Eastchester is a working-class neighborhood in the northeast Bronx in New York City. Its boundaries, starting from the north and moving clockwise are the Bronx-Westchester County border to the north, the New England Thruway to the east, Baychester Avenue to the south, and the intersection of 233rd Street and Baychester Avenue to the west. Boston Road is the primary thoroughfare through Eastchester and Dyre Avenue is the main commercial street. Eastchester includes the sub-neighborhood of Edenwald.
The neighborhood was historically heavily Ashkenazi-Jewish and Italian-American,
It has the same name as a modern-day town located approximately 5 miles (8.0 km) to the north, as the neighborhood was included in the Town of Eastchester until the late 19th century upon annexation by the City of New York, its boundaries roughly matching the former Village of Eastchester, which was incorporated on March 25, 1895.[2] The modern-day city of Mount Vernon, located right across the city line and bordering the Eastchester neighborhood, was also once part of the town. While Mount Vernon has developed along similar lines as the neighborhood of Eastchester, the modern-day Town of Eastchester (i.e. north of Mount Vernon) is markedly more affluent.
233rd Street and Boston Road are the major thoroughfares in Eastchester. Intersecting both of these streets, Dyre Avenue is the neighborhood's main commercial strip. There is also a shopping center, Shopwell Plaza (named for the former Shopwell supermarket chain) located on Boston Road next to the Boston-Secor housing project. In 2007 the city's parks department rehabilitated Seton Falls Park.[3]
Since the mid-20th century, the neighborhood's name began to decline in currency, meaning that in recent years residents have not really been cognizant about living in a neighborhood called "Eastchester." This is perhaps due to confusion with Eastchester Road, a thoroughfare which runs through other parts of the Bronx, or with the Town of Eastchester in Westchester County. It is more common to hear the Eastchester neighborhood described as "east of White Plains Road", "south of Mount Vernon", "near Pelham", "East 233rd Street", etc.
Eastchester is dominated by one- and two-family homes of various types, one large public housing project, and an industrial district. The total land area is roughly half a square mile. The area is low-lying and flat. The Hutchinson River runs through Eastchester, partly along the line of East 233rd Street. Bridges in Eastchester carry the New England Thruway and Boston Road over the river. A far northeastern portion of Eastchester, on the left bank of the Hutchinson River, is often confused with Pelham Manor since a nearby shopping center is located in that town.[citation needed]
The Boston Secor Houses, comprising four buildings that are 13, 14, 17 and 18 stories tall, is located in Eastchester.[4]
Edenwald Houses is the largest New York City Housing Authority development in the Bronx, with forty buildings, 3 or 14 stories tall, on 48.88 acres (197,800 m2). It has 2,036 apartments housing about 5,300 people. Completed on October 15, 1953, it is bordered by Grenada Place, East 225th Street, Baychester and Laconia Avenues.[5] The Edenwald Projects is divided into two parts to the north and south, split by 229th Street. Bordering the south side is the Edenwald Community Center, which provides afterschool care and programs for the youth. During the summer, the center hosts a summer program for kids and jobs for pre-teens.
The entirety of Community District 12, which comprises Eastchester and Williamsbridge, had 156,542 inhabitants as of NYC Health's 2018 Community Health Profile, with an average life expectancy of 81.0 years.[7]: 2, 20 This is about the same as the median life expectancy of 81.2 for all New York City neighborhoods.[8]: 53 (PDF p. 84) [9] Most inhabitants are youth and middle-aged adults: 24% are between the ages of between 0–17, 27% between 25–44, and 26% between 45–64. The ratio of college-aged and elderly residents was lower, at 10% and 13% respectively.[7]: 2
As of 2017, the median household income in Community District 12 was $48,018.[10] In 2018, an estimated 22% of Eastchester and Williamsbridge residents lived in poverty, compared to 25% in all of the Bronx and 20% in all of New York City. One in eight residents (13%) were unemployed, compared to 13% in the Bronx and 9% in New York City. Rent burden, or the percentage of residents who have difficulty paying their rent, is 57% in Eastchester and Williamsbridge, compared to the boroughwide and citywide rates of 58% and 51% respectively. Based on this calculation, as of 2018[update], Eastchester and Williamsbridge are considered high-income relative to the rest of the city and not gentrifying.[7]: 7
Police and crime
Eastchester and Williamsbridge are patrolled by the 47th Precinct of the NYPD, located at 4111 Laconia Avenue.[11] The 47th Precinct ranked 35th safest out of 69 patrol areas for per-capita crime in 2010.[12] As of 2018[update], with a non-fatal assault rate of 82 per 100,000 people, Eastchester and Williamsbridge's rate of violent crimes per capita is more than that of the city as a whole. The incarceration rate of 577 per 100,000 people is higher than that of the city as a whole.[7]: 8
The 47th Precinct has a lower crime rate than in the 1990s, with crimes across all categories having decreased by 60.9% between 1990 and 2022. The precinct reported 16 murders, 45 rapes, 461 robberies, 732 felony assaults, 300 burglaries, 758 grand larcenies, and 461 grand larcenies auto in 2022.[13]
As of 2018[update], preterm births and births to teenage mothers are more common in Eastchester and Williamsbridge than in other places citywide. In Eastchester and Williamsbridge, there were 102 preterm births per 1,000 live births (compared to 87 per 1,000 citywide), and 24 births to teenage mothers per 1,000 live births (compared to 19.3 per 1,000 citywide).[7]: 11 Eastchester and Williamsbridge has a low population of residents who are uninsured. In 2018, this population of uninsured residents was estimated to be 8%, lower than the citywide rate of 12%.[7]: 14
The concentration of fine particulate matter, the deadliest type of air pollutant, in Eastchester and Williamsbridge is 0.0075 milligrams per cubic metre (7.5×10−9 oz/cu ft), the same as the city average.[7]: 9 Eleven percent of Eastchester and Williamsbridge residents are smokers, which is lower than the city average of 14% of residents being smokers.[7]: 13 In Eastchester and Williamsbridge, 30% of residents are obese, 14% are diabetic, and 39% have high blood pressure—compared to the citywide averages of 24%, 11%, and 28% respectively.[7]: 16 In addition, 24% of children are obese, compared to the citywide average of 20%.[7]: 12
Eighty-eight percent of residents eat some fruits and vegetables every day, which is about the same as the city's average of 87%. In 2018, 78% of residents described their health as "good," "very good," or "excellent," equal to the city's average of 78%.[7]: 13 For every supermarket in Eastchester and Williamsbridge, there are 8 bodegas.[7]: 10
Eastchester is located within multiple ZIP Codes. Most of the neighborhood, specifically the part north of Boston Road, is located in 10466. The area south of Boston Road is divided into two ZIP Codes: 10475 east of Baychester Avenue and 10469 west of Baychester Avenue.[17] The United States Postal Service operates two post offices nearby: the Hillside Station at 3482 Boston Road[18] and the Co-op City Station at 3300 Conner Street.[19]
Education
New school on Boston Road
Eastchester and Williamsbridge generally have a lower rate of college-educated residents than the rest of the city as of 2018[update]. While 32% of residents age 25 and older have a college education or higher, 20% have less than a high school education and 48% are high school graduates or have some college education. By contrast, 26% of Bronx residents and 43% of city residents have a college education or higher.[7]: 6 The percentage of Eastchester and Williamsbridge students excelling in math rose from 32% in 2000 to 48% in 2011, though reading achievement remained constant at 37% during the same time period.[20]
Eastchester and Williamsbridge's rate of elementary school student absenteeism is slightly higher than the rest of New York City. In Eastchester and Williamsbridge, 29% of elementary school students missed twenty or more days per school year, more than the citywide average of 20%.[8]: 24 (PDF p. 55) [7]: 6 Additionally, 70% of high school students in Eastchester and Williamsbridge graduate on time, about the same as the citywide average of 75%.[7]: 6
The New York Public Library (NYPL)'s Edenwald branch is located at 1255 East 233rd Street. The one-story branch opened in 1973.[22] In addition, the NYPL's Baychester branch is located at 2049 Asch Loop North in Co-op City. The one-story branch building opened in 1973 and was renovated in 2003.[23]
Andy González (1951-2020), Latin jazz musician who was raised in the Edenwald Houses. Brother of Jerry González [29]
Jerry González (1949-2018), Latin jazz musician who was raised in the Edenwald Houses.Brother of Andy González[30]
Richard Hauptmann (1899-1936), German-born carpenter who was convicted of the abduction and murder of the 20-month-old son of Charles Lindbergh; at the time of his arrest he resided at 1279 East 222nd Street.
^May, Hana. "88-Keys", Hearty. Accessed September 8, 2019. "Exactly. I learned that early in life. When I used to live in the Bronx and I lived in East Chester and I was thinking, Man my parents they're not doctors or anything but they're in the medical field so they're doing okay and then I look at all the kids who are living in the projects and in Edemore projects and they have new sneakers like every three weeks."
^Byrd, Ayana. "Sharissa: A Woman's Worth", Vibe (magazine), March 2002. Accessed September 8, 2019. "Raised in the Bronx's Edenwald projects, Sharissa began singing in the streets outside her home 11 years ago."
United States
New York
New York City
The Bronx
