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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. GEOGRAPHY The The Joseph P. Addabbo Memorial Bridge (named for a former {Link without Title} 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. Joseph Addabbo Jr., the son of the former Congressman, represents the area as its New York City Councilman. Congressman Gregory Meeks (D-NY) represents that part of Howard Beach East of Cross Bay Boulevard , while Congressman Anthony Weiner (D-NY) represents the part west of The Boulevard . What "outsiders" refer to as Howard Beach is to those who live there a collection of several diverse neighborhoods — Howard Beach, Hamilton Beach (No relation to the Hamilton Beach Company kitchen appliances), 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) Blvd. 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 . 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 Broadchannel 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. (see Forgotten-ny.com ). 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 PANYNJ 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 . MAPS SCHOOLS
There is no Howard Beach High School, 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 was killed when a passing motorist's car ran over him on the Belt Parkway as he was trying 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 men were attacked with baseball bats; one of the victims was injured seriously enough to be hospitalized, and two arrests were made in the case. One of the suspects was previously convicted of assaulting a Sikh he had mistaken for a Muslim on the evening of the September 11, 2001 Attacks . Several questions remain unanswered pending police investigation, including the allegation that the victims were planning to steal a car in the neighborhood as well as the claim that they threatened to steal jewelry from a neighborhood teenager prior to the attack. DEMOGRAPHICS The 2000 Census reports a population of 28,121.
(full details at Census Data Race ) Additionally, 28,098 respondents provided ancestry information Broken down as follows:
(counts below 100 omitted but available at: Census Data Ancestry ) |
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