Cambria Heights is a residential neighborhood in the southeastern portion of the

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borough A borough is an administrative division in various English language, 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 ...

Queens Queens is the largest by area of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located near the western end of Long Island, it is bordered by the ...

. It is bounded by Springfield Boulevard and Francis Lewis Boulevard to the west, the Elmont, Nassau County border on the east, Queens Village to the north, St. Albans to the west, and Montefiore Cemetery and Laurelton, Springfield Gardens, and Rosedale to the south. As of 2010, Cambria Heights's population was 18,677. The neighborhood is part of Queens Community Board 13.

Etymology

The name Cambria Heights was coined in the mid-1920s when the Cambria Title Savings and Trust Company, a bank based in Cambria County, Pennsylvania, provided financing for early development which was aimed at families seeking to relocate from rental apartments in other boroughs. At an elevation of above sea level, it is considered to be one of the highest points in Queens, together with Jackson Heights and Richmond Hill.

Education

The public elementary schools in Cambria Heights are PS 176 Cambria Heights (grades PK–5) and PS/MS 147 Ronald McNair (PK–8). There are four magnet high schools on the campus of Andrew Jackson High School, which are dedicated to: arts and humanities; business computer applications; mathematics, science and technology; and law, government and community service.There are also 2 private schools in Cambria Heights named Cambria Center for the Gifted Child,(C.C.G.C) and Cambria School of Excellence (C.S.E). C.C.G.C goes from pk- Grade 5, and its sister school( which is merged into C.C.G.C) is from 6-8th grade. C.C.G.C was first opened in about 1980, and C.S.E in late 2010-2011.

Religion

Cambria Heights has a high concentration of Christian church communities. There are many storefront churches located along Linden Boulevard, from a variety of denominations as well as nondenominational groups. Cambria Heights is also home to Cambria Heights Community Church, Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, Holy Trinity Parish Church, Queens Tabernacle Church, First Faith Baptist Church, Harvest Revival Christian Fellowship, Good Life Deliverance Ministry, Saint David's Episcopal Church, and Sacred Heart Catholic Church. The Catholic parish has an affiliated school
Sacred Heart Catholic Academy.
Cambria Heights is also the location of the Ohel, the resting place of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson and his predecessor Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn. Tens of thousands of visitors from around the world flock to the site for prayer and blessing.

Demographics

Based on data from the 2010 United States Census, the population of Cambria Heights was 18,677, a decrease of 2,267 (10.8%) from the 20,944 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
Population Division –

Department of City Planning, February 2012. Accessed June 16, 2016. The racial makeup of the neighborhood was 1.4% (259)

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 90.3% (16,862)

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.2% (42) Native American, 0.8% (157) Asian, 0.0% (6)

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 0.3% (62) from other races, and 1.7% (325) from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 5.2% (964) of the population.Table PL-P3A NTA: Total Population by Mutually Exclusive Race and Hispanic Origin – New York City Neighborhood Tabulation Areas*, 2010
Population Division –

Department of City Planning, March 29, 2011. Accessed June 14, 2016. The original population consisted primarily of Roman Catholics of Italian, German, and Irish descent, and

Jew Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, religion, and community are highly inte ...

ish families relocating from

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. The present neighborhood has a large

middle class The middle class refers to a class of people in the middle of a social hierarchy, often defined by occupation, income, education, or social status. The term has historically been associated with modernity, capitalism and political debate. C ...

Caribbean The Caribbean ( , ; ; ; ) is a region in the middle of the Americas centered around the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, mostly overlapping with the West Indies. Bordered by North America to the north, Central America ...

and

population. The median home cost is $450,600.

Historic districts

The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission designated two historic districts within the neighborhood in June 2022: the Cambria Heights–222nd Street Historic District and the Cambria Heights–227th Street Historic District. Both historic districts were originally predominantly white, like the rest of the neighborhood, but African-American families began moving to the areas by the 1950s, followed by Caribbean-American families in the 1980s. Prior to the creation of the two districts, Cambria Heights did not have any city-designated landmarks. The Cambria Heights–222nd Street Historic District consists of 46 Storybook-style houses on 222nd Street between 115th Road and 116th Avenue, completed in 1931. The 222nd Street houses contain brick facades, Tudor arched windows, various geometric motifs, multicolored terracotta roof shingles, and chimneys with stucco-and-brick panels. These houses were designed by the firm of Monda & Bertolazzi, based in Ozone Park, Queens. The Cambria Heights–227th Street Historic District consists of 50 Storybook-style houses on 227th Street between 116th Avenue and Linden Boulevard, also completed in 1931. The houses on 227th Street largely contain stone, brick, and stucco facades, with multicolored roof shingles and rhombus windows. These were the only houses in Cambria Heights designed by Queens-based firm Wolosoff Brothers.

Transportation

Bus lines that serve through the neighborhood include the local buses, connecting to the New York City Subway and other bus routes in Queens, as well as the express bus.

Notable residents

Notable current and former residents of Cambria Heights include: * Michael Bentt (born 1964), retired

heavyweight Heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports and professional wrestling. Boxing Professional Male boxers who weigh over are considered heavyweights by 2 of the 4 major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation an ...

boxer turned

actor An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

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n lineage * Kurt Boone (born 1959), author known for his work documenting street culture * Fred Cambria (born 1948), retired professional baseball player, a right-handed pitcher who appeared in six Major League games * Bob Cousy (born 1928), Pro Basketball Hall of Famer attended Andrew Jackson High School * Chick Corea (1941–2021), a

Miles Davis Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th century music, 20th-century music. Davis ado ...

band veteran, played electric piano for Stan Getz. * Lena Horne (1917–2010), singerDavis, Arianna
"Savings in Queens: Great deals in Cambria Heights"
''

New York Daily News The ''Daily News'' is an American newspaper based in Jersey City, New Jersey. It was founded in 1919 by Joseph Medill Patterson in New York City as the ''Illustrated Daily News''. It was the first U.S. daily printed in Tabloid (newspaper format ...

'', December 22, 2009. Accessed December 12, 2016. "Named after the Cambria Construction Company in Pennsylvania, Cambria Heights was once home to jazz great Lena Horne and baseball pioneer Jackie Robinson." * Ivan Lee (born 1981), Olympic saber fencer; banned for life by SafeSport. * Henry Petroski (1942–2023), whose 2002 book ''Paperboy: Confessions of a Future Engineer'' describes his teenage years in Cambria Heights. * Rick Pitino (born 1952), head basketball head coach at the University of Louisville * Lillian Roberts (born 1928), labor leader who served from 2002 through 2014 as the Executive Director of District Council 37 (DC37), the largest municipal union in New York City. * Jackie Robinson (1919–1972), baseball player * Barbara Rubin (1945–1980), filmmaker * Tony Santiago (born 1950), military historian * Clyde Vanel (born 1974), intellectual property attorney and entrepreneur who represents the 33rd district of the

New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Ass ...

* Dennis Walcott (born 1951), Deputy Mayor for Education and Community Development in administration of Michael Bloomberg; before that, President and CEO of New York Urban League * Mary Weiss (1948–2024), lead singer of the Shangri-Las

References

External links

Cambria Heights
NY Home Town Locator
Cambria Heights
Homebuyers, NYC Housing Preservation and Development {{authority control Neighborhoods in Queens, New York