Wakefield, Bronx

Wakefield is a working-class and middle-class section of the northern borough of the Bronx in New York City. It is bounded by the city's border with Westchester County to the north, East 222nd Street to the south, and the Bronx River Parkway to the west.

Wakefield
Neighborhood of the Bronx
Factory building on Bronx Boulevard
Factory building on Bronx Boulevard
Location in New York City
Coordinates: 40.897°N 73.852°W / 40.897; -73.852
Country United States
State New York
City New York City
Borough The Bronx
Community DistrictBronx 12[1]
Area
[2]
 • Total0.991 sq mi (2.57 km2)
Population
 (2011)[2]
 • Total29,158
 • Density29,000/sq mi (11,000/km2)
Economics
 • Median income$56,446
ZIP Codes
10466, 10470
Area code718, 347, 929, and 917
Websitewww.wakefield.nyc

Wakefield is the northernmost neighborhood in New York City (although the city's northernmost point is actually in Riverdale, at the College of Mount Saint Vincent[3]). The neighborhood is part of Bronx Community District 12 and its ZIP Codes are 10466 and 10470.[1] Wakefield is patrolled by the 47th Precinct of the New York City Police Department.

History
New York Public Library, Wakefield branch

Wakefield, originally in Westchester County, became part of New York County, and New York City, when the eastern section of The Bronx was incorporated and merged with the western section (previously incorporated in 1873) as a boro of New York City, in 1895. Like the rest of the Bronx, it was once mainly forested and later became farmland. With the expansion of railroad transportation via the arrival of the New York and Harlem Railroad circa 1840, the area experienced moderate development. In 1898, the boroughs of Manhattan and The Bronx were merged with greater New York City as a result of the state legislature's decision to amalgamate New York City with Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island. The Bronx later attained independent county status on April 19, 1912, which makes it the 62nd and youngest county in the state.

The current Wakefield station of the Metro-North Railroad's Harlem Line was on the site of a village called Washingtonville, which was incorporated into Wakefield when it became a village on August 8, 1889.[4][5] Wakefield was named after the Virginia plantation where George Washington was born (now part of George Washington Birthplace National Monument).[6] Neighboring Mount Vernon, in Westchester County, is named for the plantation where Washington lived for most of his adulthood.[6]

Demographics

Formerly, Wakefield was home to large Irish American and Italian-American populations. During the 1980s, these communities were replaced with large Caribbean and Guyanese populations, which now compose 72.3% of the neighborhood's total population. 19.6% of the population is Hispanic.[7] Many residents are or are descended from the Caribbean (mostly Jamaican) and Guyanese immigrants.[8]

The 2010 United States Census reported a population of 67,813 residents in the surrounding area,[9] while the 2000 United States Census reported a total of 68,787 residents.[10]

Police and crime

Wakefield and Eastchester 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]

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]

Social problems

Wakefield has seen a rise in gangs and gang-related violence from neighboring Edenwald.[14] The high school drop-out rate is higher than the city average, but lower than central Bronx neighborhoods.[15] Many households in the area are headed by a single mother.[16]

Fire safety

Wakefield is served by the New York City Fire Department (FDNY)'s Engine Co. 63/Ladder Co. 39/Battalion 15, located at 755 East 233rd Street.[17][18]

Post office and ZIP Codes

Wakefield is located within two ZIP Codes. Most of the neighborhood is located in 10466, but certain areas around East 241st Street and White Plains Road are part of 10470.[19] The United States Postal Service operates the Wakefield Station post office at 4165 White Plains Road.[20]

Education

Schools
Mount Saint Michael Academy

There are several public schools scattered throughout the neighborhood including PS 16, PS 21 and PS 103. There are also many private and catholic schools including St. Francis-Assisi, Our Lady of Grace and the prominent all-male Catholic secondary school Mount Saint Michael Academy, which serves 1,100 students from grades 7-12. The all-female St. Barnabas High School is located further west in Woodlawn and serves many students from Wakefield as well.

Library

The New York Public Library (NYPL)'s Wakefield branch is located at 4100 Lowerre Place. The branch opened in 1938 and contains collections in its basement and first floor.[21]

Transportation

The following MTA Regional Bus Operations bus routes serve Wakefield:[22]

Wakefield is also served by the following Bee-Line Bus System routes to Westchester County, New York:[22]

The following New York City Subway stations serve Wakefield:[23]

The Metro-North Railroad also stops at Wakefield station, served by the Harlem Line.

Several scenes from the 1970 film Love Story starring Ryan O'Neal and Ali MacGraw were filmed on East 233rd Street, East 238th Street (Nereid Avenue), and Barnes Avenue, all located within the neighborhood. The Redeemer Evangelical Lutheran Church located at 4360 Boyd Avenue (corner of Barnes Avenue) is featured in the film.

Many internal and external bar scenes from the second season of the Showtime network's drama series Billions were filmed at the longtime neighborhood bar Cullen's Tavern, located at 4340 White Plains Road.[24]

Scenes for The Sopranos prequel film, The Many Saints of Newark were filmed in Wakefield and neighboring Edenwald in May 2019.[25]

Notable natives and residents

References
  1. "NYC Planning | Community Profiles". communityprofiles.planning.nyc.gov. New York City Department of City Planning. Retrieved February 25, 2018.
  2. "Wakefield neighborhood in New York". Retrieved October 22, 2015.
  3. Schneider, Daniel B. "F.Y.I.", The New York Times, July 1, 2001. Accessed April 20, 2021. "Getting Your Bearings Q. Where are the city's northern, southern, eastern and westernmost points, and what is the greatest distance between one point and another? A.... According to A Natural History of New York City by John Kieran (Houghton Mifflin, 1959), the easternmost point is in Glen Oaks, Queens, at about 73 degrees 42 minutes west longitude, and the extreme northern point is the bank of the Hudson in the Mount St. Vincent area of the Bronx, at about 40 degrees 55 minutes north latitude."
  4. New York (State). Legislature. Senate (1913). Documents of the Senate of the State of New York. p. 9. Retrieved November 26, 2018.
  5. "If You're Thinking of Living In / Wakefield, the Bronx; Hugging Westchester At the Subway's End". The New York Times. Retrieved October 22, 2015.
  6. Cohen, Joyce (January 31, 1999). "If You're Thinking of Living In / Wakefield, the Bronx; Hugging Westchester At the Subway's End". The New York Times. Retrieved August 21, 2009.
  7. "U.S. Census Bureau". Archived from the original on February 10, 2020. Retrieved October 17, 2006.
  8. Brown, Kristen V. (February 13, 2008). "City Living: Wakefield, Bronx". amNewYork. Retrieved August 21, 2009.
  9. 2010 U.S. Census .
  10. "2000 U.S. Census". Retrieved May 10, 2019.
  11. "NYPD – 47th Precinct". www.nyc.gov. New York City Police Department. Retrieved October 3, 2016.
  12. "Eastchester: Wakefield, Williamsbridge, Woodlawn – DNAinfo.com Crime and Safety Report". www.dnainfo.com. Archived from the original on April 15, 2017. Retrieved October 6, 2016.
  13. "47th Precinct CompStat Report" (PDF). www.nyc.gov. New York City Police Department. Retrieved July 22, 2018.
  14. Parker, Billy (April 29, 2009). "Major Bloods Arrests Remind Us: NYC Still Terrifying". Gothamist. Archived from the original on May 2, 2009. Retrieved August 21, 2009.
  15. Losen, Daniel J. (March 20, 2006). "Behind the Dropout Rate". Gotham Gazette. Retrieved August 21, 2009.
  16. "Bronx Census Data Analysis". Archived from the original on May 7, 2008. Retrieved April 16, 2008.
  17. "Engine Company 36/Ladder Company 39/Battalion 15". FDNYtrucks.com. Retrieved March 14, 2019.
  18. "FDNY Firehouse Listing – Location of Firehouses and companies". NYC Open Data; Socrata. New York City Fire Department. September 10, 2018. Retrieved March 14, 2019.
  19. "Wakefield-Williamsbridge, New York City-Bronx, New York Zip Code Boundary Map (NY)". United States Zip Code Boundary Map (USA). Retrieved March 18, 2019.
  20. "Location Details: Wakefield". USPS.com. Retrieved March 7, 2019.
  21. "About the Wakefield Library". The New York Public Library. Retrieved March 14, 2019.
  22. "Bronx Bus Map" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. October 2018. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  23. "Subway Map" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. September 2021. Retrieved September 17, 2021.
  24. "Eating and drinking in NYC in Showtime's 'Billions'". AM New York. April 21, 2018.
  25. "Sopranos' prequel movie films scenes in the Bronx". News 12. May 22, 2019.
  26. Koppel, Niko (April 12, 2009). "New Roots in the Bronx for a Lion of Reggae". The New York Times. Retrieved June 17, 2009.
  27. Likely Bronx DA Has Plans from The Wall Street Journal October 27, 2015
  28. How Desus and Kid Mero Went From Twitter Cranks to Comedy's Hottest Duo
  29. [https://www.cny.org/stories/bronx-born-archbishop-dinoia-named-to-newly-created-vatican-post,7735? Bronx-born Archbishop DiNoia Named to Newly Created Vatican Post from Catholic New York 27 June 2012
  30. Funkmaster Flex Visits bronx Neighborhood from News 12 Networks May 17, 2017
  31. English, Merle. "Used to success, she'll tackle York", Newsday, March 6, 2005. Accessed July 19, 2023, via Newspapers.com. "It was ultimately family that set Marcia Keizs on the path to her illustrious career as a high-ranking educator and administrator in New York... In the Wakefield section of the Bronx, where she had lived for almost 20 years, she developed an after-school program for local youth started a civic organization and administered youth employment programs.
  32. Bronx County Clerk's Office Archived October 20, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  33. Bronx County Clerk's Office Archived October 20, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
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