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Howard Beach, Queens

Encyclopedia : H : HO : HOW : Howard Beach, Queens

Howard Beach is a neighborhood in the southwestern portion of the borough of Queens in New York City. Bordered in the north by the Belt Parkway, the south by Jamaica Bay, the east by John F. Kennedy International Airport and the west by Brooklyn. It also borders the neighborhoods of Ozone Park to the north and Broad Channel to the south. Howard Beach is home to a large Italian American population, as well as smaller Jewish, Irish and Polish communities. Mob bosses John Gotti and Joe Massino had homes there and the neighborhood gained local attention for being home to many members of the Mafia; Gotti hosted a large fireworks display on 101st Avenue in nearby Ozone Park, near his Bergen Fish & Hunt Club each year on July 4th, until Mayor of New York City Rudy Giuliani put an end to the practice.

In the mid 1950s, the northernmost section of Howard Beach was comprised of a small wooded area (Cherry Forest) and a dairy farm (Mary's Farm), approximately 25% of the remaining area has houses on it.

Contents

Geography

What "outsiders" refer to as Howard Beach is to those who live there a collection of several diverse neighborhoods — Howard Beach, Hamilton Beach, Ramblersville, Rockwood Park, Lindenwood, Old Howard Beach, and Howard Park. Howard Beach proper is a small peninsula bordered by the Belt Parkway and Conduit Avenue on the north, Jamaica Bay on the south, Hawtree Creek on the east separating it from Hamilton Beach and Shellbank Basin on the west that separates it from Cross Bay (Woodhaven) Boulevard.

Cross Bay Boulevard is the main commercial strip of Howard Beach and going northward it eventually turns into Woodhaven Boulevard after Ozone Park. Throughout the 1970s and 80s the Boulevard was made up almost exclusively of locally-owned shops and restaurants (McDonald's being the lone exception), with eateries such as Pizza City, Big Bow Wow, Lenny's Pizza, the Waterview Diner and Danny's Szechuwan being rather notable. However starting in the 1990s, chain stores and restaurants began moving in and now most of the well-known franchises are on the Boulevard.

Just Northeast of Howard Beach is Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park.

The Joseph P. Addabbo Memorial Bridge (named for a deceased member of the United States House of Representatives who once represented the district that includes Howard Beach) connects mainland Queens to Broad Channel and then over the Cross Bay Veterans Memorial Bridge to the Rockaway Peninsula (The Rockaways) from Howard Beach.

Government

Joseph Addabbo, Jr., the son of former Congressman Joseph P. Addabbo, represents the area as its New York City Councilman. Congressman Gregory W. Meeks (D-NY) represents that part of Howard Beach East of Cross Bay Boulevard, while Congressman Anthony D. Weiner (D-NY) represents the part west of Cross Bay Boulevard.

Transportation

The A Train Subway stop in Howard Beach was once a Long Island Rail Road station on the Long Island Railroad's Rockaway Beach Branch. Frequent fires on the trestle (bridge) to Broad Channel helped to force the LIRR to file Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the 1950s which allowed the city to purchase the line from the LIRR in 1956[Forgotten-ny.com: Long Island Railroad Rockaway Line], accessed June 8, 2006.

The Howard Beach subway station provides a connection to both the A train and AirTrain JFK (and was the terminus of the former JFK Express, known colloquially as the "Train To The Plane," in the late 1970s into the early 1990s). Prior to the AirTrain JFK, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey provided a free shuttle bus to the terminals at JFK Airport. The Airtrain, provides a quicker and more convenient connection at the price of $5.00 for each entry or exit at Howard Beach or Jamaica, an unlimited monthly pass is available for $40.00. Visitors on extended delays or layovers at JFK Airport have lately been paying the $10.00 fee ($5.00 each way) to visit the small shops and pub at Coleman Square.

Schools

For grades 9-12, most residents attend John Adams High School in nearby Ozone Park, Specialty High Schools, or Catholic High Schools.

Religion

Notable residents (past and present)

The Howard Beach Incident

Howard Beach gained some unwanted attention on December 20, 1986 when three African-American men were assaulted by local teenagers. One of the victims, Michael Griffith, was killed when a passing motorist's car ran over him on the Belt Parkway as he was attempting to flee from the pursuers. The incident triggered a wave of racial tension in New York City and gained national attention.

Howard Beach redux

A similar incident to the 1986 event took place on June 29, 2005, when three African-American were attacked with baseball bats; one of them was injured seriously enough to be hospitalized, and two arrests were made in the case. The alleged assilant had claimed that the victims had attempted to rob him[Howard Beach 'bias' attack: Accused bat-wielding thug arraigned on hate crime charge], New York Daily News, June 30, 2005. On June 10, 2006, Nicholas Minucci, 20, an Italian-American man who uttered a racial epithet during the baseball bat attack, was found guilty of the racially motivated assault and robbery of Glenn Moore[Batsman Convicted of Howard Beach Hate Crimes], The New York Times, June 10, 2006.

Demographics

The 2000 Census reports a population of 28,121. [Census Data on Race for the 11414 5-Digit ZCTA], United States Census Bureau, accessed June 8, 2006

Additionally, 28,098 respondents provided ancestry information Broken down as follows:

[Census Data Ancestry for the 11414 5-Digit ZCTA], United States Census Bureau, accessed June 8, 2006

References

External links


[ v]·[ d]·[ e]
Neighborhoods in the New York City Borough of Queens 
 
Arverne · 
Astoria · 
Auburndale · 
Bayside · 
Bayswater · 
Belle Harbor · 
Bellerose · 
Breezy Point · 
Briarwood · 
Broad Channel · 
Cambria Heights · 
College Point · 
Corona · 
Douglaston · 
East Elmhurst · 
Edgemere · 
Elmhurst · 
Far Rockaway · 
Floral Park · 
Flushing · 
Forest Hills · 
Forest Hills Gardens · 
Fresh Meadows · 
Glendale · 
Hamilton Beach · 
Hillcrest · 
Hollis · 
Howard Beach · 
Howard Park · 
Hunters Point · 
Jackson Heights · 
Jamaica · 
Kew Gardens · 
Kew Gardens Hills · 
Laurelton · 
LeFrak City · 
Lindenwood · 
Little Neck · 
Long Island City · 
Malba · 
Maspeth · 
Middle Village · 
Neponsit · 
Old Howard Beach · 
Ozone Park · 
Queensbridge · 
Queens Village · 
Ramblersville · 
Rego Park · 
Richmond Hill · 
Ridgewood · 
Rochdale · 
Rockaway Beach · 
Rockwood Park · 
Rosedale · 
St. Albans · 
South Jamaica · 
South Ozone Park ·
Springfield Gardens · 
Sunnyside · 
Sunnyside Gardens · 
Whitestone · 
Willets Point · 
Woodhaven · 
Woodside




 





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