| ZIP Code | 11411 | |
| Population (2000) Density |
21,282 | |
| Demographics | White Black Hispanic Asian Other |
2.9% 91.7% 4.1% 0.4% 1.1% |
| Median income | $62,071 | |
| Source: U.S. Census, Record Information Services | ||
Cambria Heights is a suburban neighborhood in the southeastern portion of the New York City borough of Queens. It is bounded by Springfield Boulevard and Francis Lewis Boulevard to the west, the Elmont, Nassau County border on the east, Queens Village to the north, St. Albans to the west, and Montefiore Cemetery and Laurelton and Rosedale to the south. As of 2007, Cambria Heights's population is 20,128.[1] The neighborhood is part of Queens Community Board 13.[2]
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History
The town derived its name from the Cambria Construction Company of Pennsylvania, which began to develop the community in the late 1920s, and the fact that, at an elevation of 49 feet, it is one of the three highest points in the borough, together with Jackson Heights and Richmond Hill. Its original population consisted primarily of Roman Catholics of Italian, German, and Irish descent and Jewish families relocating from Brooklyn.
The present neighborhood has a large middle class Caribbean and African American population. In recent years Jewish families have settled along Francis Lewis Boulevard and 121st Avenue to be near the grave of Chasidic leader Menachem Mendel Schneerson of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement in Montefiore Cemetery. Latinos have also begun to settle in the community. The median home cost is $450,600.
The Main public schools in Cambria Heights are Elementary Schools P.S. 176 and P.S. 147 (re-named for Astronaut Ronald McNair), and High School Campus Magnet, formerly known as Andrew Jackson High School. The local Catholic parish is Sacred Heart, with a grammar school of that name.
In the vicinity of Cambria Heights are the neighborhoods of Laurelton, Springfield Gardens, Rosedale, and Hollis.
Notable residents
The following are the names of notable people who have at one time or another resided in Cambria Heights:
- Michael Bentt - Retired heavyweight boxer turned actor of Jamaican lineage.[3]
- Bob Cousy - Basketball Hall of Famer [4]
- Chick Corea, a Miles Davis band veteran, played electric piano for Stan Getz.[5]
- Jackie Robinson, baseball player
- Lena Horne, singer
- Henry Petroski, whose 2002 book Paperboy: Confessions of a Future Engineer describes his teenage years in Cambria Heights.[6]
- Rick Pitino - Head basketball head coach at the University of Louisville.[7]
- The Shangri-Las - American pop girl group of the 1960s. [8]
- Maggie Van Ostrand, writer
- Dennis Walcott - Deputy Mayor for Education and Community Development in administration of Michael Bloomberg; before that, President and CEO of New York Urban League [3]
- Mary Weiss - lead singer with The Shangri-Las. [9]
References
- ^ [1].
- ^ Queens Community Boards Zip Code Overview, New York City. Accessed September 3, 2007.
- ^ 'Rocky Lives' by David E. Finger
- ^ [2]
- ^ on Musical Lists
- ^ Petroski, Henry (2002). Paperboy: Confessions of a Future Engineer. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN 0375413537.
- ^ Vecsey, George (1987-02-13). "Rick Pitino: Reviving February". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/1987/02/13/sports/sports-of-the-times-rick-pitino-reviving-february.html. Retrieved 2009-08-29.
- ^ The Shangri-Las!
- ^ "Mary Weiss Interview", Norton Records, 2006.
See also
External links
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