In choosing a neighborhood to explore, I wanted to pick a place in Queens with which most people are all unfamiliar with, so I ended up choosing go out of my way to really figure this forgotten place out. The Rockaways in Queens County appealed to me because the area is known for its proximity to the beach, but I wanted to find out what other aspects make this specific community unique, as well as the fact I have a friend who works in the vicinity so I wouldn’t be adventuring alone. The area has a rich history in conjunction with Manhattan as well, serving as a frequent summer destination for city dwellers before the area underwent a more residential renovation during the 1980s. Additionally, a factor that influenced my decision to see Rockaway was the incredible impact that Hurricane Sandy in 2012 had on the area both physically, socially, and economically. Efforts to rebuild after the devastation took a major toll on the community as I’ve heard and the repercussions are still felt by each and every member of the community today. Furthermore, the interest was confined in the current status of Rockaway in the wake of such a dramatic event and how the community reorganized itself to be what it is today.
It was a foggy Saturday morning, as I started the 35 minute drive down to the Rockaways. As you drive past JFK, you can feel the diversity of the landscape changing, you feel the drop in road structure and a closer feel to sea level, as it’s a feeling you’re lower to the ground. The pot increase, as of course with any NYC road, and you start seeing boats harbored near the little lakes and streams that pass along the roads leading to Rockaway. You have to pay a toll for the bridge as you cross into the peninsula, even though there is a non toll route which drags you far around the bend to get into the isolated peninsula. When you get into the neighborhood, the first thing that pops at you is the old run down elevated A train lines, as it’s almost the the only elevated thing in the surroundings. You see the flat landscape mostly, sandy and dusty streets due to beach conditions and prevailing winds. Most of the the buildings and housing seem to be un-complex as well, but they are new high rise developments being built near Rockaway beach. I stopped by the Channel View School of Research first, as their football field compelled me, which overlooked the water as the fog covered the horizon, whilst the field also looking very clean and maintained. Some kids were around on the side playing while a lacrosse game was happening, where me and my friend approached them to find out more about the life here. We asked many questions and figured out what students do often and how Hurricane Sandy affected them. Parts of many students homes were damaged by Sandy, where they then had to live in state provided housing, and as the schools were flooded, many students were relocated to schools in Ozone Park – leading them to be separated from classmates. Students usually relax on the beach during the summer while during the school year, they tend to stay indoors. They did mention that the schools were very caring and a place with open arms, as staff genuinely cared about one another.
Walking and driving around, I noticed that the roads are mostly narrow, single lane spacing. Going in, I was expecting a much more African American native population but the area was gentrified, and now theres much more Irish and Whites prevalent post Sandy, Rockaway Blvd was a narrow strip, but a packed strip, ranging from groceries to bars to loads of restaurants, which we had the opportunity to visit because of a local food festival going on, which the owner of a local Italian ice cream shop (Uncle Louie G), Mara Valentino, was kind enough to hand us free tickets. She stated that during the storm, the ocean and the bay met on the Blvd, and just looking out the door and imagining that, it was a scary sight to see. She gave a run down of the history of what happened, mentioning that the Amish came in to rebuild a lot of the community. Many individuals from Brooklyn came to the Rockaways post Sandy and gentrified the housing and businesses. She mentioned the 108th street ferry, which is new, was new way for many to commute into Manhattan and Brooklyn. For local businesses, summer tourism was great because it kept businesses alive and running, even through off seasons. We then went to Witz Pizza and had the opportunity to chat with a local couple about the experiences living there. They mentioned several things:
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- Gateway Park – Was a Military base – now a reserve base
- Rockaway used to be a vacation spot
- A-train used to connect to the LIRR – They cut the train after WWII so Rockaway was the last stop, which caused the “decline” of the neighborhood
- A lot of good came out of the rebuilding post-Sandy
- The government provided food, water, volunteers: a lot of support and money
- Interviewee lived in Rockaway Beach his whole life, about 45 years, and drove buses for about 22 years in the area
- After stormwater from Sandy receded, the sand remained and ruined everything
- Residents were forced to evacuate before Sandy – everyone had to find somewhere to relocate for a while
- The boardwalk was ripped apart, entire blocks were burned down
- Insurance paid out to cover a lot of the damage to houses, cars, etc. but not for everyone across the board
- Rockaway has its own sanitation department
- Real estate is apparently through the roof in some areas due to gentrification (people moving in from Brooklyn)
I guess it was a good thing being an extrovert, because I was able to bring about good conversation with many on the street and in stores. People were very friendly in a sense that I approached them wanting to learn more about the community, and nobody was hesitant to start speaking. I went it to the police precent on the corner of the block as I was just curious, and officer Farrell approached me to wonder what I needed. I explained to him what i was doing and he was very keen on telling me more about the effects of the past but also the current status. These are the notes that I’ve took on what he stated:
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- He does not reside in Rockaway Beach but has worked as an officer there for the past 10 years. He was on duty when Sandy hit (which is why we specifically chose him to interview)
- Did 12- hour tours during and after Sandy – officers were virtually stranded, thankfully unions got food and supplies to them
- No power, no phones, only sewage and running water for months after the storm
- Mennonites from Ohio as well as local youth groups came to help clean debris
- Small groups came to help collect displaced and abandoned animals/pets
- Crime rates increased after Sandy, especially lootings and robberies
- Residential displacement was an issue, but wasn’t too bad of an issue because most people had vacation homes in the Bell Harbor and Breezy Point areas so they had their year-round homes elsewhere to stay in
- Regulations for apartments and high-rise buildings changed after Sandy
- Any house that is being built had to be to the “100 year level” standards, meaning that the foundation must be 8ft above the highest recorded sea level (for new houses only, not those that are grandfathered in)
- Many groups are working to raise homes all over the area to prevent the extent of future destruction from storms like or worse than Sandy
- General crimes in the Rockaway Beach area are similar to that all over New York; homicides, sexual assaults, robberies (similar but not as exclusive, no single crime stands out)
- If any, most common is petty theft and robberies of unattended property belonging to beachgoers or residents who leave their cars or front doors unlocked during the tourism season
- There are only 2 precincts covering the Rockaway peninsula; the 100th, which spans B-59th to the end of the jetty (basically JFK to Sheepshead) and the 101th, which borders Nassau County
- Suggestions for Rockaway from Officer Farrell – toll gates for residents is a huge issue, there needs to be better agreements between residents and the port authority. Also, he would love if beach-goers had more common sense and didn’t leave their shit on the beach unattended 🙂
Personally, I feel like people forget and leave behind the Rockaways. It’s not heard much, and the lack of accessibility to the region also hinders people from aiming to speaking about heading there. I wouldn’t say there is a lot to do there, but it’s a good experience to see the change and the beach in the summertime. Supporting local businesses also is a great deal because that’s what makes NYC what it is, and the Rockaways is flooded with small, locally owned shops.
So in further overview and research, these are general ideas I can point to:
- Infrastructure – Most underground infrastructure in the area is generally new. This concerns things like underground sewage systems and road drainage systems. This was part of a 25 million dollar update to the area that took place in 2017. Hurricane Sandy really highlighted the infrastructure issue in Rockaway concerning its water supply. This has given great benefits to its residents as well. Many housing projects have also gone into the neighborhood, leading to many new apartment complexes and beach houses either being renovated or made from scratch. This has all been done by NYC to make the area more appealing to homebuyers. Mayor de Blasio has passed a bill promising to rezone Far Rockaway in order to build more commercial and residential areas, all the work totals to about 288 million dollars roughly. 3 Bridges lead into Rockaway, Cross Bay Veterans Memorial Bridge, Atlantic Beach Bridge, and Marine Parkway Bridge which connects Rockaway to Brooklyn.. Far Rockaway houses its own gas and petroleum powered gas station. Major road is Rockaway Blvd, very highly populated and used. There is also a Rockaway subway line, took place of the old LIRR branch stationed in Rockaway.
- Demographics – Enough Irish had moved to Far Rockaway by the 1850s that it became known as “the Irish Saratoga”. A century later, after World War II, Far Rockaway was still 90 percent white. Like many areas along New York City’s southern periphery, however, it would soon become subject to a demographic shift. Because the Rockaway Peninsula had a lot of unused space compared with the rest of Queens, about half of the borough’s public housing was built there. That housing was originally intended for veterans returning from the war; requirements were soon loosened, however, and the projects in the Rockaways became a haven for those displaced by Robert Moses’s slum clearance program. The arrival of the subway in 1956, on the other hand, convinced many people that Far Rockaway was feasible as a year-round home. Many white families moved in as a result, and today Far Rockaway is much more diverse than other neighborhoods that experienced so-called “white flight”: about a third each white, black, and other minorities.
- History – The Rockaways have long been viewed as New York City’s playground since it is so close to Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, and parts of Long Island. From the turn of the century it became a hotspot for many city dwellers to spend their summers. Far Rockaway was established in 1888, and Rockaway Beach in 1897.There used to be a very large amusement park “Rockaway’s Playland”, brought a lot of business to the area, was shut down in 1982. Jacob Riis Beach Park is a very large beach attraction for tourists to this day, features an eclectic beach bazaar. Absorbed a lot of New York City culture. Was at first apart of the Town of North Hempstead, then merged into Queens. Robert Moses really helped the area grow with his creation of bridges, but when he tried building an intrusive parkway in the middle of the Rockaways, it turned out to cause more harm than good, many people lost their homes. Area fell into economic decline during the 1950s because many New Yorkers started to frequent to different hotspots (New York Aquarium, Jones Beach State Park). Turned into a full-time residential area, this really hurt the community, which led to a direct increase in crime. Area had to now be redeveloped.
Sources:
https://levysuniqueny.com/blog/history-rockaways-queens-past-present/
https://ny.curbed.com/2017/10/30/16570228/hurricane-sandy-rockaways-funds-de-blasio
https://therealdeal.com/2018/01/26/why-investors-are-flocking-to-far-rockaway/
www.nytimes.com/2017/06/21/nyregion/rockaway-beach-queens-ferry.html
