Briarwood, Queens facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Briarwood
|
|
|---|---|
|
Neighborhood of Queens
|
|
A residential intersection in Briarwood, 85th Avenue and 150th Street
|
|
| Country |  United States |
| State |  New York |
| City |  New York City |
| County/Borough |  Queens |
| Community District | Queens 8 |
| Named for | Briarwood Land Company |
| Elevation | 11 m (36 ft) |
| Population
(2000)
|
|
| • Total | 53,877 |
| Race/Ethnicity | |
| • White | 26.7% |
| • Black | 33.3% |
| • Hispanic | 29.3% |
| • Asian | 14.4% |
| • Other/Multiracial | 16.8% |
| Economics | |
| • Median income | $50,157 |
| ZIP Code |
11435
|
| Area code(s) | 718, 347, 929, and 917 |
Briarwood is a middle-class neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens. The neighborhood is roughly bounded by the Van Wyck Expressway to the west, Parsons Boulevard to the east, Union Turnpike to the north, and Hillside Avenue to the south.
Briarwood is named for the Briarwood Land Company, headed by Herbert A. O'Brien, who started developing the area in the first decade of the 20th century. Today, Briarwood contains a diverse community of Asian-American, white American, Hispanic/Latino, and African American and Afro-Caribbean residents. It is part of Queens Community Board 8.
Demographics
Briarwood is a diverse community, according to 2010 census data that groups Briarwood with neighboring Jamaica Hills, the population consists of Asian-Americans (14.4%), White (26.7%), Hispanics (29.3%), and African Americans (33.3%). This is a marked change from the post-World War II period (1950s–1980s) when the neighborhood was almost exclusively white, with a large and active Jewish community. Economic activity is mostly confined to small restaurants, delis, markets, and other small businesses.
The neighborhood contains housing for middle-class families.
Transportation
The neighborhood is served by the IND Queens Boulevard Line of the New York City Subway at the Briarwood station (E, F <F> trains). In that subway station, there were many paintings done by the students of Archbishop Molloy High School, M.S. 217Q, and P.S.117Q during the mid-1980s. They are titled, "Beautifying Briarwood". The paintings were removed during a renovation of the station in 2014.
Notable residents
Notable residents of Briarwood have included:
- Ralph Bunche, United States diplomat who received the 1950 Nobel Peace Prize for his mediation in Israel in the late 1940s
- Betty Friedan, author of The Feminine Mystique, which sparked the second wave of feminism
- Steve Hofstetter, radio personality and comedian
- John Kerwin, talk show host of The John Kerwin Show
- Hanna Rosin, U.S. journalist and author of God's Harvard
- Steven Weber, actor who appeared on many television series including As the World Turns, Wings, iZombie, and NCIS: New Orleans.
Education
Briarwood is home to the Catholic Archbishop Molloy High School, which moved to Briarwood from the Upper East Side in 1957. Some of the school's more famous alumni are New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, actor David Caruso, former New York City Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly, NBA professional basketball players Kenny Smith and Kenny Anderson and professional wrestler Colin Cassady. Also the infamous Serrao brothers from Richmond Hill, Queens. The school is named in honor of Archbishop Thomas Molloy. It has about 1,550 students.
Also located in Briarwood is Robert A. Van Wyck M.S. 217Q, a middle school of 1,300 students in grades 6–8. The school was established in 1955 and was named after the first mayor of the Greater City of New York, Robert A. Van Wyck, a Tammany Hall lawyer.
See also
In Spanish: Briarwood (Queens) para niños
