City Island, Bronx
City Island is a neighborhood in the northeastern Bronx, New York City, located on an island of the same name approximately long by wide. City Island is located at the extreme western end of Long Island Sound, south of Pelham Bay Park, and east of Eastchester Bay.
At one time the island was incorporated within the boundaries of the town of Pelham in Westchester County, New York, but the island has been part of New York City since the late 19th century. City Island is part of the Pelham Islands, a group of islands that once belonged to Thomas Pell. The body of water between City Island and the even smaller, uninhabited Hart Island to the east is known as City Island Harbor. The small island adjacent to the northeast is High Island. The Stepping Stones Light, marking the main shipping channel into New York, is off the southern tip of City Island, near the Long Island shore.
As of the 2020 census, the island had a population of 4,417. Its land area is. The island is part of Bronx Community District 10, and its ZIP Code is 10464.
History
Prior to European colonization, the island now known as City Island was inhabited by Native Americans, possibly the Wiechquaeskeck band of the Lenape people who left shell middens indicating that they had gathered, cooked, and consumed oysters and clams on the island. The island was part of a very large property, about 50,000 acres, to which the English physician Thomas Pell established ownership in a treaty signed by five Lenape sachems in 1654.The island—known by different names including Minnewits, Minneford, Minefer's, Great Mulberry Island—was purchased in 1761 by Benjamin Palmer of New York, who planned to make it a major seaport in western Long Island Sound. Palmer changed the name to New City Island, later dropping the "New."Up to this point the island had been inhabited by only a few homes and farms. It had a population of about 1000 people, who tended farms and livestock. Palmer had the vision of developing the island into a port, which could rival that of New York. He knew that ships heading north and south passed City Island using Long Island Sound as a safe inshore waterway. He envisioned shipyards, and stores that could cater to the ships. He went as far as to have the island mapped out in different plots designated as shipyards, docks, business, farms, homes, schools, and houses of worship, along with streets, paths, and access routes. Benjamin Palmer appealed to the British Crown and received letters patent that covered the ownership of waterfront properties 400 feet out from the high tide mark under water and around the perimeter of the Island. This patent, known as the "Palmer Grant" is unique to City Island; it has been contested in courts since, but has always been upheld.
Palmer also is responsible for changing the name from Minefer's Island to City Island in anticipation of things to come. Palmer's vision never fully materialized, however, as the timing just before the American Revolution halted all progress, and the war depleted the capital of Palmer and his investors. It would be another sixty years before the island again started to be developed when oystermen, pilots of Hell Gate, a set of nearby narrows, and eventually shipbuilders arrived and introduced these industries.
In 1819, City Island was annexed to the town of Pelham, Westchester County. It narrowly voted to become a part of New York City in 1895, in exchange for a new bridge to the mainland, and was consolidated as part of the Bronx in 1898. The island continued to host harbor defenses through the early 20th century. In the mid-20th century, City Island developed as a shipbuilding community, before becoming a daytrippers' destination. City Island has generally remained sparsely developed with a suburban feel. A 43-unit condo complex called On the Sound, built in 2015, was the first major residential project on the island since around 2000.
According to local tradition, anyone actually born on the island is known as a "clam digger". A City Island resident not born on the island is known as a "mussel sucker".
Demographics
For census purposes, the New York City government classifies City Island as part of a larger neighborhood tabulation area called Pelham Bay-Country Club-City Island. As of the 2020 Census, the island had a population of 4,417.Based on data from the 2010 United States census, the population of Pelham Bay-Country Club-City Island was 26,583, a decrease of 557 from the 27,140 counted in 2000. Covering an area of, the neighborhood had a population density of. The racial makeup of the Pelham Bay-Country Club-City Island neighborhood was 62.0% White, 2.9% African American, 0.1% Native American, 3.6% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 0.4% from other races, and 0.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 29.9% of the population.
The entirety of Community District 10, which comprises City Island, Co-op City, Country Club, Pelham Bay, Schuylerville,
Throgs Neck and Westchester Square, had 121,868 inhabitants as of NYC Health's 2018 Community Health Profile, with an average life expectancy of 81.1 years. This is about the same as the median life expectancy of 81.2 for all New York City neighborhoods. Most inhabitants are youth and middle-aged adults: 20% are between the ages of between 0–17, 26% between 25 and 44, and 27% between 45 and 64. The ratio of college-aged and elderly residents was lower, at 9% and 18% respectively.
As of 2017, the median household income in Community District 10 was $59,522. In 2018, an estimated 14% residents of Community District 10 lived in poverty, compared to 25% in all of the Bronx and 20% in all of New York City. One in eleven residents were unemployed, compared to 13% in the Bronx and 9% in New York City. Rent burden, or the percentage of residents who have difficulty paying their rent, is 45% in Community District 10, compared to the boroughwide and citywide rates of 58% and 51% respectively. Based on this calculation, as of 2018, Community District 10 is considered high-income relative to the rest of the city and not gentrifying.
Land use
Most businesses are clustered along the central City Island Avenue. There is one small supermarket, a gas station, a bank, a hardware store and a variety of other small shops. The island is most famous for its numerous seafood restaurants and antique stores, which line both sides of the avenue.At the southernmost section of City Island is Belden Point, named for William Belden, a developer who opened an amusement park and resort in the area in 1887. In the early part of the 20th century, the area was a favored recreation location for business tycoons including Vincent Astor, J.P. Morgan and William Randolph Hearst. Today, Belden Point is home to a number of popular seafood restaurants. A new public greenspace was dedicated in 2016 at its waterfront tip.
In 1960 City Island became the last community in New York City to get dial telephone service. Until then eight operators in a private home on Schofield Street connected all calls. The dial exchange began as Area Code 212-TT5. Now Area Code 718–885.
Geology
City Island was created by glacial deposits at the end of the last ice age. There is a layer of bedrock and then a thick layer of red clay topped with sand, with topsoil above that. The southern end has deposits of rare blue clay. The area is strewn with glacial erratic boulders. Local bedrock is Manhattan schist with glacial striations.Endemic wildlife
The forms of animal life on the island are not much different from that of the surrounding region, and are typical of a suburban environment: raccoons, squirrels, rabbits, skunk, and occasional deer. Coyotes and turkeys have also been sighted.The real diversity of wildlife on and around City Island is among birds, especially aquatic species. There are many varieties of duck; buffleheads, goldeneyes, mallards, and cormorants. Canada geese are common, as are mute swans, great blue herons, great white egrets, and several types of gull. A small protected wetlands area on west Ditmars Street is home to many of these species as well as the feral pigeon.
Bright green parrots, originally imported from South America as pets, have adapted to the climate and breed in the wild in New York. They are a common sight on City Island and in nearby Pelham Bay Park. Rafters of wild turkeys also are often seen in the park. Deer are occasionally seen on the island, although more commonly in Pelham Bay Park. Another, nonnative species of the island is the brown or De Kay's snake, which has adapted to life among the island's growing community.
Activities
Local points of interest
The island is famous for its seafood restaurants; lobster is a popular specialty. While a few of the restaurants close during the winter months, most are open year-round.The City Island Nautical Museum displays maritime artifacts and antiques. It is located at 190 Fordham Street and is open only on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. Admission is eight dollars, and there is a small gift shop. The museum is located in the PS17 building, a historic school building built in 1897 before the City Island Bridge.
The island has landmarks, such as the Samuel Pell Mansion on City Island Avenue, near St. Mary Star of the Sea Church. It is where Arsenic and Old Lace was filmed for TV in 1969. There are a number of old Victorian mansions located throughout City Island, mostly on the Sound side, complete with tall pointy spires and gables with gazebos, such as Delmours Point on Tier Street.
The City Island Theater Group, a local community theater established in 1999, produces shows year round.
Boating
The island has three yacht clubs situated on the Eastchester Bay side of the island. They are, from north to south, the Harlem Yacht Club, the City Island Yacht Club, and the Morris Yacht and Beach Club. The Touring Kayak Club is on the west side of the island. Barron's Boatyard, the North Minneford Yacht Club and the South Minneford Yacht Club are on the east side of the island. There are two active sail lofts. The island also has several commercial marinas.The island has what are called "special anchorages" where boats of all sizes are freely moored or anchored, and there are many docks with boat slips for mooring boats in a secure and restricted way. There are also many large piers around the island that can receive large ships.
The island is home to the Columbia University Sailing Team, whose fleet of dinghies is docked at City Island Yacht Club. The team comes from Manhattan four times a week to practice off the western shore of City Island. Fordham University's Sailing Team sails out of Morris Yacht and Beach Club. Many of the boats which competed and won in the America's Cup in years past were built in the Nevins Boat Yard on City Island. The Eastchester Bay Yacht Racing Association is the major organizer for sailboat races in the area.
A small fleet of head boats takes paying passengers on fishing trips to Long Island Sound. Smaller boats are also available for rent by the day. The sail and power boating industry has been declining in recent years, as boatyards are being sold and being converted into condominiums. Abandoned boats sometimes wash up around City Island and Pelham Bay, in part due to the high cost of maintaining a boat.