of the United States]]: 2003'') Areas of the boroughs from ''[[The World Almanac and Book of Facts]]'', 2008, page 649.</ref> <ref name="density"/> The Bronx is divided by the [[Bronx River]] into a hillier section in the west, closer to [[Manhattan]], and the flatter [[East Bronx]], closer to [[Queens]] and [[Long Island]]. The [[West Bronx]] was annexed to New York City (then confined to Manhattan) in 1874, and the rest in 1894, before the Bronx resumed its separate identity as a borough of [[Greater New York|consolidated New York]] in 1898. Although the third-most-densely-populated county in the U.S.,<ref name="density"/> about a quarter of the Bronx's land is open space,<ref name="blooming"/> including [[Woodlawn Cemetery]], [[Van Cortlandt Park]], [[Pelham Bay Park]], the [[New York Botanical Gardens]] and the [[Bronx Zoo]] in the north and center, on land deliberately preserved in the late 19th century as urban development progressed north from Manhattan with roads, bridges and railroads. After 1643, [[Dutch Americans|Dutch]] and [[English Americans|English]] settlers gradually displaced the original [[Lenape]] (Delaware) [[American Indians]]. The Bronx received many [[German-American|German]], [[Jewish American|Jewish]] and [[Italian-American|Italian]] immigrants as its once-rural population exploded between the mid-19th and mid-20th centuries. They were gradually succeeded after 1945 by [[African-Americans]], [[Hispanic Americans]], and immigrants from West Africa and the Caribbean, especially [[Puerto Rico]] and the [[Dominican Republic]]. In recent years, this cultural mix has made the Bronx a wellspring of both [[Latin music]] and [[Hip Hop]] (rap music). The Bronx, especially the [[South Bronx]], saw a sharp decline in population, livable housing and quality of life in the late 1960s and the 1970s, culminating in a wave of arson, but has seen a significant revival in recent years.<ref>See the "Historical Populations" table in [[#Before 1914|History]] above and its sources.</ref> ==History== ===Origins and name of the Bronx=== The Bronx was called ''Rananchqua''<ref name="NYPL">{{cite web |url=http://www.nypl.org/branch/bronx/index2.cfm?Trg=1&d1=765&template=brnxnm |title=Bronx History: What's in a Name? |publisher=[[New York Public Library]] |accessdate=2008-03-15 |quote=The Native Americans called the land 'Rananchqua,' but the Dutch and English began to refer to it as 'Broncksland.'}}</ref> by the native [[Siwanoy]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nycgovparks.org/sub_your_park/historical_signs/hs_historical_sign.php?id=13121 |publisher=[[New York City Department of Parks and Recreation]] |title=Harding Park |accessdate=2008-03-15}}</ref> band of [[Lenape]] ('' "the Delawares" ''to Europeans), while other [[Native Americans in the United States|Native Americans]] knew the Bronx as ''Keskeskeck''.<ref name="ellis-p55">{{cite book |title=The Epic of New York City |author=Ellis, Edward Robb |publisher=Old Town Books |year=1966 |pages=p. 55 |isbn=0786714360}}</ref> It was divided by the [[Aquahung]] River. [[Jonas Bronck]] ''(died 1643)'', a [[Netherlands|Dutch]] sea-captain born in [[Sweden]] ''(about 1600)'', entering [[New Netherland]] in 1639, became the first recorded European settler in the area. He leased land from the [[Dutch West India Company]] on the neck of the mainland immediately north of the Dutch settlement in [[Harlem]], and bought additional tracts from the local tribes. He eventually accumulated 500 acres (about 200 hectares, 2 square km, or 3/4 of a square mile) between the [[Harlem River]] and the Aquahung, which became known as Bronck's River, or "the [[Bronx River|Bronx]]". Dutch and English settlers referred to the area as ''Bronck's Land''.<ref>{{cite book |title= North of Manhattan| first= Harry| last= Hansen| publisher= Hastings House| year= 1950| oclc= 542679}}, excerpted at [http://www.bronxmall.com/cult/series/2.html The Bronx... Its History & Perspective]</ref> *''The Bronx'' is referred to, both legally,<ref>See, for example, [http://24.97.137.100/nyc/AdCode/Title2_2-202.asp New York City Administrative Code §2–202]</ref> and colloquially,<ref>See, for example, [http://www.nyc.gov/portal/site/nycgov/menuitem.bce0fff116ccd007a62fa24601c789a0/ references on the New York City website]</ref> with a [[Article (grammar)|definite article]], as ''The Bronx''. (The name of the coterminous ''Bronx County'', or more formally the ''County of Bronx'', does not include a ''the'', nor does the [[United States Postal Service]] in its database of Bronx addresses.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://zip4.usps.com/zip4/welcome.jsp |title=ZIP Code Lookup |publisher=[[United States Postal Service]] |quote=Note that the database also does not use punctuation, and other articles (like the) to improve automated scanning of addresses.}}</ref>) The name for this region, apparently after the [[Bronx River]], first appeared in the ''Annexed District of the Bronx'' created in 1874 out of part of [[Westchester County, New York|Westchester County]] and was continued in the ''Borough of the Bronx'', which included a larger annexation from Westchester County in 1898. The use of the definite article is attributed to the style of referring to rivers.<ref>Lloyd Ultan, Bronx Borough Historian, letter to [[William F. Buckley, Jr.]] in [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1282/is_1_54/ai_81775371 "Notes & Asides"], ''[[National Review]]'', [[January 28]], [[2002]], retrieved on [[July 3]], [[2008]].</ref><ref>Steven Hess, "From the Hague to the Bronx: Definite Articles in Place Names", ''Journal of the North Central Name Society'', Fall 1987.</ref> Another explanation for the use of the definite article in the borough's name is that the original form of the name was possessive: ''The Bronck’s'' or ''The Broncks’'' (referring to the family).<ref>Rev. David J. Born, letter to [[William F. Buckley, Jr.]] in [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1282/is_1_54/ai_81775371 "Notes & Asides"], ''[[National Review]]'', [[January 28]], [[2002]], retrieved on [[July 3]], [[2008]].</ref> ===Before 1914=== The development of the Bronx is directly connected to its strategic location between [[New England]] and New York ([[Manhattan]]). Control over the bridges across the Harlem River plagued the period of British colonial rule. [[Kingsbridge, Bronx|Kingsbridge]], built in 1693 where [[Broadway (New York City)|Broadway]] reached the [[Spuyten Duyvil Creek]], was a possession of the lords of [[Philipse Manor Hall State Historic Site|Philipse Manor]]. The tolls they charged were resented by Bronx farmers with crops and cattle to sell in New York. It was angry farmers who built a "free bridge" across the Harlem River which led to the abandonment of tolls altogether. {{USCensusPop |1790 = 1781 |1800 = 1755 |1810 = 2267 |1820 = 2782 |1830 = 3023 |1840 = 5346 |1850 = 8032 |1860 = 23593 |1870 = 37393 |1880 = 51980 |1890 = 88908 |1900 = 200507 |1910 = 430980 |1920 = 732016 |1930 = 1265258 |1940 = 1394711 |1950 = 1451277 |1960 = 1424815 |1970 = 1471701 |1980 = 1168972 |1990 = 1203789 |2000 = 1332650 | estimate= 1373659 | estyear= 2007 | estref= |footnote=Sources below.<ref>(1) ''Population 1790-1960:'' ''[[The World Almanac and Book of Facts]]'' 1966, page 452, citing estimates of the Department of Health, City of New York. <br/> (2) ''Population 1790-1990:'' Article on "population" by Nathan Kantrowitz in ''[[The Encyclopedia of New York City]]'', edited by [[Kenneth T. Jackson]] ([[Yale University Press]], 1995 ISBN 0-300-05536-6), citing the [[United States Census Bureau]] <br/>''N.B.,'' Estimates in (1) and (2) before 1920 re-allocate the Census population from the counties whose land is now partly occupied by Bronx County.<br/> (3) ''Population 1920-1990:'' [http://www.census.gov/population/cencounts/ny190090.txt Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990, Compiled and edited by Richard L. Forstall, Population Division, US Bureau of the Census], [[United States Census Bureau]], [[Washington, D.C.]] 20233, [[March 27]], [[1995]], retrieved [[July 4]], [[2008]].<br/> (4) ''Population [[April 1]], [[2000]] & estimate for [[July 1]], [[2007]]:'' [http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/GCTTable?_bm=y&-geo_id=04000US36&-_box_head_nbr=GCT-T1&-ds_name=PEP_2007_EST American Fact Finder (U.S. Census Bureau): Table GCT-T1, 2007 Population Estimates for New York State by County], retrieved on [[July 4]], [[2008]]</ref> }} The territory now contained within Bronx County was originally part of [[Westchester County, New York|Westchester County]], one of the 12 original counties of the English [[Province of New York]]. The present Bronx County was contained in the town of Westchester and parts of the towns of Yonkers, Eastchester, and Pelham. In 1846, a new town, West Farms, was created by division of Westchester; in turn, in 1855, the town of [[Morrisania, Bronx|Morrisania]] was created from West Farms. In 1873, the town of [[Kingsbridge, Bronx|Kingsbridge]] (roughly corresponding to the modern Bronx neighborhoods of Kingsbridge, [[Riverdale, Bronx|Riverdale]], and [[Woodlawn, Bronx|Woodlawn]]) was established within the former borders of [[Yonkers, New York|Yonkers]]. The consolidation of the Bronx into New York City proceeded in two stages: in 1874 Kingsbridge, West Farms and Morrisania were annexed to New York by the state legislature; the three towns were abolished in the process.<ref name="thorne"> {{cite book |author= Thorne, Kathryn Ford, Compiler & Long, John H., Editor |title= New York Atlas of Historical County Boundaries |publisher= Simon & Schuster |year= 1993 |page= pp.33,118-133 <!-- "P. 033" was cited in error? --> |isbn= 0130519626 }}</ref><ref>New York. ''Laws of New York''. 1873, 96th Session, Chapter 613, Section 1. p.928.</ref> Three years before the referendum on consolidation in 1898, the whole of the territory west of the Bronx River, including the Town of Westchester and portions of [[Eastchester (town), New York|Eastchester]] and [[Pelham]], were annexed to the city. <ref name="thorne"/><ref>New York. ''Laws of New York''. 1895, 118th Session, Chapter 934, Section 1. p.1948.</ref> [[City Island, Bronx|City Island]], a nautical community, voted to join the city in 1896. In 1898, the consolidated [[Greater New York|City of New York]] was created, including the Bronx as one of its [[five boroughs]] (although placed within [[New York County]], together with [[Manhattan]]). On [[April 19]], [[1912]], those parts of New York County which had been annexed from Westchester County in the past decades were newly constituted as Bronx County, the 62nd and last county to be created by the state. <ref name="thorne"/><ref>New York. ''Laws of New York''. 1912, 135th Session, Chapter 548, Section 1. p.1352.</ref> Bronx County's courts opened for business on [[January 2]], [[1914]] (the same day that [[John P. Mitchel]] started work as [[Mayor of New York City]]).<ref name="courtstart">On the start of business for Bronx County: [http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?_r=2&res=9C05E7DA1F3BE633A25750C0A9679C946596D6CF BRONX COUNTY IN MOTION. New Officials All Find Work to Do on Their First Day.] ''[[The New York Times]]'', [[January 3]], [[1914]] ([[PDF]] retrieved on [[June 26]], [[2008]]): "Despite the fact that the new Bronx County Court House is not completed there was no delay yesterday in getting the court machinery in motion. All the new county officials were on hand and the County Clerk, the District Attorney, the Surrogate, and the County Judge soon had things in working order. The seal to be used by the new county was selected by County Judge Louis D. Gibbs. It is circular. In the centre is a seated figure of Justice. To her right is an American shield and over the figure is written 'Populi Suprema.' ... <br> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Surrogate George M. S. Schulz, with his office force, was busy at the stroke of 9 o'clock. Two wills were filed in the early morning, but owing to the absence of a safe they were recorded and then returned to the attorneys for safe keeping. ... <br> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"There was a rush of business to the new County Clerk's office. Between seventy-five and a hundred men applied for first naturalization papers. Two certificates of incorporation were issued, and seventeen judgments, seven lis pendens, three mechanics' liens and one suit for negligence were filed. <br> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Sheriff O'Brien announced several additional appointments."</ref> ===Since 1914=== At the end of [[World War I]], the Bronx hosted the rather small [[1918 World's Fair]] at 177th Street and DeVoe Avenue.<ref>Christopher Gray, [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0CE5DE103DF931A15750C0A964958260 "Streetscapes: The New York Coliseum; From Auditorium To Bus Garage to..."] ''[[The New York Times]]'', Real Estate section, [[March 22]], [[1992]], retrieved on [[July 2]], [[2008]]</ref><ref name="ultan">Lloyd Ultan, Bronx Borough Historian, [http://www.bronxriver.org/whatWeDoEdlu.cfm "History of the Bronx River,"] Paper presented to the [[Bronx River Alliance]], [[November 5]], [[2002]] (notes taken by Maarten de Kadt, [[November 16]], [[2002]]), retrieved on [[July 2]], [[2008]]. This 2-1/2 hour talk covers much of the early history of the Bronx as a whole, in addition to the [[Bronx River]]. </ref> The Bronx underwent rapid growth after [[World War I]]. Extensions of the [[New York City Subway]] contributed to the increase in population as thousands of immigrants flooded the Bronx, resulting in a major boom in residential construction. Among these groups, many [[Irish-Americans]], [[Italian-Americans]] and especially [[Jewish-Americans]] settled here. Author [[Willa Cather]], tobacco merchant [[Pierre Lorillard]], and inventor [[Jordan L. Mott]] were famous settlers. In addition, [[French American|French]], [[German American|German]], and [[Polish American|Polish]] immigrants moved into the borough. The [[Judaism|Jewish]] population also increased notably during this time. Many [[synagogue]]s still stand in the Bronx, but most have been converted to other uses. In [[Prohibition in the United States|Prohibition]] days (1920-33), [[rum-running|bootleggers]] and gangs ran rampant in the Bronx. [[Irish American|Irish]], [[Italian American|Italian]] and [[Polish American|Polish]] immigrants smuggled in most of the illegal whiskey. By 1926, the Bronx was noted for its high crime rate and its many [[Speakeasy|speakeasies]]. After the 1930s, the Irish immigrant population in the Bronx decreased. The German population followed suit in the 1940s, as did many Italians in the 1950s and [[Jewish-Americans|Jews]] in the 1960s. As the generation of the 1930s retired, many moved to southeastern [[Florida]], west of [[Fort Lauderdale]] and [[Palm Beach, Florida|Palm Beach]]. The migration has left a [[Hispanic]] (mostly [[Puerto Rican people|Puerto Rican]] and [[Dominican American|Dominican]]) and [[African-American]] population, along with some non-Hispanic white areas in the far southeastern and northwestern parts of the county. During the mid-1960s to the mid-1970s, the Bronx went into an era of sharp change in the residents' [[quality of life]]. Historians and social scientists have put forward many factors. They include the theory (elaborated in [[Robert Caro]]'s biography ''[[The Power Broker]]'')<ref>[[Alfred A. Knopf]], New York, 1974; ISBN 0-394-72024-5</ref> that [[Robert Moses]]' [[Cross-Bronx Expressway]] destroyed existing residential neighborhoods. Another (unintended) factor in the Bronx's decline may have been the development of [[high-rise]] [[Public housing in the United States and Canada|housing projects]]. Yet another may have been a reduction in the real-estate listings and property-related financial services (such as [[mortgages]] or insurance policies) offered in some areas of the Bronx — a process known as [[redlining]]. Others have suggested a "[[planned shrinkage]]" of municipal services, such as fire-fighting.<ref>Roderick Wallace: "A synergism of plagues: 'planned shrinkage,' contagious housing destruction, and AIDS in the Bronx." ''Environmental Research'', October 1988, Vol. 47, No. 1, pp. 1-33, and "Urban desertification, public health and public order: 'planned shrinkage', violent death, substance abuse and AIDS in the Bronx", ''Social Science & Medicine'', Vol. 37, No. 7 (1990) pp. 801-813 — abstracts retrieved on [[July 5]], [[2008]] from [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov PubMed]. One sentence in the abstract of the 1990 article reads, "Empirical and theoretical analyses strongly imply present sharply rising levels of violent death, intensification of deviant behaviors implicated in the spread of AIDS, and the pattern of the AIDS outbreak itself, have been gravely affected, and even strongly determined, by the outcomes of a program of 'planned shrinkage' directed against African-American and Hispanic communities, and implemented through systematic and continuing denial of municipal services--particularly fire extinguishment resources--essential for maintaining urban levels of population density and ensuring community stability."</ref><ref>Issues such as redlining, hospital quality and what looked like the planned shrinkage of garbage collection became the contentious issues that sparked the [[Puerto Rican people|Puerto Rican]] activists known as the [[Young Lords]]. The Young Lords coalesced with similar groups fighting for neighborhood empowerment, such as the [[Black Panthers]], to protest urban renewal and arson for profit with sit-ins and marches. See pages 6-9 of the guide to [http://www.pbs.org/pov/utils/youthviews/pov_palante_toolkit.pdf ''¡Palante Siempre Palante!'' The Young Lords] a "P.O.V." (Point of View) documentary on the [[Public Broadcasting Service]].</ref> There was also much debate as to whether [[rent control]] laws had made it less profitable (or more costly) for landlords to maintain existing buildings with their existing tenants than to abandon or destroy those buildings.<ref>For an example of this argument, as well as of several other theses mentioned here, see [http://www.city-data.com/forum/new-york-city/257896-when-bronx-burning-6.html "When the Bronx was burning"] ''City-data'' forum (blog), 2007, where rubygreta writes:"Rent control destroyed the Bronx, especially starting in the 1960s and 1970s, when oil prices rose through the roof, and heavily subsidized Coop City opened in the east Bronx. Essentially, tenants never moved out of their apartments because they had below-market rents thanks to rent control. The apartments deteriorated and common areas deteriorated because the landlords had no cash-flow. And no cash flow meant that they could not get mortgages for major repairs such as boilers, roofs and window replacement." </ref> In the 1970s, the Bronx was plagued by a wave of [[arson]]. The burning of buildings was mostly in the [[South Bronx]], concentrated especially along Westchester Avenue and in [[West Farms, Bronx|West Farms]]. The most common explanation of what occurred was that landlords decided to burn their buildings and take the insurance money as profit.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,945795-2,00.html |title= Arson for Hate and Profit |work= [[Time (magazine)|Time]] |date= 1977-10-31 |accessdate= 2008-03-14 }}</ref> Competing explanations blamed the insurance companies —since their non-renewals of policies might have encouraged the landlords— or the residents themselves. After the destruction of many buildings in the South Bronx, the arsons slowed significantly in the later part of the decade, but the after-effects were still felt into the early 1990s. Since the mid-1980s, significant residential development has occurred, stimulated by the city's "Ten-Year Housing Plan" <ref>[http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0CE5D6103AF934A35752C0A966958260 PERSPECTIVES: The 10-Year Housing Plan; Issues for the 90's: Management and Costs], ''[[The New York Times]]'', [[January 7]], [[1990]]</ref><ref>''[http://www.fanniemaefoundation.org/programs/hpd/pdf/hpd_1004_ryzin.pdf Neighborhood Change and the City of New York’s Ten-Year Housing Plan]'' ''Housing Policy Debate'' • Volume 10, Issue 4. Fannie Mae Foundation 1999.</ref> and community members working to rebuild the the social, economic and environmental infrastructure by creating [[affordable housing]]. Groups affiliated with South Bronx churches erected the Nehemiah Homes with about 1,000 units. The grass roots organization Nos Quedamos' endeavor known as Melrose Commons <ref>[http://www.sustainable.org/casestudies/SIA_PDFs/SIA_New_York.pdf NOS QUEDAMOS/WE STAY Melrose Commons, Bronx, New York] Sustainable Communities Network Case Studies ''Sustainability in Action'' 1997, retrieved on [[July 6]], [[2008]]</ref><ref>David Gonzalez, [http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/19/obituaries/19garcia.html Yolanda Garcia, 53, Dies; A Bronx Community Force], ''[[The New York Times]]'', [[February 19]], [[2005]], retrieved on [[July 6]], [[2008]]</ref><ref>Meera Subramanian, [http://journalism.nyu.edu/portfolio/subramanian/SBxGardens.html HOMES AND GARDENS IN THE SOUTH BRONX], ''Portfolio'', [[November 8]], [[2005]], [[New York University]] Department of Journalism, retrieved on [[July 6]], [[2008]]</ref> began to rebuild the South Bronx. The ripple effects have been felt borough-wide. As a result of the growing population, the [[IRT White Plains Road Line]] has had an increase in riders. Chains such as [[Marshalls]], [[Staples Business Depot|Staples]] and [[Target Corporation|Target]] have opened stores in the Bronx. More bank branches have opened in the Bronx as a whole (rising from 106 in 1997 to 149 in 2007), although not primarily in poor or minority neighborhoods, while the Bronx still has fewer branches per person than wealthier boroughs.<ref>[http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2007/09/10/2007-09-10_wealthy_are_drowning_in_new_bank_branche.html Wealthy are drowning in new bank branches, says study], ''[[New York Daily News]]'', Monday, September 10th 2007</ref><ref>[http://www.banking.state.ny.us/sp070615.htm Superintendent Neiman Addresses the Ninth Annual Bronx Bankers Breakfast] June 15, 2007. Among the remarks of Richard H. Neiman, New York State's Superintendent of Banks, were these: "The Bronx was an economically stable community until the mid 60’s when the entire South Bronx struggled with major construction, real estate issues, red-lining, and block busting. This included a thoroughfare that divided communities, the deterioration of property as a result of rent control, and decrease in the value of real estate. By the mid 70’s, the South Bronx was considered one of the most blighted urban cities in the country, with a loss of 60% of the population and 40% of housing units. The entire area struggled during the 80s and 90s to recover from this damage. However, thanks to strong community leadership and the involvement of many of you, today, the Bronx is undergoing a resurgence, with new housing developments and thriving business. From 2000 to 2006, there was a 2.2% increase in population and home ownership rates increased by 19.6%. ... When I look at maps of the Bronx, it’s not difficult to see the areas that don’t have bank branches. These areas, which are prime locations for new bank branches, include Community districts 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, and 12."</ref><ref>[http://www.hispanicmpr.com/2007/12/11/new-bank-targets-latinos-in-south-bronx/ New bank targets Latinos in South Bronx] December 11, 2007</ref><ref>On [[June 30]], [[2005]], there were 129 Federally-insured banking offices in the Bronx, for a ratio of 1.0 offices for every 10,000 inhabitants. By contrast the national financial center of Manhattan had 555 for a ratio of 3.5/10,000, Staten Island a ratio of 1.9, Queens 1.7 and Brooklyn 1.1. In New York State as a whole the ratio was 2.6 and in the United States, 3.5 (a single office can serve more people in a more-densely-populated area.) [[U.S. Census Bureau]], [http://www.census.gov/statab/ccdb/cc07_tabB11.xls ''City and County Data Book, 2007'' Table B-11. Counties -- Banking, Retail Trade, and Accommodation and Food Services] For 1997 and 2007, [[Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation]], [http://www4.fdic.gov/SOD/sodSummary.asp?barItem=3 Summary of Deposits; summary tables] Deposits of all FDIC-Insured Institutions Operating in New York: State Totals by County — all retrieved on July 15-16, 2008.</ref> In 1997, the Bronx was designated an "[[All America City]]" by the [[National Civic League]], signifying its comeback from the decline of the 1970s. In 2006, ''[[The New York Times]]'' reported that "construction cranes have become the borough's new visual metaphor, replacing the window decals of the 1980s in which pictures of potted plants and drawn curtains were placed in the windows of abandoned buildings."<ref name="thonx"> {{cite news |last=Williams |first=Timothy |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/27/nyregion/27bronx.html |title=Celebrities Now Give Thonx for Their Roots in the Bronx |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=2006-06-27 |accessdate=2008-03-14 }}</ref>. The borough has experienced substantial new building construction since 2002. Between 2002 and June 2007, 33,687 new units of housing were built or were under way and $4.8 billion has been invested in new housing. In the first six months of 2007 alone total investment in new residential development was $965 million and 5,187 residential units were scheduled to be completed. Much of the new development is springing up in formerly vacant lots across the South Bronx.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.nypost.com/seven/07232007/news/regionalnews/bx__is_booming_regionalnews_tom_topousis.htm |title=Bx is Booming |work=[[New York Post]] |first=Tom |last=Topousis |date=2007-07-23 |accessdate=2008-03-15}}</ref> ==Geography== ===Location and physical features=== The Bronx is almost entirely situated on the North American mainland.{{GR|6}} The [[Hudson River]] separates the Bronx on the west from [[Alpine, New Jersey|Alpine]], [[Tenafly, New Jersey|Tenafly]] and [[Englewood Cliffs]] in [[Bergen County, New Jersey]]; the [[Harlem River]] separates it from the island of [[Manhattan]] to the southwest; the [[East River]] separates it from [[Queens]] to the southeast; and, to the east, [[Long Island Sound]] separates it from [[Nassau County, New York|Nassau County]] in western Long Island. Directly north of the Bronx are (from west to east) the adjoining [[Westchester County, New York|Westchester County]] communities of [[Yonkers]], [[Mount Vernon, New York|Mount Vernon]], [[Pelham Manor]] and [[New Rochelle]]. *(There is also a short southern land boundary with [[Marble Hill, Manhattan|Marble Hill]] in the Borough of Manhattan, over the filled-in former course of the [[Spuyten Duyvil Creek]]. Marble Hill's postal [[ZIP Code]], telephonic [[Area Code]] and fire service, however, are shared with the Bronx and not Manhattan.) The [[Bronx River]] flows south from Westchester County through the borough, emptying into the East River; it is the largest freshwater river in New York City. A smaller river, the [[Hutchinson River]] (named after the religious leader [[Anne Hutchinson]]), passes through the east Bronx and empties into [[Eastchester Bay]]. The Bronx also includes several small islands in the [[East River]] and [[Long Island Sound]]. Although part of the Bronx, [[Rikers Island]] in the East River, home to the large jail complex for the entire City, can be reached only by water, by air, or—since 1966—over the [[Francis Buono Bridge]] from [[Astoria, Queens]]. (Rikers Island's [[ZIP code]] and [[Queens Community Board 1|Community Board]] are in [[Queens]].) As a part of New York City, Bronx County contains no other political subdivisions. It is located at {{coor dms|40|42|15|N|73|55|5|W|city}} (40.704234, -73.917927).{{GR|1}} According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the borough has a total area of 148.7 [[square kilometre|km²]] (57.4 [[square mile|sq&nbsp;mi]]). 108.9 km² (42.0 sq&nbsp;mi) of it is land and 39.9 km² (15.4 sq&nbsp;mi) of it (26.82%) is water. ===Parks and open space=== [[Image:pelhambay1.JPG|thumb|left|275px|The Northern tip of [[Hunter Island, New York|Hunter Island]] in [[Pelham Bay Park]].]] Although, in 2006, it was the third most densely populated county in the United States (after [[Manhattan]] and [[Brooklyn]]),<ref name="density">[[U.S. Census Bureau]], [http://www.census.gov/statab/ccdb/ccdbstcounty.html County and City Data Book:2007] Table B-1, Area and Population, retrieved on [[July 12]], [[2008]]. New York County (Manhattan) was the nation's densest-populated county, followed by Kings County (Brooklyn), Bronx County, Queens County and [[San Francisco, California]].</ref> about one-fifth of the Bronx's area, and one-quarter of its land area, is given over to park land: about 7,000 acres or 11 square miles (2,800 hectares or 2.8 square km).<ref name="blooming">[http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap_travel/20080630/ap_tr_ge/travel_trip_wild_green_bronx Ladies and gentlemen, the Bronx is blooming!] by Beth J. Harpaz, Travel Editor of [[The Associated Press]] (AP), [[June 30]], [[2008]], retrieved on [[July 11]], [[2008]]</ref> [[Woodlawn Cemetery, Bronx|Woodlawn Cemetery]], one of the largest cemeteries in New York City, sits on the western bank of the [[Bronx River]] near [[Yonkers]]. It opened in 1863, at a time when the Bronx was still considered a rural area. The northern side of the borough includes two of the largest parks in New York City, [[Pelham Bay Park]] and [[Van Cortlandt Park]]. Pelham Bay Park, in the northeast giving onto [[Eastchester Bay]] and [[Long Island Sound]], includes [[Orchard Beach, New York|Orchard Beach]], a large man-made public beach. [[Van Cortlandt Park]], directly west of Woodlawn Cemetery and bordering [[Yonkers]], contains the Bronx's [[Van Cortlandt House Museum|oldest standing house]] and [http://www.nycgovparks.org/sub_your_park/vt_van_cortlandt_park/vt_van_cort_04.html largest freshwater lake]. Nearer the borough's center, and along the [[Bronx River]], is [[Bronx Park]]. Its northern end houses the [[New York Botanical Gardens]], which preserve the last patch of the original hemlock forest which once covered the entire City, and its southern end the [[Bronx Zoo]], the largest urban zoological gardens in the U.S.<ref name="fordzoo"/> The land for these three parks, and many others, was bought by New York City in 1888, while land was still open and cheap, in anticipation of future needs and future pressures for development.<ref>Article on the Bronx by Gary D. Hermalyn and Lloyd Ultan in ''[[The Encyclopedia of New York City]]'' (1995 - see [[#Further reading|Further reading]] for bibliographic details)</ref> Just south of Van Cortlandt Park, and west of Bronx Park, is the [[Jerome Park Reservoir]], occupying 94 acres (38 hectares or about 1/7 of a square mile) surrounded by two miles (3.2 km) of stone walls and bordering several small parks in the [[Bedford Park]] neighborhood. It was built in the 1890s to store New York City's drinking water, on the site of the former [[Jerome Park Racetrack]] (1866-1889).<ref>[http://www.nycgovparks.org/sub_your_park/historical_signs/hs_historical_sign.php?id=11042 Jerome Park] (New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, retrieved on [[July 12]], [[2008]]).</ref> [[Wave Hill (New York)|Wave Hill]] — a former estate of 28 acres (11 hectares) known for a historic house, gardens, changing site-specific art installations and concerts — overlooks the [[New Jersey Palisades]] from a promontory on the [[Hudson River|Hudson]] in [[Riverdale, Bronx|Riverdale]]. ===Neighborhoods and commercial districts=== {{seealso|List of Bronx neighborhoods}} A Department of City Planning map names 49 neighborhoods in the Bronx. Notable Bronx neighborhoods include the [[South Bronx]], Little Italy on [[Arthur Avenue, Bronx|Arthur Avenue]] in the [[Belmont, Bronx|Belmont]] section, and [[Riverdale, Bronx|Riverdale]]. ====Customary divisions into regions==== Generally speaking, there are two major systems of dividing the Bronx into regions which often conflict with one another. The older of the two systems, which is arguably a more accurate reflection of the area's history, divides the Bronx into two major sections: *'''[[West Bronx]]''': all parts of the Bronx west of the '''[[Bronx River]]''' ('''''NOT''''' [[Jerome Avenue]] - this street is simply the "east-west" divider for designating numbered streets as "east" or "west." As the Bronx's numbered streets merely continue from [[Manhattan]], on which the street numbering system is obviously based, [[Jerome Avenue]] actually represents a longitudinal halfway point for Manhattan, not the Bronx.) *'''[[East Bronx]]''': all parts of the Bronx east of the '''Bronx River''' ('''''NOT''''' Jerome Avenue) The [[Bronx River]] divides the borough roughly in half, putting the earlier-settled, denser, and hillier sections in the western lobe and the later developed, lower density sections in the eastern lobe. It is an accurate reflection on the Bronx's history considering that the towns that existed in the area prior to annexation to the City of New York generally did not straddle the Bronx River. In addition, what is today the Bronx was annexed to New York City in two stages: areas west of the Bronx River were annexed in 1874, while areas to the east of the river were annexed in 1895. During the Bronx's economic decline a second system came into more common usage: *'''[[South Bronx]]''': south of Fordham Road and west of the Bronx River *'''Everything else''': all areas not in the South Bronx (Southwest Bronx) - i.e. remaining areas of the West and East Bronx The term South Bronx encompassed many neighborhoods. As high poverty rates and urban decay extended into other parts of the borough, the name no longer clearly divided the poorest parts of the borough from the rest; however it is still in use. ====Individual regions and neighborhoods==== '''West Bronx''' {{main|West Bronx}} The western parts of the Bronx are hilly and are dominated by a series of parallel ridges, running south to north. The West Bronx has older apartment 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, Bronx|Riverdale]]. It includes New York City's fourth largest park: [[Van Cortlandt Park]] along the Westchester-Bronx border. The [[Grand Concourse (Bronx)|Grand Concourse]], a wide boulevard runs through it, north to south. Neighborhoods include: [[Port Morris]], [[Mott Haven|Mott Haven]], [[Melrose, Bronx|Melrose]], [[Morrisania]], [[East Morrisania, Bronx|East Morrisania]], [[Longwood, Bronx|Longwood]], [[Hunts Point, Bronx|Hunts Point]], [[Concourse, Bronx|Concourse]], [[Highbridge, Bronx|Highbridge]], [[West Farms, Bronx|West Farms]], [[East Tremont, Bronx|East Tremont]], [[Tremont, Bronx|Tremont]], Mount Hope, [[Morris Heights, Bronx|Morris Heights]], [[University Heights, Bronx|University Heights]], [[Belmont, Bronx|Belmont]], [[Fordham, Bronx|Fordham]], [[Fordham-Bedford, Bronx|Fordham-Bedford]], [[Bedford Park, Bronx|Bedford Park]], [[Norwood, Bronx|Norwood]], [[Kingsbridge Heights]], [[Kingsbridge, Bronx|Kingsbridge]], [[Riverdale, Bronx|Riverdale]], and [[Woodlawn, Bronx|Woodlawn]]. '''East Bronx''' {{main|East Bronx}} [[Image:Co-op City Hutch River.jpg|thumb|350px|right|The neighborhood of [[Co-op City]] is the largest cooperative housing development in the world.]] East of the Bronx River, the borough is flatter, and includes four large low peninsulas or ''necks'' of low-lying land that jut into the waters of the East River and were once saltmarsh: Hunts Point, Clason's Point, Screvin's Neck (Castle Hill Point) and [[Throgs Neck]]. The East Bronx has older tenement buildings, low income public housing complexes, and multifamily homes, as well as smaller and larger single family homes. It includes New York City's largest park: [[Pelham Bay Park]] along the Westchester-Bronx border. Neighborhoods include: [[Harding Park, Bronx|Harding Park]], [[Soundview, Bronx|Soundview]], [[Castle Hill, Bronx|Castle Hill]], [[Parkchester, Bronx|Parkchester]], Westchester Square, [[Van Nest]], [[Pelham Parkway]], [[Morris Park, Bronx|Morris Park]], [[Throgs Neck]], [[Country Club, Bronx|Country Club]], [[City Island]], [[Pelham Bay]], [[Williamsbridge, Bronx|Williamsbridge]], [[Eastchester, Bronx|Eastchester]], [[Baychester, Bronx|Baychester]], [[Edenwald, Bronx|Edenwald]], [[Wakefield, Bronx|Wakefield]], and [[Co-op City]]. '''City Island''' {{main|City Island, Bronx}} [[City Island, Bronx|City Island]] is located in Long Island Sound, and is known for its seafood restaurants and waterfront private homes. City Island's single shopping street, City Island Avenue, is reminiscent of a small New England town. It is connected to the mainland by the [[City Island Bridge]]. The Long Island Sound is to its east. '''South Bronx''' [[Image:100 1971 edited.JPG|thumb|200px|[[Yankee Stadium]] is located on 161st and River Avenue]] {{main|South Bronx, New York}} The South Bronx has no official boundaries. The name has been used to represent poverty in the Bronx. The informal designation has moved northward in recent decades so that by the 2000s the name, the ''South Bronx'', has come to be applied to the area roughly bound by [[Fordham Road]] to the north and the Bronx River to the east. Today neighborhoods outside of this area are economically distressed, as well. The South Bronx is filled with high-density apartment buildings, low income public housing complexes, and multi-unit homes. The South Bronx is home to the Bronx County Court House, Borough Hall, and other government buildings, as well as [[Yankee Stadium]]. The [[Cross Bronx Expressway]] bisects it, east to west. The South Bronx has some of the poorest neighborhoods in the country, as well as very high crime areas. Neighborhoods include: [[The Hub, Bronx|the Hub]] (a retail district at [[Third Avenue]] and East 149th Street), [[Mott Haven, Bronx|Mott Haven]], [[Melrose, Bronx|Melrose]], [[Morrisania, Bronx|Morrisania]], [[East Morrisania, Bronx|East Morrisania]], [[Hunts Point, Bronx|Hunts Point]], [[Longwood, Bronx|Longwood]], [[Highbridge, Bronx|Highbridge]], [[Concourse, Bronx|Concourse]], [[West Farms, Bronx|West Farms]], [[East Tremont, Bronx|East Tremont]], [[Tremont, Bronx|Tremont]], [[Morris Heights, Bronx|Morris Heights]], [[University Heights, Bronx|University Heights]], [[Belmont, Bronx|Belmont]], and [[Fordham, Bronx|Fordham]]. [[Image:Bronxhub1.jpeg|thumb|left|300px|The Hub on Third Avenue]] ====Shopping districts==== Prominent shopping areas in the Bronx include [[Fordham Road]], [[Bay Plaza Shopping Center|Bay Plaza]] (in [[Co-op City]]), [[The Hub, Bronx|The Hub]], [[Riverdale, Bronx|Riverdale]]/[[Kingsbridge, Bronx|Kingsbridge]] Shopping center and [[Bruckner Boulevard]]. Shops are also concentrated on streets aligned underneath elevated railroad lines, including Westchester Avenue, White Plains Road, [[Jerome Avenue]], Southern Boulevard and [[Broadway (New York City)|Broadway]]. {{-}} ==Transportation== {{seealso|Transportation in New York City}} ===Roads, streets, bridges and tunnels=== '''Roads and Streets'''<br> The Bronx street grid is irregular. The [[west Bronx]]'s hilly terrain leaves a relatively free street grid that closely resembles that of extreme [[upper Manhattan]] which has similar terrain. Much of the west Bronx follows the Manhattan street grid, and some of the streets are numbered. Because the street numbering carries over from upper Manhattan, the lowest numbered street in the Bronx is East 132nd Street. However, the numbering does not match the Manhattan grid exactly. This dates from the mid-nineteenth century when the southwestern area of [[Westchester County, New York|Westchester County]] west of the Bronx River, was incorporated into New York City and known as the Northside. The [[east Bronx]] is considerably flatter, and the street layout tends to be more regular. Only the [[Wakefield, Bronx|Wakefield]] neighborhood picks up the street numbering. Three major north-south thoroughfares run between Manhattan and the Bronx: [[Third Avenue (Manhattan)|Third Avenue]], [[Park Avenue (Manhattan)|Park Avenue]], and [[Broadway (New York City)|Broadway]]. Other major north-south roads include the [[Grand Concourse (Bronx)|Grand Concourse]], [[Jerome Avenue]], [[Webster Avenue]], and [[White Plains Road]]. Major east-west streets include [[Mosholu Parkway]], [[Gun Hill Road]], [[Fordham Road]], [[Pelham Parkway]], Boston Road and [[Tremont Avenue]]. Most east-west streets are prefixed with either ''East'' or ''West'', to indicate on which side of Jerome Avenue they lie (continuing the similar system in Manhattan, which uses [[Fifth Avenue (Manhattan)|Fifth Avenue]] as the dividing line). [[Mosholu Parkway|Mosholu]] and [[Pelham Parkway]]s, with [[Bronx Park]] between them, [[Van Cortlandt Park]] to the west and [[Pelham Bay Park]] to the east, are also linked by bridle paths. '''Highways'''<br> Several major expressways and highways traverse the Bronx. These include: *the [[Bronx River Parkway]] *the [[Bruckner Expressway]] ([[Interstate 278|I-278]]/[[Interstate 95 in New York|I-95]]) *the [[Cross-Bronx Expressway]] ([[Interstate 95 in New York|I-95]]/[[Interstate 295 (New York)|I-295]]) *the [[New England Thruway]] ([[Interstate 95 in New York|I-95]]) *the [[Henry Hudson Parkway]] ([[New York State Route 9A|NY-9A]]) *the [[Hutchinson River Parkway]] *the [[Interstate 87#Major Deegan Expressway|Major Deegan Expressway(New York Thruway)]] (I-87) '''Bridges and tunnels'''<br> [[Image:Aerial View of the Throgs Neck Bridge.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Aerial View of the [[Throgs Neck Bridge]]]] Many bridges and tunnels connect the Bronx to Manhattan and [[Queens]]. These include, from west to east: ''To Manhattan:'' the [[Spuyten Duyvil Bridge]], the [[Henry Hudson Bridge]], the [[Broadway Bridge (Manhattan)|Broadway Bridge]], the [[University Heights Bridge]], the [[Washington Bridge]], the [[Alexander Hamilton Bridge]], the [[High Bridge (New York City)|High Bridge]], the [[Concourse Tunnel]], the [[Macombs Dam Bridge]], the [[145th Street Bridge]], the [[149th Street Tunnel]], the [[Madison Avenue Bridge]], the [[Park Avenue Bridge (New York City)|Park Avenue Bridge]], the [[Lexington Avenue Tunnel]], the [[Third Avenue Bridge (Manhattan)|Third Avenue Bridge]] (southbound traffic only), and the [[Willis Avenue Bridge]] (northbound traffic only). ''To Manhattan or Queens:'' the [[Triborough Bridge]] ''To Queens:'' the [[Bronx Whitestone Bridge]] and the [[Throgs Neck Bridge]] ===Mass transit=== [[Image:Middletown Road (IRT Pelham Line) by David Shankbone copy.jpg|thumb|[[Middletown Road (IRT Pelham Line)|Middletown Road]] subway station on the [[6 (New York City Subway service)|6]].|left]] [[Image:NYC Transit New Flyer 5400.jpg|thumb|NYC Transit bus operating on the Bx40 line in [[University Heights, Bronx|University Heights]].]] The Bronx is served by six lines of the [[New York City Subway]]: *[[IND Concourse Line]] ({{NYCS Concourse}}) *[[IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line|IRT Broadway-Seventh Avenue Line]] ({{NYCS Broadway-Seventh north}}) *[[IRT Dyre Avenue Line]] ({{NYCS Dyre}}) *[[IRT Jerome Avenue Line]] ({{NYCS Jerome}}) *[[IRT Pelham Line]] ({{NYCS Pelham}}) *[[IRT White Plains Road Line]] ({{NYCS White Plains}}) Two [[Metro-North Railroad]] commuter rail lines (the [[Harlem Line (Metro-North)|Harlem Line]] and the [[Hudson Line (Metro-North)|Hudson Line]]) serve 11 stations in the Bronx. ([[Marble Hill (Metro-North station)|Marble Hill]], between the [[Spuyten Duyvil train station|Spuyten Duyvil]] and [[University Heights (Metro-North station)|University Heights]] stations, is actually in the only part of Manhattan connected to the mainland.) In addition, trains serving the [[New Haven Line (Metro-North)|New Haven Line]] stop at [[Fordham (Metro-North station)|Fordham Road]]. ==The People== {{main|Demographics of The Bronx}} [[Image:Bronxpoverty.JPG|thumb|300px|'''Poverty concentrations''' within the Bronx, by Census Tract.]] ====Population and housing==== As of the [[United States Census]]{{GR|2}} of 2000, there were 1,332,650 people, 463,212 households, and 314,984 families residing in the borough. The [[population density]] was 12,242.2/km² (31,709.3/sq&nbsp;mi). There were 490,659 housing units at an average density of 4,507.4/km² (11,674.8/sq&nbsp;mi). There were 463,212 households out of which 38.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 31.4% were married couples living together, 30.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.0% were non-families. 27.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.78 and the average family size was 3.37. The age distribution of the population in the Bronx was as follows: 29.8% under the age of 18, 10.6% from 18 to 24, 30.7% from 25 to 44, 18.8% from 45 to 64, and 10.1% 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 87.0 males. ====Individual & household income==== The 1999 [[median income]] for a household in the borough was $27,611, and the median income for a family was $30,682. Males had a median income of $31,178 versus $29,429 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the borough was $13,959. About 28.0% of families and 30.7% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 41.5% of those under age 18 and 21.3% of those age 65 or over. While the Bronx as a whole is one of the poorest areas in the United States, there is wide variation between neighborhoods, including affluent areas such as [[Riverdale, Bronx|Riverdale]] and [[Country Club, Bronx|Country Club]]. [[Image:Bronxrace.PNG|thumb|300px|'''Racial concentrations''' within the Bronx, by block. (Red indicates Hispanic of any race; Blue indicates non-Hispanic White; and Green indicates non-Hispanic Black or African-American.)]] ====Ethnicity, language and immigration==== The [[Race and ethnicity in the United States Census|racial makeup (in Census terminology)]] of the borough was 29.87% Black or African-American, 35.47% White (14.53% White non-Hispanic), 0.85% Native American, 3.01% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 24.74% from other races, and 5.78% from two or more races. Also 48.38% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race. (The 2005 U.S. census estimates that the percentage of Latinos has increased to a majority: 51.3%.) The Bronx has one of the highest percentages of [[Dominican|Dominicans]] and [[Puerto Ricans]] in the U.S. with 20.0% and 24.0%, respectively. [[West Africa]] is the most frequent region of origin for immigrants to the Bronx. U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service data show that in 1996, about two-thirds of those Ghanaians arriving in the United States, and nearly three-fourths of those naturalized, live in the Bronx. Many have clustered in Bronx communities along the [[Grand Concourse (Bronx)|Grand Concourse]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Chilly Coexistence |work= The Columbia Spectator |date= Spring 2000 |first=Oscar |last=Johnson |url=http://www.columbia.edu/itc/journalism/gissler/anthology/Chill-Johnson.html}}</ref> Based on sample data from the 2000 census, the U.S. Census Bureau estimates that 47.29% of the population five and older speak only English at home. 43.67% speak Spanish at home, either exclusively or along with English. Other languages or groups of languages spoken at home by more than 0.25% of the population of the Bronx include [[Italian language|Italian]] (1.36%), [[Albanian language|Albanian]] (1.07%), [[Kru language|Kru]], [[Igbo language|Ibo]], or [[Yoruba language|Yoruba]] ''[West Africa]'' (0.72%) and [[French language|French]] (0.54%). The main European ancestries of Bronx residents, 2000 (percentage of total borough population): * [[Italian American|Italian]] : 5.67% * [[Albanian American|Albanian]] : 5.49% * [[Irish American|Irish]] : 3.69% * [[German American|German]] : 1.50% * [[English American|English]] : 0.53% ==Government and politics== <!-- Unsourced image removed: [[Image:Court house.jpg|thumb|300px|Mario Merola Building, built in 1933 in the [[Art Deco]] style.<ref>[http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcas/html/resources/bronx_countycourt.shtml Mario Merola Building / Bronx County Courthouse]</ref>]] --> ====Local government==== {{main|Government of New York City}} Since New York City's consolidation in 1898, the Bronx has been governed by the New York City Charter that provides for a "strong" [[Mayor-council government|mayor-council system]]. The centralized New York City government is responsible for public education, correctional institutions, libraries, public safety, recreational facilities, sanitation, water supply, and welfare services in the Bronx. The office of [[Borough President]] was created in the consolidation of 1898 to balance centralization with local authority. Each borough president had a powerful administrative role derived from having a vote on the [[New York City Board of Estimate]], which was responsible for creating and approving the city's budget and proposals for land use. In 1989 the [[Supreme Court of the United States]] declared the Board of Estimate unconstitutional on the grounds that [[Brooklyn]], the most populous borough, had no greater effective representation on the Board than [[Staten Island]], the least populous borough, a violation of the [[Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution|Fourteenth Amendment's]] [[Equal Protection Clause]] pursuant to the high court's 1964 "one man, one vote" decision.<ref>[http://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/historics/USSC_CR_0489_0688_ZS.html Cornell Law School Supreme Court Collection: Board of Estimate of City of New York v. Morris], accessed [[June 12]], [[2006]]</ref> Since 1990 the Borough President has acted as an advocate for the borough at the mayoral agencies, the [[New York City Council|City Council]], the New York state government, and corporations. The Borough President of the Bronx is [[Adolfo Carrión Jr.]], elected as a [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrat]] in 2001 and re-elected in 2005. (For his predecessors, see the [[Borough President#List of Bronx Borough Presidents|List of Bronx Borough Presidents]].) The [[U.S. Democratic Party|Democratic Party]] holds the majority of public offices. Local party platforms center on affordable housing, education and economic development. Controversial political issues in the Bronx include environmental issues, the cost of housing, and annexation of parkland for [[New Yankee Stadium]]. Since its separation from [[New York County]] on [[January 1]], [[1914]], the Bronx, has had, like each of the other 61 counties of New York State, its own criminal court system<ref name="courtstart"/> and [[District attorney|District Attorney]], the chief public prosecutor who is directly elected by popular vote. Robert T. Johnson, a Democrat, has been the District Attorney of Bronx County since 1989. He was the first African-American District Attorney in New York State. [[Membership of the New York City Council|Nine members]] of the [[New York City Council]] (all Democrats in 2008) represent districts in the Bronx. One of those members, [[Joel Rivera]] (District 15), has been the Council's [[Majority Leader]] since 2002. The Bronx also has twelve [[Government of New York City#Community Boards|Community Boards]], appointed bodies that field complaints and advise on land use and municipal facilities and services for local residents, businesses and institutions. (They are listed at [[Bronx Community Board]]s). ====Representatives in the U.S. Congress==== In 2008, three Democrats represented almost all of the Bronx in the [[United States House of Representatives]]. *[[José Serrano]] (first elected in March 1990) represents the [[New York's 16th congressional district|'''16th Congressional District''']] which covers much of the South Bronx, including [[Hunts Point, Bronx|Hunt's Point]], [[Mott Haven]], [[Melrose]], [[Morrisania]], [[Highbridge, Bronx|High Bridge]], [[Tremont, Bronx|Tremont]], [[East Tremont, Bronx|East Tremont]], [[University Heights, Bronx|University Heights]], [[Bedford Park, Bronx|Bedford Park]] and [[Fordham, Bronx|Fordham]]. *[[Eliot L. Engel|Eliot Engel]] (first elected in 1988) represents the [[New York's 17th congressional district|'''17th District''']] which includes parts of the northwest Bronx, including [[Riverdale]], [[Kingsbridge, Bronx|Kingsbridge]], [[Norwood, Bronx|Norwood]], [[Woodlawn, Bronx|Woodlawn]] and [[Wakefield, Bronx|Wakefield]], as well as parts of [[Westchester County, New York|Westchester]] and [[Rockland County, New York|Rockland]] counties. *[[Joseph Crowley]] (first elected in 1998) represents the [[New York's 7th congressional district|'''7th District''']] which spans the east Bronx and includes [[Co-op City]], [[City Island, Bronx|City Island]], [[Pelham Bay]], [[Morris Park]], [[Pelham Parkway]], [[Parkchester]], [[Castle Hill, Bronx|Castle Hill]] and [[Throgs Neck]], as well as parts of northwest [[Queens]]. * ([[Riker's Island]], the city's main jail complex, is included in the [[New York's 15th congressional district|'''15th District''']], which covers [[ Upper Manhattan]] and utilities facilities in [[Astoria, Queens]]. It is represented by the dean of the state's congressional delegation, [[House Ways and Means Committee]] chair [[Charles B. Rangel]], first elected in 1970. In 2006, the Congressional election returns in this district included no votes from the Bronx or Queens.) All of these Representatives won over 75% of their districts' respective votes in both 2004 and 2006. ''[[National Journal]]'s'' neutral rating system placed all of their voting records in 2005 and in 2006 (both sessions of the [[109th Congress]]) somewhere between very liberal and extremely liberal.<ref>''[[The Almanac of American Politics]] 2008'' , edited by [[Michael Barone]] with [[Richard E. Cohen]] and Grant Ujifusa, [[National Journal]] Group, [[Washington, D.C.]], 2008 ISBN 978-0-89234-117-7 (paperback) or -116-0 (hardback), chapter on New York state</ref> ====Votes for other offices==== In the [[U.S. Presidential election, 2004|2004 presidential election]], Senator [[John F. Kerry]] received ''81.8%'' of the vote in the Bronx (79.8% on the Democratic line plus 2% on the [[Working Families Party]]'s line) while President [[George W. Bush]] received ''16.3%'' (15.5% [[U.S. Republican Party|Republican]] plus 0.85% [[Conservative Party of New York|Conservative]]). A year later, the Democratic former Bronx [[Borough President]] [[Fernando Ferrer]] won ''59.8%'' of the borough's vote against ''38.8%'' (35.3% Republican, 3.5% [[Independence Party of New York|Independence Party]]) for Mayor [[Michael Bloomberg]], who carried every other borough in his [[New York City mayoralty elections#2005|winning campaign for re-election]]. In 2006, [[United States Senate election in New York, 2006|successfully-reelected]] Senator [[Hillary Clinton]] won ''89.5%'' of the Bronx's vote (82.8% Dem. + 4.1% Working Families + 2.6% Independence) against [[Yonkers]] ex-Mayor [[John Spencer (politician)|John Spencer]]'s ''9.6%'' (8.2% Republican + 1.4% Cons.), while [[Eliot Spitzer]] won ''88.8%'' of the Borough's vote (82.1% Dem. + 4.1% Working Families + 2.5% Independence Party) in [[New York gubernatorial election, 2006|winning the Governorship]] against [[John Faso]], who received ''9.7%'' of the Bronx's vote (8.2% Republican + 1.5% Cons.) <ref>[http://www.vote.nyc.ny.us/results.html Board of Elections in the City of New York] election results, retrieved on [[July 8]], [[2008]].</ref> After becoming a separate county in 1914, the Bronx has supported only two Republican Presidential candidates. It voted heavily for the winning Republican [[Warren G. Harding]] in 1920, but much more narrowly on a split vote for his victorious Republican successor [[Calvin Coolidge]] in 1924 (Coolidge 79,562; [[John W. Davis]], Dem., 72,834; [[Robert M. La Follette, Sr.|Robert La Follette]], 62,202 equally divided between the [[Progressive Party (United States, 1924)|Progressive]] and [[Socialist Party of America|Socialist]] lines). Since then, the Bronx has always supported the Democratic Party's nominee for President, starting with a vote of 2-1 for the unsuccessful [[Al Smith]] in 1928, followed by four 2-1 votes for the successful [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]]. (Both had been Governors of New York, but Republican former Gov. [[Thomas E. Dewey]] won only 28% of the Bronx's vote in 1948 against 55% for Pres. [[Harry Truman]], the winning Democrat, and 17% for [[Henry A. Wallace]] of the [[Progressive Party (United States, 1948)|Progressives]]. It was only 32 years earlier, by contrast, that another Republican former Governor who narrowly lost the Presidency, [[Charles Evans Hughes]], had won 42.6% of the Bronx's 1916 vote against Democratic President [[Woodrow Wilson]]'s 49.8% and Socialist candidate [[Allan Benson]]'s 7.3%.) <ref>''[[The World Almanac and Book of Facts]]'' for 1929 & 1957; [http://ourcampaigns.com/ContainerHistory.html?ContainerID=9099 Our Campaigns (New York Counties Bronx President History)];''[[The Encyclopedia of New York City]]'' (see [[#Further reading|Further reading]] below), article on "government and politics"</ref> The Bronx has often shown striking differences from other boroughs in [[New York City mayoralty elections|elections for Mayor]]. The only Republican to carry the Bronx since 1914 was [[Fiorello La Guardia]] in 1933, 1937 and 1941 (and in the latter two elections, only because his 30-32% vote on the [[American Labor Party]] line was added to 22-23% as a Republican).<ref>(The Republican line exceeded the ALP's in every other borough)</ref>. The Bronx was thus the only borough not carried by the successful Republican re-election campaigns of Mayors [[Rudolph Giuliani]] in 1997 and [[Michael Bloomberg]] in 2005. The anti-war [[Socialist Party of America|Socialist]] campaign of [[Morris Hillquit]] in the [[New York City mayoral election, 1917|1917 mayoral election]] won over 31% of the Bronx's vote, putting him second and well ahead of the 20% won by the incumbent pro-war Fusion Mayor [[John P. Mitchel]], who came in second (ahead of Hillquit) everywhere else and outpolled Hillquit city-wide by 23.2% to 21.7%.<ref>To see a comparison of borough votes for Mayor, see [[New York City mayoralty elections#How the Boroughs voted]]</ref> {| align="center" border="2" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; border: 1px #aaa solid; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 100%;" | colspan="8" bgcolor="f8f8f8" | {{center|'''The Bronx County Vote for President and Mayor since 1950'''}} |- align="center" | colspan="5" bgcolor="yellow"|'''President & Vice President of the United States'''|| bgcolor="aqua" colspan="3"|'''Mayor of the City of New York''' |- |- bgcolor="yellow" ! Year ! bgcolor="ffbbbb"|[[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] &<br>[[Conservative Party of New York|Conservative]] ! bgcolor="b5b5ff"|[[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]<br>& [[Liberal Party of New York|Liberal]] ! bgcolor="e5e5e5"| Won the<br>Bronx ! bgcolor="f0f0f0"|Elected<br>President ! align="center" style="background:aqua;"|'''Year''' ! align="center" style="background:#e5e5e5;"|'''Candidate carrying<br>the Bronx''' ! align="center" style="background:#f0f0f0;"|'''Elected Mayor''' |- |align="center" bgcolor="yellow"|[[U.S. presidential election, 2004|2004]] |align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|16.3% &nbsp; ''56,701 |align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|'''81.8%''' ''283,994 |bgcolor="#d8d8ff"|[[John F. Kerry|Kerry]] || bgcolor="#fff3f3"|[[George W. Bush|GW Bush]] | bgcolor="aqua"|[[New York City mayoralty elections#2005|2005]]||bgcolor="#d8d8ff"|[[Fernando Ferrer]], D ||bgcolor="#fff3f3"|[[Mike Bloomberg]], R/Lib-[[Independence Party of New York|Indep'ce]] |- |align="center" bgcolor="yellow"|[[U.S. presidential election, 2000|2000]] |align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|11.8% &nbsp; ''36,245 |align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|'''86.3%''' ''265,801 |bgcolor="#d8d8ff"|[[Al Gore|Gore]] || bgcolor="#fff3f3"|[[George W. Bush|GW Bush]] | bgcolor="aqua"|[[New York City mayoralty elections#2001| 2001]]||bgcolor="#d8d8ff"|[[Mark Green]],<br/> D-[[Working Families Party|Working Families]]||bgcolor="#fff3f3"|[[Michael Bloomberg]],<br/> R-[[Independence Party of New York|Independence]] |- |align="center" bgcolor="yellow"|[[U.S. presidential election, 1996|1996]] |align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|10.5% &nbsp; ''30,435 |align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|'''85.8%''' ''248,276 |bgcolor="#d8d8ff"|[[Bill Clinton|Clinton]] ||bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|[[Bill Clinton|Clinton]] | bgcolor="aqua"| [[New York City mayoralty elections#1997|1997]]||bgcolor="#d8d8ff"|[[Ruth Messinger]], D||bgcolor="#fff3f3"|[[Rudolph Giuliani]], R-Liberal |- |align="center" bgcolor="yellow"|[[U.S. presidential election, 1992|1992]] |align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|20.7% &nbsp; ''63,310 |align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|'''73.7%''' ''225,038 |bgcolor="#d8d8ff"|[[Bill Clinton|Clinton]]||bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|[[Bill Clinton|Clinton]] | bgcolor="aqua"| [[New York City mayoralty elections#1993|1993]]||bgcolor="#d8d8ff"|[[David Dinkins]], D ||bgcolor="#fff3f3"|[[Rudolph Giuliani]], R-Liberal |- |align="center" bgcolor="yellow"|[[U.S. presidential election, 1988|1988]] |align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|25.5% &nbsp; ''76,043 |align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|'''73.2%''' ''218,245 |bgcolor="#d8d8ff"|[[Michael Dukakis|Dukakis]]|| bgcolor="#fff3f3"|[[George H. W. Bush|GHW Bush]] | bgcolor="aqua"| [[New York City mayoralty elections#1989|1989]]||bgcolor="#d8d8ff"|[[David Dinkins]], D ||bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|[[David Dinkins]], D |- |align="center" bgcolor="yellow"|[[U.S. presidential election, 1984|1984]] |align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|32.8% ''109,308 |align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|'''66.9%''' ''223,112 |bgcolor="#d8d8ff"|[[Walter Mondale|Mondale]]||bgcolor="#fff3f3"|[[Ronald Reagan|Reagan]] | bgcolor="aqua"| [[New York City mayoralty elections#1985|1985]]||bgcolor="#d8d8ff"|[[Edward Koch]], D-Indep.||bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|[[Edward Koch]], D-Independent |- |align="center" bgcolor="yellow"|[[U.S. presidential election, 1980|1980]] |align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|30.7% &nbsp; ''86,843 |align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|'''64.0%''' ''181,090 |bgcolor="#d8d8ff"|[[Jimmy Carter|Carter]] ||bgcolor="#fff3f3"|[[Ronald Reagan|Reagan]] | bgcolor="aqua"| [[New York City mayoralty elections#1981|1981]]||bgcolor="#d8d8ff"|[[Edward Koch]], D-R ||bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|[[Edward Koch]], D-R |- |align="center" bgcolor="yellow"|[[U.S. presidential election, 1976|1976]] |align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|28.7% &nbsp; ''96,842 |align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|'''70.8%''' ''238,786 |bgcolor="#d8d8ff"|[[Jimmy Carter|Carter]]||bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|[[Jimmy Carter|Carter]] | bgcolor="aqua"| [[New York City mayoralty elections#1977|1977]]||bgcolor="#d8d8ff"|[[Edward Koch]], D||bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|[[Edward Koch]], D |- |align="center" bgcolor="yellow"|[[U.S. presidential election, 1972|1972]] |align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|44.6% ''196,756 |align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|'''55.2%''' ''243,345 |bgcolor="#d8d8ff"|[[George McGovern|McGovern]]|| bgcolor="#fff3f3"|[[Richard Nixon|Nixon]] | bgcolor="aqua"| [[New York City mayoralty elections#1973|1973]]||bgcolor="#d8d8ff"|[[Abraham Beame]], D ||bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|[[Abraham Beame]], D |- |align="center" bgcolor="yellow"|[[U.S. presidential election, 1968|1968]] |align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|32.0% ''142,314 |align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|'''62.4%''' ''277,385 |bgcolor="#d8d8ff"|[[Hubert Humphrey|Humphrey]]|| bgcolor="#fff3f3"|[[Richard Nixon|Nixon]] | bgcolor="aqua"| [[New York City mayoralty elections#1969|1969]]||bgcolor="#d8d8ff"|[[Mario Procaccino]],<br/> D-Nonpartisan-Civil Svce Ind. ||bgcolor="#fefeea"|[[John V. Lindsay]], Liberal |- |align="center" bgcolor="yellow"|[[U.S. presidential election, 1964|1964]] |align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|25.2% ''135,780 |align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|'''74.7%''' ''403,014 |bgcolor="#d8d8ff"|[[LBJ|Johnson]]||bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|[[LBJ|Johnson]] | bgcolor="aqua"| [[New York City mayoralty elections#1965|1965]]||bgcolor="#d8d8ff"|[[Abraham Beame]],<br/> D-Civil Service Fusion ||bgcolor="#fff3f3"|[[John Lindsay]],<br/> R-Liberal-Independent Citizens |- |align="center" bgcolor="yellow"|[[U.S. presidential election, 1960|1960]] |align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|31.8% ''182,393 |align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|'''67.9%''' ''389,818 |bgcolor="#d8d8ff"|[[JFK|Kennedy]]||bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|[[JFK|Kennedy]] | bgcolor="aqua"| [[New York City mayoralty elections#1961|1961]]||bgcolor="#d8d8ff"|[[Robert F. Wagner, Jr.]],<br/> D-Liberal-Brotherhood ||bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|[[Robert F. Wagner, Jr.]],<br/> D-Liberal-Brotherhood |- |align="center" bgcolor="yellow"|[[U.S. presidential election, 1956|1956]] |align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"| 42.8% ''256,909 |align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"| '''57.2%''' ''343,656 |bgcolor="#d8d8ff"|[[Adlai Stevenson|Stevenson]]|| bgcolor="#fff3f3"|[[Dwight D. Eisenhower|Eisenhower]] | bgcolor="aqua"| [[New York City mayoralty elections#1957|1957]]||bgcolor="#d8d8ff"|[[Robert F. Wagner, Jr.]],<br/> D-Liberal-[[Electoral fusion#New York|Fusion]]||bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|[[Robert F. Wagner, Jr.]],<br/> D-Liberal-[[Electoral fusion#New York|Fusion]] |- |align="center" bgcolor="Yellow"|[[U.S. presidential election, 1952|1952]] |align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"| 37.3% ''241,898 |align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"| '''60.6%''' ''309,482 |bgcolor="#d8d8ff"|[[Adlai Stevenson|Stevenson]]|| bgcolor="#fff3f3"|[[Dwight D. Eisenhower|Eisenhower]] | bgcolor="aqua"| [[New York City mayoralty elections#1953|1953]]||bgcolor="#d8d8ff"|[[Robert F. Wagner, Jr.]], D ||bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|[[Robert F. Wagner, Jr.]], D |- |colspan="5"|&nbsp; | bgcolor="aqua"| [[New York City mayoralty elections#1950|1950]]||bgcolor="#d8d8ff"|[[Ferdinand Pecora]], D-Liberal||bgcolor="#f5f5ee"|[[Vincent Impellitteri]], Experience |- |} * Republican and Democratic columns for Presidential elections also include their candidates' votes on other lines, such as the [[New York State Right to Life Party]] and the [[Working Families Party]]. * For details of votes and parties in a particular election, click the year or see [[New York City mayoralty elections]]. ==Education== {{seealso|Education in New York City|List of high schools in New York City#Bronx}} [[Image:BronxScience.jpg|thumb|right|250px|[[Bronx High School of Science]]]] Education in the Bronx is provided by a large number of public and private institutions, many of which draw students who live beyond the Bronx. Public schools in the borough are managed by the [[New York City Department of Education]]. Private schools range from élite [[Independent school|independent schools]] to religiously-affiliated [[parochial schools#United States|schools]] run by the [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York]] and Jewish organizations. Many public [[High School#United States|high schools]] are located in the borough including the élite [[Bronx High School of Science]], [[High School of American Studies at Lehman College|High School of American Studies]], [[DeWitt Clinton High School]], and [[Grace H. Dodge Vocational and Technical High School]]. The Bronx is also home to three of New York City's most prestigious private, secular schools: [[Ethical Culture Fieldston School|Fieldston]], [[Horace Mann School|Horace Mann]], and [[Riverdale Country School]]. High schools linked to the [[Roman Catholic Church]] include [[St. Raymond High School for Boys]], [[All Hallows High School]], [[Cardinal Hayes High School]], [[Cardinal Spellman High School (New York City)|Cardinal Spellman High School]], [[Fordham Preparatory School]], [[Academy of Mount St. Ursula High School|The Academy of Mount Saint Ursula]], [[Aquinas High School (New York City)|Aquinas High School]], [[Preston High School (New York City)|Preston High School]], [[St. Catharine Academy]], and [[Mount Saint Michael Academy]]. The [[SAR Academy]] and [[SAR High School]] are [[Modern Orthodox]] Jewish [[Yeshiva]] coeducational day schools in [[Riverdale, Bronx|Riverdale]], with roots in Manhattan's [[Lower East Side]]. In the 1990s, New York City began closing the large, public high schools in the Bronx and replacing them with small high schools. Among the reasons cited for the changes were poor graduation rates and concerns about safety. Schools that have been closed or reduced in size include [[John F. Kennedy High School (Bronx)|John F. Kennedy]], [[James Monroe High School (New York)|James Monroe]], [[William Howard Taft High School (New York City)|Taft]], [[Theodore Roosevelt High School (New York City)|Theodore Roosevelt]], Adlai Stevenson, [[Evander Childs High School|Evander Childs]], [[Christopher Columbus High School (Bronx, New York)|Christopher Columbus]], Morris, [[Walton High School (New York City)|Walton]], and South Bronx High Schools. More recently the City has started phasing out large middle schools, also replacing them with smaller schools. [[Image:Fordham University Keating Hall.JPG|thumb|left|250px|[[Fordham University]]'s Keating Hall.]] '''Institutions of higher education'''<br> {{Seealso|List of colleges and universities in New York City}} Several colleges and universities are located in the Bronx. [[Fordham University]], a coeducational undergraduate and graduate university, was founded in 1841. It is officially an independent institution but strongly embraces its [[Jesuit]] heritage. The Bronx campus, known as Rose Hill, is the main campus of the university (other Fordham campuses are located in Manhattan and Westchester County).<ref name="fordzoo">In September 2008, [[Fordham University]] and its neighbor, the Wildlife Conservation Society, a global research organization which operates the [[Bronx Zoo]], will begin a joint program leading to a [[Master of Science]] degree in adolescent science education (biology grades 7-12).</ref> Three campuses of the [[City University of New York]] are in the Bronx: [[Hostos Community College]], [[Bronx Community College]] (occupying the former [[University Heights, Bronx|University Heights]] Campus of [[New York University]]) and [[Lehman College]] (formerly the uptown campus of [[Hunter College]]), which offers both undergraduate and graduate degrees. [[Manhattan College]] is a Catholic college in [[Riverdale, Bronx|Riverdale]] which offers undergraduate programs in the arts, business, education, engineering, and science. It also offers graduate programs in education and engineering. The Catholic and nearly-all-female [[The College of New Rochelle|College of New Rochelle]] in [[Westchester County]] maintains satellite campuses at [[Co-op City]] and in [[The Hub]]. The [[College of Mount Saint Vincent]] is a Catholic liberal arts college in [[Riverdale, Bronx|Riverdale]] under the direction of the [[Sisters of Charity of New York]]. Founded in 1847 as a school for girls, the academy became a degree-granting college in 1911 and began admitting men in 1974. The school serves 1,600 students. Its campus is also home to the [[Academy for Jewish Religion]], a transdenominational rabbinical and cantorial school. [[Albert Einstein College of Medicine]], part of [[Yeshiva University]], is in [[Morris Park]]. [[Monroe College]] is a private college with a campus in the Bronx which offers both two-year and four-year programs. The [[State University of New York Maritime College]] in [[Fort Schuyler]] ([[Throggs Neck]])—at the far southeastern tip of the Bronx—is a national leader in maritime education and houses the [[Maritime Industry Museum]]. (Directly across [[Long Island Sound]] is [[Kings Point, New York|Kings Point]], Long Island, home of the [[United States Merchant Marine Academy]] and the American Merchant Marine Museum.) ==Cultural life and institutions== {{See also|Culture of New York City|Music of New York City|List of people from The Bronx|List of Registered Historic Places in Bronx County, New York}} Author [[Edgar Allan Poe]] spent the last years of his life (1846 to 1849) in the Bronx at [[Poe Cottage]], now located at [[Kingsbridge, Bronx|Kingsbridge]] Road and the [[Grand Concourse]]. A small wooden farmhouse built about 1812, the cottage once commanded unobstructed vistas over the rolling Bronx hills to the shores of [[Long Island]].<ref>[http://www.bronxhistoricalsociety.org/about/poecottage.html Edgar Allan Poe Cottage], accessed [[October 9]], [[2006]]</ref> [[Image:The PLAYERS Club Steppers by David Shankbone.jpg|thumb|250px|right|The Bronx's P.L.A.Y.E.R.S. Club Steppers performing at the 2007 [[Fort Greene Park]] Summer Literary Festival in [[Brooklyn]]. (Note the T-shirts' inscription "I ♥ BX" ''[Bronx]'', echoing the ubiquitous slogan "I ♥ NY" ''[I Love New York]'' ). <ref>[http://www.nywriterscoalition.org/litfest.htm 2007 Fort Greene Park Summer Literary Festival website]. See also the [http://www.flickr.com/photos/nywc/sets/72157601898513545/ Flickr.com photograph album of the 2007 Festival]</ref>]] The Bronx's evolution from a hot bed of [[Latin jazz]] to an incubator of [[Hip Hop]] was the subject of an award-winning documentary, produced by [[City Lore]] and broadcast on [[PBS]] in 2006, [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1169817/ "From Mambo to Hip Hop: A South Bronx Tale"]. Hip Hop first emerged in the South Bronx in the early 1970s. ''[[The New York Times]]'' has identified 1520 Sedgwick Avenue "an otherwise unremarkable high-rise just north of the [[Cross Bronx Expressway]] and hard along the [[Major Deegan Expressway]]" as the starting point, where [[DJ Kool Herc]] presided over parties in the community room.<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/21/nyregion/21citywide.html {{cite news |first=David |last=Gonzalez |title=Will Gentrification Spoil the Birthplace of Hip-Hop? |work='''[[The New York Times]]''' |date= 2007-05-21}} retrieved on [[July 1]], [[2008]]]</ref><ref>[http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/01/15/tenants-might-buy-the-birthplace-of-hip-hop {{cite news |first=Jennifer |last=Lee |title= Tenants Might Buy the Birthplace of Hip-Hop |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=2008-01-15}}], retrieved on [[July 1]], [[2008]]</ref> Beginning with the advent of beat match DJ'ing, in which Bronx DJs ([[Disc jockey|Disc Jockey]]s) including [[Grandmaster Flash]], [[Afrika Bambaataa]] and [[DJ Kool Herc]] extended the breaks of [[funk]] records, a major new musical genre emerged that sought to isolate the percussion breaks of hit funk, [[disco]] and [[Soul music|soul]] songs. As hip hop's popularity grew, performers began speaking ("[[rapping]]") in sync with the beats, and became known as MCs or [[Master of Ceremonies|emcees]]. The [[Herculoids]], made up of Herc, [[Coke La Rock]], and [[DJ Clark Kent]], were the earliest to gain major fame. The Bronx is referred to in hip-hop slang as "The Boogie Down Bronx", or just "The Boogie Down". This was hip-hop pioneer [[KRS-One]]'s inspiration for his thought provoking group BDP, or [[Boogie Down Productions]], which included DJ [[Scott La Rock]]. Newer hip hop artists from the Bronx include [[Cory Gunz]], [[Swizz Beatz]], [[Drag-On]], [[Fat Joe]] and [[Terror Squad]]. [[Hush Hip Hop Tours]] has established a sightseeing tour of the Bronx showcasing the locations that helped shape hip hop culture and has the pioneers of hip hop as tour guides. The recent recognition of the Bronx as an important center of [[African-American culture]], led Fordham University to establish the ongoing [http://www.fordham.edu/academics/programs_at_fordham_/bronx_african_americ/index.asp "Bronx African-American History Project (BAAHP)"]. The Bronx is home to several [[Off-Off-Broadway]] theaters, many staging new works by immigrant playwrights from Latin America and Africa. The [http://www.pregones.org/ Pregones Theater], which produces Latin American work, opened a new 130-seat theater in 2005 on Walton Avenue in the South Bronx. Some artists from elsewhere in New York City have begun to converge on the area, and housing prices have nearly quadrupled in the area since 2002. However rising prices directly correlate to a housing shortage across the city and the entire metro area. The [[Bronx Museum of the Arts]], founded in 1971, exhibits 20th century and contemporary art through its central museum space and {{convert|11000|sqft|m2|-2}} of galleries. Many of its exhibitions are on themes of special interest to the Bronx. Its permanent collection features more than 800 works of art, primarily by artists from Africa, Asia and Latin America, including paintings, photographs, prints, drawings, and mixed media. The museum was temporarily closed in 2006 while it underwent a major expansion designed by the architectural firm [[Arquitectonica]]. [[Image:Bronx Yankee and park.jpg|thumb|250 px|left|Lorelei Fountain in Joyce Kilmer Park overlooking [[Yankee Stadium]].]] The Bronx has also become home to a peculiar poetic tribute, in the form of the [[Heinrich Heine]] Memorial, better known as the [[Lorelei]] Fountain from [http://www.business.uiuc.edu/vock/poetry/lorelei.html one of Heine's best-known works (1838)]. After Heine's German birthplace of [[Düsseldorf]] had rejected, allegedly for [[anti-Semitic]] motives, a centennial monument to the radical [[German-Jewish]] poet (1797-1856), his incensed [[German-American]] admirers, including [[Carl Schurz]], started a movement to place one instead in [[Midtown Manhattan]], at [[Fifth Avenue]] and 59th Street. However, this intention was thwarted by a combination of ethnic antagonism, aesthetic controversy and political struggles over the institutional control of public art. In 1899, the memorial, by the [[Berlin, Germany|Berlin]] sculptor [[Ernst Gustav Herter]] (1846-1917), finally came to rest, although subject to repeated vandalism, in the Bronx, at 164th Street and the [[Grand Concourse (Bronx)|Grand Concourse]], or [[Joyce Kilmer]] Park near today's [[Yankee Stadium]]. (In 1999, it was moved to 161st Street and the Concourse.) In 2007, Christopher Gray of ''[[The New York Times]]'' described it as "a writhing composition in white Tyrolean marble depicting Lorelei, the mythical German figure, surrounded by mermaids, dolphins and seashells." <ref> {{cite news |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/27/realestate/27scap.html |title=Sturm und Drang Over a Memorial to Heinrich Heine |work=[[The New York Times]] |first=Christopher |last=Gray |date=2007-05-27 |accessdate=2008-07-03 }} See also [http://www.lehman.edu/vpadvance/artgallery/publicart/J_kilmer_pk.htm Public Art in the Bronx: Joyce Kilmer Park], from [[Lehman College]]</ref> A national landmark in the Bronx is the [[Hall of Fame for Great Americans]], overlooking the [[Harlem River]] and designed by the renowned architect [[Stanford White]]. The never–landmarked [[Yankee Stadium]], the "House that [[Babe Ruth|Ruth]] Built" and home to the [[New York Yankees]] since 1923, is being replaced with a new look-alike facility. ====The Press and broadcasting==== '''Newspapers'''<br> The Bronx has several local newspapers, including ''The [[Bronx News]]'' [http://www.bxnews.net], ''[[Parkchester]] News'', ''City News'', ''The [[Riverdale, Bronx|Riverdale]] Press'', ''[[Riverdale Review]]'', ''The Bronx Times Reporter'', ''[[Inner City Press]]'' [http://www.innercitypress.org/aboutus.html] (which now has more of a focus on national issues) and ''[[Co-Op City]] Times''. Four non-profit news outlets, ''[[Norwood, Bronx|Norwood]] News'', ''Mount Hope Monitor'', ''[[Highbridge, Bronx|Highbridge]] Horizon'' and ''The [[Hunts Point, Bronx|Hunts Point]] Express'' serve the borough's poorer communities. The editor and co-publisher of ''The Riverdale Press'', Bernard Stein, won the [[Pulitzer Prize]] for editorial writing for his editorials about Bronx and New York City issues in 1998. (Stein graduated from the [[Bronx High School of Science]] in 1959.) The Bronx once had its own daily newspaper, ''The Bronx Home News'', which started publishing on [[January 20]], [[1907]] and merged into the ''[[New York Post]]'' in 1948. It became a special section of the Post, sold only in the Bronx, and eventually disappeared from view. '''Radio & Television'''<br> One of New York City's major non-commercial radio broadcasters is [[WFUV]], an [[National Public Radio]]–affiliated 50,000-watt station broadcasting from [[Fordham University]]'s Rose Hill campus in the Bronx. The radio station's antenna is atop an apartment building owned by [[Montefiore Medical Center]]. The City of New York has an official television station run by the [[NYC Media Group]] and broadcasting from [[Bronx Community College]], and [[Cablevision]] operates [[News 12 Networks|News 12 The Bronx]], both of which feature programming based in the Bronx. [[Co-op City]] was the first area in the Bronx, and the first in New York beyond [[Manhattan]], to have its own [[cable television]] provider. The local [[cable access]] station BRONXNET provides public affairs programming in addition to programming produced by Bronx residents.<ref>Its website showcases very short selections (less than 20 seconds and over 2 MB each in uncompressed [[AIFF]] format) from ''[http://www.bronxnet.org/info/music/bxmusic.htm Bronx Music Vol.1]'', an out-of-press [[compact disc]] of the old and new sounds and artists of the Bronx.</ref> ==The Bronx reflected in literature, song, film and television== ====On screen==== Originally, movies set in the Bronx portrayed densely-settled, working-class, urban culture. [[Paddy Chayefsky]]'s [[Academy Award]]-winning ''[[Marty]]'' is the epitome of this, with its tag line, "What are you doing, Marty? Nothing." This thematic line has continued in the 1993 [[Robert De Niro]]/[[Chazz Palminteri]] film, ''[[A Bronx Tale]]'', [[Spike Lee]]'s 1999 movie ''[[Summer of Sam]]'', centered in an [[Italian-American]] Bronx community, 1994's ''[[I Like It Like That]]'' that takes place in the predominately [[Puerto Rican people|Puerto Rican]] neighborhood of the South Bronx, and ''Doughboys'', the story of two Italian-American brothers who are in danger of losing their bakery thanks to one brother's gambling debts. Other movies have used the term ''Bronx'' for comic effect, such as the 1995 [[Jackie Chan]] film ''[[Rumble in the Bronx]]'' (''Hong faan kui'' in Cantonese) — which had nothing to do with the real Bronx, and "Bronx", the character on the [[The Walt Disney Company|Disney]] animated series ''[[Gargoyles (TV series)|Gargoyles]]''. Starting in the 1970s, the Bronx often symbolized violence, decay, and urban ruin. The wave of arson in the South Bronx in the 1960s and 1970s launched the phrase ''the Bronx is burning'': in 1974 it was the title of both a [[New York Times]] [[editorial]] and a [[BBC]] [[documentary film]]. The line entered the pop-consciousness with Game Two of the [[1977 World Series]], when a fire broke out near [[Yankee Stadium]] as the team was playing the [[Los Angeles Dodgers]]. As the fire was captured on live television, announcer [[Howard Cosell]] intoned, "There it is, ladies and gentlemen: the Bronx is burning". Historians of New York City frequently point to Cosell's remark as a sign of both the city and the borough's decline.<ref>{{cite book |last= Mahler |first= Jonathan |title= Ladies and Gentlemen, The Bronx is Burning |year= 2005 |publisher= [[Farrar, Straus and Giroux]] |isbn= 0312424302}}</ref> A new feature-length documentary film by Edwin Pagan called [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0906735/ ''Bronx Burning''] is in production<ref> {{cite web |url= http://www.bronxarts.org/newsletter/200601.html |title= Opportunities for Arts Organizations and Community Based Organizations |publisher= Bronx Council on the Arts |work= E-News Update |date=January 2006}}</ref> in 2006, chronicling what led up to the arson-for-insurance fraud fires of the 1970s and the subsequent rebirth of the community. These themes have been especially pervasive in representations of the Bronx in cinema. There are good depictions of [[Bronx gangs (1950s-1960s)|Bronx gangs]] in the 1974 novel ''[[The Wanderers]]'' by Bronx native [[Richard Price]] and the 1979 movie of the same name. They are set in the heart of the Bronx, showing apartment life and the then-landmark Krums ice cream parlor. In the 1979 film ''[[The Warriors (film)|The Warriors]]'', the eponymous gang go to a meeting in [[Van Cortlandt Park]] in the Bronx, and have to fight their way back to [[Coney Island]] in [[Brooklyn]]. The 2005 video game adaptation features levels called Pelham, Tremont, and "Gunhill" (an apparent corruption of the name [[Gun Hill Road]]). This theme lends itself to the title of [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0790477/ ''The Bronx is Burning''], an eight-part [[ESPN]] TV mini-series (2007) about the [[New York Yankees]]' drive to winning baseball's [[1977 World Series]]. The TV series emphasizes the boisterous nature of the team, led by manager [[Billy Martin]], catcher [[Thurman Munson]] and outfielder [[Reggie Jackson]], as well as the malaise of the Bronx and New York City in general during that time, such as the blackout, the financial problems, the arson issues, and the election of [[Ed Koch]] as mayor. The 1981 film ''[[Fort Apache, The Bronx]]'' also portrayed the Bronx as gang- and crime-ridden. The film's title is from the nickname for the 41st Police Precinct in the South Bronx. This movie was condemned by community leaders for condoning police brutality, and for its unflattering depiction of the borough; former [[Young Lords]] member and Puerto Rican activist Richie Perez formed a protest group, The Committee Against ''Fort Apache''. By contrast, ''[[Knights of the South Bronx]]'', a true story of a teacher who worked with disadvantaged children, is also set in the Bronx. A more neutral portrayal is [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086130/ ''Portfolio''], a "B" movie starring model Carol Alt (the daughter of a New York fireman) the opening scenes of which are set in and around Ladder 58, Engine 45 at 925 East Tremont Avenue. The Bronx was the setting for the 1983 film [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089104/ ''Fuga dal Bronx''], also known as ''Bronx Warriors 2'' and ''Escape 2000'', an Italian B-movie best known for its appearance on the television series [[Mystery Science Theatre 3000]]. The plot revolves around a sinister construction corporation's plans to depopulate, destroy and redevelop the Bronx, and a band of rebels who are out to expose the corporation's murderous ways and save their homes. The film is memorable for its almost incessant use of the phrase, "Leave the Bronx!" Amusingly, many of the exterior scenes were filmed in [[Queens]], not the Bronx. Bronx born and reared [[Nancy Savoca]]'s 1989 comedy ''[[True Love (1989 film)|True Love]]'', explores two [[Italian-American]] Bronx sweethearts in the days before their wedding. The film, which debuted [[Annabella Sciorra]] and [[Ron Eldard]] as the betrothed couple, won the Grand Jury Prize at that year's [[Sundance Film Festival]]. [[Penny Marshall]]'s 1990 film ''[[Awakenings]]'', which was nominated for several [[Academy Awards|Oscars]], is based on neurologist [[Oliver Sacks]]' [[Awakenings (book)|1973 account]] of his psychiatric patients at Beth Abraham Hospital in the Bronx who were paralyzed by a form of [[encephalitis]] but briefly responded to the drug [[L-dopa]]. [[Robin Williams]] played the physician; [[Robert De Niro]] was one of the patients who emerged from a [[catatonic]] (frozen) state. The home of Williams' character was shot not far from Sacks' actual [[City Island, Bronx|City Island]] residence. A 1973 [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A00E3D8103DF932A15752C0A9679C8B63 Yorkshire Television documentary] and "A Kind of Alaska", a 1985 play by [[Harold Pinter]] <ref>(ISBN 057312129X)</ref>, were also based on Sacks' book. [[Gus Van Sant]]'s 2000 ''[[Finding Forrester]]'' was quickly billed "[[Good Will Hunting]] in the Hood." [[Sean Connery]] is in the title role of a Manhattan prep school teacher who 50 years earlier wrote a single novel that garnered the [[Pulitzer Prize]]. One of his students is 16 year old Jamal - actor Rob Brown - a gifted, Bronx reared basketball player and aspiring writer. The movie includes stock footage of Bronx housing projects from 1990, as well as other scenes shot in Manhattan and Brooklyn. ====In literature ==== The Bronx has been featured in much fiction. In Jacob M. Appel's short story, "The Grand Concourse" (2007),<ref> ''[[The Threepenny Review]]'', [http://www.threepennyreview.com/tocs/109_sp07.html Volume 109, Spring 2007] </ref> a woman who grew up the in the iconic [[Lewis Morris]] Building returns to the [[Morrisania]] neighborhood with her adult daughter. Similarly, in [[Avery Corman]]'s book ''The Old Neighborhood'' (1980),<ref>[[Avery Corman]], ''The Old Neighborhood'', [[Simon and Schuster]], 1980; ISBN 0671414755</ref> an upper-middle class white protagonist returns to his birth neighborhood ([[Fordham Road]] and the [[Grand Concourse (Bronx)|Grand Concourse]]), and learns that even though the folks are poor, Hispanic and African-American, they are good people. By contrast, [[Tom Wolfe]]'s ''[[The Bonfire of the Vanities|Bonfire of the Vanities]]'' (1987)<ref>Tom Wolfe, ''The Bonfire of the Vanities'', [[Farrar, Straus and Giroux]] 1987 (hardback) ISBN 978-0-37411-535-7, Picador Books 2008 (paperback) ISBN 978-0-31242-757-3</ref> starts with an account of a similar upper-middle class white protagonist, Sherman McCoy, getting lost off the [[Major Deegan Expressway]] in the [[South Bronx]] and having a vicious altercation with a local [[Bronx gangs|gang]]. A substantial piece of the last part of the book is set in the resulting riotous trial at the Bronx County Court House. However, times change, and in 2007, the ''[[New York Times]]'' reported that "the Bronx neighborhoods near the site of Sherman's accident are now dotted with townhouses and apartments." In the same article, the Reverend [[Al Sharpton]] (whose fictional analogue in the novel is "Reverend Bacon") asserts that "twenty years later, the cynicism of ''The Bonfire of the Vanities'' is as out of style as [[Tom Wolfe]]'s wardrobe."<ref> Anne Barnard, [http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/10/nyregion/10bonfire.html Twenty Years After 'Bonfire,' A City No Longer in Flames], ''[[The New York Times]]'', [[December 10]], [[2007]], retrieved on [[July 1]], [[2008]]</ref> [[Don DeLillo]]'s ''[[Underworld (DeLillo novel)|Underworld]]'' (1997) is also extensively set in the Bronx and offers a perspective on the decline of the area from the 1950s onwards. In poetry, the Bronx has been immortalized by one of the world's shortest couplets: : The Bronx : No Thonx :: [[Ogden Nash]], ''[[The New Yorker]],'' 1931 Nash repented 33 years after his calumny, penning in 1964 the following prose poem to the Dean of [[Bronx Community College]]: :I can't seem to escape :the sins of my smart-alec youth; :Here are my amends. :I wrote those lines, "The Bronx? :No thonx"; :I shudder to confess them. :Now I'm an older, wiser man :I cry, "The Bronx? God :bless them!"<ref name="thonx"/> ===In song=== While hundreds of songs about New York City, [[Manhattan]] and [[Brooklyn]] can be found in Wikipedia's [[List of songs about New York City]] and also in Marc Ferris's five-page, fifteen-column list of "Songs and Compositions Inspired by New York City" in ''[[The Encyclopedia of New York City]]'' <ref name="Ferris list">''[[The Encyclopedia of New York City]]'', edited by [[Kenneth T. Jackson]] ([[Yale University Press]] and The [[New York Historical Society]], [[New Haven, Connecticut]], 1995 ISBN 0-300-05536-6), pages 1091-1095</ref>, only a handful refer to the Bronx. The theme song to the 1960s U.S. television comedy series ''[[Car 54, Where Are You?]]'' begins "There's a holdup in the Bronx."<ref>[[Car 54, Where Are You?#Theme song]]</ref> And the song "[[New York, New York (On The Town)|New York, New York]]" from the 1940s film and musical comedy "[[On the Town]]" explains that "The Bronx is up and [[The Battery]]'s down." Marc Ferris's extensive but selective list from 1995<ref name="Ferris list"/> mentions only four songs referring specifically to the Bronx: * "On the Banks of the Bronx" (1919), William LeBaron, [[Victor Jacobi]] * "Bronx Express" (1922), Creamer and Layton * "The [[Tremont Avenue]] Cruisewear Fashion Show" (1973), [[Jerry Livingston]], Mark David * "I Love the [[New York Yankees]]" (1987), Paula Lindstrom But [[List of songs about New York City|Wikipedia's own list]] also mentions (as of June 2008): * "Back To The Bronx" by [[2 Live Crew]] * "Boogie Down Bronx" by JVC Force * "Bronx" by [[Kurtis Blow]] * "The Bronx Is Beautiful" by [[Robert Klein]] * "Bronx Keeps Creating It" by [[Fat Joe]] * "Bronx Tale" by [[Fat Joe]] * "Bronx War Stories" by [[A.I.G.]] * "On The Streets Of The Bronx" by [[The Moonglows]] * "Ha Ya Doin? Yankees" - [[Haya Doin'?|The Haya Doin'? Boys]] * "[[Here Come the Yankees]]", by Bob Bundin and Lou Stallman * "Our Lady of the Bronx" by [[Black 47]] * "Rockin' the Bronx" by [[Black 47]] * "South Bronx" by [[Boogie Down Productions]] ==References== {{reflist|2}} ==See also== {{portal|New York}} *[[List of people from The Bronx]] ==Further reading== * Briggs, Xavier de Souza, Anita Miller and John Shapiro. 1996. "CCRP in the South Bronx." Planners' Casebook, Winter. * ''[[The Encyclopedia of New York City]]'', edited by [[Kenneth T. Jackson]] ([[Yale University Press]] and The [[New York Historical Society]], [[New Haven, Connecticut]], 1995 ISBN 0-300-05536-6), has entries, maps, illustrations, statistics and bibliographic references on almost all of the significant topics in this article, from the entire borough to individual neighborhoods, people, events and artistic works. ==External links== {{Wikisource1911Enc|Bronx, The}} * [http://bronxboropres.nyc.gov/ Official Website of the Bronx Borough President] * [http://www.bronx.com/ Bronx.com presents The Bronx Times - Everything Bronx] * {{dmoz|Regional/North_America/United_States/New_York/Localities/N/New_York_City/The_Bronx|Bronx County}} * [http://bronxboard.com Bronx Nostalgia, photos, narratives, personal accounts, school alumni, videos] * [http://www.innercitypress.org/bxreport.html Weekly Bronx Report from Inner City Press] * [http://www.ilovethebronx.com/ I Love The Bronx] * [http://www.ssbx.org/ Sustainable South Bronx] * [http://www.mta.nyc.ny.us/nyct/maps/busbx.pdf NYC MTA Transit Bus Map of The Bronx] * [http://www.ancestry.com/library/view/ancmag/762.asp The Bronx: A Swedish Connection] * [http://bronxriver.org/ The Bronx River Alliance] * [http://bronxzoo.com/ The Bronx Zoo] * [http://www.nybg.org/ The New York Botanical Garden] * [http://www.pbase.com/patmorgan/the_bronx Walking tour of the Grand Concourse Boulevard-Cross Bronx Expressway area] * [http://www.bronxriverart.org/ Bronx River Art Center] * [http://www.forgotten-ny.com/ Forgotten New York: Relics of a Rich History in the Everyday Life of New York City] * [http://www.wavehill.org/home/ Wave Hill: New York Public Garden and Cultural Center] * [http://www.bronxhistoricalsociety.org The Bronx County Historical Society] * [http://www.museumregister.com/US/NewYork/Bronx/Fordham/PoeCottage.html Poe Cottage] * [http://viewofnewyork.free.fr/View%20Of%20New%20York/Bronx/index.html Walk in the Bronx] * [http://www.bronxdefenders.org The Bronx Defenders] * [http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap_travel/20080630/ap_tr_ge/travel_trip_wild_green_bronx Ladies and gentlemen, the Bronx is blooming!] by Beth J. Harpaz, Travel Editor of [[The Associated Press]] (AP), [[June 30]], [[2008]]: gives special attention to parks, green space and nature All 21 of the links above were retrievable on [[July 11]], [[2008]] {{Geolinks-US-cityscale|40.8373|-73.8860}}{{geofacti}} {{Bronx}} {{New York City}} {{New York}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Bronx, The}} [[Category:The Bronx| ]] [[Category:County seats in New York]] [[Category:Boroughs of New York City]] [[Category:Settlements established in 1639]] [[Category:United States communities with Hispanic majority populations]] [[ar:برونكس]] [[bs:The Bronx]] [[bg:Бронкс]] [[ca:Bronx]] [[cs:Bronx]] [[da:Bronx]] [[de:Bronx]] [[et:Bronx]] [[es:Bronx]] [[eo:Bronkso]] [[eu:Bronx]] [[fa:برانکس]] [[fr:Bronx]] [[ga:An Bronx]] [[gl:Bronx]] [[hr:Bronx]] [[bpy:ব্রঙ্কস কাউন্টি, নিউ ইয়র্ক]] [[is:Bronx]] [[it:Bronx]] [[he:הברונקס]] [[ka:ბრონქსი]] [[lv:Bronksa]] [[lt:Bronksas]] [[hu:Bronx]] [[nl:The Bronx]] [[ja:ブロンクス区]] [[no:The Bronx]] [[nds:Bronx County]] [[pl:Bronx]] [[pt:Bronx]] [[ro:The Bronx]] [[ru:Бронкс]] [[simple:The Bronx]] [[sk:Bronx]] [[sl:Bronx]] [[sr:Бронкс]] [[sh:Bronx]] [[fi:Bronx]] [[sv:Bronx]] [[th:เดอะบร็องซ์]] [[uk:Бронкс]] [[yi:בראנקס]] [[zh:布朗克斯]]