Soundview, Bronx facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Soundview
Neighborhood of the Bronx
Apartment buildings in Soundview with the Midtown Manhattan skyline in the background
Country	United States
State	New York
City	New York City
Borough	The Bronx
Community District	Bronx 9
Area
• Total	2.89 km2 (1.116 sq mi)
Population  (2011)
• Total	31,825
• Density	11,010/km2 (28,517/sq mi)
Economics
• Median income	,120
ZIP Codes	10472, 10473
Area code	718, 347, 929, and 917

Soundview is a neighborhood located on the Clason Point peninsula. This area is in the southern part of the Bronx, which is one of the five main areas, or boroughs, of New York City.

Soundview has clear borders. To the north, it's bordered by the Cross-Bronx Expressway. To the east, you'll find White Plains Road. Lacombe Avenue marks its southern edge, and the Bronx River is to the west. The Bruckner Expressway cuts through the middle of the neighborhood, and the Bronx River Parkway runs north to south. The main road in Soundview is Soundview Avenue.

Discovering Soundview's History

Before and after rehabilitation, now low-income housing.

A high school built inside a once abandoned warehouse

Before the 1940s, Soundview was mostly open land. Most of the homes, which were rowhouses and apartment buildings, were built near the Pelham elevated train line and along main streets like Soundview Avenue.

In 1941, Clason Point Gardens was the first housing project built by the NYCHA (New York City Housing Authority) in the Bronx. The NYCHA builds and manages affordable housing. Many more NYCHA buildings, both low and high-rise, were built across Soundview from the 1950s to the 1970s. This caused the population to grow a lot.

During the 1950s, two major highways, the Bronx River Parkway and Bruckner Expressway, were built. Later, in the 1970s, many large apartment buildings were built through the Mitchell Lama program, which helps create affordable housing.

In recent years, because there's been a need for more homes in the city, new apartment buildings and rowhouses have been constructed. Many of these buildings have shops on the ground floor and offer homes for people with different income levels.

There are also plans to build more housing on empty land within NYCHA areas and to improve existing buildings. Soundview Park, which is the largest park in the South Bronx and was built on a former landfill, has been completely updated. It now has better paths for walking, and new and improved play areas. Future plans aim to make the park even better, with more recreation spots, bike trails, fishing areas, and places to launch boats. The neighborhood has also become more diverse, with more people from different Latin American countries moving in.

Who Lives in Soundview?

Tenements

In 2010, the southern part of Soundview, along with nearby areas, had about 53,686 people. The northern part had about 35,634 people.

Soundview covers about 1.3 square miles. Most of the people living here are from Latin American backgrounds, especially Puerto Ricans, and African Americans.

In 2018, the average life expectancy in Soundview and Parkchester (a nearby area) was about 79.7 years. This is a bit lower than the average for all of New York City. Many residents are young people and middle-aged adults.

In 2017, the average yearly income for families in this area was about $40,005. About 26% of people in Soundview and Parkchester lived in poverty in 2018. This is similar to the rest of the Bronx. Also, about 13% of people were unemployed. Many residents (55%) find it hard to pay their rent. This means Soundview is considered a low-income area compared to the rest of the city, and it's not becoming more expensive very quickly.

Soundview's Land and Buildings

Semi-detached multi-unit rowhouses

Soundview has a mix of different types of buildings, but most of them are homes. A large part of the population lives in big apartment complexes. The neighborhood has one of the highest numbers of NYCHA housing projects in New York City.

You can see old buildings, buildings from the middle of the last century, and modern ones. There are row-houses, semi-detached homes (two homes sharing a wall), detached homes, and apartment buildings. Most of these buildings have many apartments or units.

The main shopping streets in Soundview are White Plains Road, Soundview Avenue, and Westchester Avenue.

The western edge of the neighborhood, next to the Bronx River, is mainly used for storage, warehouses, and car repair shops.

York Studios' Michelangelo Campus, a place where movies and TV shows are made, is located at 1421 Story Avenue. The studios for News 12 The Bronx are at 930 Soundview Avenue.

The total land area is about 1.8 square miles. The land is mostly flat and low.

Shopping and Fun Spots

The Shops at Bruckner Commons is a large shopping area that separates Soundview from Castle Hill. It has popular stores like The Gap and Old Navy. Other main streets have places like supermarkets, pharmacies, barbershops, fast food restaurants, and small convenience stores called bodegas.

Parks and Playgrounds

Soundview Park

Soundview Park covers about 205 acres in the southwestern part of the neighborhood. It has sports fields, playgrounds, and a path for walking and biking along the Bronx River. The park was built on land that was filled in starting in 1939.

"Parque de los Ninos" (Children's Park) is a playground at Morrison and Watson Avenues. It opened in 1956 and was renamed in 1995 to remember six children from the neighborhood who passed away in the late 1980s. It received $1.6 million for updates in 2016.

Affordable Housing Complexes

There are nine NYCHA housing developments in Soundview:

• 1471 Watson Avenue; one 6-story building.
• Boynton Avenue Rehab; three apartment buildings (two 4 stories, one 6 stories).
• Sotomayor Houses (formerly Bronxdale Houses); twenty-eight 7-story buildings.
• Bronx River Houses; nine 14-story buildings.
• Bronx River Addition; two buildings (one 6 stories, one 14 stories).
• Clason Point Gardens; forty-five 2-story buildings.
• Monroe Houses; twelve buildings (8, 14, or 15 stories).
• Sack Wern Houses; seven 6-story buildings.
• Soundview Houses; thirteen 7-story buildings.

Fire Safety

Soundview has a New York City Fire Department (FDNY) fire station, Engine Company 96/Ladder Company 54, located at 1689 Story Avenue.

Mail Services and ZIP Codes

Soundview uses two ZIP Codes for mail. The area north of the Bruckner Expressway is 10472. The area south of the Bruckner Expressway is 10473. The United States Postal Service has three post offices nearby:

• Clason Point Station – 829 Soundview Avenue
• Cornell Station – 1950 Lafayette Avenue
• Soundview Station – 1687 Gleason Avenue

Learning in Soundview

A high school built inside a once abandoned warehouse

In Soundview and the surrounding area, about 23% of adults aged 25 and older have a college education or higher. This is similar to the rest of the Bronx. The percentage of students doing well in math went up from 23% in 2000 to 44% in 2011. Reading skills also improved during that time.

However, more elementary school students in Soundview miss school often compared to the rest of New York City. About 28% of elementary students missed 20 or more days of school in a year. Also, 69% of high school students graduate on time, which is a bit lower than the city average.

Schools in the Neighborhood

Here are some of the public schools in Soundview:

Public Schools:

• P.S. 47 John Randolph (1794 E 172nd St)
• P.S. 93 Albert G Oliver (1535 Story Ave)
• P.S. 69 Journey Prep School (560 Theriot Ave)
• P.S. 100 Isaac Clason (800 Taylor Ave)
• P.S. 107 (1695 Seward Ave) Boys Prep Elementary Charter School
• Bronx Arena High School (1440 Story Ave)
• Felisa Rincon De Gautier Institute For Law And Pub High School (1440 Story Ave)
• Bronx Public School 152 (1007 Evergreen Ave)
• Junior High School 123 James M Kiernan (1025 Morrison Ave)
• Junior High School 131 Albert Einstein (885 Bolton Ave)
• Soundview Academy For Culture And Scholarship (885 Bolton Ave)
• Metropolitan Lighthouse Charter School

There is also one private religious school:

• Holy Cross Elementary School

Libraries for Everyone

The New York Public Library (NYPL) has three branches close to Soundview:

• The Clason's Point branch is at 1215 Morrison Avenue. It opened in 1952.
• The Parkchester branch is at 1985 Westchester Avenue. It opened in 1942.
• The Soundview branch is at 660 Soundview Avenue. It opened in 1973.

Getting Around Soundview

Aerial view of communities between the Bronx River and Westchester Creek which include Soundview.

The IRT Pelham Line, which is an elevated New York City Subway line, runs through the neighborhood along Westchester Avenue. You can catch the local train at these stations:

• Elder Avenue (6 train)
• Morrison Avenue–Soundview (6 train)
• St. Lawrence Avenue (6 train)

Several MTA Regional Bus Operations bus routes also serve Soundview:

• Bx4: to Westchester Square or Third Avenue-149th Street (via Westchester Avenue)
• Bx4A: to Westchester Square or Simpson Street (via Westchester Avenue and Metropolitan Oval)
• Bx5: to Co-op City and Bay Plaza Shopping Center or Simpson Street (via Story Avenue)
• Bx11: to George Washington Bridge Bus Terminal (via 170th Street, Claremont Parkway, 174th Street)
• Bx27: to Simpson Street or Clason Point (via Rosedale Avenue)
• Bx36: to Pugsley–Randall Avenues or George Washington Bridge Bus Terminal (via Tremont Avenue and White Plains Road)
• Bx39: to Wakefield–241st Street or Clason Point (via White Plains Rd)

NYC Ferry's Soundview route began service on August 15, 2018, offering another way to travel.

Famous People from Soundview