Rockaway, Queens

{{short description|Neighborhoods in New York City}} {{other uses|Rockaway (disambiguation)}} {{Use American English|date=January 2025}} {{Use mdy dates|date=August 2024}} {{stack begin}} {{Infobox settlement | name = Rockaway | settlement_type = [[List of neighborhoods in Queens|Neighborhoods of Queens]] | image_skyline = Rockaway Boardwalk jeh.JPG | image_alt = | image_caption = The [[Rockaway Boardwalk]], a visitor attraction on the peninsula | image =  | image_flag = Flag of Rockaway, Queens, New York.gif | nickname = | motto = {{force singular}} {{native phrase|la|"Populis ad Littus"|italics=off}}<br />"The People's Beach" | anthem = | image_map = {{maplink|frame=y|plain=y|frame-align=center|frame-lat=40.68|frame-long=-73.975|zoom=9|type=shape|from=Neighbourhoods/New York City/Rockaway.map}} | map_alt = | map_caption = Location within New York City

| subdivision_type = Country | subdivision_name = {{flag|United States}} | subdivision_type1 = [[U.S. state|State]] | subdivision_name1 = {{flag|New York}} | subdivision_type2 = [[List of cities in New York|City]] | subdivision_name2 = {{flag|New York City}} | subdivision_type3 = [[List of counties in New York|County]]/[[Borough (New York City)|Borough]] | subdivision_name3 = {{Flagicon image|Flag of Queens County, New York.svg}} [[Queens]] | subdivision_type4 = [[Community boards of Queens|Community District]] | subdivision_name4 = [[Queens Community Board 14|Queens 14]]<ref name="NYCPlanning">{{cite web|title=NYC Planning {{!}} Community Profiles|url=https://communityprofiles.planning.nyc.gov/queens/14|website=communityprofiles.planning.nyc.gov|publisher=New York City Department of City Planning|access-date=April 7, 2018|archive-date=June 22, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190622142759/https://communityprofiles.planning.nyc.gov/queens/14|url-status=live}}</ref>  | established_title =  | established_date = | established_title1 =  | established_date1 = | founder = | named_for = Corruption of original [[Lenape language]] name  | population_footnotes =  | population_total = | population_as_of = | population_est = 124,185 | pop_est_as_of = 2020 | population_density_km2 =  | population_demonym =  | population_note =  | timezone = [[Eastern Time Zone|EST]] | utc_offset = −5 | timezone_DST = [[Eastern Daylight Time|EDT]] | utc_offset_DST = −4 | postal_code_type = [[ZIP Code]]s | postal_code = 116xx | area_code_type = [[Telephone numbering plan|Area code]]s | area_code = [[Area codes 718, 347, and 929|718, 347, 929]], and [[Area code 917|917]] }} {{stack end}} The '''Rockaway Peninsula''', commonly referred to as '''The Rockaways''' or '''Rockaway''', is a [[peninsula]] at the southern edge of the [[New York City]] [[borough (New York City)|borough]] of [[Queens]] on [[Long Island]], [[New York (state)|New York]]. Relatively isolated from [[Manhattan]] and other more urban parts of the city, Rockaway became a popular summer retreat in the 1830s. It has since become a mixture of lower, middle, and upper-class neighborhoods. In the 2010s, it became one of the city's most quickly gentrifying areas.

The peninsula is divided into nine neighborhoods or sections, with Riis Park in between two of such sections. From east to west, they are: *[[Far Rockaway, Queens|Far Rockaway]], from the [[Nassau County, New York|Nassau County]] line to Beach 32nd Street *[[Bayswater, Queens|Bayswater]], located to the northeast of Far Rockaway, along the southeastern shore of Jamaica Bay *[[Edgemere, Queens|Edgemere]], from Beach 32nd Street to Beach 56th Street *[[Arverne, Queens|Arverne]], from Beach 56th Street to Beach 77th Street *[[Rockaway Beach, Queens|Rockaway Beach]], from 77th Street to Beach 97th Street *[[Rockaway Park, Queens|Rockaway Park]], from Beach 98th Street to Beach 126th Street *[[Belle Harbor, Queens|Belle Harbor]], from Beach 126th Street to Beach 141st Street *[[Neponsit, Queens|Neponsit]], Beach 141st Street to Beach 149th Street *[[Jacob Riis Park|Riis Park]], Beach 149th Street to Beach 169th Street *[[Breezy Point, Queens|Breezy Point]], from Beach 169th to the western tip; this includes the smaller areas of Roxbury and Rockaway Point, as well as [[Fort Tilden]]<ref name="lucev2007">{{Cite book |title=The Rockaways |last=Lucev |first=Emil |publisher=Arcadia Publishing |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-7385-4990-3 |location=Charleston, South Carolina}}</ref>

The peninsula is part of [[Queens Community Board 14|Queens Community District 14]]<ref name="NYCPlanning"/> and is patrolled by the 100th and 101st Precincts of the [[New York City Police Department]].<ref name="NYPD 100th Precinct"/><ref name="NYPD 101st Precinct"/> As of 2020, the peninsula's total population is estimated to be 124,185.<ref>Office of the New York State Comptroller, [https://www.osc.ny.gov/files/reports/osdc/pdf/report-7-2023.pdf "An Economic and Demographic Snapshot of The Rockaways"], Report 7-2023, September 2022.</ref> All [[ZIP Code]]s in Rockaway begin with the three digits 116 and the central [[United States Postal Service|post office]] is in [[Far Rockaway, Queens|Far Rockaway]].

== Etymology == The name "Rockaway" may have meant "place of sands" in the [[Munsee language]] of the Native American [[Lenape]] who occupied this area at the time of European contact in the early 17th century. Other spellings include Requarkie, Rechouwakie, Rechaweygh, Rechquaakie and Reckowacky, transliterated in Dutch and English by early colonists.<ref name="toponym" group="note">See [[Metoac#Exonyms]] and [[Toponymy of New Netherland]].</ref> The indigenous inhabitants of the Rockaways were the [[Canarsie]] Native Americans, a band of [[Lenape]], whose name was associated with the geography. The name Reckowacky was used to distinguish the Rockaway village from other [[Mohegan people|Mohegan]] villages; "Reckowacky" means "lonely place", or "place of waters bright". This area was mistakenly documented as occupied by a band of [[Mohawk people]] in a 1934 source; this [[Iroquoian language|Iroquoian-speaking]] tribe primarily occupied the Mohawk River valley in central New York, north and west of the Hudson River and Long Island.<ref>"Rockaway, The Playground of New York", ''Annual yearbook of the Rockaways'', June 1934</ref>

Other interpretations of the peninsula's indigenous name have also been proposed. One possible interpretation is "Reckonwacky", which translates to "the place of our own people", while another is "Reckanawahaha", which translates to "the place of laughing waters". Other phrases, such as "lekau" (sand) "lechauwaak" (fork or branch), also referred to the area's geography.<ref name="Rockaway Beach Boardwalk : NYC Parks">{{cite web|title=Rockaway Boardwalk Highlights|url=https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/rockaway-beach-and-boardwalk/highlights/7721|access-date=August 27, 2020|publisher=[[New York City Department of Parks and Recreation]]|archive-date=August 7, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200807160928/https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/rockaway-beach-and-boardwalk/highlights/7721|url-status=live}}</ref>

==History==

===Early history=== In September 1609, [[Henry Hudson]] and his crew were the first Europeans recorded as seeing the area of [[the Rockaways]] and [[Jamaica Bay]].<ref name="rockawave2">* [http://www.rockawave.com/common/History/History.html "Rockaway... 'place of waters bright'"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061127222828/http://www.rockawave.com/common/history/history.html|date=November 27, 2006}}, rockawave.com. Accessed March 16, 2015. * [http://www.rockawaymemories.com/Georges%20FarRockaway%20History.htm "The Dean Georges Collection: Far Rockaway, Edgemer, Arverne"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121223014102/http://www.rockawaymemories.com/Georges%20FarRockaway%20History.htm|date=December 23, 2012}}. Rockaway Memories. Accessed March 16, 2015.</ref> Hudson was attempting to find the [[Northwest Passage]]. On September 11, Hudson sailed into the [[Upper New York Bay]],<ref>[http://blog.insidetheapple.net/2008/09/new-yorks-many-911-anniversaries-staten.html Nevius, Michelle and James, "New York's many 9/11 anniversaries: the Staten Island Peace Conference"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110812151054/http://blog.insidetheapple.net/2008/09/new-yorks-many-911-anniversaries-staten.html |date=August 12, 2011 }}, ''Inside the Apple: A Streetwise History of New York City'', September 8, 2008. Accessed May 31, 2009.</ref> and the following day began a journey up what is now called the [[Hudson River]] in his honor.[[File:NY Rockaway Marine Parkway Bridge IMG 1976 with Breezy Point Tip.JPG|thumb|right|Aerial view of the Rockaway Peninsula (looking west)]]

By 1639, the Mohegan tribe sold most of the Rockaways to the [[Dutch West India Company]].<ref>[http://www.militaryhistoryonline.com/indianwars/articles/kieftswar.aspx Governor Kieft's Personal War] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190117030352/https://www.militaryhistoryonline.com/indianwars/articles/kieftswar.aspx |date=January 17, 2019 }}, Retrieved November 28, 2006.</ref> In 1664, the English defeated the Dutch colony and took over their lands in present-day New York.<ref group="note">See [[New Amsterdam]]</ref><ref>Henry L. Schoolcraft, "The Capture of New Amsterdam", ''English Historical Review'' (1907). Vol. 22 #88, pp 674–693 [https://www.jstor.org/stable/550138 in JSTOR] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200807214545/https://www.jstor.org/stable/550138 |date=August 7, 2020 }}</ref> In 1685, the band chief, ''Tackapoucha'', and the English governor of the province agreed to sell the Rockaways to a Captain Palmer for 31 pounds sterling.<ref name="rockawave2"/><ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20120206010852/http://www.matinecock.org/portal/desktopdefault.aspx?tabindex=2&tabid=23&item=9 Matinecock Masonic Historical Society: History]}}, Retrieved November 28, 2006</ref> The Rockaway Peninsula was originally designated as part of the [[Hempstead (town), New York|Town of Hempstead]], then a part of [[Queens]] County. Palmer and the Town of Hempstead disputed over who owned Rockaway, so in 1687 he sold the land to [[Richard Cornell]], an iron master from [[Flushing, Queens|Flushing]].<ref name="rockawave2" /><ref name="wave history">{{cite web|title=Rockaway..."place of waters bright"|url=http://www.rockawave.com/common/history/history.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061127222828/http://www.rockawave.com/common/history/history.html|archive-date=November 27, 2006|access-date=October 19, 2008|work=[[Wave of Long Island|The Wave]]}}</ref> Cornell and his family lived on a [[Homestead (buildings)|homestead]] on what is now Central Avenue, near the shore of the [[Atlantic Ocean]]. At his death, Cornell was buried in a small family cemetery, [[Cornell Cemetery]].<ref name="rockawave2" />

=== 19th century ===

The Cornell property was split into 46 lots in 1808 following a partition lawsuit.<ref name="Rockaway Beach Boardwalk : NYC Parks" /><ref name="bellot">{{cite web|first=Alfred H.|last=Bellot|year=1918|title=History of the Rockaways 1685-1917|url=https://archive.org/details/BellotsHistoryOfTheRockaways1917/page/n105/mode/2up?q=boardwalk|access-date=August 26, 2020}}</ref>{{Rp|20}} Several wealthy New Yorkers created the Rockaway Association, which brought many of the lots and started developing resorts in the area in 1833.<ref name="Rockaway Beach Boardwalk : NYC Parks" /><ref name="bellot"/>{{rp|83–84}} Rockaway became a popular area for seaside hotels starting in the 1830s, with the first resort being founded at Far Rockaway in 1835.<ref name="bde19130803">{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/58136651/|title=The Rockaways, The City's Greatest Summer Resort|date=August 3, 1912|work=Brooklyn Daily Eagle|access-date=August 27, 2020|page=6|via=Brooklyn Public Library; newspapers.com {{open access}}|archive-date=August 14, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220814144905/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/58136651/the-rockaways-the-citys-greatest/|url-status=live}}</ref>

In the 19th century, people traveled to the Rockaways by horse-drawn carriages or on horseback. A [[ferry]] powered by steam sailed from [[Lower Manhattan]] to [[Brooklyn]].<ref name="rockawave2" /> The peninsula's popularity grew in the 1880s with the construction of the [[Long Island Rail Road]]'s [[Rockaway Beach Branch]] to [[Long Island City (LIRR station)|Long Island City]] and Flatbush Terminal (now [[Atlantic Terminal]]), which facilitated population growth.<ref name="Citycyclopedia">{{cite encnyc|page=120}}</ref>

In 1878, the eastern community of [[Bayswater, Queens|Bayswater]] was laid out. One of Bayswater's early developers was [[William Trist Bailey]], who had purchased the property.<ref>[http://www.rootsweb.com/~nynassa2/rockaways.htm The Rockaways] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070110003136/http://www.rootsweb.com/~nynassa2/rockaways.htm |date=January 10, 2007 }}. Accessed October 2, 2007. "The Bayswater section was laid out about 1878 by William Trist Bailey, who purchased the property from J.B. and W. W. Cornell. The first Rockaway hunt with hounds started from this spot and the first yacht club was erected there."</ref> In 1893, much of [[Hog Island (New York)|Hog Island]], a small sandbar island off the coast of Far Rockaway washed away in a hurricane.<ref>[http://www.nypress.com/print.cfm?content_id=13427 The Big One] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081019203754/http://www.nypress.com/print.cfm?content_id=13427 |date=October 19, 2008 }}, ''New York Press'', Retrieved October 18, 2008. "In the years after the Civil War, developers built saloons and bathhouses, and Hog Island became a sort of 1890s version of the Hamptons. During the summers, the city's Democratic bosses used Hog Island as a kind of outdoor annex of Tammany Hall."</ref> The remainder of the island eroded by 1902. Plates, along with older artifacts, still wash up along the shore of Rockaway Beach.<ref>[http://www.nypress.com/print.cfm?content_id=13427 The Big One] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081019203754/http://www.nypress.com/print.cfm?content_id=13427 |date=October 19, 2008 }}, ''New York Press'', Retrieved October 18, 2008. "In the dredged-up sand, Coch's students found hundreds of artifacts—plates, whiskey bottles, teapots, beer mugs, lumps of coal and, what proved to be the most telling clue of all, an old hurricane lamp."</ref><ref name="NYT">{{Cite news|last=Onishi|first=Norimitsu|date=March 18, 1997|title=Queens Spit Tried to Be a Resort but Sank in a Hurricane|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/03/18/nyregion/queens-spit-tried-to-be-a-resort-but-sank-in-a-hurricane.html|access-date=July 4, 2020|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=November 7, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201107131719/https://www.nytimes.com/1997/03/18/nyregion/queens-spit-tried-to-be-a-resort-but-sank-in-a-hurricane.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Rockaway - 'You're one of them air bunco men, b' jing' (Jimmy Swinnerton).jpg|thumb|1899 cartoon by [[Jimmy Swinnerton]] shows [[Father Knickerbocker]] pulling Rockaway into New York City]] The Rockaway Peninsula was originally part of the [[Hempstead (town), New York|Town of Hempstead]], then a part of [[Queens]] County. In 1897, the central peninsular towns of Hammels (named after a local landowner, Louis Hammels)<ref name="Citycyclopedia"/> and Hollands merged, and were incorporated as the [[Rockaway Beach, Queens|Village of Rockaway Beach]]. Rockaway split from the Town of Hempstead and along with the three western Queens townships of [[Jamaica, Queens|Jamaica]], [[Flushing, Queens|Flushing]] and [[Elmhurst, Queens|Newtown]] plus [[Long Island City]], formed the new borough of Queens, which was consolidated into Greater New York City in 1898 <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bklyn-genealogy-info.com/Map/5.Bor.Q.Rich.html |title=Before the Five-Borough City: Queens |access-date=January 27, 2011 |archive-date=March 14, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120314044721/http://www.bklyn-genealogy-info.com/Map/5.Bor.Q.Rich.html |url-status=live }} This map shows the boundaries of the former towns and the former city within the present Borough of Queens.</ref> (the remainder of Hempstead Town, plus the two other eastern Queens townships of [[North Hempstead, New York|North Hempstead]] and [[Oyster Bay (town), New York|Oyster Bay]] did not become part of the borough and ultimately split from Queens with the formation of neighboring [[Nassau County, New York|Nassau County]] in 1899). The village of Rockaway Park became incorporated into the [[City of Greater New York]] on January 1, 1898.

===Early 20th century=== [[File:Broad Channel, Queens in 1915.jpg|thumb|Broad Channel, Queens in 1915]]

In the early 1900s, a new railroad station opened up the community and the rest of the peninsula to a broad range of the population. The wealthy no longer had a monopoly on the peninsula, and various amusement parks, stores, and resort hotels attracted people from all over the city to spend a day or a whole summer there. Much of the area was developed by [[James S. Remsen]] and [[William Wainwright (land developer)|William Wainwright]]. In this era, it became known as "New York's Playground". Around this time, [[Breezy Point, Queens|Breezy Point]] in the Rockaways began as a neighborhood of summer beach [[bungalow]]s; this kind of house became the most popular type of housing during the summer months. Even today, some of these remain, converted to provide modern amenities, although the vast majority were razed in urban renewal during the 1960s.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Herszenhorn|first=David M.|date=June 18, 2001|title=The Census - A Region of Enclaves: Breezy Point, Queens; Bounded by Gates, Over a Toll Bridge|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/06/18/nyregion/census-region-enclaves-breezy-point-queens-bounded-gates-over-toll-bridge.html|access-date=July 4, 2020|issn=0362-4331|quote=The neighborhood, started in the early 1900s as a summer bungalow community and called the Irish Riviera...|archive-date=July 4, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200704233553/https://www.nytimes.com/2001/06/18/nyregion/census-region-enclaves-breezy-point-queens-bounded-gates-over-toll-bridge.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 1900, a New York State judge ordered that the land west of Rockaway Park be put up for auction. [[Belle Harbor, Queens|Belle Harbor]] and adjacent [[Neponsit, Queens|Neponsit]] were bought by Edward P. Hatch, who sold it to the West Rockaway Land Company in 1907.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Seyfried|first1=Vincent|first2=William|last2=Asadorian|title=Old Rockaway, New York, in Early Photographs|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SZ8QlXHxPR0C&pg=RA2-PA93|access-date=January 27, 2012|year=1999|publisher=Dover Publications|location=Mineola, NY|isbn=0-486-40668-7|page=93}}</ref> Residential lots in Belle Harbor were auctioned off in 1915.<ref>{{Cite news|date=July 11, 1915|title=Belle Harbor Sale; Nearly 700 Lots with Big Ocean Frontage Announced for Auction.|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1915/07/11/archives/belle-harbor-sale-nearly-700-lots-with-big-ocean-frontage-announced.html|access-date=July 13, 2020|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=July 16, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200716061245/https://www.nytimes.com/1915/07/11/archives/belle-harbor-sale-nearly-700-lots-with-big-ocean-frontage-announced.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Belle Harbor was named by the president of the West Rockaway Land Company, [[Frederick J. Lancaster]], who had earlier developed the Rockaway neighborhood of [[Edgemere, Queens|Edgemere]].<ref>[http://www.queenstribune.com/guides/2005_PatchworkOfCultures/pages/QueensTimeline.htm "A Queens Timeline"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071109203348/http://queenstribune.com/guides/2005_PatchworkOfCultures/pages/QueensTimeline.htm |date=November 9, 2007 }}, ''[[Queens Tribune]]''; accessed December 14, 2006</ref> In 1905, before Lancaster acquired the land, a group of men wishing to form a yacht club entered into a grant agreement with the West Rockaway Land Company. The group, which had named itself the Belle Harbor Yacht Club, bought property from the company for $4,000. The agreement included 200 square feet of land and thirty plots of upland. That same year, the group received corporation status from the [[New York (state)|State of New York]] and by 1908 began participating in its first interclub ocean races with some of the city's other yacht clubs.<ref>[http://www.thebhyc.com/index/Club_History "Club History", ''Belle Harbor Yacht Club''; accessed January 28, 2012] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120416032848/http://www.thebhyc.com/index/Club_History |date=April 16, 2012 }}</ref> A new street system, based on numbered streets with the prefix "Beach", was laid out for the Rockaways in 1912 to help development.<ref>{{Cite news|date=July 7, 1912|title=New Street System for Rockaway; Thousands of Acres to be Opened Up for Immediate Development.|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1912/07/07/archives/new-street-system-for-rockaway-thousands-of-acres-to-be-opened-up.html|access-date=July 13, 2020|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=July 14, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200714031504/https://www.nytimes.com/1912/07/07/archives/new-street-system-for-rockaway-thousands-of-acres-to-be-opened-up.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

The central-peninsula neighborhood of [[Hammels, Queens|Hammels]], along with the eastern communities of [[Arverne, Queens|Arverne]] and [[Far Rockaway, Queens|Far Rockaway]], tried to secede from the city several times, complaining that consolidation had brought high taxes and poor services.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Will Rockaways Benefit by Seceding from the City? - Newspapers.com |url=http://bklyn.newspapers.com/clip/65597215/will-rockaways-benefit-by-seceding-from/ |access-date=March 20, 2022 |newspaper=The Brooklyn Daily Eagle |date=April 25, 1915 |page=61 |language=en |archive-date=April 26, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220426035157/https://bklyn.newspapers.com/clip/65597215/will-rockaways-benefit-by-seceding-from/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In 1915 and 1917, a bill approving the secession passed in the legislature but was vetoed by then-Mayor [[John Purroy Mitchel]].<ref>{{cite journal|website=Rootsweb.com|url=http://www.rootsweb.com/~nynassa2/rockaways.htm|title=The Rockaways|access-date=December 6, 2006|archive-date=January 10, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070110003136/http://www.rootsweb.com/~nynassa2/rockaways.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>

Rockaway's famous amusement park, [[Rockaways' Playland]], was built in 1901 and quickly became a major attraction for people around the region. With its growing popularity, concern over swimming etiquette became a problem and early in 1904, the Captain of the [[NYPD]], Louis Kreuscher, issued rules for those using the beach, censoring the bathing suits to be worn, where photographs could be taken, and specifying that women in bathing suits were not allowed to leave the beachfront.<ref>{{cite news|journal=[[New York Times]]|date= May 16, 1904| page =9 |title=A Summer Girl Edit}}</ref> The park was grand for its time. One of its most popular attractions, the Atom Smasher roller coaster, would be featured at the beginning of ''[[This is Cinerama]]'', a pre-[[IMAX]] type movie, in 1952.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://themeparks.about.com/b/a/249690.htm |title=Theme Parks |website=About.com |access-date=December 7, 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060319160800/http://themeparks.about.com/b/a/249690.htm |archive-date=March 19, 2006 }}</ref> An [[Olympic-size swimming pool]] and a million-dollar midway also were built within the amusement park; they would serve the community for more than 80 years.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.rockawave.com/common/history/history.html|title=Rockaway...'place of waters bright'|journal=[[Wave of Long Island|The Wave]]|access-date=December 6, 2006|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061127222828/http://www.rockawave.com/common/history/history.html|archive-date=November 27, 2006}}</ref> It was a popular place for New York families until 1985, when insurance costs and competition from major regional parks made it impossible to continue operations.<ref name="wave history"/>

[[Arverne, Queens|Arverne]] became well known as a beachfront community with inexpensive summer bungalows, and hotels of varying levels of expense and luxury as well as amusements and [[boardwalk (entertainment district)|boardwalk]] concessions, and it also attracted a year-round residential community. One grandiose plan for the community included a canal running through the neighborhood, reminiscent of the [[Amstel]] canal in [[Amsterdam]], the [[Netherlands]]. The canal was never built; its right-of-way became Amstel Boulevard, which, except for a stub west of Beach 71st Street, was later incorporated into [[Beach Channel Drive]].

The first [[transatlantic flight]] departed from Neponsit on the Rockaway Peninsula. On May 8, 1919, four United States Navy Curtis-model seaplanes took off from what is now [[Beach Channel Drive]] to [[Newfoundland, Canada]], the [[Azores Islands]], and [[Lisbon]], Portugal. Finally, on May 31, 1919, one of the planes, piloted by Lt. Commander Albert C. Read, arrived in [[Plymouth, England]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nycgovparks.org/sub_your_park/historical_signs/hs_historical_sign.php?id=8747|title=Neponsit Malls|work=[[New York City Department of Parks & Recreation]]|access-date=August 7, 2010|archive-date=September 26, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070926223356/http://www.nycgovparks.org/sub_your_park/historical_signs/hs_historical_sign.php?id=8747|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Robert Moses era=== [[File:Marine Parkway Bridge.JPG|thumb|[[Marine Parkway–Gil Hodges Memorial Bridge]] as seen from Rockaway]] [[File:Peninsula QPL Rock Beach jeh.jpg|thumb|A [[Queens Public Library]] branch on the peninsula]]

In the 1930s, [[Robert Moses]] came to power as [[New York City Department of Parks and Recreation|New York City's Parks Commissioner]] and his extensive road and transportation projects were both a benefit and a disaster for the neighborhood. As commissioner, Moses ordered the construction of the [[Marine Parkway-Gil Hodges Memorial Bridge|Marine Parkway Bridge]] and the [[Cross Bay Veterans Memorial Bridge]]. The bridges were completed in 1937 and 1939 respectively. The Marine Parkway Bridge was built farther west on the peninsula between [[Jacob Riis Park]] and [[Breezy Point, Queens|Breezy Point]] linking the isolated communities to Brooklyn. The Cross Bay Bridge landed in the middle of the neighborhood of Rockaway Beach.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nycroads.com/crossings/cross-bay/|title=Cross Bay Veterans Memorial Bridge, Historical Overview|access-date=September 18, 2014|archive-date=August 14, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220814150707/http://www.nycroads.com/crossings/cross-bay/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nycroads.com/crossings/marine-pkwy/|title=Marine Parkway-Gil Hodges Memorial Bridge, Historical Overview|access-date=September 18, 2014|archive-date=October 13, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141013133021/http://www.nycroads.com/crossings/marine-pkwy/|url-status=live}}</ref> The construction of the two bridges started to transform the neighborhood and the rest of the peninsula into a more year-round residential area or [[commuter town]], as people had a more convenient way to travel to and from work. The conversion of the [[Rockaway Beach Branch|Rockaway Beach]] LIRR branch to the [[IND Rockaway Line|Rockaway]] subway line also brought an increase to Rockaway's permanent residents.{{citation needed|date=June 2020}} [[Robert Caro]], who wrote ''[[The Power Broker]]: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York'', stated "Why did the Rockaways end up with so much government-financed housing? Largely because Robert Moses wanted it there."<ref>{{Cite news|last=Mahler|first=Jonathan|date=December 3, 2012|title=How the Coastline Became a Place to Put the Poor|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/04/nyregion/how-new-york-citys-coastline-became-home-to-the-poor.html|access-date=June 10, 2020|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=May 30, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200530150555/https://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/04/nyregion/how-new-york-citys-coastline-became-home-to-the-poor.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

Although the bridges were intended to improve the Rockaways, Moses' other projects both directly and indirectly hurt the community. One such failed project was the planned construction of the [[Shore Front Parkway]] in the 1950s and 1960s. Wanting to connect [[Staten Island]] to [[the Hamptons]], Moses focused on making a highway through the Rockaway Peninsula. His idea was to connect the Marine Parkway Bridge with the [[Atlantic Beach Bridge]], which connected the Rockaway Peninsula to [[Nassau County, New York|Nassau County]]. The plan would also provide an extension midway through to include the Cross Bay Bridge. Many feared that such an extensive project would do more harm to the peninsula than good and pointed to the community displacement that had happened in the [[South Bronx]] because of Moses' roadway construction<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nycroads.com/roads/shore-front-rockaways/|title=An Oceanfront Parkway for the Rockaways|website=NYCroads.com|access-date=December 6, 2006|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061113223903/http://www.nycroads.com/roads/shore-front-rockaways/|archive-date=November 13, 2006}}</ref> Even though Moses never got to make his highway, he did leave his mark. A piece of the planned parkway that ran west to east in the [[Rockaway Park, Queens|Rockaway Park]] and Rockaway Beach neighborhoods was constructed and opened in 1939. Houses were cut in half to build the four-lane street. Some of these houses are still standing today. The existing, still unfinished street is locally known as the "road from nowhere to nowhere" because it does not have any relevant connections to any other area or highway.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.rockawave.com/pictures/index.cfm?PicNum=1011&Mode=Rate&Displaysize=640&pubbanner=rockawave |title=Shore Front Parkway and Its Results |journal=The Wave |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928031501/http://www.rockawave.com/pictures/index.cfm?PicNum=1011&Mode=Rate&Displaysize=640&pubbanner=rockawave |archive-date=September 28, 2007 }}</ref>

Robert Moses' construction of other recreational areas and facilities, such as the [[New York Aquarium]] and [[Jones Beach State Park]], indirectly affected the neighborhood as well. These more modern recreational facilities lured tourists and beachgoers away from the peninsula. With fewer customers, businesses and hotels closed, and by the 1950s, the area had fallen into economic decline. The transition from a summer vacationing area to a full-time residential neighborhood had taken its toll.<ref name="nycp12218">{{cite web|url=http://www.nycgovparks.org/sub_your_park/historical_signs/hs_historical_sign.php?id=12218|title=Hammel Playground|access-date=September 18, 2014|archive-date=September 29, 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060929151639/http://www.nycgovparks.org/sub_your_park/historical_signs/hs_historical_sign.php?id=12218|url-status=live}}</ref>

After [[World War II]], several large [[public housing]] projects were built in the region as part of Moses' overall citywide neighborhood redevelopment plans, but these eventually became hotbeds of crime and related social pathologies.{{citation needed|date=June 2021}} This provoked a backlash from some of the peninsula's more established residents (many of whom are of [[Irish Catholic]] heritage). A strong Jewish community (most of whose members are [[Ashkenazi Jews]]) also exists in and around Far Rockaway. For example, the city constructed the Hammel Houses in [[Rockaway Beach, Queens|Rockaway Beach]], one of the many [[urban renewal]] efforts that dominated the community and much of its eastern neighbors in the last half of the 20th century. The [[New York City Housing Authority]] purchased the land in 1952 on the north side of the elevated track. In 1964, the Authority decided to demolish and rebuild the entire area and turn it into a park.<ref name="nycp12218"/>

With the advent of inexpensive travel, air-conditioning, [[John F. Kennedy International Airport]], and the [[Interstate Highway]] system, Rockaway lost its luster as a recreation area, and development transformed much of it into residential communities.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/03/11/realestate/city-opens-its-biggest-plot-in-arverne-to-development.html|title=City Opens Its Biggest Plot, in Arverne, to Development|last=Sherman|first=Mark|date=March 11, 1984|work=The New York Times|access-date=May 24, 2019|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=May 24, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190524030853/https://www.nytimes.com/1984/03/11/realestate/city-opens-its-biggest-plot-in-arverne-to-development.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1973/11/18/archives/city-offers-proposals-to-upgrade-rockaways-some-plans-fully-backed.html|title=City Offers Proposals To Upgrade Rockaways|date=November 18, 1973|work=The New York Times|access-date=May 24, 2019|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=May 24, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190524014520/https://www.nytimes.com/1973/11/18/archives/city-offers-proposals-to-upgrade-rockaways-some-plans-fully-backed.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 1960, Breezy Point was sold to the Atlantic Improvement State Corporation for $17 million; the residents of the 3,500-home community purchased half of the land for about $11 million and formed the Breezy Point Cooperative.<ref>[http://www.rockawave.com/common/history/history.html "Rockaway..."place of waters bright""] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061127222828/http://www.rockawave.com/common/history/history.html |date=November 27, 2006 }}</ref> The construction of apartment buildings commenced in the late 1960s and was halted by City ordinance.<ref>[https://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2011/11/documerica-images-of-america-in-crisis-in-the-1970s/100190/# Documerica 1973] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150106143815/http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2011/11/documerica-images-of-america-in-crisis-in-the-1970s/100190 |date=January 6, 2015 }}, The Atlantic Magazine</ref> At the same time, much of the housing in the area was converted into year-round housing for low-income residents, and some of the bungalows were used as public housing.<ref>{{cite web|title=Beach Bungalow Historic District|url=http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/feature/places/pdfs/13000499.pdf|work=National Register of Historic Places Registration Form|publisher=National Park Service|access-date=November 22, 2013|year=2013|archive-date=December 2, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131202234629/http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/feature/places/pdfs/13000499.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Wilson|first=Charles|title=The Subway-Accessible, Surf-Ready, Urban Beach Paradise|url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2012/03/18/magazine/far-rockaway.html|access-date=December 8, 2013|newspaper=New York Times Magazine|date=March 16, 2012|archive-date=July 19, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130719112230/http://www.nytimes.com//interactive//2012//03//18//magazine//far-rockaway.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In Arverne, the New York City Planning Commission approved the designation of a {{Convert|302|acre|ha|abbr=|adj=on}} Arverne renewal area in 1964.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1964/11/26/archives/arverne-area-for-renewal.html|title=Arverne Area for Renewal|date=November 26, 1964|work=The New York Times|access-date=May 24, 2019|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=May 24, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190524014525/https://www.nytimes.com/1964/11/26/archives/arverne-area-for-renewal.html|url-status=live}}</ref> However, for thirty years, the area went mostly undeveloped.<ref name="nyt2003">{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/07/realestate/in-rockaways-a-tide-is-coming-in.html?scp=1&sq=in%20rockaways%20a%20tide%20is%20coming|title=In Rockaways, a Tide Is Coming In|author=Steven Hevesi|date=December 7, 2003|work=The New York Times|access-date=February 2, 2015|archive-date=February 3, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150203064254/http://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/07/realestate/in-rockaways-a-tide-is-coming-in.html?scp=1&sq=in%20rockaways%20a%20tide%20is%20coming|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 1998, Broad Channel's [[Labor Day]] parade included a float that parodied the racially motivated dragging death of an African American man, [[James Byrd Jr.]] Entitled "Black to the Future - Broad Channel in 2098", the float carried white men wearing [[blackface]] and [[Afro]] wigs, including two city firefighters and a city police officer who were fired from their jobs after their participation came to light.<ref>[http://writ.news.findlaw.com/colb/20030716.html "The New York Racist Float Case: How the First Amendment Does - and Does Not - Protect Racist Cops and Firemen"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140810164719/http://writ.news.findlaw.com/colb/20030716.html |date=August 10, 2014 }}, [[FindLaw]], July 16, 2003.</ref> They sued the city for wrongful termination, and their claims were upheld in federal district court in 2003. Residents expressed support for and relief at the ruling, hoping that an end to the court battle would help to rehabilitate the image of the town.<ref>{{cite news |first=Corey |last=Kilgannon |title=Ruling in '98 Blackface Case Finds Favor in the Community |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/26/nyregion/ruling-in-98-blackface-case-finds-favor-in-the-community.html?ref=robert_steiner |work=[[New York Times]] |date=June 26, 2003 |access-date=August 29, 2010 |archive-date=October 29, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141029102340/http://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/26/nyregion/ruling-in-98-blackface-case-finds-favor-in-the-community.html?ref=robert_steiner |url-status=live }}</ref> The United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit reversed the ruling in 2006, holding that the firings could stand.<ref>{{cite news |first=Diane |last=Cardwell |title=Court Upholds City Firings Over Racial Insult at Parade |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/28/nyregion/28float.html?ref=robert_steiner |work=[[New York Times]] |date=April 28, 2006 |access-date=August 29, 2010 |archive-date=January 7, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160107162102/http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/28/nyregion/28float.html?ref=robert_steiner |url-status=live }}</ref>

After decades of grand redevelopment plans that fell through — for casinos, sports arenas, and other projects — planning began in 2002 for a large vacant section between Rockaway Beach and Arverne. By 2004,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/11/19/a-much-criticized-pocket-of-the-rockaways-built-to-survive-a-storm/|title=A Much Criticized Pocket of the Rockaways, Built to Survive a Storm|last=Kilgannon|first=Corey|date=November 19, 2012|website=City Room|language=en-US|access-date=February 19, 2019|archive-date=September 30, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190930155133/https://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/11/19/a-much-criticized-pocket-of-the-rockaways-built-to-survive-a-storm/|url-status=live}}</ref> people were moving into the first completed buildings of the Arverne-By-the-Sea<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.arvernebythesea.com/|title=Arverne by the Sea Website|access-date=September 18, 2014|archive-date=September 5, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140905232523/http://www.arvernebythesea.com/|url-status=live}}</ref> development. By 2012, the development included some 2,300 homes.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.arvernebythesea.com/rockaway-beach-becomes-hipster-hamptons/|title=4Rockaway Beach becomes 'Hipster Hamptons|date=August 13, 2012|newspaper=[[Newsday]]|access-date=October 15, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304045445/http://arvernebythesea.com/rockaway-beach-becomes-hipster-hamptons/|archive-date=March 4, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> That sparked nearby retail development.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.arvernebythesea.com/new-york-daily-news-top-10-neighborhoods-for-real-estate-investment/|title=4Top 10 neighborhoods for real estate investment|date=August 10, 2012|newspaper=[[New York Daily News]]|access-date=October 15, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120924074743/http://www.arvernebythesea.com/new-york-daily-news-top-10-neighborhoods-for-real-estate-investment/|archive-date=September 24, 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.arvernebythesea.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/11-10-06.pdf|title=Bloomberg's Big Day In Rockaway|date=November 10, 2006|newspaper=[[Wave of Long Island|The Wave]]|access-date=May 11, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141023063739/http://www.arvernebythesea.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/11-10-06.pdf|archive-date=October 23, 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> Far Rockaway Shopping Center, in downtown Far Rockaway between the [[Far Rockaway – Mott Avenue (IND Rockaway Line)|Far Rockaway subway station]], and the [[Far Rockaway (LIRR station)|Far Rockaway LIRR station]], got its first new store in decades.<ref>{{cite news |title=Rockaway Park Votes 'Go' On Rezoning |first=Miriam |last=Rosenberg |url=http://www.rockawave.com/news/2007-02-02/Front_Page/002.html |newspaper=[[Wave of Long Island|The Wave]] |date=February 2, 2007 |access-date=April 7, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110615162333/http://www.rockawave.com/news/2007-02-02/Front_Page/002.html |archive-date=June 15, 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Phase I of construction was completed in 2011; Phase II was begun in 2006.<ref name="nyc.gov">[http://www.nyc.gov/html/hpd/html/developers/large-scale-arverne.shtml Large-Scale Development: Arverne] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150203053208/http://www.nyc.gov/html/hpd/html/developers/large-scale-arverne.shtml|date=February 3, 2015}}, nyc.gov</ref>

Elsewhere, along the beach, zoning laws written decades ago for the hotel trade have allowed developers to build high-rises alongside the smaller old and new houses. In response, some communities have approved rezoning plans for their neighborhoods to stop "out of character" development.<ref>{{cite news |title=Renewed hope for barren Far Rockaway Shopping Center |first=Lisa|last=Colangelo|url=http://articles.nydailynews.com/2012-06-06/news/32084475_1_shopping-center-grand-opening-fitness-center |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130130094713/http://articles.nydailynews.com/2012-06-06/news/32084475_1_shopping-center-grand-opening-fitness-center |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 30, 2013 |newspaper=[[New York Daily News]] |date=June 6, 2012 |access-date=October 16, 2012}}</ref>

Opponents also contend that due to the rapidly growing population,<ref>{{cite news |title=Pop! Number of New Residents Surges |first=Brian |last=Magoolahan |url=http://www.rockawave.com/news/2007/0323/Front_Page/001.html |newspaper=[[Wave of Long Island|The Wave]] |date=March 23, 2007 |access-date=April 7, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928031608/http://www.rockawave.com/news/2007/0323/Front_Page/001.html |archive-date=September 28, 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref> the current infrastructure is inadequate and that there are environmental issues to consider. Those in favor of the development, however, contend that the development will help spur economic development and that the infrastructure cannot be upgraded until the population has reached a more noticeable level. Furthermore, some developers have questioned the legality of "down zoning".<ref>{{cite news |title=RB Downzone Debate Rages On |first=Miriam |last=Rosenberg |url=http://www.rockawave.com/news/2006/0714/Front_Page/003.html |newspaper=[[Wave of Long Island|The Wave]] |date=July 14, 2006 |access-date=April 7, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928031703/http://www.rockawave.com/news/2006/0714/Front_Page/003.html |archive-date=September 28, 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref> On August 14, 2008, however, a rezoning plan that limits the size of some buildings was approved by the [[New York City Council]] for five communities on the peninsula covering 280 blocks. The communities that were included are [[Rockaway Park]], [[Rockaway Beach, Queens|Rockaway Beach]], [[Somerville, Queens|Somerville]], [[Edgemere, Queens|Edgemere]], and [[Far Rockaway, Queens|Far Rockaway]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcp/html/rockaway_neigh/index.shtml |title=Rockaway Neighborhoods Rezoning |access-date=September 18, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141020011523/http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcp/html/rockaway_neigh/index.shtml |archive-date=October 20, 2014 }}</ref>

With more and more people moving to the city, the Rockaways become a destination for adventurous day trippers. The area appears in [[New York Magazine]]'s 2007 spring travel issue as a place for "male bonding" and to "scuba dive for sunken ships" via Sheepshead Bay's Jeanne II docks at Pier Five.<ref>"Spring Travel: Day Trips," ''New York'' magazine, April 23, 2007, p.74</ref> Today, the area still draws crowds during the summer with well-tended beaches. [[Jacob Riis Park]] and [[Fort Tilden]] are situated towards the western end of the peninsula, and are part of the [[Gateway National Recreational Area]], which was created in 1972 as one of the first urban national parks. The {{convert|5.5|mi}} long [[Rockaway Boardwalk]] and {{convert|170|acres|sqkm}} of sandy beaches, fully accessible by the subway, make this a popular summer day trip for New York City residents. Toward the western end of the boardwalk, several portions of the beach are fenced off to preserve the nesting habitat for several species of [[terns]] and [[plovers]], making for a unique urban [[birdwatching]] locale.

After 2010, there was a major resurgence in the Rockaways' popularity. Various media began reporting on artists such as [[Andrew VanWyngarden]], co-founder of popular psychedelic rock band [[MGMT]], purchasing homes on the beach.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://gothamist.com/2012/04/13/rockaways_report_mgmt_member_buys_a.php|title=Rockaways Hipsterfication Report: MGMT Buys A House, Beer Garden Looms|work=Gothamist|access-date=September 18, 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150227202250/http://gothamist.com/2012/04/13/rockaways_report_mgmt_member_buys_a.php|archive-date=February 27, 2015}}</ref> The peninsula was dubbed "[[Williamsburg, Brooklyn|Williamsburg]] on the Rockaways" because some surfers from there began to spend whole summers out in the Rockaways. A number of businesses that cater to them have become popular among these down for the day tourists.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://nymag.com/guides/summer/rockaway-taco-2011-6/ |first=Michael |last=Idov |journal=[[New York (magazine)|New York]] |access-date=October 17, 2012 |title=Williamsburg in the Rockaways |archive-date=November 8, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121108131943/http://nymag.com/guides/summer/rockaway-taco-2011-6/ |url-status=live }}</ref> There is even a summer shuttle bus which transports people from Williamsburg to the Rockaways.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.amny.com/urbanite-1.812039/rockaway-beach-is-the-hipster-hamptons-1.3902952|title=Rockaway Beach is the Hipster Hamptons|work=am New York|access-date=September 18, 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120818003518/http://www.amny.com/urbanite-1.812039/rockaway-beach-is-the-hipster-hamptons-1.3902952|archive-date=August 18, 2012}}</ref>

In February 2016, the Rockaway Peninsula was one of four neighborhoods featured in an article in ''[[The New York Times]]'' about "New York's Next Hot Neighborhoods".<ref name="hot">{{Cite news|last=Higgins|first=Michelle|date=February 26, 2016|title=New York's Next Hot Neighborhoods|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/28/realestate/new-yorks-next-hot-neighborhoods.html|access-date=July 4, 2020|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=September 29, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170929073223/https://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/28/realestate/new-yorks-next-hot-neighborhoods.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Disasters and events=== ====19th and 20th centuries==== [[File:Flight 587 NOAA Photo of Crash Site.jpg|thumb|left|Aftermath of the [[American Airlines Flight 587]] crash in 2001, from [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]] photo]] [[File:Stripped boardwalk RB Sandy jeh.jpg|thumb|left|Boardwalk stripped by [[Hurricane Sandy]] in 2012]]

Storms and fires damaged many of the attractions on the Rockaway Peninsula in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. On August 24, 1893, an intense storm, later classified as [[1893 New York hurricane|a hurricane]], destroyed [[Hog Island (New York)|Hog Island]], a mile-long island off the Rockaway coast that supported bath houses, restaurants and other leisure-time venues.<ref name="NYT"/> On January 3, 1914, a violent storm devastated the peninsula, and swept the 1,200-seat Arverne Pier Theater away to sea.<ref>''[[The Wave of Long Island]]'', January 10, 1914, p. 1</ref> On June 15, 1922, much of Arverne was leveled by a fire that left about 10,000 people homeless, although the neighborhood was quick to rebuild.<ref>{{Cite news|date=June 16, 1922|title=400 Buildings Burned at Arverne|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1922/06/16/archives/400-buildings-burned-at-arverne-10000-made-homeless-60-injured-loss.html|access-date=July 4, 2020|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=July 27, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180727151603/https://www.nytimes.com/1922/06/16/archives/400-buildings-burned-at-arverne-10000-made-homeless-60-injured-loss.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

On June 6, 1993, a ship called the ''[[Golden Venture]]'' beached near Fort Tilden on the western half of the Rockaway Peninsula. The ship contained 296 Chinese illegal immigrants, including 13 crew members. Ten people drowned trying to reach shore.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Stout|first=David|date=November 18, 1995|title=Suspected Organizer of Golden Venture Operation Is Arrested|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/11/18/nyregion/suspected-organizer-of-golden-venture-operation-is-arrested.html|access-date=July 4, 2020|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=July 4, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200704162515/https://www.nytimes.com/1995/11/18/nyregion/suspected-organizer-of-golden-venture-operation-is-arrested.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

====2001 disasters==== Over 70 Rockaway residents were killed in the [[September 11 attacks]] on the [[World Trade Center (1973–2001)|World Trade Center]] in 2001, including people who worked there and [[New York City Fire Department]] firefighters and EMS personnel dispatched to the location. The city later opened Tribute Park on Jamaica Bay north of the Beach 116th Street shopping area in [[Rockaway Park, Queens|Rockaway Park]], dedicating it to their memory. In the center of the park is a piece of twisted steel from the ruins of the trade center's Twin Towers. Solemn ceremonies are held at the park every September 11, including a reading of the names of all the locals who perished on that day.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Barnard|first=Anne|date=September 8, 2011|title=Hit Hard by 9/11, a Piece of Queens Struggles to Let Go|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/11/us/sept-11-reckoning/queens.html|access-date=July 4, 2020|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=July 2, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200702170436/https://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/11/us/sept-11-reckoning/queens.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

Almost exactly two months after 9/11, on November 12, 2001, [[American Airlines Flight 587]] crashed in Belle Harbor, killing 265 people: 260 aboard the aircraft and five on the ground. Many of the passengers on the plane were from the [[Dominican American|Dominican]] community in [[Washington Heights, Manhattan]].<ref name="AA587">"Plane Crash in Queens." ''[[Seconds From Disaster]]''. [documentary TV series]</ref> A temporary memorial was developed at the actual site of the disaster, on Newport Avenue. But after consultation with the families in the Belle Harbor and Washington Heights communities, a public memorial was erected at the south end of Beach 116th Street, a major shopping district and transportation hub in the area. Ceremonies commemorating the disaster are held at the memorial every November 12, including a reading of the names of all of those killed in the crash. In 2001, a resident told ''[[The Guardian]]'': "It's impossible to understand unless you live here ... Father Michael Geraghty, a priest quoted in the same article, said that it was common for people to live in the houses that their parents lived in and that many families lived in the same houses for generations. The neighborhood suffered heavy losses from the [[September 11 attacks|September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks]]."<ref name="FlightDeath">Younge, Gary. [https://www.theguardian.com/weekend/story/0,,1945114,00.html "Flight to the death: Just two months after 9/11, a Queens suburb suffered the second-worst plane crash in US history. Five years on, residents tell Gary Younge, the cause remains worryingly unresolved"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240207050427/https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2006/nov/11/weekend.garyyounge |date=February 7, 2024 }}, ''[[The Guardian]]'', November 11, 2006; accessed January 24, 2008. ''"On flight 587, myriad immigrant stories of hope foundered. On board was Hilda Yolanda Mayol, 26, a waitress who had escaped from the north tower of the World Trade Center and was heading to the Dominican Republic with her mother and children to take her mind off the trauma."''</ref> The impact of the 9/11 attacks and Flight 587 on the community was the subject of the book ''Braving the Waves: Rockaway Rises, and Rises Again'' by Kevin Boyle.<ref group=note>Boyle was also the publisher of the peninsula's newest newspaper, ''The Rockaway Times''. Boyle was the former editor of ''The Wave'', one of Rockaway's local newspapers and the oldest weekly newspaper in New York City.</ref> The book contained many personal accounts of Rockaway residents and is interspersed with descriptions of other disasters in the Rockaways.

====Hurricane Sandy==== In October 2012, Rockaway was devastated by [[Hurricane Sandy]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Rockaways Face Widespread Destruction: It Was Like Sitting 'In The Middle Of The Sea'|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/30/hurricane-sandy-rockaways_n_2046414.html|publisher=Huffington Post|access-date=November 3, 2012|date=October 30, 2012|first1=Lila|last1=Shapiro|first2=Saki|last2=Knafo|first3=Ben|last3=Hallman|archive-date=November 2, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121102230832/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/30/hurricane-sandy-rockaways_n_2046414.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Conlin|first=Michelle|title=Huge fire in Sandy's wake destroys New York City beach community|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2012/10/30/huge-fire-in-sandys-wake-destroys-new-york-city-beach-community/|publisher=Chicago Tribune|access-date=November 3, 2012|date=October 30, 2012|archive-date=March 4, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304044953/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-10-30/news/sns-rt-us-storm-sandy-firebre89u01t-20121030_1_huge-fire-fire-and-water-fire-department-spokesperson|url-status=live}}</ref> Many homes, especially in Breezy Point, were damaged or destroyed by high water, or by fires that raged beyond the capability of first responders to contain them. Residents lost everything in their basements, and hundreds of vehicles were ruined. One car caught fire when someone tried to start their vehicle, but residents put the fire out before official help arrived.<ref name="seattlepl">{{cite news|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/weather/2012/10/30/sandy-new-york-fire-floods/1668029/|title=At least 80 flooded houses destroyed by NYC fire|publisher=[[Associated Press]]|work=[[USA Today]]|access-date=November 24, 2015|date=October 30, 2012|first1=Larry|last1=Neumeister|archive-date=January 7, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160107162102/http://www.usatoday.com/story/weather/2012/10/30/sandy-new-york-fire-floods/1668029/|url-status=live}}</ref> On August 4, 2013, Senator [[Charles Schumer]] announced that the first phase of reconstruction on the beach, completed, would lay the groundwork for a second contract awarded later during the summer of 2013, totally paid for by the federal government through the [[Hurricane Sandy relief bill]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Project adds 600,000 cubic yards of sand to help Rockaway Beach |url=http://www.myfoxny.com/story/23042290/project-adds-600000-cubic-yards-of-sand-to-help-rockaway-beach#ixzz2b31S04CN |publisher=MyFoxNy |access-date=August 4, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130809020002/http://www.myfoxny.com/story/23042290/project-adds-600000-cubic-yards-of-sand-to-help-rockaway-beach#ixzz2b31S04CN |archive-date=August 9, 2013 }}</ref> [[File:SW edge of burnt district Breezy Sandy jeh.jpg|thumb|Breezy Point]]

During the storm, a fire spread between the closely spaced houses of Breezy Point, while firefighters' access to the area was greatly hampered by flooding. It destroyed 126 homes and damaged 22 more. Thousands of other houses were damaged by the flooding. Fires also wreaked havoc along several blocks of Beach 130th Street in Belle Harbor, and among storefronts along Rockaway Beach Blvd. near Beach 114th Street in Rockaway Park. Large portions of the [[Rockaway Boardwalk]] were swept away by the floodwaters, leaving only its supporting piers.<ref>{{cite web|last=Nessen|first=Stephen|title=The First Neighbors Return to Devastated Breezy Point|url=http://www.wnyc.org/blogs/wnyc-news-blog/2012/oct/31/first-posse-return-devastated-breezy-point/|publisher=WNYC.org|access-date=November 3, 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121103064222/http://www.wnyc.org/blogs/wnyc-news-blog/2012/oct/31/first-posse-return-devastated-breezy-point/|archive-date=November 3, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2012/10/30/superstorm-sandys-wrath/?hpt=hp_t1 | work=CNN | title=Superstorm Sandy's toll: Mounting deaths, historic destruction, stranded residents | date=October 30, 2012 | access-date=November 5, 2012 | archive-date=October 30, 2012 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121030233305/http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2012/10/30/superstorm-sandys-wrath/?hpt=hp_t1 | url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=Sandy |url=http://www.breakingnews.com/item/ahZzfmJyZWFraW5nbmV3cy13d3ctaHJkcg0LEgRTZWVkGLyPtQsM/2012/10/30/update-breezy-point-queens-blaze-upgraded-to-6-alarm-fire-at-least |title=Update: Breezy Point, Queens blaze upgraded to 6-alarm fire, at least 50 homes completely destroyed by fire - @FDNY |publisher=breakingnews.com |date=October 30, 2012 |access-date=June 11, 2014 |archive-date=October 29, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029205701/http://www.breakingnews.com/item/ahZzfmJyZWFraW5nbmV3cy13d3ctaHJkcg0LEgRTZWVkGLyPtQsM/2012/10/30/update-breezy-point-queens-blaze-upgraded-to-6-alarm-fire-at-least |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.seattlepi.com/news/us/article/At-least-80-flooded-houses-destroyed-by-NYC-fire-3991949.php |title=Archived copy |access-date=November 5, 2012 |archive-date=January 16, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130116043651/http://www.seattlepi.com/news/us/article/At-least-80-flooded-houses-destroyed-by-NYC-fire-3991949.php |url-status=bot: unknown }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Leitsinger |first=Miranda |url=http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/11/05/14945277-parting-with-lifes-props-a-tough-cleanup-begins-in-breezy-point |title=Parting with life's props: A tough cleanup begins in Breezy Point - U.S. News |publisher=Usnews.nbcnews.com |date=November 5, 2012 |access-date=June 11, 2014 |archive-date=February 28, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140228113848/http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/11/05/14945277-parting-with-lifes-props-a-tough-cleanup-begins-in-breezy-point |url-status=live }}</ref> The FDNY found 130 homes burned to the ground.<ref>http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2012/10/30/superstorm-sandys-wrath/ {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121108222616/http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2012/10/30/superstorm-sandys-wrath/ |date=November 8, 2012 }} hpt=hp_t1</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.breakingnews.com/item/ahZzfmJyZWFraW5nbmV3cy13d3ctaHJkcg0LEgRTZWVkGLyPtQsM/2012/10/30/update-breezy-point-queens-blaze-upgraded-to-6-alarm-fire-at-least|title=Update: Breezy Point, Queens blaze upgraded to 6-alarm fire, at least 50 homes completely destroyed by fire - @FDNY - breakingnews.com|work=breakingnews.com|access-date=September 18, 2014|archive-date=October 29, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029205701/http://www.breakingnews.com/item/ahZzfmJyZWFraW5nbmV3cy13d3ctaHJkcg0LEgRTZWVkGLyPtQsM/2012/10/30/update-breezy-point-queens-blaze-upgraded-to-6-alarm-fire-at-least|url-status=live}}</ref> Nearby, another 50 homes were damaged by the fire.<ref name="seattlepl" /> According to an official report in December, rising seawater caused the fire by contacting a house's electrical wires.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Cause-Breezy-Point-Queens-Rockaway-Fires-During-Sandy-Determined-184715051.html|title=Cause of Breezy Point Fire During Sandy Determined: City Fire Marshals say that rising sea water came in contact with electrical wires|work=NBC New York|date=December 24, 2012|access-date=September 18, 2014|archive-date=August 16, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140816224154/http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Cause-Breezy-Point-Queens-Rockaway-Fires-During-Sandy-Determined-184715051.html|url-status=live}}</ref> "Whalemina," a large, brightly colored statue of a smiling whale that had been a beloved iconic symbol of Rockaway since the 1990s, disappeared from Beach 94th Street near the Boardwalk and was presumed to have been swept out to sea.<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/queens/whalemina-rockaway-beach-mascot-article-1.1211140 | title=Rockaway residents missing their boardwalk and its beloved sentinel Whalemina; artist wants to recreate the icon | website=[[New York Daily News]] | date=December 2, 2012 | access-date=November 3, 2014 | archive-date=November 7, 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141107232729/http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/queens/whalemina-rockaway-beach-mascot-article-1.1211140 | url-status=live }}</ref>

{{Commons category|Effects of Hurricane Sandy in Rockaway, Queens in 2012}}

==Communities== *[[Arverne, Queens|Arverne]] – between Beach 56th Street and Beach 79th Street *[[Bayswater, Queens|Bayswater]] – located to the northeast of Far Rockaway, along the southeastern shore of Jamaica Bay *[[Belle Harbor, Queens|Belle Harbor]] – between Beach 126th Street and Beach 141st Street *[[Breezy Point, Queens|Breezy Point]] – located on the westernmost portion of the Rockaways, west of [[Fort Tilden]] *[[Broad Channel, Queens|Broad Channel]] – while not technically on the peninsula, it is located just north of the [[Cross Bay Veterans Memorial Bridge]] *[[Edgemere, Queens|Edgemere]] – between Beach 32nd Street and Beach 56th Street *[[Far Rockaway, Queens|Far Rockaway]] – between Nassau County line and Beach 32nd Street *[[Hammels, Queens|Hammels]] – along Beach 84th Street; also extends to Beach 79th Street *[[Neponsit, Queens|Neponsit]] – between Beach 142nd Street and Beach 149th Street *[[Rockaway Beach, Queens|Rockaway Beach]] – between Beach 73rd Street and Beach 108th Street *[[Rockaway Park, Queens|Rockaway Park]] – between Beach 105th Street and Beach 126th Street *[[Roxbury, Queens|Roxbury]] – west of Marine Parkway Bridge, on the north side of Beach Channel Drive/State Road *[[Seaside, Queens|Seaside]] – between Beach 84th Street and Beach 105th Street

==Demographics== Based on data from the [[2010 United States census]], the population of the Rockaways, including Broad Channel, was 114,961, a change of 8,261 (7.2%) from the 106,700 counted in [[2000 United States census|2000]]. Covering an area of {{convert|4758.96|acres}}, the neighborhood had a population density of {{convert|24.2|PD/acre|PD/sqmi PD/sqkm}}.<ref name="PLP5">[http://www1.nyc.gov/assets/planning/download/pdf/data-maps/nyc-population/census2010/t_pl_p5_nta.pdf Table PL-P5 NTA: Total Population and Persons Per Acre - New York City Neighborhood Tabulation Areas*, 2010] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160610175331/http://www1.nyc.gov/assets/planning/download/pdf/data-maps/nyc-population/census2010/t_pl_p5_nta.pdf |date=June 10, 2016 }}, Population Division - [[New York City]] Department of City Planning, February 2012. Accessed June 16, 2016.</ref>

The racial makeup of the neighborhood was 35.2% (40,446) [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 38.9% (44,663) [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.3% (309) [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 2.2% (2,555) [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.1% (63) [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], 0.8% (877) from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 1.7% (1,950) from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 21% (24,098) of the population.<ref name="PLP3A">[http://www1.nyc.gov/assets/planning/download/pdf/data-maps/nyc-population/census2010/t_pl_p3a_nta.pdf Table PL-P3A NTA: Total Population by Mutually Exclusive Race and Hispanic Origin - New York City Neighborhood Tabulation Areas*, 2010] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160610170733/http://www1.nyc.gov/assets/planning/download/pdf/data-maps/nyc-population/census2010/t_pl_p3a_nta.pdf |date=June 10, 2016 }}, Population Division - [[New York City]] Department of City Planning, March 29, 2011. Accessed June 14, 2016.</ref>

The entirety of Community Board 14, which comprises the Rockaways and Broad Channel, had 114,390 inhabitants as of [[New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene|NYC Health]]'s 2018 Community Health Profile, with an average life expectancy of 76.5 years.<ref name="CHP2018">{{Cite web|url=https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/doh/downloads/pdf/data/2018chp-qn14.pdf|title=Rockaway and Broad Channel (Including Arverne, Bayswater, Belle Harbor, Breezy Point, Broad Channel, Edgemere and Rockaway)|date=2018|website=nyc.gov|publisher=NYC Health|access-date=March 2, 2019|archive-date=March 8, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190308080945/https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/doh/downloads/pdf/data/2018chp-qn14.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>{{Rp|2, 20}} This is lower than the median life expectancy of 81.2 for all New York City neighborhoods.<ref name=":21">{{Cite web|url=https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/doh/downloads/pdf/tcny/community-health-assessment-plan.pdf|title=2016-2018 Community Health Assessment and Community Health Improvement Plan: Take Care New York 2020|date=2016|website=[[government of New York City|nyc.gov]]|publisher=[[New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene]]|access-date=September 8, 2017|archive-date=September 9, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170909004755/https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/doh/downloads/pdf/tcny/community-health-assessment-plan.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>{{Rp|53 (PDF p. 84)}}<ref>{{cite web | title=New Yorkers are living longer, happier and healthier lives | website=New York Post | date=June 4, 2017 | url=https://nypost.com/2017/06/04/new-yorkers-are-living-longer-happier-and-healthier-lives/ | access-date=March 1, 2019 | archive-date=March 2, 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190302024959/https://nypost.com/2017/06/04/new-yorkers-are-living-longer-happier-and-healthier-lives/ | url-status=live }}</ref> Most inhabitants are middle-aged adults and youth: 26% are between the ages of 0–17, 25% between 25 and 44, and 26% between 45 and 64. The ratio of college-aged and elderly residents was lower, at 8% and 14% respectively.<ref name="CHP2018" />{{Rp|2}}

As of 2017, the median [[household income]] in Community Board 14 was $54,012.<ref name="CB14PUMA">{{cite web|url=https://censusreporter.org/profiles/79500US3604114-nyc-queens-community-district-14-far-rockaway-breezy-point-broad-channel-puma-ny/|title=NYC-Queens Community District 14--Far Rockaway, Breezy Point & Broad Channel PUMA, NY|publisher=Census Reporter|access-date=July 17, 2018|archive-date=March 8, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190308080839/https://censusreporter.org/profiles/79500US3604114-nyc-queens-community-district-14-far-rockaway-breezy-point-broad-channel-puma-ny/|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2018, an estimated 18% of Rockaway residents lived impoverished, compared to 19% in all of Queens and 20% in all of New York City. One in eleven residents (9%) were unemployed, compared to 8% in Queens and 9% in New York City. Rent burden, or the percentage of residents who have difficulty paying their rent, is 53% in Rockaway, slightly higher than the boroughwide and citywide rates of 53% and 51% respectively. Based on this calculation, {{as of|2018|lc=y}}, Rockaway is considered to be high-income relative to the rest of the city and not [[gentrification|gentrifying]].<ref name="CHP2018" />{{Rp|7}}

==Police and crime== Rockaway is patrolled by two precincts of the [[New York City Police Department|NYPD]].<ref>{{cite web | title=Find Your Precinct and Sector - NYPD | website=www.nyc.gov | url=https://www1.nyc.gov/site/nypd/bureaus/patrol/find-your-precinct.page | access-date=March 3, 2019 | archive-date=March 4, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210304213813/https://www1.nyc.gov/site/nypd/bureaus/patrol/find-your-precinct.page | url-status=live }}</ref> The 101st Precinct is located at 16-12 Mott Avenue and serves Far Rockaway,<ref name="NYPD 101st Precinct">{{Cite web|url=https://www1.nyc.gov/site/nypd/bureaus/patrol/precincts/101st-precinct.page|title=NYPD – 101st Precinct|website=www.nyc.gov|publisher=[[New York City Police Department]]|access-date=October 3, 2016|archive-date=June 6, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170606182043/http://www1.nyc.gov/site/nypd/bureaus/patrol/precincts/101st-precinct.page|url-status=live}}</ref> while the 100th Precinct is located at 92-24 Rockaway Beach Boulevard and serves the rest of the peninsula.<ref name="NYPD 100th Precinct">{{Cite web|url=https://www1.nyc.gov/site/nypd/bureaus/patrol/precincts/100th-precinct.page|title=NYPD – 100th Precinct|website=www.nyc.gov|publisher=[[New York City Police Department]]|access-date=October 3, 2016|archive-date=July 29, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170729212549/http://www1.nyc.gov/site/nypd/bureaus/patrol/precincts/100th-precinct.page|url-status=live}}</ref> The 100th and 101st Precincts collectively ranked 10th safest out of 69 patrol areas for per-capita crime in 2010. However, the low-income and densely populated 101st Precinct has significantly more crime than the 100th Precinct, which is high-income and more insular.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/crime-safety-report/queens/rockaways/|title=Rockaway – DNAinfo.com Crime and Safety Report|website=www.dnainfo.com|access-date=October 6, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170415051724/https://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/crime-safety-report/queens/rockaways|archive-date=April 15, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> {{As of|2018}}, with a non-fatal assault rate of 71 per 100,000 people, Rockaway's rate of [[violent crime]]s per capita is greater than that of the city as a whole. The incarceration rate of 824 per 100,000 people is higher than that of the city as a whole.<ref name="CHP2018" />{{Rp|8}}

The 100th Precinct has a lower crime rate than in the 1990s, with crimes across all categories having decreased by 74.5% between 1990 and 2018. The precinct reported 2 murders, 5 rapes, 38 robberies, 93 felony assaults, 59 burglaries, 161 grand larcenies, and 17 grand larcenies' auto in 2018.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/nypd/downloads/pdf/crime_statistics/cs-en-us-100pct.pdf|title=100th Precinct CompStat Report|website=www.nyc.gov|publisher=[[New York City Police Department]]|access-date=July 22, 2018|archive-date=April 13, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180413195049/http://www1.nyc.gov/assets/nypd/downloads/pdf/crime_statistics/cs-en-us-100pct.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> The 101st Precinct also has a lower crime rate than in the 1990s, with crimes across all categories having decreased by 74.6% between 1990 and 2018. The precinct reported 6 murders, 26 rapes, 151 robberies, 301 felony assaults, 98 burglaries, 250 grand larcenies, and 31 grand larcenies' auto in 2018.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/nypd/downloads/pdf/crime_statistics/cs-en-us-101pct.pdf|title=101st Precinct CompStat Report|website=www.nyc.gov|publisher=[[New York City Police Department]]|access-date=July 22, 2018|archive-date=April 13, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180413195053/http://www1.nyc.gov/assets/nypd/downloads/pdf/crime_statistics/cs-en-us-101pct.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>

== Fire safety == Rockaway is served by these [[New York City Fire Department]] (FDNY) fire stations:<ref>{{Cite FDNY locations}}</ref> * Engine Company 329 — 402 Beach 169th Street<ref>{{cite web| title=Engine Company 329| website=FDNYtrucks.com| url=http://www.fdnytrucks.com/files/html/queens/e329.htm| access-date=March 7, 2019| archive-date=October 23, 2018| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181023194013/http://www.fdnytrucks.com/files/html/queens/e329.htm| url-status=live}}</ref> * Engine Company 268/Ladder Company 137 – 257 Beach 116th Street<ref>{{cite web | title=Engine Company 268/Ladder Company 137 | website=FDNYtrucks.com | url=http://www.fdnytrucks.com/files/html/queens/e268.htm | access-date=March 7, 2019 | archive-date=March 8, 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190308081022/http://www.fdnytrucks.com/files/html/queens/e268.htm | url-status=live }}</ref> * Engine Company 266 – 92-20 Rockaway Beach Boulevard<ref>{{cite web | title=Engine Company 266 | website=FDNYtrucks.com | url=http://www.fdnytrucks.com/files/html/queens/e266.htm | access-date=March 7, 2019 | archive-date=March 8, 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190308081024/http://www.fdnytrucks.com/files/html/queens/e266.htm | url-status=live }}</ref> * Engine Company 265/Ladder Company 121/Battalion 47/EMS Station 47 – 303 Beach 49th Street<ref>{{cite web | title=Engine Company 265/Ladder Company 121 | website=FDNYtrucks.com | url=http://www.fdnytrucks.com/files/html/queens/e265.htm | access-date=March 7, 2019 | archive-date=March 8, 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190308080954/http://www.fdnytrucks.com/files/html/queens/e265.htm | url-status=live }}</ref> * Engine Companies 264 and 328/Ladder Company 134 – 16-15 Central Avenue<ref>{{cite web | title=Engine Company 264/Engine Company 328/Ladder Company 134 | website=FDNYtrucks.com | url=http://www.fdnytrucks.com/files/html/queens/e264.htm | access-date=March 7, 2019 | archive-date=March 8, 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190308080931/http://www.fdnytrucks.com/files/html/queens/e264.htm | url-status=live }}</ref>

== Health == {{As of|2018}}, [[preterm birth]]s and births to teenage mothers are more common in Rockaway than in other places citywide. In Rockaway, there were 113 preterm births per 1,000 live births (compared to 87 per 1,000 citywide), and 20.9 births to teenage mothers per 1,000 live births (compared to 19.3 per 1,000 citywide).<ref name="CHP2018" />{{Rp|11}} Rockaway has a relatively average population of residents who are [[Health insurance coverage in the United States|uninsured]]. In 2018, this population of uninsured residents was estimated to be 11%, which is slightly lower than the citywide rate of 12%.<ref name="CHP2018" />{{Rp|14}}

The concentration of [[particulates|fine particulate matter]], the deadliest type of [[air pollution|air pollutant]], in Rockaway is {{convert|0.006|mg/m3|oz/ft3}}, the lowest of any neighborhood in the city.<ref name="CHP2018" />{{Rp|9}} Sixteen percent of Rockaway residents are [[Smoking|smokers]], which is slightly higher than the city average of 14% of residents being smokers.<ref name="CHP2018" />{{Rp|13}} In Rockaway, 32% of residents are [[Obesity|obese]], 15% are [[Diabetes mellitus|diabetic]], and 34% have [[hypertension|high blood pressure]]—compared to the citywide averages of 20%, 14%, and 24% respectively.<ref name="CHP2018" />{{Rp|16}} In addition, 23% of children are obese, compared to the citywide average of 20%.<ref name="CHP2018" />{{Rp|12}}

Eighty-nine percent of residents eat some fruits and vegetables every day, which is higher than the city's average of 87%. In 2018, 75% of residents described their health as "good", "very good", or "excellent", slightly lower than the city's average of 78%.<ref name="CHP2018" />{{Rp|13}} For every supermarket in Rockaway, there are 8 [[convenience store|bodegas]].<ref name="CHP2018" />{{Rp|10}}

The only large hospital on the Rockaway Peninsula is [[St. John's Episcopal Hospital South Shore]].<ref>{{cite web | last=Finkel | first=Beth | title=Guide To Queens Hospitals | website=Queens Tribune | date=February 27, 2014 | url=http://queenstribune.com/guide-to-queens-hospitals/ | access-date=March 7, 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170204185507/http://queenstribune.com/guide-to-queens-hospitals/ | archive-date=February 4, 2017 | url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Post offices== Rockaway is covered by multiple [[ZIP Code]]s. From west to east, they are 11697 (Breezy Point), 11694 (Rockaway Park), 11693 (Broad Channel), 11692 (Arverne), and 11691 (Far Rockaway).<ref>{{cite web | title=The Rockaways, New York City-Queens, New York Zip Code Boundary Map (NY) | website=United States Zip Code Boundary Map (USA) | url=https://www.zipmap.net/New_York/Queens_County/Z_The_Rockaways.htm | access-date=March 7, 2019 | archive-date=September 22, 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200922135426/https://www.zipmap.net/New_York/Queens_County/Z_The_Rockaways.htm | url-status=live }}</ref> The [[United States Post Office]] operates four locations in Rockaway: * Arverne Station – 329 Beach 59th Street<ref>{{cite web | title=Location Details: Arverne | website=USPS.com | url=https://tools.usps.com/go/POLocatorDetailsAction!input.action?locationTypeQ=po&address=11694&radius=20&locationType=po&locationID=1353435&locationName=ARVERNE&address2=&address1=329+BEACH+59TH+ST | access-date=March 7, 2019 | archive-date=March 8, 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190308003009/https://tools.usps.com/go/POLocatorDetailsAction!input.action?locationTypeQ=po&address=11694&radius=20&locationType=po&locationID=1353435&locationName=ARVERNE&address2=&address1=329+BEACH+59TH+ST | url-status=live }}</ref> * [[United States Post Office (Far Rockaway, Queens)|Far Rockaway Station]] – 18-36 Mott Avenue<ref>{{cite web | title=Location Details: Far Rockaway | website=USPS.com | url=https://tools.usps.com/go/POLocatorDetailsAction!input.action?locationTypeQ=po&address=11694&radius=20&locationType=po&locationID=1363118&locationName=FAR+ROCKAWAY&address2=&address1=1836+MOTT+AVE | access-date=March 7, 2019 | archive-date=March 8, 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190308080734/https://tools.usps.com/go/POLocatorDetailsAction!input.action?locationTypeQ=po&address=11694&radius=20&locationType=po&locationID=1363118&locationName=FAR+ROCKAWAY&address2=&address1=1836+MOTT+AVE | url-status=live }}</ref> * Rockaway Station – 113-25 Beach Channel Drive<ref>{{cite web | title=Location Details: Rockaway | website=USPS.com | url=https://tools.usps.com/go/POLocatorDetailsAction!input.action?locationTypeQ=po&address=11694&radius=20&locationType=po&locationID=1379641&locationName=ROCKAWAY+PARK&address2=&address1=11325+BEACH+CHANNEL+DR | access-date=March 7, 2019 | archive-date=March 8, 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190308080728/https://tools.usps.com/go/POLocatorDetailsAction!input.action?locationTypeQ=po&address=11694&radius=20&locationType=po&locationID=1379641&locationName=ROCKAWAY+PARK&address2=&address1=11325+BEACH+CHANNEL+DR | url-status=live }}</ref> * Rockaway Beach Station – 90-14 Rockaway Beach Blvd<ref>{{cite web| title=Location Details: Rockaway Beach| website=USPS.com| url=https://tools.usps.com/go/POLocatorDetailsAction!input.action?locationTypeQ=po&address=11694&radius=20&locationType=po&locationID=1379637&locationName=ROCKAWAY+BEACH&address2=&address1=9014+ROCKAWAY+BEACH+BLVD| access-date=March 7, 2019| archive-date=March 8, 2019| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190308002959/https://tools.usps.com/go/POLocatorDetailsAction!input.action?locationTypeQ=po&address=11694&radius=20&locationType=po&locationID=1379637&locationName=ROCKAWAY+BEACH&address2=&address1=9014+ROCKAWAY+BEACH+BLVD| url-status=live}}</ref>

== Parks and recreation == The western portion of the Rockaway Peninsula is located within the [[Gateway National Recreation Area]].<ref name="nycgovparks.org">{{Cite web|url=https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/jamaica-bay-and-the-rockaways|title=Jamaica Bay and the Rockaways : NYC Parks|website=www.nycgovparks.org|access-date=May 24, 2019|archive-date=May 24, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190524021433/https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/jamaica-bay-and-the-rockaways|url-status=live}}</ref> The [[National Park Service]] operates three sites as part of the area.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nps.gov/gate/planyourvisit/map_jbu.htm|title=Maps for Jamaica Bay Unit - Gateway National Recreation Area (U.S. National Park Service)|website=www.nps.gov|language=en|access-date=May 24, 2019|archive-date=May 24, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190524021434/https://www.nps.gov/gate/planyourvisit/map_jbu.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Jacob Riis Park]] is located near the western end of the peninsula, covering approximately {{convert|262|acre}} west of Beach 149th Street in Neponsit.<ref name="Society1922">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EdxBAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA31|title=Annual Report of the American Scenic and Historic Preservation Society to the Legislature of the State of New York|author=American Scenic and Historic Preservation Society|year=1922|pages=30–31|access-date=August 29, 2017}}</ref><ref name="Poor1910">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UBs8AQAAMAAJ|title=Annual Report of the New-York Association for Improving the Condition of the Poor|author=New York Association for Improving the Condition of the Poor|year=1910|access-date=August 29, 2017}}</ref><ref name="NYCPk-BeachHistory">{{cite web|url=https://www.nycgovparks.org/about/history/beaches/city-owned-beaches|title=History of City–Owned Beaches|publisher=[[New York City Department of Parks and Recreation]]|access-date=September 3, 2017|archive-date=September 9, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170909052514/https://www.nycgovparks.org/about/history/beaches/city-owned-beaches|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Fort Tilden]], a group of historic military installations, is located west of Jacob Riis Park.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/21/arts/21tild.html|title=To the Battlements, and Take Sunscreen: The Joys of Fort Tilden|last=Kilgannon|first=Corey|date=July 21, 2006|work=The New York Times|access-date=May 24, 2019|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=May 24, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190524030906/https://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/21/arts/21tild.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The final part, Breezy Point Tip, is a {{convert|200|acre|km2|adj=on}} beach that is also a wildlife breeding area.<ref>[http://www.brooklynbirdclub.org/breezy.htm Breezy Point] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080917183234/http://www.brooklynbirdclub.org/breezy.htm|date=September 17, 2008}} Brooklyn Bird Club, Accessed November 24, 2008.</ref>

[[New York City Department of Parks and Recreation|NYC Parks]] operates city-owned parks along the peninsula.<ref name="nycgovparks.org"/> [[Rockaway Beach and Boardwalk]], extending nearly seven miles from Beach 9th to Beach 149th Streets on the Atlantic Ocean.<ref>"Chill out this summer ... on an urban beach", ''[[The Vancouver Sun]]'', June 2, 2007. "Rockaway Beach is the largest urban beach in the States."</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/rockaway-beach-and-boardwalk/|title=Rockaway Beach and Boardwalk : NYC Parks|website=www.nycgovparks.org|access-date=May 24, 2019|archive-date=August 18, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200818045154/https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/rockaway-beach-and-boardwalk/|url-status=live}}</ref> Park attractions along the beach and boardwalk include numerous play areas, restrooms, sporting fields, concession stands, and other facilities. Rockaway Beach is New York City's only open-ocean surfing beach, with designated 365-day surfing areas at Beach 69, Beach 90, and Beach 110 Streets; surf lessons are offered at Beach 69th Street. There are also three wildlife sanctuaries: the Dubos Point Wildlife Sanctuary,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/dubos-point-wildlife-sanctuary/history|title=Dubos Point Wildlife Sanctuary Highlights : NYC Parks|website=www.nycgovparks.org|access-date=May 24, 2019|archive-date=May 24, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190524014522/https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/dubos-point-wildlife-sanctuary/history|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/07/09/nyregion/neighborhood-report-arverne-wildlife-refuge-becomes-a-battleground-for-humans.html|title=NEIGHBORHOOD REPORT: ARVERNE; Wildlife Refuge Becomes a Battleground for Humans|last=Day|first=Sherri|date=July 9, 2000|work=The New York Times|access-date=May 24, 2019|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=May 24, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190524023825/https://www.nytimes.com/2000/07/09/nyregion/neighborhood-report-arverne-wildlife-refuge-becomes-a-battleground-for-humans.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Brant Point Wildlife Sanctuary,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/brant-point-wildlife-sanctuary/history|title=Brant Point Wildlife Sanctuary Highlights : NYC Parks|website=www.nycgovparks.org|access-date=May 24, 2019|archive-date=May 24, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190524014523/https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/brant-point-wildlife-sanctuary/history|url-status=live}}</ref> and Vernam Barbadoes Preserve.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/vernam-barbadoes-peninsula/history|title=Vernam Barbadoes Peninsula Highlights : NYC Parks|website=www.nycgovparks.org|access-date=May 24, 2019|archive-date=May 24, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190524014521/https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/vernam-barbadoes-peninsula/history|url-status=live}}</ref> Other parks from west to east include Beach Channel Park,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/beach-channel-park/history|title=Beach Channel Park Highlights : NYC Parks|website=www.nycgovparks.org|access-date=May 24, 2019|archive-date=May 24, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190524021435/https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/beach-channel-park/history|url-status=live}}</ref> Tribune Park (a 9/11 memorial),<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/tribute-park/history|title=Tribute Park Highlights : NYC Parks|website=www.nycgovparks.org|access-date=May 24, 2019|archive-date=May 24, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190524021433/https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/tribute-park/history|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Rockaway Community Park]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/rockaway-community-park/history|title=Rockaway Community Park Highlights : NYC Parks|website=www.nycgovparks.org|access-date=May 24, 2019|archive-date=May 24, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190524021437/https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/rockaway-community-park/history|url-status=live}}</ref> and Bayswater Park.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/bayswater-park/history|title=Bayswater Park Highlights : NYC Parks|website=www.nycgovparks.org|access-date=May 24, 2019|archive-date=May 24, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190524021434/https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/bayswater-park/history|url-status=live}}</ref> In Arverne, an empty lot is being proposed for conversion into Thursby Basin Park.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20170322/rockaway-beach/rockaway-peninsula-hurricane-sandy-rebuilding-parks-department-boardwalk-money|title=Bay Side of Rockaway Getting 'Fair' Share of Leftover Sandy Cash, City Says|website=DNAinfo New York|access-date=May 24, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190524021439/https://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20170322/rockaway-beach/rockaway-peninsula-hurricane-sandy-rebuilding-parks-department-boardwalk-money/|archive-date=May 24, 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref>

One state park operated by the [[New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation]], the [[Bayswater Point State Park]], is located in Bayswater next to NYC Parks' Bayswater Park.<ref name="NYSP_gettingthere">{{cite web|url=http://www.nysparks.com/parks/86/getting-there.aspx|title=Bayswater Point State Park - Getting There|author=NYS Office of Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation|website=Nysparks.com|access-date=June 24, 2015|archive-date=March 31, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160331192842/http://www.nysparks.com/parks/86/getting-there.aspx|url-status=live}}</ref>

== Education == Rockaway generally has a lower ratio of college-educated residents than the rest of the city {{as of|2018|lc=y}}. While 35% of residents age 25 and older have a college education or higher, 22% have less than a high school education and 43% are high school graduates or have some college education. By contrast, 39% of Queens residents and 43% of city residents have a college education or higher.<ref name="CHP2018" />{{Rp|6}} The percentage of Rockaway students excelling in math rose from 32% in 2000 to 58% in 2011, and reading achievement rose from 35% to 48% during the same time period.<ref name=":17">{{Cite web|url=http://furmancenter.org/files/sotc/QN_14_11.pdf|title=Rockaway/Broad Channel – QN 14|date=2011|publisher=[[Furman Center for Real Estate and Urban Policy]]|access-date=October 5, 2016|archive-date=September 18, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130918132908/http://furmancenter.org/files/sotc/QN_14_11.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>

Rockaway's rate of elementary school student absenteeism is greater than the rest of New York City. In Rockaway, 29% of elementary school students missed twenty or more days per [[school year]], more than the citywide average of 20%.<ref name=":21" />{{Rp|24 (PDF p. 55)}}<ref name="CHP2018" />{{Rp|6}} Additionally, 71% of high school students in Rockaway graduate on time, less than the citywide average of 75%.<ref name="CHP2018" />{{Rp|6}}

===Public elementary and middle schools=== *P.S./M.S. 42 Robert Vernam *P.S./M.S. 43 The School by the Sea *P.S. 47 Chris Galas *P.S. 104 The Bayswater School *P.S. 105 The Bay School *P.S. 106 Light House Elementary School *P.S./M.S. 114 The Belle Harbor School *P.S./M.S. 183 Dr. Richard Green *P.S. 197 The Ocean School *P.S. 215 Lucretia Mott (closed in 2015) *P.S. 225 (closed in 2008) *P.S. 253 The Randolph Holder School for Social Justice *P.S. 256 *M.S. 53 Brian Piccolo *M.S./H.S. 323 Scholars' Academy

===Public high schools=== *[[Far Rockaway High School]] (closed in 2011) *[[Beach Channel High School]] (closed in 2014) *[[Scholars' Academy]] *Channel View School for Research

=== Parochial and private schools === [[File:Channel View School B101 jeh.jpg|thumb|The site of [[Beach Channel High School]] (closed in 2014), now the site of Channel View School for Research, Rockaway Park High School for Environmental Sustainability, Rockaway Collegiate High School, and the P256Q@Gateway Academy of [[Special education]]]] *[[Stella Maris High School]] (closed in 2010) *Beth El Temple *Chaim Berlin High School *Hebrew Academy of the Five Towns and Rockaway (HAFTR) *Mesivta Chaim Shlomo *Bnois Bais Yaacov *Tichon Meir Moshe *Sh'or Yoshuv Institute of Jewish Studies *Siach Yitzchok Elementary School for Boys *Torah Academy for Girls *West End Temple *Yeshiva Darchei Torah *[[Yeshiva of Far Rockaway]] *The Hebrew Institute of Long Island *Yeshiva Bnei Torah *St. Francis de Sales *St. Camillus *[[St. Rose of Lima Roman Catholic Church (Queens)|St. Rose of Lima Catholic Academy]] *Church Of God Christian Academy<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cogca.org/|title=Church Of God Christian Academy|access-date=September 18, 2014|archive-date=August 30, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140830040026/http://www.cogca.org/|url-status=live}}</ref> *St. Mary Star of the Sea *[[Scholars' Academy]] *Nikitas Language Abroad Schools, a series of language schools *St. Virgilius School, a Roman Catholic School that was part of the Diocese of Brooklyn, closed in 2006, as part of Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio's effort to close, en masse, Catholic schools with low enrollment.

===Synagogues=== *Agudath Israel of Long Island *Agudath Israel of Rockaway *Agudath Israel of West Lawrence *Bayswater Jewish Center *Beis Medrash Ateres Yisroel (Rabbi Avraham Blumenkranz) *Bnos Israel Institute (Rabbi Shmelke Rubin) *Congregation Kneseth Israel in Far Rockaway *Congregation Shaarey Tefila *Congregation Shaarey Zedek *Congregation Shomrai Shabbos *Young Israel of Far Rockaway *Young Israel of Wavecrest and Bayswater

===Libraries=== [[Queens Public Library]] operates four branches in Rockaway: * The Arverne branch at 312 Beach 54th Street<ref>{{cite web | title=Branch Detailed Info: Arverne | website=Queens Public Library | url=https://www.queenslibrary.org/about-us/locations/Arverne/ | access-date=March 7, 2019 | archive-date=October 16, 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191016212206/https://www.queenslibrary.org/about-us/locations/arverne | url-status=live }}</ref> * The Far Rockaway branch at 1003 Beach 20th Street (temporary location).<ref>{{cite web | title=Branch Detailed Info: Far Rockaway | website=Queens Public Library | url=https://www.queenslibrary.org/about-us/locations/far-rockaway/ | access-date=March 7, 2019 | archive-date=October 16, 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191016213301/https://www.queenslibrary.org/about-us/locations/far-rockaway | url-status=live }}</ref> The old library at Central Avenue is being replaced with a new structure, and construction started in November 2018.<ref>{{cite web | last=Rose | first=Naeisha | title=Ground broken on $33.6 million Far Rockaway Library construction site | website=QNS.com | date=November 20, 2018 | url=https://qns.com/story/2018/11/20/ground-broken-33-6-million-far-rockaway-library-construction-site/ | access-date=March 7, 2019 | archive-date=March 8, 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190308082512/https://qns.com/story/2018/11/20/ground-broken-33-6-million-far-rockaway-library-construction-site/ | url-status=live }}</ref> * The Peninsula branch at 92-25 Rockaway Beach Boulevard<ref>{{cite web | title=Branch Detailed Info: Peninsula | website=Queens Public Library | url=https://www.queenslibrary.org/about-us/locations/Peninsula/ | access-date=March 7, 2019 | archive-date=October 16, 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191016214550/https://www.queenslibrary.org/about-us/locations/peninsula | url-status=live }}</ref> * The Seaside branch at 116-15 Rockaway Beach Boulevard<ref>{{cite web | title=Branch Detailed Info: Seaside | website=Queens Public Library | url=https://www.queenslibrary.org/about-us/locations/Seaside/ | access-date=March 7, 2019 | archive-date=October 16, 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191016215223/https://www.queenslibrary.org/about-us/locations/seaside | url-status=live }}</ref>

==Transportation==

Rockaway is served by multiple transportation services.

===Trains and subways=== [[File:Beach 44 Street vc.jpg|thumb|left|250px|The [[Beach 44th Street (IND Rockaway Line)|Beach 44th Street]] subway station on the Rockaway Peninsula]] The [[New York City Subway]]'s [[IND Rockaway Line]] has two branches on the peninsula. The eastern branch, served by the {{NYCS trains|Far Rockaway}}, serves the eastern Rockaways and contains a [[terminal station|terminal]] at [[Far Rockaway–Mott Avenue station]]. The western branch, served by the {{NYCS trains|Rockaway Park}}, serves the central Rockaways and terminates at [[Rockaway Park–Beach 116th Street station]].<ref>{{NYCS const|map}}</ref> The latter was the terminal of the former [[Rockaway Beach Branch]] of the [[Long Island Rail Road]] (LIRR).

The [[Far Rockaway (LIRR station)|Far Rockaway]] terminal station for the LIRR's [[Far Rockaway Branch]] is located in Far Rockaway. The branch had originally been part of a loop that traveled along the existing route, continuing through the Rockaway Peninsula and heading on a trestle across [[Jamaica Bay]] through Queens where it reconnected with other branches. Frequent fires and maintenance problems led the LIRR to abandon the Queens portion of the route, which was acquired by the city to become the IND Rockaway Line.<ref>[http://www.nycsubway.org/lines/rockaway.html IND Rockaway Branch/Jamaica Bay Crossing] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060822164819/http://www.nycsubway.org/lines/rockaway.html |date=August 22, 2006 }}, accessed June 14, 2006.</ref>

===Buses=== [[MTA Regional Bus Operations]] routes include local {{NYC bus link|Q22|Q35|Q52/Q53 SBS|Q113|Q114}} and Manhattan express buses {{NYC bus link|QM15|QM16|QM17|prose=y}}.<ref name="mapqns">{{Cite NYC bus map|Q}}</ref> Also, [[Nassau Inter-County Express]] (NICE) routes include {{LI bus link|n31|n31x|n32|n33|prose=y}} in Far Rockaway only.<ref name="mapqns"/> Unlike other NICE routes in Queens, these buses operate open-door in Far Rockaway, meaning customers can ride these buses wholly within the neighborhood without necessarily going to [[Nassau County, New York|Nassau County]]. NYC Beach Bus, a privately operated shuttle bus between [[downtown Brooklyn]] or Williamsburg and the area around Beach 84th Street and [[Jacob Riis Park]], also runs in the area. One can also take a converted former school bus named Rockabus from Williamsburg, Brooklyn.<ref>[http://brooklynbased.net/email/2011/05/rock-rock-rock-rock-rockaway-food-stands/ Rock Rock Rockaway Food Stands] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121117091936/http://brooklynbased.net/email/2011/05/rock-rock-rock-rock-rockaway-food-stands/ |date=November 17, 2012 }}. October 18, 2012.</ref>

===Ferry=== After [[Hurricane Sandy]] in October 2012 destroyed much of the IND Rockaway Line, ferry operator [[SeaStreak]] began running a city-subsidized ferry service between a makeshift ferry slip at Beach 108th Street and [[Beach Channel Drive]] in [[Rockaway Park, Queens|Rockaway Park]] and [[Pier 11/Wall Street]] in Manhattan's [[Financial District, Manhattan|Financial District]], then continuing on to the [[East 34th Street Ferry Landing]]. In August 2013, a stop was added at [[Brooklyn Army Terminal]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.seastreakusa.com/viewpage.aspx?page=Brooklyn |title=Seastreak Ferry New Jersey, New York and New Bedford, Martha's Vineyard |publisher=Seastreakusa.com |access-date=April 20, 2014 |archive-date=June 25, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140625070814/http://www.seastreakusa.com/viewpage.aspx?page=Brooklyn |url-status=live }}</ref> The service was extended multiple times.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20140120/rockaway-beach/rockaway-ferry-floats-on-through-may-but-trip-will-cost-nearly-double |title=Rockaway Ferry Floats On Through May, But Trip Will Cost Nearly Double - Rockaway Beach - DNAinfo.com New York |publisher=Dnainfo.com |date=January 20, 2014 |access-date=April 20, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140330064314/http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20140120/rockaway-beach/rockaway-ferry-floats-on-through-may-but-trip-will-cost-nearly-double |archive-date=March 30, 2014 }}</ref> finally ending on October 31, 2014.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ny1.com/content/news/218228/commuters-bemoan-closing-of-rockaway-ferry/ |title=Commuters Bemoan Closing of Rockaway Ferry - NY1 |website=www.ny1.com |access-date=May 22, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141103043318/http://www.ny1.com/content/news/218228/commuters-bemoan-closing-of-rockaway-ferry/ |archive-date=November 3, 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref> On May 1, 2017, [[NYC Ferry]]'s Rockaway route started operations between Pier 11/Wall Street in Manhattan's Financial District and Beach 108th Street in Rockaway Park, with a stop at Brooklyn Army Terminal.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/newswires/new-york/nyc-launches-ferry-service-queens-east-river-routes-article-1.3122046|title=NYC launches ferry service with Queens, East River routes|date=May 1, 2017|website=NY Daily News|publisher=Associated Press|access-date=May 1, 2017|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170501154444/http://www.nydailynews.com/newswires/new-york/nyc-launches-ferry-service-queens-east-river-routes-article-1.3122046|archive-date=May 1, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/01/nyregion/new-york-today-citywide-ferry-service-begins.html|title=New York Today: Our City's New Ferry|last1=Levine|first1=Alexandra S.|date=May 1, 2017|work=The New York Times|access-date=May 1, 2017|last2=Wolfe|first2=Jonathan|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=May 1, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170501105006/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/01/nyregion/new-york-today-citywide-ferry-service-begins.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

== {{Anchor|In culture}} Culture == The Rockaway Arts Council provides a wide range of events throughout the year. Two art groups in Rockaway, the Rockaway Theater Company and the Rockaway Artists' Alliance, hold most of their productions in [[Fort Tilden]].

Cultural references include: * [[Lawrence Ferlinghetti]]'s poetry collection ''Far Rockaway of the Heart'' (New Directions, 1998) {{ISBN|0-8112-1347-1}} * ''[[Boardwalk Empire]]'', a popular [[HBO]] series (2010–2014), was partially filmed at Fort Tilden and the Boardwalk, standing in for [[Atlantic City]] in the 1920s. * [[Jill Eisenstadt]]'s classic novel ''From Rockaway'' is set within the world of Rockaway's lifeguard culture during the 1980s. Her 2017 novel, ''Swell'', brings back some of the same characters over one eventful weekend in June 2002.<ref>{{cite web | title=Jill Eisenstadt revisits Rockaway Beach, 30 years later | website=Newsday | date=May 26, 2017 | url=https://www.newsday.com/entertainment/books/jill-eisenstadt-s-swell-revisits-the-characters-and-setting-of-from-rockaway-her-1985-debut-1.13668283 | access-date=December 8, 2018 | archive-date=July 18, 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190718084634/https://www.newsday.com/entertainment/books/jill-eisenstadt-s-swell-revisits-the-characters-and-setting-of-from-rockaway-her-1985-debut-1.13668283 | url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | last=Italie | first=Hillel | title=Homecoming: Jill Eisenstadt ends long hiatus as novelist | website=AP NEWS | date=June 5, 2017 | url=https://apnews.com/361fb2ba430f41918747b25aba752532 | access-date=December 8, 2018 | archive-date=December 9, 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181209123836/https://apnews.com/361fb2ba430f41918747b25aba752532 | url-status=live }}</ref> * In the early 1980s, [[Christine Lavin]], a New York-based folk singer, wrote the poignant song "Rockaway" about her family home. * [[Woody Allen]]'s ''[[Radio Days]]'', a 1987 movie about a working-class family during the [[Golden Age of Radio]], was filmed on location in Rockaway Park, with period facades and cars.<ref>Harris, Elizabeth A. [https://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/27/nyregion/house-featured-in-radio-days-survives-hurricane.html "A ''Radio Days'' House Survives the Hurricane"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170822222212/http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/27/nyregion/house-featured-in-radio-days-survives-hurricane.html |date=August 22, 2017 }}, ''[[The New York Times]]'', November 26, 2012. Accessed August 22, 2017. "That house, said Lee Quinby, a co-owner, played the role of the family home in the Woody Allen movie ''Radio Days,'' a 1987 tribute to the glory days of radio and the delights of familial bickering, as well as a love song to the Rockaways of around the early 1940s."</ref> * [[Patricia Reilly Giff]]'s 1998 [[Newbery Award]]-winning novel ''Lily's Crossing'' is set in the Rockaways. The story, about a girl's friendship with a Hungarian refugee, was inspired by the author's own childhood memories of Rockaway Beach during World War II.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.amazon.com/dp/0440414539 |title=Amazon.com: Lily's Crossing |access-date=September 10, 2017 |archive-date=July 22, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220722042341/https://www.amazon.com/dp/0440414539 |url-status=live }}</ref> A companion book, ''Willow Run'', features Rockaway as the home of Margaret Dillon, a child whose family moves in 1944 to Willow Run, Michigan (now between [[Ypsilanti, Michigan]] and [[Belleville, Michigan]]) to work at Henry Ford's [[Willow Run]] B-24 Liberator bomber plant as part of the United States civilian war effort. * [[Naomi Ragen]]'s 2002 semi-autobiographical novel ''Chains Around the Grass'' is set in a public housing project in Rockaway, reflecting Ragen's own upbringing there.<ref>[https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-902881-53-9 "Chains Around the Grass] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170822221743/https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-902881-53-9 |date=August 22, 2017 }}, ''[[Publishers Weekly]]''. Accessed August 22, 2017. "Based on novelist Ragen's own experiences growing up in an ethnically mixed low-income housing project in the Rockaways, this novel opens a window into the bittersweet world of the Markowitz family as they struggle to make ends meet in 1950s New York City."</ref> * The 2010 documentary film ''Our Hawaii'', by Kryssa Schemmerling, explores the surf culture that sprang up at Rockaway starting in the late 1960s.<ref>[https://www.nyfa.org/ArtistDirectory/ShowProject/c96fd830-dba1-4112-b154-b76b3edd4efc "KRYSSA SCHEMMERLING/OUR HAWAII"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150820162800/https://www.nyfa.org/ArtistDirectory/ShowProject/c96fd830-dba1-4112-b154-b76b3edd4efc |date=August 20, 2015 }}, [[New York Foundation for the Arts]]. Accessed August 22, 2017. "A group of locals overcome myriad obstacles to surf amid the urban decay of Rockaway Beach, Queens."</ref> * The Rockaways' distance from the heart of the city and seeming status as a sleepy, isolated, career-killing backwater far from the big-city hustle and bustle and professional challenge of police work in fast-track Manhattan was noted in a Season 8 episode of ''[[NYPD Blue]]'' ("Thumb Enchanted Evening"); dismayed by the news that detective squad leader [[Arthur Fancy]] has been promoted to captain and will soon leave the 15th Squad, [[Andy Sipowicz]] warns him that "when you're out in [[Far Rockaway, Queens|Far Rockaway]], working some serial purse-snatcher, don't say nobody warned you."{{citation needed|date=August 2017}} *On ''[[The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel]]'', Susie Meyerson is from Broad Channel Avenue in the Rockaways. * [[The Ramones]]' song "[[Rockaway Beach (song)|Rockaway Beach]]", on their 1977 album ''[[Rocket to Russia]]'', became the American [[punk rock]] group's highest-charting single, peaking at number 66 on the [[Billboard Hot 100]]. Written in the [[surf rock]] style of the [[Beach Boys]] and other similar bands, the song was composed by the group's bassist, [[Dee Dee Ramone]], who liked to spend time on the beach there.<ref>[http://www.queensmuseum.org/events/from-forest-hills-birthplace-of-punk-to-rock-rock-rockaway-beach "From 'Forest Hills: Birthplace of Punk' to 'Rock Rock Rockaway Beach'"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170823020604/http://www.queensmuseum.org/events/from-forest-hills-birthplace-of-punk-to-rock-rock-rockaway-beach |date=August 23, 2017 }}, [[Queens Museum]]. Accessed August 22, 2017. "'Rockaway Beach', written by Dee Dee Ramone and released on the Ramones’ 1977 album Rocket to Russia, has become the anthem of the largest urban beach in the United States, treasured by surfers, day trippers, and residents alike."</ref><ref>[https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/jamaica-bay-and-the-rockaways/pressrelease/19926 "Surf, Surf, Surf Away at Rockaway Beach"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806170314/https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/jamaica-bay-and-the-rockaways/pressrelease/19926 |date=August 6, 2020 }}, [[New York City Department of Parks and Recreation]] press release dated July 27, 2007. Accessed August 22, 2017. "The Ramones immortalized the beach’s allure in their 1977 hit 'Rockaway Beach' and since then, surfers have come from far and wide to catch Rockaway’s waves."</ref> In 2013, the 36-year-old song was revived in a radio ad campaign aimed at promoting Rockaways' beaches as part of the peninsula's post-[[Hurricane Sandy]] recovery effort.<ref>Warren, James. [http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/queens/ramones-rockaway-beach-ad-campaign-woo-visitors-sandy-article-1.1362192 "Radio ad campaign to use Ramones hit 'Rockaway Beach' to lure visitors back to the shorefront devastated by Hurricane Sandy "] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140110131827/http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/queens/ramones-rockaway-beach-ad-campaign-woo-visitors-sandy-article-1.1362192 |date=January 10, 2014 }}, ''[[New York Daily News]]'', June 3, 2013. Accessed August 22, 2017. "The Queens Economic Development Corporation is launching a radio ad campaign featuring the legendary punk rock band's hit "Rockaway Beach" to lure people back to a shorefront devastated by Hurricane Sandy."</ref>

=={{anchor|Notable people}}Notable people by neighborhood== {{See also|Category:People from Rockaway, Queens}} {{incomplete list|date=November 2015}}

===Breezy Point=== {{#section:Breezy Point, Queens|notable_residents}}

===Far Rockaway=== {{#section:Far Rockaway, Queens|notable_residents}}

===Rockaway Beach=== {{#section:Rockaway Beach, Queens|notable_residents}}

==See also== * [[Fort Decatur]]

==Notes== {{Reflist|group=note}}

==References== {{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

== Further reading == * {{cite web|url=https://www.osc.state.ny.us/sites/default/files/reports/documents/pdf/2018-11/report-13-2018.pdf|title=An Economic Snapshot of the Rockaways|publisher=Office of the New York State Comptroller|date=March 2018}}

==External links== {{Commons category|Rockaway, Queens}} * [http://www.rockawave.com/common/history/history.html History of Rockaway] from [http://www.rockawave.com/ The Wave] * [https://archive.org/details/BellotsHistoryOfTheRockaways1917 Downloadable copy of ''History of the Rockaways from the year 1685 to 1917'' by Alfred H. Bellot] * [https://3dparks.wr.usgs.gov/nyc/parks/loc69.htm US Geological Survey for Breezy Point] * [http://www.rootsweb.com/~nynassa2/rockaways.htm The Rockaways by Henry Isham Hazelton] (1924) * [https://www.nps.gov/gate/ Gateway National Recreation Area official website] * [http://www.lockergnome.com/jfk/2009/07/04/housemania-in-the-rockaways/ Housing Mania in The Rockaways by Angelo Guarino]

{{Queens}} {{Portal bar|New York City}} {{Authority control}} {{Coord|40|35|09|N|73|49|01|W|region:US-NY_type:city_scale:100000|display=title}}

[[Category:Rockaway, Queens| ]] [[Category:Neighborhoods in Queens, New York]] [[Category:Peninsulas of New York (state)]] [[Category:Landforms of Queens, New York]] [[Category:Irish-American culture in New York City]] [[Category:Irish-American neighborhoods]]