Introduction
Woodhaven is a haven in the city. It is a vibrant, middle-class neighborhood in Queens. It is centrally located, just minutes from John F. Kennedy Airport and a short commute to Manhattan.
There are numerous features that make Woodhaven a terrific place to live and to visit. The approximately 30,000 people who call Woodhaven home are mere minutes from the 538 beautiful acres of Forest Park. The many businesses on Jamaica Avenue, the main thoroughfare, make it easy to take care of one's shopping needs. And on those occasions when a resident needs to leave the neighborhood, it's easy to do: ride the J and Z subway lines, hop on a bus (including express buses to Manhattan), or take Woodhaven Boulevard (pictured at right) toward the Rockaways or toward the nearby Queens Center Mall.
Woodhaven, like New York City as a whole, is ethnically diverse. It is adjacent to Brooklyn, and its county, Queens County, is the most diverse in the entire nation. Although there are many relative newcomers to the community, there is also a solid contingent of longtime residents who have stayed because they enjoy Woodhaven's convenience, amenities, and sense of community.
Woodhaven, which has the zip code 11421, is bounded by Richmond Hill (at 100th Street) to the east, Ozone Park (at Atlantic Avenue) to the south, Forest Park to the north, and Cypress Hills (at Eldert Lane) to the west.
History
This year is the 175th anniversary of Woodhaven's founding. A Connecticut Yankee, John R. Pitkin, bought three farms from Dutch settlers and hoped to establish a city to rival Manhattan. He developed a workers' village and named it Woodville in 1835. In 1853, the residents of Woodville petitioned for a local post office. To avoid confusion with a Woodville located upstate, the residents agreed to change the name to Woodhaven. The tree-oriented name is unsurprising to anyone who's been to Woodhaven, as the neighborhood has retained its sylvan features.
Service on Atlantic Avenue's surface tracks and seven stations between Jamaica and Brooklyn ended on November 1, 1939 and was subsequently replaced in 1942 by underground tracks and a single underground station between Jamaica and Brooklyn. With the removal of surface rail tracks, Atlantic Avenue was again a continuous roadway. The single station in this long tunnel was the Woodhaven station (at 100th Street) on the LIRR's Atlantic Avenue Branch, providing rail service to Jamaica station and Brooklyn (Atlantic Terminal) until it too was closed in 1977. The Woodhaven station was also a popular stop for beachgoers and commuters who would transfer to the above ground LIRR Woodhaven Junction station for trains to Rockaway Beach and Far Rockaway. The Woodhaven Junction station was taken out of service when this section of the Rockaway Beach Branch was abandoned in 1962.
Elevated transit service to Williamsburg and Lower Manhattan began in 1917 with the operation of the BMT Jamaica Line above Jamaica Avenue.
Two Frenchmen named Charles Lalance and Florian Grosjean launched the village as a manufacturing community in 1863, by opening a tin factory and improving the process of tin stamping. (For more, see here and here.) As late as 1900, the surrounding area, however, was still primarily farmland, and from Atlantic Avenue one could see as far south as Jamaica Bay, site of present-day John F. Kennedy International Airport. Since 1894, Woodhaven's local newspaper has been the Leader-Observer.
The distinctive St. Anthony's Mansion (which later became St. Anthony's Hospital) stood on a large tract of land on Woodhaven Boulevard between 89th and 91st Avenues. The hospital significantly helped the scientific community in the creation of breakthroughs in Pulmonary and Heart treatments. A historical marker is placed there, and that area is now called Woodhaven Estates.
Dexter Park baseball field, which once occupied 10 acres in Woodhaven just east of Franklin K. Lane High School is where baseball history was made in 1930 with the installation of the first engineered lighting system for night games.
Actor Adrien Brody grew up in Woodhaven. Author Betty Smith wrote A Tree Grows in Brooklyn while living in Woodhaven. Mae West made her debut performance in the neighborhood, where she lived. Composer George Gershwin was another Woodhaven resident, and a scene from the movie Goodfellas was filmed in the Woodhaven tavern Neir's.
Today
Woodhaven gains its strength from its residents. In addition to the Woodhaven Residents' Block Association, several other organizations work to keep Woodhaven a great place to be. These include the Greater Woodhaven Development Corporation, the Business Improvement District, the 102nd Precinct Community Council, and the Woodhaven Cultural & Historic Society.
Several local public and parochial schools, two fire stations, the Woodhaven Richmond Hill Volunteer Ambulance Corps, and the 102nd Precinct all serve Woodhaven. Forest Park features numerous ballfields, an antique carousel, a golf course, a bandshell, bridle paths, and an array of wildlife.
There is much to do here. The Wonderful Woodhaven Street Fair, the annual tree lighting, historic battle reenactments, and bandshell concerts are just a small sample of events draw people from all over.
Come see Woodhaven for yourself.
Local Elected Officials
New York State Senator Joseph P. Addabbo Jr.
New York State Assemblyman Michael Miller
City Council Member Elizabeth Crowley
City Council Member Eric Ulrich
Woodhaven is a haven in the city. It is a vibrant, middle-class neighborhood in Queens. It is centrally located, just minutes from John F. Kennedy Airport and a short commute to Manhattan.
Woodhaven, like New York City as a whole, is ethnically diverse. It is adjacent to Brooklyn, and its county, Queens County, is the most diverse in the entire nation. Although there are many relative newcomers to the community, there is also a solid contingent of longtime residents who have stayed because they enjoy Woodhaven's convenience, amenities, and sense of community.
Woodhaven, which has the zip code 11421, is bounded by Richmond Hill (at 100th Street) to the east, Ozone Park (at Atlantic Avenue) to the south, Forest Park to the north, and Cypress Hills (at Eldert Lane) to the west.
History
This year is the 175th anniversary of Woodhaven's founding. A Connecticut Yankee, John R. Pitkin, bought three farms from Dutch settlers and hoped to establish a city to rival Manhattan. He developed a workers' village and named it Woodville in 1835. In 1853, the residents of Woodville petitioned for a local post office. To avoid confusion with a Woodville located upstate, the residents agreed to change the name to Woodhaven. The tree-oriented name is unsurprising to anyone who's been to Woodhaven, as the neighborhood has retained its sylvan features.
In 1836, Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) cars were pulled by horses along Atlantic Avenue. The cars traveled with other traffic at street level and stopped at all major intersections — much as a bus does — except that people would often hop on and hop off while the car was moving. The 1848 LIRR schedule shows an intersection called Union Course (serving that racetrack) and another called Woodville (farther east). With electrification, the LIRR constructed permanent tracks. The Union Course station was opened April 28, 1905. In 1911, the platform was widened to four tracks, and Atlantic Avenue was mostly closed to other traffic. The four tracks split the community and become the border between Woodhaven and Ozone Park.
Service on Atlantic Avenue's surface tracks and seven stations between Jamaica and Brooklyn ended on November 1, 1939 and was subsequently replaced in 1942 by underground tracks and a single underground station between Jamaica and Brooklyn. With the removal of surface rail tracks, Atlantic Avenue was again a continuous roadway. The single station in this long tunnel was the Woodhaven station (at 100th Street) on the LIRR's Atlantic Avenue Branch, providing rail service to Jamaica station and Brooklyn (Atlantic Terminal) until it too was closed in 1977. The Woodhaven station was also a popular stop for beachgoers and commuters who would transfer to the above ground LIRR Woodhaven Junction station for trains to Rockaway Beach and Far Rockaway. The Woodhaven Junction station was taken out of service when this section of the Rockaway Beach Branch was abandoned in 1962.
Elevated transit service to Williamsburg and Lower Manhattan began in 1917 with the operation of the BMT Jamaica Line above Jamaica Avenue.
Two Frenchmen named Charles Lalance and Florian Grosjean launched the village as a manufacturing community in 1863, by opening a tin factory and improving the process of tin stamping. (For more, see here and here.) As late as 1900, the surrounding area, however, was still primarily farmland, and from Atlantic Avenue one could see as far south as Jamaica Bay, site of present-day John F. Kennedy International Airport. Since 1894, Woodhaven's local newspaper has been the Leader-Observer.
The distinctive St. Anthony's Mansion (which later became St. Anthony's Hospital) stood on a large tract of land on Woodhaven Boulevard between 89th and 91st Avenues. The hospital significantly helped the scientific community in the creation of breakthroughs in Pulmonary and Heart treatments. A historical marker is placed there, and that area is now called Woodhaven Estates.Dexter Park baseball field, which once occupied 10 acres in Woodhaven just east of Franklin K. Lane High School is where baseball history was made in 1930 with the installation of the first engineered lighting system for night games.
Actor Adrien Brody grew up in Woodhaven. Author Betty Smith wrote A Tree Grows in Brooklyn while living in Woodhaven. Mae West made her debut performance in the neighborhood, where she lived. Composer George Gershwin was another Woodhaven resident, and a scene from the movie Goodfellas was filmed in the Woodhaven tavern Neir's.
Today
Woodhaven gains its strength from its residents. In addition to the Woodhaven Residents' Block Association, several other organizations work to keep Woodhaven a great place to be. These include the Greater Woodhaven Development Corporation, the Business Improvement District, the 102nd Precinct Community Council, and the Woodhaven Cultural & Historic Society.
Several local public and parochial schools, two fire stations, the Woodhaven Richmond Hill Volunteer Ambulance Corps, and the 102nd Precinct all serve Woodhaven. Forest Park features numerous ballfields, an antique carousel, a golf course, a bandshell, bridle paths, and an array of wildlife.
There is much to do here. The Wonderful Woodhaven Street Fair, the annual tree lighting, historic battle reenactments, and bandshell concerts are just a small sample of events draw people from all over.
Come see Woodhaven for yourself.
Local Elected Officials
New York State Senator Joseph P. Addabbo Jr.
New York State Assemblyman Michael Miller
City Council Member Elizabeth Crowley
City Council Member Eric Ulrich
