Bronx is a borough of New York City that is coextensive with Bronx County in New York. It is south of Westchester County, north and east of the borough of Manhattan in New York City, across the Harlem River, and north of the borough of Queens in New York City, over the East River. According to the 2020 census, the Bronx has a land area of 42 square miles and a population of 1,472,655. If each borough were its own city, the Bronx would be the tenth most populous in the United States. It has the fourth-largest area, the fourth-highest population, and the third-highest population density of the five boroughs. It is the only New York City borough that is not predominantly located on an island. As of 2020, it will be the only majority-Hispanic county in the Northeastern United States and the fourth-most populous county in the country. Learn more about the Bronx geography here.
History of The Bronx, New York
In 1639, European colonization of the Bronx began. Before becoming Bronx County, the Bronx was given to New York County in two major portions (West Bronx, 1874, and East Bronx, 1895). Siwanoy of the Wappinger Confederacy originally occupied this region as part of the Lenape's Lenapehoking domain. Over time, European colonists transformed the neighborhood into farms.
The history of the Bronx during the 20th century can be split into four distinct periods: a boom period from 1900 to 1929, during which the population increased by a factor of six, from 200,000 in 1900 to 1,300,000 in 1930. The Great Depression and post-World War II years were marked by a growth slowdown that eventually led to a fall. During 1950–1985, the Bronx evolved from a largely moderate-income neighborhood to a predominantly low-income area with high rates of violent crime and poverty in some areas. These were difficult decades. Beginning in the late 1980s and continuing to the present, the Bronx has seen an economic and development revival.
Since the late 1980s, major growth has happened in the Bronx, first driven by the city's "Ten-Year Homes Plan" and community members striving to restore the social, economic and environmental infrastructure by providing affordable housing. Church-affiliated groups in the South Bronx constructed approximately one thousand Nehemiah Homes. The grass roots organization Nos Quedamos' project known as Melrose Commons began to revitalize regions in the South Bronx. The IRT White Plains Road Line (trains 2 and 5) began to experience a rise in ridership. In the Bronx, stores including Marshalls, Staples, and Target have opened.
The National Civic League designated the Bronx an All-America City in 1997, recognizing its recovery from the downturn of the mid-20th century. The New York Times noted in 2006 that "construction cranes have replaced the window decals of the 1980s, which depicted potted plants and drawn curtains on the windows of abandoned buildings" Since 2002, the borough has undergone significant new building construction. Between 2002 and June 2007, 33,687 new housing units were constructed or under construction, and $4.8 billion was invested in new housing. In the first half of 2007, a total of $965 million was invested in new residential development, and the completion of 5,187 units was anticipated. Much of the new construction in the South Bronx is emerging on formerly vacant land.
As individuals purchased and renovated flats, the existing housing market in areas like as Hunts Point, the Lower Concourse, and the districts surrounding the Third Avenue Bridge was revitalized. In the 2010s, several boutique and chain hotels opened in the South Bronx.
Continuing developments are now underway.