‘We All Live in the Bronx’: The most diverse borough
The birthplace of Hip Hop, the home of the New York Yankees, the New York Botanical Garden and one of the largest zoos in America, the Bronx is the only part of New York City that’s not on an island. Of the city’s five boroughs, it is the fourth largest by population, has “the largest proportion of non-white population,” the lowest median income, and the least expensive rent, according to New York University’s Furman Center for Real Estate and Urban Policy. As with much of New York, the borough is a jumble of neighborhoods, some strongly reflecting the national origins of the residents.
While real estate is relatively more affordable, that isn’t the reason people move to (and stay in) the northernmost borough. “The Bronx has a lot of homes and not so much industry,” says Frank Franz, founder of the Belmont Business Improvement District. “People live in every neighborhood,” he explains, which sharply contrasts with some Manhattan neighborhoods. While individual districts differ demographically, “the [entire] Bronx feels like a family neighborhood.” Franz tells a story about when Italy won the World Cup in 2006, the celebrations in Belmont -- home of Bronx's Little Italy -- were unique: “Our Mexican and Albanian neighbors were on the street with Italian flags, yelling ‘We won’ because they were happy the neighborhood won,” he says. “We’re from everywhere, but we all live in the Bronx.”
The Feast of Saint Anthony runs along 187th Street in the heart of Bronx Little Italy.
Castle Hill in the Bronx is a diverse community of immigrants from Bangladesh and Pakistan.
Bronx Night Market is a monthly night market in Belmont with many food vendors & music.
Colima Taqueria of the East Tremont community is serving the best Mexican food in the Bronx.
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A diverse inventory with an equally moderate market
The Bronx has the highest poverty rate and the lowest level of homeownership in the city. The borough encompasses many different neighborhoods, with a wide array of pricing. “In Fieldston , you have mansions on the market for $5 million,” says Franz. Likewise, “in Riverdale , you have million-dollar luxury condos.” On the other hand, “in Morrisania , you have prewar condos starting at $125,000 for a one-bedroom.” Similarly, “in Pelham Gardens , there are semi-attached and single-family homes on the lower range between $800,000 and $1 million.” Meanwhile, “co-ops in Van Cortlandt Village average $325,000.”
Beautiful row homes make up much of the Westchester Square community in the Bronx.
Some homes in Allerton have driveways for convenient parking in the Bronx.
Bedford Park is a hilly neighborhood that is very walkable in the Bronx.
Co-Op City offers easy living in New York City and plentiful green spaces in the Bronx
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Home to New York City’s largest park and family-style food
More than three times the size of Central Park, Pelham Bay Park is the city’s largest with 2,765 acres of green space. In the borough’s northeast corner, the parklands include miles of hiking trails, two public golf courses, the only public beach in the Bronx (Orchard Beach) and 13 miles of salt marsh along the western edge of the Long Island Sound. On the opposite side of the borough, along Palisade Avenue, Riverdale Park offers incredible views of the Hudson River and hiking trails through woodlands. Inland, Van Cortlandt Park provides 1,146 sprawling acres of recreation, including five hiking trails, miles of running paths, a large freshwater lake and facilities for sports. The park is home to the oldest public golf course in the city, established in 1895. Bronx Park is home to the Bronx Zoo and New York Botanical Garden and sits beside a two-mile stretch of the Bronx River where visitors can see many species of birds roam through red maple hardwood swamp and floodplain forest.
Many have wandered into the Bronx only once to go to a New York Yankees game, but there is more to this borough than Yankee Stadium. Even Bronx natives go to the Botanical Garden, with its 250 acres of plants and landmarked Victorian conservatory with multiple greenhouses. Off the beaten trail, the Bartow-Pell Mansion Museum is the last remaining grand country estate in Pelham Bay Park . Similarly, the Van Cortlandt House is the oldest surviving mansion in NYC, completed in 1749. One of the Bronx's most treasured architectural landmarks is the Fordham University Church, a Gothic-style parish church and seminary chapel; the tower adorned with buttresses and gargoyles is famous for its bell that inspired Edgar Allen’s poem “The Bells.” Meanwhile, in the Grand Concourse Historic District (known as the “Champs-Élysées of the Bronx" with its prewar apartment buildings and townhouses on the National Register of Historic Places), the Bronx Museum of the Arts has a permanent collection of American art. Coming in 2025, the Hip Hop Museum will celebrate the music, dance and culture that originated in the Bronx.
The annual Orchid Show is always popular at the New York Botanical Garden near Bedford Park.
The Bronx Zoo is a major attraction for the Fordham Manor community.
Campesino in University Heights is serving some of the best Dominican food in the Bronx.
Eat delicious breakfast meals at Ellie's Diner on Metropolitan Ave in the Bronx.
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Family-style Italian and Puerto Rican food
There are six Michelin-starred restaurants in the Bronx, including Italian and other cuisines. Any New Yorker will tell you that the Bronx has the best “Little Italy” section for food. Situated in Belmont along Arthur Avenue, this district is lined with Italian shops, restaurants and cafes. Favorites include sfogliatelle at Egidio Pastry Shop, a charming storefront founded in 1912; a box of freshly made ravioli from Borgatti’s Ravioli and Egg Noodles; and southern Italian fare at Mario’s of Arthur Avenue, an eatery that has been serving for more than 105 years. Nearby, Çka Ka Qëllu is a rustic Albanian restaurant on the New York Times’ Top 100 list that serves traditional dishes, such as veal-stuffed dumplings, polenta whipped with cream and baklava. Meanwhile, Puerto Rican food can be found in all New York City boroughs, but the Bronx has the only award-winning ones. Lechonera La Piraña, a food truck on East 152nd Street in South Bronx, draws customers in with its award-winning whole-roasted pork. Likewise, 188 Bakery Cuchifritos in Fordham Heights has cozy counter seats and a menu with homestyle dishes, including mofongo, chicharrónes and oxtail stew.
For shopping, there's big-box and chain retail options at the Bronx Terminal Market in Concourse or Bay Plaza in Co-op City , and Hunts Point has a massive food market dating back to 1790.
After a day of shopping in the Belmont community locals grab a bite to eat in the Bronx.
Having a mid afternoon drink and lunch with friends is a favorite of the Belmont community.
El Nuevo Valle #2 is a local favorite of the West Farms community in the Bronx.
Bronx Alehouse is a great place to grab a drink in Van Cortlandt Village.
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The Cross Bronx Expressway and other major thoroughfares
Given its northern geography, located above all the boroughs, most of the Bronx is a bit of a schlep to reach. Getting anywhere south of Yankee Stadium from the Northern Bronx can be an hour commute via car, subway, or bus. From the southern Bronx, residents can get to Midtown Manhattan in approximately 40 minutes. Multiple subway lines in The Bronx — the 1, 2, 4, 5, B and D trains — stop in different Southern Bronx neighborhoods. The Metro-North makes stops along two routes: the Harlem line stops in Melrose , Tremont and Fordham; and the Hudson line stops at Yankee Stadium, Morris Heights , University Heights , Marble Hill, Spuyten Duyvil and Riverdale. Major highways, avenues and boulevards run through the borough —including the Brown River Parkway, Cross Bronx Expressway and Major Deegan Expressway. Plus, a plethora of Citi Bike stations exist (and more are planned) across the Bronx.
Prominent public and private schools and community-driven healthcare
Students have the ability to go to multiple schools in New York City. There are a handful of prestigious public institutions in the Bronx, most of which are charter schools. The best private institutions are concentrated in two of the wealthiest Bronx neighborhoods, Fieldston and Riverdale. Riverdale Country School was rated by Niche as the best private K-12 school in the U.S., while Horace Mann and Ethical Culture Fieldston School are rated in the top 10 for the state. And, while there are a handful of Bronx colleges, private and public, two are the most well-known: Fordham University, a private Catholic academy named after the neighborhood, which is known for its bells that ring on campus 11 times daily to signal the start of service; and Manhattan College, which is mainly recognized for its business and engineering programs.
Like the other boroughs, the Bronx has historic hospitals and award-winning small practices with deep roots in the neighborhood, including Bronx Psychiatric Center and Montefiore Medical Center’s Wakefield Campus and Children's Hospital. What differs is that a handful of institutions here operate on a voluntary and/or non-profit basis or have comprehensive programs that benefit the health of the borough. For example, BronxCare Health System (formerly Bronx-Lebanon Hospital Center) famously doesn’t turn anyone away from its two campuses: Lebanon Hospital Grand Concourse, a 17-story tower that provides medical, specialty, outpatient and emergency services; and Fulton Family Health, a psychiatric and substance abuse program and a 240-bed nursing facility. Likewise, NYC Health + Hospitals/North Central Bronx is a health institution that, in addition to its standard hospital offerings, provides supportive services, including home care, care coordination and care for new and expecting parents.
PS 81 Robert J Christen School is celebrating diverse education in N Riverdale in the Bronx.
Highbridge Green School is the neighborhood middle school, and it is rated C by Niche.
Ps 48 Joseph R Drake is a public school located in Hunts Point in the Bronx.
Lincoln Medical Center services the local communities in Melrose.
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A $194 million adaptive rehabilitation project in South Bronx
Historically, the South Bronx was a neglected waterfront. The city plans to rehabilitate a 30-block stretch along the Harlem River with a $194 million urban renewal initiative. Led by the New York City Economic Development Corporation, the goal is to provide green space, open the waterfront for public use, create new jobs and generate mixed-income housing. Components of the final plans include Bronx Point, a mixed-use development site with 540 units of affordable housing and museum dedicated to Hip Hop, a new Harlem River Park and 11 blocks of street and intersection reconstruction along Exterior Street.
Areas close to Manhattan have seen a spurt of high-rise residential buildings in the past decade, as residents seek cheaper alternatives without long commute times. A 4.3-acre site dubbed “Bankside” comprises seven mixed-use towers located on either side of the Third Avenue Bridge and within a single subway stop of Manhattan; the $950-million investment will introduce more than 1,350 apartments with a massive ground-floor retail program. Third at Bankside, along the north end of the bridge, was recently completed and offers 450 luxury rental apartments. The area is rapidly undergoing a transformation spearheaded by a new 34,000-square-foot park beside the Harlem River.
The Bronx is currently under renovation along Harlem River with a $194 million plan.
The Bronx $194 million rehabilitation plan includes green space along the Hudson River.
Waterside views are enjoyed at Clason Point Park.
Ferry Point Park provides relaxation for locals.
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More poverty and crime and less green space
Statistically speaking, the Bronx is the most dangerous borough. According to NYU Furman Center, the Bronx has the highest serious and violent crime rate, about 30% higher than the city as a whole. Not all Bronx neighborhoods are equally dangerous: many neighborhoods, like Riverdale and Morris Park, have low crime rates, while some areas, like Morrisania and Mott Heaven, are higher.
Even though the Bronx is home to New York City’s largest park, it has the lowest park-to-resident ratio of all five boroughs: just 2.5 acres of parkland per 1,000 residents. Compared to the city median, 4.6 acres of parkland per 1,000 residents, The Bronx lags well behind. The city has plans to introduce more green space with a new 2.3-acre park along the Harlem River. New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) & NYC Parks officially broke ground on the $3.4 million Lower Concourse Park in November 2023. Located between 144th and 146th Streets, The Bronx’s new park will bring much-needed outdoor space and waterfront access to Southern Bronx residents.
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