Kew Gardens is a neighborhood in the central area of the
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
borough
A borough is an administrative division in various English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely.
History
In the Middle Ag ...
of
Queens
Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...
. Kew Gardens is bounded to the north by the
Union Turnpike and the
Jackie Robinson Parkway (formerly the Interboro Parkway), to the east by the
Van Wyck Expressway and 131st Street, to the south by
Hillside Avenue, and to the west by Park Lane, Abingdon Road, and 118th Street.
Forest Park
A forest park is a park whose main theme is its forest of trees. Forest parks are found both in the mountains and in the urban environment.
Examples Chile
* Forest Park, Santiago
China
* Gongqing Forest Park, Shanghai
* Mufushan National Forest ...
is to the west and the neighborhood of
Forest Hills to the north-west,
Flushing Meadows–Corona Park north,
Richmond Hill south,
Briarwood southeast, and
Kew Gardens Hills east.
Kew Gardens is located in
Queens Community District 9 and its ZIP Code is 11415.
It is patrolled by the
New York City Police Department
The New York City Police Department (NYPD), officially the City of New York Police Department, established on May 23, 1845, is the primary municipal law enforcement
Law enforcement is the activity of some members of government who act i ...
's 102nd Precinct.
Politically, Kew Gardens is represented by the
New York City Council's 29th District.
History
Early development
Kew Gardens was one of seven planned garden communities built in
Queens
Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...
from the late 19th century to 1950.
["New York Real Estate: Kew Gardens"](_blank)
, ''AM New York
''AM New York Metro'' is a free daily newspaper that is published in New York City by Schneps Media. According to the company, the average Friday circulation in September 2013 was 335,900. When launched on October 10, 2003, ''AM New York'' was the ...
'', August 28, 2008. Accessed July 4, 2009. Much of the area was acquired in 1868 by Englishman Albon P. Man, who developed the neighborhood of
Hollis Hill to the south, chiefly along
Jamaica Avenue, while leaving the hilly land to the north undeveloped.
[Donovan, Aaron]
"If You're Thinking of Living In/Kew Gardens, Queens; Small-Town Feeling at a Busy Crossroads"
''The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'', October 15, 2000. Accessed August 27, 2018.
Maple Grove Cemetery on Kew Gardens Road opened in 1875. A
Long Island Rail Road station was built for mourners in October and trains stopped there from mid-November. The station was named Hopedale, after Hopedale Hall, a hotel located at what is now
Queens Boulevard and
Union Turnpike. In the 1890s, the executors of Man's estate laid out the Queens Bridge Golf Course on the hilly terrains south of the railroad. This remained in use until it was bisected in 1908 by the
main line of the Long Island Rail Road, which had been moved 600 feet (180 m) to the south to eliminate a curve. The golf course was then abandoned and a new station was built in 1909 on Lefferts Boulevard. Man's heirs, Aldrick Man and Albon Man Jr., decided to lay out a new community and called it at first Kew and then Kew Gardens after the well-known
botanical gardens in England.
The architects of the development favored English and
neo-Tudor styles, which still predominate in many sections of the neighborhood.
Urbanization
In 1910, the property was sold piecemeal by the estate and during the next few years streets were extended, land graded and water and sewer pipes installed. The first apartment building was the
Kew Bolmer at 80–45 Kew Gardens Road, erected in 1915; a clubhouse followed in 1916 and a private school,
Kew-Forest School, in 1918. In 1920, the Kew Gardens Inn at the railroad station opened for residential guests, who paid $40 a week for a room and a bath with meals. Elegant one-family houses were built in the 1920s, as were apartment buildings such as Colonial Hall (1921) and Kew Hall (1922) that numbered more than twenty by 1936.
In July 1933, the
Grand Central Parkway opened from the
Kew Gardens Interchange
The Kew Gardens Interchange is a complex junction in Kew Gardens, in the center of the New York City borough of Queens serving nearly 600,000 vehicles daily.
Description
The Kew Gardens Interchange is located roughly midway between LaGuardia A ...
to the edge of
Nassau County. Two years later, the
Interboro (now Jackie Robinson) Parkway was opened, linking Kew Gardens to
Pennsylvania Avenue in
East New York. Since the parkways used part of the roadbed of Union Turnpike, no houses were demolished.
Around the same time, the construction of the
Queens Boulevard subway line offered the possibility of quick commutes to the central business district in Midtown Manhattan. In the late 1920s, speculators, upon learning the route of the proposed line, quickly bought up property on and around Queens Boulevard, and real estate prices soared, and older buildings were demolished in order to make way for new development.
In order to allow for the speculators to build fifteen-story apartment buildings, several blocks were rezoned. They built apartment building in order to accommodate the influx of residents from Midtown Manhattan that would desire a quick and cheap commute to their jobs.
Since the new line had express tracks, communities built around express stations, such as in Forest Hills and Kew Gardens became more desirable to live. With the introduction of the subway into the community of Forest Hills, Queens Borough President
George U. Harvey
George U. Harvey (August 15, 1881 – April 6, 1946) was a Republican politician from Queens, New York City and served as its borough president for twelve years.
Biography
Harvey was born in County Galway, Ireland but emigrated with his family t ...
predicted that Queens Boulevard would become the "Park Avenue of Queens".
With the introduction of the subway, Forest Hills and Kew Gardens were transformed from quiet residential communities of one-family houses to active population centers.
[
*
*
*
*
* ] The line was extended from
Jackson Heights–Roosevelt Avenue to
Kew Gardens–Union Turnpike on December 30, 1936.
[*
* ]
Following the line's completion, there was an increase in the property values of buildings around Queens Boulevard. For example, a property along Queens Boulevard that would have sold for $1,200 in 1925, would have sold for $10,000 in 1930. Queens Boulevard, prior to the construction of the subway, was just a route to allow people to get to Jamaica, running through farmlands. Since the construction of the line, the area of the thoroughfare that stretches from Rego Park to Kew Gardens has been home to apartment buildings, and a thriving business district that the Chamber of Commerce calls the "Golden Area".
Later years
Despite its historical significance, Kew Gardens lacks any landmark protection.
On November 22, 1950, two
Long Island Rail Road trains
collided in Kew Gardens. The trains collided between
Kew Gardens and
Jamaica
Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of Hispa ...
stations, killing 78 people and injuring 363. The crash became the worst railway accident in LIRR history, and one of the worst in the history of
New York state.
In 1964, the neighborhood gained news notoriety when
Kitty Genovese was murdered near the
Kew Gardens Long Island Railroad station. A ''New York Times'' article reported that none of the neighbors responded when she cried for help. The story came to represent the apathy and anonymity of urban life. The circumstances of the case are disputed to this day. It has been alleged that the critical fact reported by ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' that "none of the neighbors responded" was false. The case of Kitty Genovese is an oft-cited example of the
bystander effect
The bystander effect, or bystander apathy, is a social psychological theory that states that individuals are less likely to offer help to a victim when there are other people present. First proposed in 1964, much research, mostly in the lab, has f ...
, and the case that originally spurred research on this social psychological phenomenon.
Land use
Kew Gardens remains a densely populated residential community, with a mix of one-family homes above the million-dollar range, complex apartments, co-ops and others converted and on the way or being converted as condominiums. A new hotel has been completed on 82nd Avenue, reflecting a modernization of the area. However, it is filled mainly with
apartment
An apartment (American English), or flat (British English, Indian English, South African English), is a self-contained housing unit (a type of residential real estate) that occupies part of a building, generally on a single story. There are ma ...
buildings between four and ten stories high; while many are rentals, some are
Housing cooperatives (co-ops). Although there are no
New York City Housing Authority complexes in Kew Gardens,
Mitchell-Lama buildings provide stabilized rental prices for families or individuals who may need help paying rent. On 83rd Avenue there is a 32-story Mitchell-Lama building. Along the borders of
Richmond Hill,
Briarwood, and Jamaica, smaller attached houses exist. Many of these are two or three family homes. Expensive
single family homes are located around the
Forest Park
A forest park is a park whose main theme is its forest of trees. Forest parks are found both in the mountains and in the urban environment.
Examples Chile
* Forest Park, Santiago
China
* Gongqing Forest Park, Shanghai
* Mufushan National Forest ...
area. However, many owners are selling out their detached homes to developers who
teardown and convert them into apartment housing or more expensive, lavish mini-estate houses. This has brought demographic change.
The neighborhood also has many airline personnel because of its proximity to the
MTA's bus line to
John F. Kennedy International Airport, as well as to
Delta Air Lines
Delta Air Lines, Inc., typically referred to as Delta, is one of the major airlines of the United States and a legacy carrier. One of the world's oldest airlines in operation, Delta is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. The airline, along ...
and other airlines' special shuttles that serve pilots and flight attendants staying in Kew Gardens.
Kew Gardens's commercial center is Lefferts Boulevard between Austin Street and
Metropolitan Avenue. Major attractions include the large sports bar Austin's Ale House, the Village Diner, Dani's Pizza, and Kew Gardens Cinemas, a 1930s art deco movie theater that has been converted into a six-screen multiplex and shows a mix of commercial, independent, and foreign films. Lefferts is also home to the only bookstore in central Queens, Kew & Willow Books.
Points of interest
Forest Park
A forest park is a park whose main theme is its forest of trees. Forest parks are found both in the mountains and in the urban environment.
Examples Chile
* Forest Park, Santiago
China
* Gongqing Forest Park, Shanghai
* Mufushan National Forest ...
is the third largest park in Queens and is located to the west of Kew Gardens. The
Wisconsin Glacier retreated from Long Island some 20,000 years ago, leaving behind the hills that now are part of Forest Park.
The park was home to the Rockaway, Delaware and Lenape Native Americans until Dutch West India Company settlers arrived in 1634 and began establishing towns and pushing the tribes out. The park contains the largest continuous oak forest in Queens. Inside the park, the
Forest Park Carousel
The Forest Park Carousel is a historic carousel at Forest Park in Queens, New York City. The carousel, one of two known surviving carousels built by Daniel Carl Muller, was built circa 1903 and contains 52 figures and its original band organ. '' ...
was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...
in 2004.
In addition to Maple Grove Cemetery, the
Ralph Bunche House is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is also a designated
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places liste ...
.
The county's civic center,
Queens Borough Hall, along with one of the county criminal courts, stand at the northern end of the neighborhood, on Queens Boulevard, in a complex extending from Union Turnpike to Hoover Avenue. Adjacent to Borough Hall is a retired
New York City Subway
The New York City Subway is a rapid transit system owned by the government of New York City and leased to the New York City Transit Authority, an affiliate agency of the state-run Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA). Opened on October ...
R33 (Redbird) which lays on a fake track as well as a platform. Visitors used to be able to go inside the car, but it was closed in 2015 due to lack of visitors.
Demographics
Based on data from the
2010 United States Census
The United States census of 2010 was the twenty-third United States national census. National Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2010. The census was taken via mail-in citizen self-reporting, with enumerators serving ...
, the population of Kew Gardens was 23,278, a decrease of 610 (2.6%) from the 23,888 counted in
2000. Covering an area of , the neighborhood had a population density of .
[Table PL-P5 NTA: Total Population and Persons Per Acre - New York City Neighborhood Tabulation Areas*, 2010](_blank)
Population Division - New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
Department of City Planning, February 2012. Accessed June 16, 2016.
The racial makeup of the neighborhood was 49.3% (11,478)
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White ...
, 6.5% (1,515)
African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
, 0.2% (37)
Native American, 15.6% (3,628)
Asian, 0.0% (11)
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/ racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...
, 1.1% (257) from
other races, and 3.0% (701) from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad.
The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...
or
Latino of any race were 24.3% (5,651) of the population.
[Table PL-P3A NTA: Total Population by Mutually Exclusive Race and Hispanic Origin - New York City Neighborhood Tabulation Areas*, 2010](_blank)
Population Division - New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
Department of City Planning, March 29, 2011. Accessed June 14, 2016.
The entirety of Community Board 9, which comprises Kew Gardens, Richmond Hill, and Woodhaven, had 148,465 inhabitants as of
NYC Health's 2018 Community Health Profile, with an average life expectancy of 84.3 years.
This is higher than the median life expectancy of 81.2 for all New York City neighborhoods.
Most inhabitants are youth and middle-aged adults: 22% are between the ages of between 0–17, 30% between 25–44, and 27% between 45–64. The ratio of college-aged and elderly residents was lower, at 17% and 7% respectively.
As of 2017, the median
household income in Community Board 9 was $69,916.
In 2018, an estimated 22% of Kew Gardens and Woodhaven residents lived in poverty, compared to 19% in all of Queens and 20% in all of New York City. One in twelve residents (8%) were unemployed, compared to 8% in Queens and 9% in New York City. Rent burden, or the percentage of residents who have difficulty paying their rent, is 55% in Kew Gardens and Woodhaven, higher than the boroughwide and citywide rates of 53% and 51% respectively. Based on this calculation, , Kew Gardens and Woodhaven are considered to be high-income relative to the rest of the city and not
gentrifying.
Demographic changes
The Hispanic and Asian populations in Kew Gardens have grown since the
2000 United States Census
The United States census of 2000, conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2 percent over the 248,709,873 people enumerated during the 1990 c ...
. At the time, the demographics were 66.2% White, 13.0% Asian, 7.0% African American, 0.3% Native American, and 7.4% of other races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 20.0% of the population.
Kew Gardens is ethnically diverse. A large community of
Jewish
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
refugees from
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...
took shape in the area after the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
which is reflected still today by the number of active
synagogue
A synagogue, ', 'house of assembly', or ', "house of prayer"; Yiddish: ''shul'', Ladino: or ' (from synagogue); or ', "community". sometimes referred to as shul, and interchangeably used with the word temple, is a Jewish house of wor ...
s in the area. The neighborhood attracted many Chinese immigrants after 1965, about 2,500
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
ian Jews arrived after the
Iranian Revolution
The Iranian Revolution ( fa, انقلاب ایران, Enqelâb-e Irân, ), also known as the Islamic Revolution ( fa, انقلاب اسلامی, Enqelâb-e Eslâmī), was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dyna ...
of 1979, and immigrants from
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...
,
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
,
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
,
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is borde ...
,
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
, the former
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...
,
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...
,
Bangladesh
Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mo ...
and
Korea
Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic ...
settled in Kew Gardens during the 1980s and 1990s. Currently, Kew Gardens has a growing population of
Bukharian Jews from
Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan (, ; uz, Ozbekiston, italic=yes / , ; russian: Узбекистан), officially the Republic of Uzbekistan ( uz, Ozbekiston Respublikasi, italic=yes / ; russian: Республика Узбекистан), is a doubly landlocked co ...
, alongside a significant
Orthodox Jewish
Orthodox Judaism is the collective term for the traditionalist and theologically conservative branches of contemporary Judaism. Theologically, it is chiefly defined by regarding the Torah, both Written and Oral, as revealed by God to Moses on ...
community.
[ Also many immigrants from Central America, and South America call Kew Gardens home, as well as immigrants from ]Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...
.
The increase of the Korean population followed the renovation and rededication of the First Church of Kew Gardens, which offers Korean-language services. In recent years, young professionals and Manhattanites looking for greenery, park-like atmosphere and spacious apartments have moved to the area.
Major development in the neighborhood, such as the construction of new apartment complexes and multi-family homes, has resulted in great demographic change as well. Immigrants from Latin America
Latin America or
* french: Amérique Latine, link=no
* ht, Amerik Latin, link=no
* pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived ...
, Guyana, South Asia
South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The region consists of the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.;;;;; ...
and East Asia
East Asia is the eastern region of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The modern states of East Asia include China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan. China, North Korea, South Korea ...
, and the Middle East
The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...
(especially Israel), have moved into these new developments. Even the local cuisine reflects this diversity in Kew Gardens, with Russian, Italian, Indian
Indian or Indians may refer to:
Peoples South Asia
* Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor
** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country
* South Asia ...
, Pakistani, and Uzbek dining available to residents and visitors. Many religious groups such as Jews, Muslims
Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...
, and Hindus
Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
, can shop at local markets and bazaars that cater to their religious-food needs.
Economy
Kew Gardens has many locally owned businesses and restaurants especially on Lefferts Boulevard, Metropolitan Avenue, Austin Street, and Kew Gardens Road. The courthouse is very profitable, as is transportation to the area; however, neither profit the neighborhood directly, but instead serve as an incentive to move to the area. The cost of living in the neighborhood (as of 2015) is $62,900. Pilots and flight attendants who stay in Kew Gardens in between John F. Kennedy International Airport and LaGuardia Airport flights also affect the local economy.
Saudi Arabian Airlines
Saudia ( ar, السعودية '), formerly known as Saudi Arabian Airlines (), is the flag carrier of Saudi Arabia, based in Jeddah. The airline's main operational base is at King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah. King Khalid Internati ...
operates an office in Suite 401 at 80–02 Kew Gardens Road in Kew Gardens.
Police and crime
Kew Gardens, Richmond Hill, and Woodhaven are patrolled by the 102nd Precinct of the NYPD, located at 87-34 118th Street. The 102nd Precinct ranked 22nd safest out of 69 patrol areas for per-capita crime in 2010. , with a non-fatal assault rate of 43 per 100,000 people, Kew Gardens and Woodhaven's rate of violent crimes per capita is less than that of the city as a whole. The incarceration rate of 345 per 100,000 people is lower than that of the city as a whole.
The 102nd Precinct has a lower crime rate than in the 1990s, with crimes across all categories having decreased by 90.2% between 1990 and 2018. The precinct reported 2 murders, 24 rapes, 101 robberies, 184 felony assaults, 104 burglaries, 285 grand larcenies, and 99 grand larcenies auto in 2018.
Fire safety
There are no fire stations in Kew Gardens itself, but the surrounding area contains two New York City Fire Department (FDNY) fire stations:
* Engine Co. 305/Ladder Co. 151 – 111-02 Queens Boulevard, in Forest Hills
* Squad 270/Division 13 – 91-45 121st Street, in Richmond Hill
Health
, preterm birth
Preterm birth, also known as premature birth, is the birth of a baby at fewer than 37 weeks gestational age, as opposed to full-term delivery at approximately 40 weeks. Extreme preterm is less than 28 weeks, very early preterm birth is betwee ...
s are more common in Kew Gardens and Woodhaven than in other places citywide, though births to teenage mothers are less common. In Kew Gardens and Woodhaven, there were 92 preterm births per 1,000 live births (compared to 87 per 1,000 citywide), and 15.7 births to teenage mothers per 1,000 live births (compared to 19.3 per 1,000 citywide). Kew Gardens and Woodhaven have a higher than average population of residents who are uninsured. In 2018, this population of uninsured residents was estimated to be 14%, slightly higher than the citywide rate of 12%.
The concentration of fine particulate matter
Particulates – also known as atmospheric aerosol particles, atmospheric particulate matter, particulate matter (PM) or suspended particulate matter (SPM) – are microscopic particles of solid or liquid matter suspended in the air. The ter ...
, the deadliest type of air pollutant, in Kew Gardens and Woodhaven is , less than the city average. Eleven percent of Kew Gardens and Woodhaven residents are smokers, which is lower than the city average of 14% of residents being smokers. In Kew Gardens and Woodhaven, 23% of residents are obese, 14% are diabetic
Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level (hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ap ...
, and 22% have high blood pressure—compared to the citywide averages of 22%, 8%, and 23% respectively. In addition, 22% of children are obese, compared to the citywide average of 20%.
Eighty-six 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%. For every supermarket in Kew Gardens and Woodhaven, there are 11 bodegas.
The nearest major hospitals are Long Island Jewish Forest Hills and Jamaica Hospital
Jamaica Hospital Medical Center is a private, non-profit teaching hospital and emergency facility in the Jamaica neighborhood of Queens, New York City, on the service road of the Van Wyck Expressway at Jamaica Avenue. The hospital is a clinical c ...
.
Post offices and ZIP Code
Kew Gardens is covered by the ZIP Code 11415. The United States Post Office operates two post offices nearby:
* Kew Gardens Station – 83-30 Austin Street
* Borough Hall Station – 120-55 Queens Boulevard
Education
Kew Gardens and Woodhaven generally have a lower rate of college-educated residents than the rest of the city . While 34% of residents age 25 and older have a college education or higher, 22% have less than a high school education and 43% are high school graduates or have some college education. By contrast, 39% of Queens residents and 43% of city residents have a college education or higher. The percentage of Kew Gardens and Woodhaven students excelling in math rose from 34% in 2000 to 61% in 2011, and reading achievement rose from 39% to 48% during the same time period.
Kew Gardens and Woodhaven's rate of elementary school student absenteeism is less than the rest of New York City. In Kew Gardens and Woodhaven, 17% of elementary school students missed twenty or more days per school year, lower than the citywide average of 20%. Additionally, 79% of high school students in Kew Gardens and Woodhaven graduate on time, more than the citywide average of 75%.
Schools
Schools of note located in Kew Gardens include Yeshiva Tifereth Moshe, Bais Yaakov of Queens and Yeshiva Shaar Hatorah. The only public school in Kew Gardens is PS 99, which has special programs for gifted students such as the Gifted and Talented program.
Libraries
The Queens Public Library
The Queens Public Library (QPL), also known as the Queens Borough Public Library and Queens Library (QL), is the public library for the borough of Queens, and one of three public library systems serving New York City. It is one of the largest ...
operates two branches near Kew Gardens:
* The Richmond Hill branch at 118-14 Hillside Avenue
* The Briarwood branch at 85-12 Main Street
Transportation
The neighborhood is served by the New York City Subway
The New York City Subway is a rapid transit system owned by the government of New York City and leased to the New York City Transit Authority, an affiliate agency of the state-run Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA). Opened on October ...
's at the Kew Gardens–Union Turnpike subway station, and by the at the 121st Street subway station. In addition, Long Island Rail Road's City Terminal Zone
The City Terminal Zone, also known as the City Zone Branch, is a collection of rail lines of the Long Island Rail Road within New York City. Specifically, it includes all stations in fare zone 1 (except for Mets–Willets Point on the Port Wash ...
stops at the Kew Gardens station. New York City Bus routes include , as well as express bus routes to Manhattan.
The neighborhood is accessible by car from Interstate 678 ( Van Wyck Expressway), Grand Central Parkway, Jackie Robinson Parkway, Queens Boulevard, and Union Turnpike. These all intersect at the Kew Gardens Interchange
The Kew Gardens Interchange is a complex junction in Kew Gardens, in the center of the New York City borough of Queens serving nearly 600,000 vehicles daily.
Description
The Kew Gardens Interchange is located roughly midway between LaGuardia A ...
.[
]
Notable people
Notable residents of Kew Gardens include:
* Grace Albee (1890-1985), printmaker and wood engraver.
* Burt Bacharach (born 1928) Award-winning pianist, composer and producer grew up in Kew Gardens.
* Crosby Bonsall (1921–1995) artist and children's book author and illustrator.
* Maud Ballington Booth
Maud Elizabeth Charlesworth (September 13, 1865 – August 26, 1948) later changed her name to Maud Ballington Booth, was a Salvation Army leader and co-founder of the Volunteers of America.
Biography
She was born in Limpsfield, near Oxted, S ...
(1865–1948), Volunteers of America
Volunteers of America (VOA) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1896 that provides affordable housing and other assistance services primarily to low-income people throughout the United States. Headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, the organi ...
co-founder.
* Joshua Brand
Joshua Brand is an American television writer, director, and producer who created ''St. Elsewhere'', ''I'll Fly Away'' and ''Northern Exposure'' with his writing-and-producing partner John Falsey. He was also a writer and consulting producer of ...
(born 1950), television writer, director and producer, grew up in Kew Gardens.
* Ralph Bunche
Ralph Johnson Bunche (; August 7, 1904 – December 9, 1971) was an American political scientist, diplomat, and leading actor in the mid-20th-century decolonization process and US civil rights movement, who received the 1950 Nobel Peace Prize ...
(1903–1971), diplomat and Nobel Peace Prize
The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Swedish industrialist, inventor and armaments (military weapons and equipment) manufacturer Alfred Nobel, along with the prizes in Chemistry, Physics, Physiolo ...
winner.
* Rudolf Callmann
Rudolf Callmann (29 September 1892 – 12 March 1976) was a German American legal scholar. He was preeminent in the field of German and American competition law.
Born in Cologne into a wealthy Jewish family, Callmann earned a doctorate in la ...
(1892-1976), German American
German Americans (german: Deutschamerikaner, ) are Americans who have full or partial German ancestry. With an estimated size of approximately 43 million in 2019, German Americans are the largest of the self-reported ancestry groups by the Unite ...
legal scholar and expert in the field of German and American competition law
Competition law is the field of law that promotes or seeks to maintain market competition by regulating anti-competitive conduct by companies. Competition law is implemented through public and private enforcement. It is also known as antitrust l ...
who assisted Jewish refugees from Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...
.
* Ron Carey (1936-2008), labor leader who served as president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters from 1991 to 1997.
* Charlie Chaplin
Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin Jr. (16 April 188925 December 1977) was an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film. He became a worldwide icon through his screen persona, the Tramp, and is conside ...
(1889-1977), actor, lived at 105 Mowbray Drive in 1919–1922.
* Rodney Dangerfield (1921–2004), comedian who lived above the Austin Ale House.
* Rona Elliot (born 1947), music journalist, grew up in Kew Gardens.
* Lloyd Espenschied (1889-1986), electrical engineer who co-invented the modern coaxial cable.
* Kitty Genovese (1935-1964), Italian American bartendress raped and murdered outside her apartment complex in an incident that prompted a social psychological
Social psychology is the scientific study of how thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by the real or imagined presence of other people or by social norms. Social psychologists typically explain human behavior as a result of the rela ...
theory named the "bystander effect
The bystander effect, or bystander apathy, is a social psychological theory that states that individuals are less likely to offer help to a victim when there are other people present. First proposed in 1964, much research, mostly in the lab, has f ...
".
* George Gershwin
George Gershwin (; born Jacob Gershwine; September 26, 1898 – July 11, 1937) was an American composer and pianist whose compositions spanned popular, jazz and classical genres. Among his best-known works are the orchestral compositions ' ...
(1898–1937), composer.[Bortolot, Lana]
"New York Real Estate: Kew Gardens, Queens"
, ''AM New York
''AM New York Metro'' is a free daily newspaper that is published in New York City by Schneps Media. According to the company, the average Friday circulation in September 2013 was 335,900. When launched on October 10, 2003, ''AM New York'' was the ...
'', August 28, 2008. Accessed July 5, 2009. "The neighborhood's nickname, "Crew Gardens," is a nod to the many airline personnel living here, but Kew Gardens has always been home to the jet set: Charlie Chaplin, Will Rogers, Dorothy Parker and George Gershwin were among the artistic community that settled here in the 1920s."
* Bernhard Goetz (born 1947), best known for shooting four young black men on the subway in 1984.
* Ladislav Hecht (1909-2004), Jewish
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
professional tennis
Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball cov ...
player, well known for representing Czechoslovakia
, rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי,
, common_name = Czechoslovakia
, life_span = 1918–19391945–1992
, p1 = Austria-Hungary
, image_p1 ...
in the Davis Cup during the 1930s.
* Miriam Hopkins (1902–1972), actress.
* Frederick Jagel
Frederick Jagel (June 10, 1897, Brooklyn, New York – July 5, 1982, San Francisco, California) was an American tenor, primarily active at the Metropolitan Opera in the 1930s and 1940s.
Life and career
Jagel studied voice in New York City and Mi ...
(1897-1982), tenor, primarily active at the Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera (commonly known as the Met) is an American opera company based in New York City, resident at the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, currently situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The company is opera ...
in the 1930s and 1940s.
* Rabbi Paysach Krohn (born 1945), rabbi and author, currently lives in Kew Gardens.
* Norman Lewis (1915–2006), Olympic fencer
* Josef Lhevinne (1874–1944), concert pianist.["Neighborhood at Risk: Kew Gardens"](_blank)
, ''Historic Districts Council'', July 2009. Accessed July 5, 2009. "Kew Gardens became the home of an artistic and intellectual set. In the 1910s and 1920s, neighbors included film and stage stars, writers, musicians, and artists such as Charlie Chaplin, Will Rogers, Anaïs Nin, Dorothy Parker, Joseph Lhevinne, and George Gershwin."
* Rosina Lhévinne (1880-1976), pianist and pedagogue.
* Robert H. Lieberman
Robert H. Lieberman is a novelist, film director, and a long-time member of the Physics faculty at Cornell University. Initially he came to Cornell to study to be a veterinarian, but ended up becoming an electrical engineer and doing research i ...
, filmmaker, grew up in Kew Gardens.
* Saul Marantz (1911-1997), designed and built the first Marantz audio product at his home in Kew Gardens.
* Peter Mayer (1936-2018), former Penguin Books
Penguin Books is a British publishing, publishing house. It was co-founded in 1935 by Allen Lane with his brothers Richard and John, as a line of the publishers The Bodley Head, only becoming a separate company the following year.[Anaïs Nin
Angela Anaïs Juana Antolina Rosa Edelmira Nin y Culmell (February 11, 1903 – January 14, 1977; , ) was a French-born American diarist, essayist, novelist, and writer of short stories and erotica. Born to Cuban parents in France, Nin was the d ...]
(1903–1977), author.
* Dorothy Parker
Dorothy Parker (née Rothschild; August 22, 1893 – June 7, 1967) was an American poet, writer, critic, and satirist based in New York; she was known for her wit, wisecracks, and eye for 20th-century urban foibles.
From a conflicted and unhap ...
(1893–1967), poet.
* Will Rogers, Sr. (1879–1935), actor.
* Will Rogers, Jr. (1911–1993), congressman and son of Will Rogers, Sr.[Hart, May Gleason]
"Kew Gardens of Today – A Far Cry from 50 years Ago"
''Community News'', January 1966. Accessed July 5, 2009. "We have had many prominent people reside in Kew Gardens. Wil icRogers and his family lived on the opposite corner. Will Rogers, Jr., Mary and Jimmie were my daughter Jeanne's play and schoolmates and were frequently joined by Paula and Carol Stone, daughters of the famous musical comedy star, Fred Stone."
* Nelson Saldana
Nelson Saldana is a former American track cycling Champion originally from Kew Gardens, Queens, New York.
Saldana was a Gold Medal winner in the Team Pursuit at the 1975 Pan American Games He was also the 1977 USA Men's Point Race National Champi ...
, track cycling
Track cycling is a bicycle racing sport usually held on specially built banked tracks or velodromes using purpose-designed track bicycles.
History
Track cycling has been around since at least 1870. When track cycling was in its infancy, it ...
champion.
* Ossie Schectman
Oscar Benjamin "Ossie" Schectman (March 30, 1919 – July 30, 2013) was an American professional basketball player. He is credited with having scored the first basket in the Basketball Association of America (BAA), which would later become the Na ...
(1919-2013), basketball guard, who is credited with having scored the first basket in the Basketball Association of America (BAA), which would later become the National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball sports league, league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues i ...
(NBA).
* Robert Schimmel
Robert George Schimmel (January 16, 1950 – September 3, 2010) was an American stand-up comedian who was known for his blue comedy.Wilson, Eric (September 4, 2010)Robert Schimmel, 60, Provocative Comic, Dies.''New York Times'' While the extreme ...
(1950-2010), comedian, grew up in Kew Gardens.
* Jerry Springer (born 1944), talk show
A talk show (or chat show in British English) is a television programming or radio programming genre structured around the act of spontaneous conversation.Bernard M. Timberg, Robert J. Erler'' (2010Television Talk: A History of the TV Talk Sh ...
host and former mayor of Cincinnati
Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line w ...
, Ohio
Ohio () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Of the List of states and territories of the United States, fifty U.S. states, it is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 34th-l ...
.
* Paul Stanley
Paul Stanley (born Stanley Bert Eisen; January 20, 1952) is an American musician who is the co-founder, frontman, rhythm guitarist and co-lead vocalist of the hard rock band Kiss. He is the writer or co-writer of many of the band's most popula ...
(born 1952), musician, singer, songwriter and painter best known for being the rhythm guitarist and singer of the rock band Kiss
A kiss is the touch or pressing of one's lips against another person or an object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely. Depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sexual attraction, ...
.
* Carol Montgomery Stone Carol Montgomery Stone (February 1, 1915 – June 10, 2011) was an actress who played "Big Nose Kate", or Kate Holliday, the common-law wife of Doc Holliday, in ten episodes in the 1957–58 season of the American Broadcasting Company, ABC/Desil ...
(1915-2011), actress and daughter of actor Fred Stone, grew up in Kew Gardens.
* Sim Van der Ryn
Sim Van der Ryn is an American architect. He is also a researcher and educator. Van der Ryn's professional interest has been applying principles of physical and social ecology to architecture and environmental design.
Van der Ryn has promoted s ...
, architect, researcher and educator, who has applied principles of physical and social ecology to architecture and environmental design.
* Dick Van Patten (1928-2015), actor, best known for his role on the television comedy-drama ''Eight Is Enough
''Eight Is Enough'' is an American television comedy-drama series that ran on ABC from March 15, 1977, until May 23, 1981. The show was modeled on the life of syndicated newspaper columnist Tom Braden, a real-life parent with eight children, who ...
''.
* S. Howard Voshell
S. Howard Voshell (1888–1937) was an American tennis player and later a promoter. He was an insurance broker. In World War I, Voshell attained the rank of second Lieutenant in the air service. Voshell was a left-hander with a "cannon ball" s ...
(1888–1937), professional tennis player and later a promoter.
* Robert C. Wertz (1932-2009), politician who served for 32 years as a member of the New York State Assembly.[Brand, Rick]
"Robert Wertz, longtime GOP assemblyman, dead at 76"
'' Newsday'', May 5, 2009. Accessed November 28, 2017. "Born in Kew Gardens, Queens, Wertz graduated from Sewanhaka High School in Floral Park and got a bachelor's degree from upstate Alfred University and a law degree from Albany Law School."
Gallery
File:kewgardensrdshops.jpg, Shops on Kew Gardens Road
File:QueensBoroughHall.jpg, Queens Borough Hall
File:Ps99annexkewgardens.jpg, P.S. 99 school annex
File:postofficekewgardens.jpg, Kew Gardens Post Office
File:Pastloverskewgardens.jpg, A restaurant in Kew Gardens
See also
*
References
External links
Unofficial Kew Gardens website
A Picture History of Kew Gardens
Kew Gardens Civic Association
Kew Gardens Synagogue
{{Queens
Neighborhoods in Queens, New York
Jewish communities in the United States
Orthodox Judaism in New York City