Located in south central Bronx is Parkchester. It is a residential community situated on 121 acres of land and made up of 160 buildings. The complex was built from 1939-1942 and contains about 12,000 apartments. Approximately 40,000-45,000 people call Parkchester home. Parkchester’s website has the median income at around $50,000. According to the Social explorer, out of this population there are about 10,024 apartments that are rented and 2,926 apartments that are owned. There are also about 377 vacant apartments. The neighborhood is fairly diverse. The largest cultural group is Latinos making up 61 percent of the population. The second largest group is Whites comprising about 26 percent. African Americans make up about 20 percent. There have been an increasing number of people of Bangladeshi descent in the community. This cultural group makes up about 15 percent of the population.
Females have a high concentration making up about 52 percent of the population. Males make up about 47 percent. The median age is about 36. People under 18 years old make up about 29 percent of the population. There are seven schools in the area which include PS 106, Bronx Charter School of Excellence, Castle Hill Middle School, St. Helena Elementary School, St. Raymond’s Elementary School, St. Raymond’s Academy for Girls, and St. Raymond’s High School for Boys. There are a total of two Catholic churches, a Baptist church, a synagogue, and two Mosques located in the area.
The neighborhood has a distinct shopping area known as the Yankee Mall. The major stores include Macy’s, Starbucks, Walgreens, Sprint, AT&T, Dress Barnes, Footaction, GameStop, New York and Company, two Chase bank locations, Bank of America, HSBC Bank, Sovereign Bank, Applebees, Ellie’s Diner, Popeye’s, Burger King, Portabella, Rainbows, Radio Shak, Sleepees, Subway, Zales, Payless, Kid’s Place, Children’s Place, Metro Optics, seven bodega’s, six Chinese food restaurants, Domino’s Pizza, Pizza Hut, Little Ceasar’s Pizza, Step Ins Restaurant, A Jewelry store, two cleaners, five supermarkets, 4 barber shops/beauty salons, Blink Fitness, American Beauty School, a record store and a Post Office that service most of the general area in zip code 10462. There is a Carter’s currently being built. Also, the are currently about six vacant commercial locations in the area. The American Theater which has been in the community since its opening in 1943 closed its doors on September 16, 2013. This is the second theater closing in community board 9. Whitestone Cinemas also recently closed down last month.
The community also offers many services to its residents. It has its own security and maintenance forces. It also has the Kid’s bay boys and girls club for it youth. The area is a transportation hub. Parkchester has its own train station on the no. 6 line. It also has several buses that pass through the area such as: the Bx 4 and 4A, the Bx 39, Bx 36, Bx 22, Bx 40, Bx 42, the Q44 and M6 express bus. Despite these amenities, residents that own cars have difficulty finding parking. Other community issues include the closing of businesses that have long been in the community in order to make room for big name stores. Based on the Social Explorer, Parkchester is the start of the more economically affluent side of the Bronx stretching to Throggs Neck. Increasing rent prices is another potential community issue. The quality of education in the community is also a common issue throughout the Bronx and the area.
Worth looking into –public schools in the neighborhood if you can get to speak to credible sources. Has the balance tipped in terms of businesses –from small scale, local stores to big box and chain stores and, if so, what has been the effect on the local residents? Parking is always a good story but remember you need more than disgruntled car owners as voices in your story.