Woodhaven
From The Peopling of New York City: Irish Communities
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Neighborhoods: Woodlawn | Inwood | Hell's Kitchen | Woodhaven |
Build Environment/Economy
What is Woodhaven?
Woodhaven belongs to the Queens borough and has ill-defined boundaries. It is “south of Forest Park, east of the Brooklyn borough line, and north of Liberty Avenue.” However it is bordered on the east by Richmond, Brooklyn to the west, Ozone Park to the south and Forest Park and Park Lane to the north. The main commercial area is Jamaica Avenue, which goes through the center of the neighborhood and lined by many, many businesses. As one can see above, there is also the famous elevated J and Z line track located in Woodhaven. Woodhaven is a diverse neighborhood in more ways than one, although it is mostly white, especially Irish, it is home to many different cultures. In addition the environment varies a great deal, it is generally upper middle class and has many private homes as well as apartment buildings.
Here is are two videos that take you on walking and driving tours of the Woodhaven neighborhood, you are able to see the types of businesses and people that can easily found in the area and the general look of Woodhaven.
Woodhaven Before and Now
For a long time, the neighborhood was populated by a predominant mix of Irish, German and Italian. Even today, there are traces of its past with businesses such as Anna’s Place, which serves mainly Irish and German food, as well as Yer Man’s Irish Pub (no explanation needed). However, as it seems to be trend with most neighborhoods these days, Woodhaven is also being injected with a healthy does of diversity as the community welcomes “the influx of large numbers of Asians, Indians, Pakistanis and Russians.” Nowadays, alongside the old-time stores and businesses, are the “Polish, Asian and South American delis” that dot the avenues of Woodhaven as a testament to the growing diversity of the neighborhood.
http://www.forgotten-ny.com/NEIGHBORHOODS/woodhaven/woodhaven.html