Kingsbridge | |
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Neighborhood of The Bronx | |
Looking west across Kingsbridge Avenue at Episcopal Church of the Mediator
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Location in New York City | |
Coordinates: 40°52′43″N 73°54′18″W / 40.878711°N 73.905136°WCoordinates: 40°52′43″N 73°54′18″W / 40.878711°N 73.905136°W | |
Country | United States |
State | New York |
City | New York City |
Borough | Bronx |
Area | |
• Total | 0.80 km2 (0.310 sq mi) |
Population (2011) | |
• Total | 10,669 |
• Density | 13,000/km2 (34,000/sq mi) |
Economics | |
• Median income | $53,875 |
ZIP codes | 10463 |
Area code | 718, 347, 646 |
Kingsbridge (also known as Lower Riverdale) is a working- and middle-class residential neighborhood geographically located in the northwest portion of The Bronx in New York City. Kingsbridge is actually made up of three distinct neighborhoods: Kingsbridge proper, Kingsbridge Heights, and Van Cortlandt Village. The neighborhood is considered a part of Bronx Community Board 8, and is sometimes considered a sub-section of Riverdale, since it shares the same zip code 10463 with Riverdale. Kingsbridge proper's ill-defined boundaries are Van Cortlandt Park to the north, Bailey Avenue to the east, West 230st Street to the south, and Broadway to the west. Kingsbridge is patrolled by the New York City Police Department's 50th Precinct.
Kingsbridge has detached, semi detached, and attached homes, and Broadway has apartment buildings where many Dominicans reside. Streets connecting Riverdale and Kingsbridge include "step streets", with stairways of as many as 160 steps climbing the slope. Some jokingly refer to Riverdale as the "rich uncle" of Kingsbridge which has its origins during the Irish period. The neighborhood is also part of a business improvement district that is home to 200 merchants, which is one of the largest retail shopping districts in the Bronx. River Plaza Shopping Center is located nearby (in Marble Hill, Manhattan) but it is not part of the business improvement district. During the past several years there have been significant improvements in the infrastructure of the community. For example, the parks have been improved significantly and there are new elementary schools on 230th Street.
The neighborhood is named for the King's Bridge, erected in 1693 by Frederick Philipse, a local lord loyal to the British monarch. The bridge spanned a now-filled-in section of Spuyten Duyvil Creek, roughly parallel to today's 230th Street. The King's Bridge was part of Boston Post Road, connecting southern Westchester County (which later became the Bronx) with Marble Hill, once part of Manhattan Island and still part of the borough of Manhattan. The bridge is said to still be in place, having been buried when the creek bed was filled in. The creek's water flow was redirected to the new and deeper shipping canal, south of Marble Hill.