CCJ - ABOUT JAMAICA, QUEENS

ABOUT JAMAICA , QUEENS, NEW YORK CITY, N Y

LANDMARKS & POINTS OF INTEREST

HISTORY

Named for the Jameco (or Yamecah) Indians, who were part of the Algonquin nation, and lived on the northern shore of Jamaica Bay and along Beaver Stream and Beaver Pond. It is one of 3 villages dating back before the Revolution. Prior to the British settling there, the Dutch called the land Rustdorp (rest town). One of the county's original towns, Jamaica was settled in 1655 by English families who came there from Hempstead and settled on a tract under a grant from Governor Stuyvesant. They gave their settlement the name of "Rusdorf," and later, "Jameco;" the present name was adopted for the entire southeast portion of Queens in 1680. The first church in Queens, also the oldest Presbyterian church in the country, was built here in 1662. Jamaica became the county seat in 1683 when Queens was organized as one of the counties of New York State. A courthouse was built for $300, which also contained the prison and was used as a house of worship on Sundays. Early on the British made Jamaica the colonial capital of Queens County. The court and county and clerk’s office were established there. Executions were carried out around Beaver Pond. Grace Church was the official government church and during the Revolutionary War the area was occupied by British troops (1776-1783) whose huts were in the foothills north of Hillside Avenue.

Jamaica (Jameco being the Algonquin word for Beaver) was incorporated in 1814. Transportation has played an important role in Jamaica's history. The toll road between Hempstead and the ferry in Brooklyn -- now Jamaica Avenue -- provided much of the community's commerce, and later became a major shopping area. The Long Island Rail Road provided service to Manhattan (NYC) in 1836. After the Civil War, Jamaica boomed in population and development. In the 1870’s side streets were laid out and the electric trolley began service in 1888. In 1918, the elevated train was extended down Jamaica Avenue, that coupled with the affordable 5 cent fare enabled people to live there and work in Manhattan.

By 1925 Jamaica was the premier shopping center for all of Central Queens and in the 30’s was the financial heart of Queens. (The first self-service supermarket in the country, King Kullen, opened in 1930 on Jamaica Avenue.). Until the middle of the 20th century, Jamaica was the center of commerce, government, and entertainment for most of Queens and parts of Brooklyn and Nassau County. A primary reason for its growth has been its uniqueness as a transit oriented hub, with the converging of 10 LIRR branches, 13 bus lines, 4 major subway lines, 5 adjacent highways and connecting transportation to JFK Airport. Beginning in the 1960's, however, Jamaica experienced erosion in its position as the borough's largest business district. New regional shopping malls in neighboring Nassau County siphoned off downtown retail activity, resulting in the closing of downtown Jamaica department stores, the relocation of two headquarter banks, and the departure of its largest industry, along with the loss of jobs and economic activity linked to those anchors. Take a Look at Recent Jamaica Developments

Demographics

Demographic change in the residential population in the downtown's environs have heightened the complexities of community development over the years. Over 2 million people reside in Queens, NY , the most ethnically diverse county in the nation . Presently, Jamaica is the largest and most densely populated neighborhood in central Queens, with 650,000 people residing in the downtown’s market area - people who live, work or use downtown Jamaica’s commercial, educational, government and transportation services. During the last decades of the 20th century, Jamaica attracted many immigrants. 73% of the residents are non-white Hispanic, Asian/American and African/American ethnic minorities, many of whom are immigrants - one fifth are from Guyana and many of the rest from Haiti, China, India, Colombia, Jamaica, the Philippines, the Dominican Republic and Pakistan. 69% of the households are family households, 20% of the households have individuals 65 years and over.

With excellent transit access from Nassau and Suffolk counties, and convenient reverse-peak commutation from Manhattan, Brooklyn and other areas of Queens, Jamaica taps a vast and talented labor pool . Over 40% of the working population living in Jamaica holds white-collar jobs, and the communities immediately surrounding the area have a high percentage of upper middle class (African-American) households. However, the overall per capita income of Jamaica is $18, 391 with 15% of all families with children living below the poverty level. 30% of households have income of less than $25,000/year. 57% use public transportation or walk to work

Community and Economic Development

After decades of uncertainty and disinvestment, Jamaica is now a model re-emergent community, due in large part to three decades of partnership work between government and private sectors and the community. Major infrastructure investments have been made and are planned to stabilize downtown Jamaica, strategies have been pursued to attract public and private investment and a variety of initiatives to encourage small business, rehabilitate thousands of apartments, and provide amenities and cultural programs to make the downtown more attractive and hospitable.

Jamaica's l Market Segments: retail and office; residents of the primary trade area; a large multi-cultural daytime population of employees, students and visitors; many thousands of commuters who daily make an intermodal transfer in Jamaica Center; AirTrain -will bolster local employment with airport-supportive businesses. Competitive assest - transportation and access to a large, highly skilled, desirable labor pool.

Current development major projects at or nearing completion:

Jamaica Empire Zone

Jamaica In-Place Industrial Park

Public Parking System

Pedestrian Enhancements Project to relieve vehicular &pedestrian conflicts

Mixed Use projects