Neponsit, Queens facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Neponsit
Neighborhood of Queens
Aerial view of Neponsit near Jacob Riis Park
Country	United States
State	New York
City	New York City
County/Borough	Queens
Community District	Queens 14
Named for	"the place between waters"
Population
• Estimate  (2007)	2,000
Time zone	UTC−5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
ZIP Code	11694
Area codes	718, 347, 929, and 917

Neponsit is a small, fancy neighborhood. It is located on the western side of the Rockaway Peninsula. This area is the southernmost part of the New York City borough of Queens.

Neponsit stretches from Beach 142nd Street to Beach 149th Street. It shares a border with Belle Harbor to the east. To the west, it meets Jacob Riis Park. The neighborhood is surrounded by water, with Jamaica Bay to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the south. Neponsit is part of Queens Community Board 14. In 2007, about 2,000 people lived here. This makes it one of the smallest communities in Queens.

History of Neponsit

The name Neponsit comes from a Native American language. It means "the place between waters." This refers to the Atlantic Ocean and Jamaica Bay, which surround the area.

How Neponsit Was Developed

The special feel of Neponsit has been around since it was first built. In January 1910, a company called Neponsit Realty Company bought the land. They wanted to create a very special community. They made rules that said only expensive homes could be built. These homes were also designed to be strong. They could handle the beach weather and the narrow land of the peninsula.

When it was first built, a large, fancy gate marked the entrance to the area. Later, a unique feature was a stretch of tree-lined islands. These "malls" were along Rockaway Beach Boulevard. They even went into the nearby neighborhood of Belle Harbor. By the 1930s, Neponsit was known for its high-quality homes.

First Transatlantic Flight

A very important event happened in Neponsit in 1919. The first flight across the Atlantic Ocean started here! On May 8, 1919, four United States Navy seaplanes took off. They left from what is now Beach Channel Drive in Neponsit. Their journey took them to Newfoundland, Canada, the Azores Islands, and Lisbon in Portugal. One of these planes, flown by Lt. Commander Albert C. Read, finally arrived in Plymouth, England, on May 31, 1919.

Land Use and Homes

Neponsit has special rules about what can be built there. It is "zoned" only for homes. This means you will find only one- or two-story single-family houses. Because of these rules and its private beach spot, some homes in Neponsit are very large and fancy. The average price for homes here has been close to $1 million.

Right next to Neponsit is Jacob Riis Park. This large park covers about 262 acres.

Neponsit in TV Shows

The TV show Rescue Me, which was on the FX Network, often filmed in Neponsit. They used real houses there to look like the homes of some of the characters. People sometimes joked about how a firefighter in the show could afford such a nice home in Neponsit!

Famous People from Neponsit

Many interesting people have lived in Neponsit. Here are a few:

• Frederic E. Hammer (1909–1980): He was a lawyer and a politician. This means he helped make laws for New York State.
• Jason Miller (1939–2001): He was a writer for plays and an actor. He won a famous award called the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1973 for his play That Championship Season.
• James H. Scheuer (1920–2005): He was also a politician. He represented New York in the U.S. House of Representatives for many years.