When I started my research on the demographics of Glendale I did not expect to find it to be a very diverse area, and I was right. According to the 2000 Census, of the 97,524 residents 63,729 are white. This did not surprise me at all since historically this is a German/Irish neighborhood, and today there is an influx of Polish immigrants. What did surprise me was the lack of education in the area. Of those 25 or older, only 66.9% graduated from high school, well below the 80.4% in the US. Only 14.3% held a bachelor’s degree, also below the 24.4% average. Average income was also below average, but property value was higher. 24.2% of the population does not have citizenship in the US, and 39.9% immigrated here. 47.7% of those who immigrated came from Europe, which is not surprising considering the enhanced Polish flavor to the area. 36.5% from Latin America. 63.7% speak English and another language. According to the data only 5.9% of the population is Polish, but this number has increased since 2000.
There are three public schools in Glendale, PS 91, PS 113, and IS 119, and there are also four private schools, St. John Lutheran, Redeemer Lutheran, St. Pancreas, and Sacred Heart. All four private schools are K-8 schools. The nearest high school is Grover Cleveland in neighboring Ridgewood.
According to the 2000 Census the property value in Glendale was $199,200, but now, according to Zillow.com, the average home value is $406,100, which is up from 2009 but still $50,000 lower than it was 2008. The area is still recovering from the housing bubble, but it is still humming along.
With the increase in Polish residents there has been a boom in Polish delis. If you were to take a walk down Fresh Pond Road you would literally find a Polish deli on every block. Besides the usual pizzerias, Chinese restaurants, and bagel shops, there are a few places that still show the old flavor of the community. One of those places is Zum Stammtisch, an old German restaurant. “Zums”, as the locals call it, has been around since 1972, but looks like it has been there since the 1800’s. It has the old German style look to it, and still serves up authentic German dishes. Other businesses in the area include Arenson Office Furniture’s warehouse and the newly opened Atlas Mall, which includes a Regal Cinemas theatre and many other stores, shops, and restaurants.
There are many parks in the area including Mafera Park, known as “The Oval”, Central Park, not to be confused with the park in the city, and the expansive Forest Park. There aren’t many hot button issues in Glendale, except for one major problem. Behind the Arenson Office Furniture warehouse is a train yard where freight trains containing garbage from all over the area are parked and left there for a few days until they are moved to their final destination. In the summer months the high temperatures make the garbage smell even worse and the entire neighborhood starts to smell like rotting garbage. Not only is this unsafe but it lowers the property value. No one wants to live in a neighborhood that smells like a garbage dump. There have been rallies and petitions started trying to fix the problem, but it all falls on deaf ears. State level politicians say it is a federal issue and federal level politicians say it is a state issue.
http://www.melissadata.com/lookups/schools.asp?indata=11385&submit1=Submit
http://www.zillow.com/local-info/NY-11385-home-value/r_62093/
http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/SAFFFacts?_event=&geo_id=86000US11385&_geoContext=01000US|86000US11385&_street=&_county=&_cityTown=&_state=&_zip=11385&_lang=en&_sse=on&ActiveGeoDiv=&_useEV=&pctxt=fph&pgsl=860&_submenuId=factsheet_1&ds_name=null&_ci_nbr=null&qr_name=null®=null:null&_keyword=&_industry=&show_2003_tab=&redirect=Y
http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/QTTable?_bm=y&-geo_id=86000US11385&-qr_name=DEC_2000_SF3_U_DP2&-ds_name=DEC_2000_SF3_U&-_lang=en&-_sse=on