- Middle Village, Queens
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Middle Village — Neighborhoods of New York City — Juniper Valley Park
Country United States State New York County Queens Population (2000) - Total 28,984 Ethnicity - White 89.5% - Black 0.7% - Hispanic 9.8% - Asian 4.0% - Other 3.2% Economics[1] - Median income $58,511 ZIP code 11379 Area code(s) 718, 347, 917 - For the Census Designated Place in Wisconsin, see Middle Village, Wisconsin.
Middle Village is a neighborhood in central Queens, a borough of New York City. The neighborhood is located in the western central section of Queens, bounded to the north by Eliot Avenue, to the east by Woodhaven Boulevard, to the south by Cooper Avenue, and to the west by Fresh Pond Road. Middle Village borders Elmhurst to the North, Maspeth and Ridgewood to the West, Glendale to the South, and Rego Park to the East. In 2003, "South Elmhurst", an area between Eliot Avenue and the Long Island Expressway, was added to Middle Village's ZIP code (11379). The neighborhood is part of Queens Community District 5, served by Queens Community Board 5.[2] Housing in the neighborhood is largely single-family homes with many attached homes, and small apartment buildings.
The neighborhood is served by the M train of the New York City Subway which terminates at Metropolitan Avenue. Five bus lines serve Middle Village: the Q29, the Q38, the Q47, the Q54, and the Q67.
Contents
History
New housing
The area was settled around 1816 by people of English descent and was named in the early nineteenth-century for its location as the mid-point between the then towns of Williamsburg, Brooklyn and Jamaica, Queens on the Williamsburgh and Jamaica Turnpike (now Metropolitan Avenue), which opened in 1816.[3] In 1852, a Manhattan Lutheran church purchased the farmland on the western end of the hamlet that would become the Lutheran Cemetery.[3] The St. John's Roman Catholic Cemetery was laid out on the eastern side of the town in 1879.[4] After the Civil War, the area became predominantly German.[3] Hotels and other services appeared to meet the needs of cemetery visitors. A housing boom which began in the 1920s eventually consumed the surrounding farmland and became continuous with neighboring towns and neighborhoods.[3]
Middle Village is served by Juniper Valley Park, a large public park built on what was once called Juniper Swamp (filled in 1915[3]). Homes along the southern side of the park enjoy breathtaking views of the NYC skyline.
Four national historic districts were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983:[5] Forest-Norman Historic District; Grove-Linden-St. John's Historic District; Seneca-Onderdonk-Woodward Historic District; and Woodbine-Palmetto-Gates Historic District.
Famous dead
St. John's Cemetery, Queens, a cemetery located in Middle Village, holds many famed mobsters, including John Gotti, Lucky Luciano, Joe Gallo, Carlo Gambino, Joseph Profaci, Joe Colombo, Vito Genovese and Carmine Galante.
Also buried here are fitness guru Charles Atlas, politician Geraldine Ferraro, and photographer Robert Mapplethorpe. The General Slocum Steamboat Fire Mass Memorial, commemorating one of the worst disasters in NYC's history, is at Lutheran All Faiths Cemetery (67-29 Metropolitan Avenue).[6]
Demographics
The population in Middle Village is predominately Italian American, although Middle Village has seen an influx of Hispanic, Irish, and Polish residents over the recent years. Many of the older families have left Middle Village but have not sold their homes; the result is a neighborhood, especially the southern portion, with a growing population of renters.[7]
Schools
PS/IS 49 is an elementary school in Middle Village with grades K to 8. PS 128 and PS 87 are elementary and junior high schools with grades K to 8. Our Lady of Hope and St. Margaret are two Catholic K-8 schools in the area.
Christ The King Regional High School is a private school. It is also nationally-known as the home of the Royals Boy's and Girl's basketball teams, with a total of 13 Federation Championships spanning the last 16 years.
Notable residents
Notable current and former residents of Middle Village include:
- Nicole Bass, professional female bodybuilder
- Donna DeCunzo-Taddeo, creator of EDiets.com, CEO of Voodoo Tiki, producer of Zoom Suit
See also
References
- ^ http://www.neighborhoodlink.com/zip/11379
- ^ Queens Community Boards, New York City. Accessed September 3, 2007.
- ^ a b c d e Jackson, K.T. (ed.) (1995). The Encyclopedia of New York City. New Haven, CT: Yale.
- ^ Seyfried, V.F. and Asadorian, W. (1991). Old Queens, NY in Early Photographs, Mineola, NY: Dover.
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2009-03-13. http://nrhp.focus.nps.gov/natreg/docs/All_Data.html.
- ^ http://www.findagrave.com/php/famous.php?FScityid=405578&page=city
- ^ 11379 Zip Code Detailed Profile, City-data.com.
External links
Categories:- Neighborhoods in Queens
- Little Italys in the United States
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