Major Institutions in Belmont
"The Bronx Park boasts some of the city’s most beautiful outdoor places, some of which are located in the Botanical Garden"
Major Institutions Serving Belmont, Bronx
Belmont, Bronx is one of the most well known ethnic neighborhoods in all of New York City. With a population of about 22,000 people, many from different backgrounds, it is not surprising to find out that it is the home to some major institutions including the Bronx Park, New York Botanical Garden and Fordham Road. These institutions, among others benefit not only the local residents but also other New Yorkers and tourists alike. Aside from the large establishments, the neighborhood of Belmont has plenty of institutes that serve the specific population of immigrants in the area, whether it is representing their culture, their religion or educational services.
As education plays an important role in the lives of all New York City children today, it is important for the people in Belmont to provide it to them to the best of their ability. With the public high schools there, including P.S. 32 and M.S. 45 not meeting up to city standards, parents choose to spend some extra cash in order to send their kids to parochial schools such as the Roman Catholic elementary school, Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish Elementary School located on Bathgate Avenue. The religion practiced in the neighborhood is well expressed through the numerous Catholic educational institutions surrounding the neighborhood including the prestigious Fordham University, which is located directly north of the Belmont region. Along with faith comes religious institutions, in this case, churches. The Creston Avenue Baptist Church is one of the many churches that we passed by during our tour of the neighborhood.
"Many Catholic educational institutions surrounding the neighborhood including the prestigious Fordham University, located directly north of the Belmont region."
Aside from the educational and religious aspect of the neighborhood, culture is strongly signified in the various shops, restaurants and delis of the area. Famous for being the “Little Italy” of the Bronx, Arthur Avenue provides people with delicious food both in fancy restaurants and in eateries within the Arthur Avenue Retail Market. Though food is a major way culture is expressed, the Italian Americans of the neighborhood show their ethnic pride in many other ways. The Belmont branch of the New York City Public Library, better known as the Enrico Fermi Cultural Center, features events dedicated to the Italian American heritage; in other words, it is not only a library providing the normal range of services that any other library would, but it also takes the extra step in offering special programs and exhibitions related to Italian American history, culture and language.
The Belmont Italian American Playhouse is yet another cultural organization that produces many critically acclaimed pieces that once again interpret the community experience such as “Ole!” (which is surprisingly enough about Hispanic-American experience, not Italian American). Though this is not an institution specific to this neighborhood, the Bronx Dance Theatre, a
"The Bronx Dance Theatre serves the youth of Belmont with professional training in all types of dance forms"
nonprofit organization, serves the youth of Belmont and the rest of Bronx with professional training in all types of dance forms ranging from classical ballet (Russian Technique) to Flamenco to Hip-Hop. The types of dance represent some of the immigrant population we recognize in Belmont and its surrounding areas: Hispanic-American, Albanian and African-American.
Finally, the major institutions that not only serve the immediate neighborhood, but was created for all of New York City to explore and admire are the Bronx Zoo and the New York Botanical Garden which span across the Bronx Park, located just east of Belmont. The Bronx Park boasts some of the city’s most beautiful outdoor places, some of which are located in the Botanical Garden and diverse wildlife, found in the Bronx Zoo, the largest metropolitan zoo in the United States. However, the Bronx Park is not just the home of these two attractions but also has many recreation areas such as soccer and football fields, bicycle paths and children’s playgrounds. From this list of just a few institutions found in and around Belmont, Bronx, we can tell that the community is very energetic and very alive, boasting culture, religion, and history through its many organizations.
"Diverse wildlife found in the Bronx Zoo, the largest metropolitan zoo in the United States"
