Fresh Meadows, Queens facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Fresh Meadows
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Neighborhood of Queens
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St. Francis Preparatory School
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| Country |  United States |
| State |  New York |
| City | New York City |
| County/Borough | Queens |
| Community District | Queens 8 |
| Population | |
| • Estimate
(2010)
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17,812 |
| Based on 2010 U.S. Census figures; excludes Hillcrest | |
| Ethnicity | |
| • Asian | 47.1% |
| • White | 32.9% |
| • Hispanic | 9.9% |
| • Black | 7.6% |
| • Other/Multiracial | 2.5% |
| Economics | |
| • Median income | ,005 |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (EST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| ZIP Codes |
11365, 11366
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| Area codes | 718, 347, 929, and 917 |
Fresh Meadows is a neighborhood in the northeastern section of the New York City borough of Queens. Fresh Meadows used to be part of the broader town of Flushing and is bordered to the north by the Horace Harding Expressway and Auburndale; to the west by Pomonok, St. John's University, Hillcrest, and Utopia; to the east by Cunningham Park and the Clearview Expressway; and to the south by the Grand Central Parkway.
Fresh Meadows is located in Queens Community District 8 and its ZIP Codes are 11365 and 11366. It is patrolled by the New York City Police Department's 107th Precinct. Politically, Fresh Meadows is represented by the New York City Council's 23rd and 24th Districts.
Contents
History
The name "Fresh Meadows" dates back to before the American Revolution. Fresh Meadows was part of the Town of Flushing, which had large areas of salt meadows, such as the original "Flushing Meadows". The wetlands in the hilly ground south and east of the village of Flushing, however, were fed by freshwater springs, and thus were "fresh meadows". Fresh Meadows Road (which today follows the same route under a number of names, including Fresh Meadows Lane and part of Utopia Parkway) traversed the area, and served as the route from the landing place at Whitestone to the village of Jamaica.
During the American Revolution, British troops were encamped in the area. General Benedict Arnold drilled his troops in the area, on the current location of M.S. 216. To facilitate the transport of military supplies from British ships using the Whitestone Landing and the troops encamped further east, a new road was built to connect the Fresh Meadows Road with Hempstead. This road began at what is now the intersection of Utopia Parkway and 73rd Avenue, near a local landmark along the Fresh Meadows Road: the remnants of a large tree that had burned after being struck by lightning, and that was known as the "Black Stump". The road took its name from this feature, and was called "Black Stump Road." During the 19th century, a farming community known as Black Stump developed in the area. Black Stump School was located at present-day Utopia Playground, at 73rd Avenue and Utopia Parkway. For several years, the woods of Black Stump were rumored to be haunted because people heard strange sounds coming from the woods. In 1908, the mysterious sounds were discovered to be coming from a recluse who lived in a small hut and sang Irish folk songs at night.
Fresh Meadow Country Club opened in 1923. The country club was named after an area northeast of Flushing even though it was actually located southeast of Flushing, just south of what is presently the Long Island Expressway near 183rd Street. The golf course was designed by A.W. Tillinghast. The PGA Championship was held at Fresh Meadow Country Club in 1930, and the U.S. Open was held at the course in 1932. In 1937, the golf course hosted a charity game between John Montague, Babe Ruth, Babe Didrikson, and Sylvania Annenberg, a game that was watched by 10,000 fans, some of whom rushed the golf course and left Babe Ruth's shirt in tatters.
In February 1946, the land was sold to New York Life Insurance Company, and it became the Fresh Meadows Housing Development. New York Life Insurance Company did not allow black individuals to live in the Fresh Meadows Housing Development. It was also built to house local World War II veterans. The complex and its eponymous shopping center were among the first in the United States designed primarily to accommodate automobile rather than pedestrian traffic. In 1949, Lewis Mumford described the Fresh Meadows housing complex as "perhaps the most positive and exhilarating example of large-scale community planning in this country."
Until 2004, the neighborhood was home to Klein Farm, the last surviving commercial farm in New York City, located on 73rd Avenue between 194th and 195th Streets. Efforts by local residents and civic officials are currently under way to reopen the farm.
In October 2011, a book written by Fred Cantor and Debra Davidson that chronicled the history of Fresh Meadows was released.
Today, the area has Cunningham Park, and the Long Island Motor Parkway, a disused highway now used as a biking/walking trail also goes through the area as part of the Brooklyn–Queens Greenway.
Subsections
Hillcrest
Hillcrest is a neighborhood in the center of Queens; the name comes from its location on the hills between Flushing and Jamaica. Hillcrest stretches from the Grand Central Parkway to 73rd Avenue, between Utopia Parkway and Parsons Boulevard. Its main commercial street is Union Turnpike. Hillcrest is part of Queens Community Board 8. The ZIP Codes for the neighborhood are 11366 (Fresh Meadows and Flushing zip code) for anything above Union Turnpike, and 11432 or 11439 (Jamaica zip codes) for the southern part of the neighborhood (below Union Turnpike, north of Grand Central Parkway). It neighbors Kew Gardens Hills and Pomonok to the west, Fresh Meadows to the north, Utopia to the east, and Jamaica Hills to the south. It is mostly made up of single-family homes, is in a relatively well-off public school district, and has a low crime rate.
As with many neighborhoods in the city, different residents have varying perceptions of its boundaries.
History
75th Avenue was originally known as Hell Fire Lane, then Quarrelsome Lane, and then Eiseman Avenue.
In 1938 and 1939, Moss Brothers built approximately 550 homes along Utopia Parkway between Horace Harding Expressway and Grand Central Parkway. Moss Brothers hired architect Arthur E. Allen to design the homes. The development was called Hillcrest Gardens.
Utopia
Utopia is in the southeastern part of Fresh Meadows, bordered by Utopia Parkway to the west, 73rd Avenue to the north, 188th Street to the east, and Union Turnpike to the south. Utopia is part of Queens Community Board 8 and is often considered to be a part of Fresh Meadows, though The New York Times and the New York City Department of City Planning delineate Utopia as a separate neighborhood. Utopia's residents includes many Conservative and Orthodox Jews, Chinese Americans, Korean Americans, Russian Americans, Indian Americans, and Hispanic and Latino Americans. Utopia primarily consists of houses and tree-lined streets.
The triangular-shaped Utopia Playground, at Utopia Parkway and 73rd Avenue, used to be the site of the Black Stump School, when the area was still called Black Stump. The school was later replaced by Black Stump Hook, Ladder, and Bucket Company, a volunteer firehouse. Today, it has a playground, a softball field, basketball courts, and handball courts.
It is bordered by the neighborhoods of Hillcrest to the west, Fresh Meadows to the north and east, and Jamaica Estates to the south. Utopia is also home to the Hillcrest Jewish Center and the Queens Public Library at Hillcrest, both located on Union Turnpike.
History
Simon Freeman, Samuel Resler, and Joseph Fried incorporated the Utopia Land Company in 1903. The following year, the Utopia Land Company bought 161.25 acres (65 ha) of land between the communities of Jamaica and Flushing. The Utopia Land Company intended to build a cooperative community for Jewish families interested in moving away from the Lower East Side of Manhattan. They intended to name the streets after those on the Lower East Side, where there was already a large Jewish population.
After its initial acquisition, the company was unable to secure enough funding to further develop the area. In 1909, 118 acres (48 ha) of the land was sold to Felix Isman of Philadelphia for $350,000, equivalent to $11,400,000 in 2022.
The area remained farmland until 1935, when the land was bought by the Gross-Morton Park Corporation, run by George M. Gross, Alfred Gross, and Lawrence Morton. Gross-Morton had experience in building residential developments in Queens, such as when it had developed the land of the Belleclaire golf course in Bayside, around today's 48th Avenue and 211th Street. In 1937, the company bought 27 acres (11 ha) of contiguous farmland on the south side of Black Stump Road (now 73rd Avenue) from the Klein family. In 1939, it bought 117 acres (47 ha) of land that had been formerly part of the Klein Farm and the Wigmore estate. The land included about one mile of land directly on Union Turnpike, on which it built about forty stores.
On the land it bought in Utopia, the Gross-Morton Park Corporation built colonial and Cape Cod-style homes with either two or three bedrooms, each on approximately 4,000 square feet (372 m2) of land in the early 1940s. Arthur Allen was the architect of the homes.
In 1938, Paul Roth bought the portion of the Klein Farm on the north side of Union Turnpike, between 185th Street and 188th Street, to build 70 houses.
The Batterman family owned and operated a farm on land bounded by Union Turnpike, Utopia Parkway, 75th Avenue, and 170th Street. In 1938, the Foch Building Corporation bought the Batterman Estate in order to develop it into a residential neighborhood, named University Manor. The Foch Building Corporation had previously built 111 houses in what is now St. Albans, Queens.
Demographics
Based on data from the 2010 United States Census, the population of Fresh Meadows (including Utopia but excluding Hillcrest) was 17,812, a change of 439 (2.5%) from the 17,373 counted in 2000. Covering an area of 636.38 acres (257.53 ha), the neighborhood had a population density of 28 inhabitants per acre (18,000/sq mi; 6,900/km2).
The racial makeup of the neighborhood was 32.9% (5,864) White, 7.6% (1,355) African American, 0.1% (17) Native American, 47.1% (8,381) Asian, 0% (2) Pacific Islander, 0.4% (74) from other races, and 2% (356) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 9.9% (1,763) of the population.
The entirety of Community Board 8, which comprises Fresh Meadows as well as Kew Gardens Hills and Jamaica Hills, had 156,217 inhabitants as of NYC Health's 2018 Community Health Profile, with an average life expectancy of 83.9 years. This is higher than the median life expectancy of 81.2 for all New York City neighborhoods. Most inhabitants are middle-aged adults and youth: 20% are between the ages of 0–17, 28% between 25–44, and 27% between 45–64. The ratio of college-aged and elderly residents was lower, at 10% and 15% respectively.
As of 2017, the median household income in Community Board 8 was $64,005. In 2018, an estimated 22% of Fresh Meadows residents lived in poverty, compared to 19% in all of Queens and 20% in all of New York City. One in eleven residents (9%) were unemployed, compared to 8% in Queens and 9% in New York City. Rent burden, or the percentage of residents who have difficulty paying their rent, is 54% in Fresh Meadows, slightly higher than the boroughwide and citywide rates of 53% and 51% respectively. Based on this calculation, as of 2018[update], Fresh Meadows is considered to be high-income relative to the rest of the city and not gentrifying.
Population estimates of Fresh Meadows vary widely depending on which boundaries are considered. Zip codes 11365 and 11366 together have an estimated population of 59,873 as of 2017, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, but this also includes part of Auburndale north of the Long Island Expressway, while excluding Hillcrest. According to 2009 census data, however, the neighborhood had 16,100 residents, 44 percent of whom residents are white, 24 percent Asian, 14 percent black, 29 percent Hispanic, and 3 percent identify as multiracial. The neighborhood has historically and traditionally been home to one of New York City's most notable Jewish communities. Today, there is an increasing presence of younger Asian American and Colombian American families, Israeli Americans, Bukharian Jews, and West Indian Americans living in the neighborhood.
Fire safety
Fresh Meadows is served by two New York City Fire Department (FDNY) fire stations. Engine Co. 299/Ladder Co. 152 is located at 61-20 Utopia Parkway and serves Utopia and the Fresh Meadows development, while Engine Co. 315/Ladder Co. 125 is located at 159-06 Union Turnpike and serves Hillcrest and southern Fresh Meadows.
Post offices and ZIP Codes
Fresh Meadows is covered by ZIP Codes 11365 north of 73rd Avenue; 11366 between 73rd Avenue and Union Turnpike. The United States Post Office operates two locations in Fresh Meadows: the Fresh Meadows Finance Station at 193-04 Horace Harding Expressway, and the Utopia Station, at 182-04 Union Turnpike in Utopia.
Education
Fresh Meadows generally has a higher ratio of college-educated residents than the rest of the city as of 2018[update]. Half of residents (50%) have a college education or higher, while 14% have less than a high school education and 37% are high school graduates or have some college education. By contrast, 39% of Queens residents and 43% of city residents have a college education or higher. The percentage of Fresh Meadows students excelling in math rose from 51 percent in 2000 to 71 percent in 2011, and reading achievement rose from 56% to 57% during the same time period.
Fresh Meadows's rate of elementary school student absenteeism is less than the rest of New York City. In Fresh Meadows, 15% of elementary school students missed twenty or more days per school year, less than the citywide average of 20%. Additionally, 86% of high school students in Fresh Meadows graduate on time, more than the citywide average of 75%.
Schools
Public
Fresh Meadows and Hillcrest contain the following public elementary schools.
- P.S. 4 (grades PK–8)
- P.S. 26 Rufus King School (grades PK–5)
- P.S. 154 (grades PK–5)
- P.S. 173 Fresh Meadow School (grades PK–5)
- P.S./I.S. 178 Holliswood School (grades PK–8)
- P.S. 255 (grades PK–12)
Fresh Meadows and Hillcrest contain the following public middle schools.
- J.H.S. 216 George J. Ryan School (grades 6–8) — opened September 1955, named after the former 15-year president of the Board of Education
- Queens Gateway To Health Sciences Secondary School (grades 6–12)
- Queens School of Inquiry (grades 6–12)
Francis Lewis High School (grades 9–12) is located in Fresh Meadows.
Private
St. Francis Preparatory School, the largest Catholic high school in the United States, is located in Fresh Meadows.
The Summit School, a state-approved tuition-free private school serving students with special education needs, holds classes at Hillcrest Jewish Center in Utopia.
St. John's University, a private Catholic university, has its main campus in Hillcrest.
The Japanese Weekend School of New York, a Japanese weekend school, holds classes at the building of P.S. 26. The school also holds classes in Westchester County and Long Island.
The Japanese School of New York formerly held classes in Fresh Meadows between 1980 and 1991.
Libraries
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The Queens Public Library operates two branches in Fresh Meadows. The Fresh Meadows branch is located at 193-20 Horace Harding Expressway, and the Hillcrest branch is located at 187-05 Union Turnpike in Utopia.
Transportation
Buses
Although there are no New York City Subway stations in Fresh Meadows, several local MTA Regional Bus Operations routes serve the neighborhood and connect to the subway. These include the:
- Q17: to 169th Street (E, F <F> trains) or Flushing–Main Street (7 <7> trains) via Horace Harding Expressway and 188th Street
- Q26: to Flushing–Main Street (7 <7> trains) via Hollis Court Boulevard
- Q30: to Jamaica Center–Parsons/Archer (E J and Z trains) or Little Neck via Utopia Parkway and Horace Harding Expressway
- Q31: to Jamaica Center–Parsons/Archer (E J and Z trains) or Bayside via Utopia Parkway
- Q46: to Kew Gardens–Union Turnpike (E, F <F> trains) or Glen Oaks via Union Turnpike
- Q76: to 169th Street (E, F <F> trains) or College Point via Francis Lewis Boulevard
- Q88: to Woodhaven Boulevard (M and R train) or Queens Village LIRR via Horace Harding Expressway, 188th Street and 73rd Avenue
In addition, the Union Turnpike express buses run along Union Turnpike, 188th Street, and 73rd Avenue, providing service to Manhattan:
- QM1, QM5, QM6, QM31, QM35, QM36 to Midtown Manhattan
- QM7, QM8 to Lower Manhattan
Trains
The Long Island Rail Road (LIRR)'s Auburndale station is nearby and provides access on the Port Washington Branch to Midtown Manhattan. Buses also run to the LIRR stations at Flushing–Main Street and Jamaica.
Former
In June 1873, the Central Railroad of Long Island opened a station, called Frankiston, on Black Stump Road, now called 73rd Avenue. It was east of the present-day Clearview Expressway, where Cunningham Park is now. The railroad line continued northwest, along the parkland between today's Peck Avenue and Underhill Avenue, ultimately ending in downtown Flushing.
The origin of the name Frankiston is unknown. Loomis L. White, the railroad's second largest stockholder, had bought all the land surrounding the station in April 1871. The station's building was built by E.W. Karker & Co. of College Point, April–May 1873. The train fare from Frankston to downtown Flushing was $0.30 (equivalent to $7 in 2022). The station was first included in railroad timetables in June 1873.
On April 30, 1879, the station was closed and the railroad line was abandoned.
Proposed
In the 1970s, an extension of the subway system along Horace Harding Expressway was proposed as part of the Program for Action, but it was ultimately not built.
Highways
The Long Island Expressway (I-495) connects Fresh Meadows with both midtown Manhattan and Long Island, while the Clearview Expressway (I-295) provides access to the Bronx and the New England Thruway.
The Long Island Motor Parkway, formerly a highway, is now used as a biking and walking trail, as part of the Brooklyn–Queens Greenway.
In media
In October 2011, a book written by Fred Cantor and Debra Davidson that chronicled the history of Fresh Meadows was released. The book is part of the Images of America series.
Notable people
- Bruce Bierman (born 1953), American interior designer
See also
In Spanish: Fresh Meadows (Queens) para niños
