Kingsbridge, Bronx

Kingsbridge is a residential neighborhood in the northwest portion of the Bronx, New York City. Kingsbridge's boundaries are Manhattan College Parkway to the north, the Major Deegan Expressway or Bailey Avenue to the east, West 230th Street to the south, and Irwin Avenue to the west. The neighborhood is part of Bronx Community Board 8 and its ZIP Code is 10463. Kingsbridge is patrolled by the New York City Police Department's 50th Precinct. Kingsbridge comprises three distinct neighborhoods: Kingsbridge proper, Kingsbridge Heights, and Van Cortlandt Village. Kingsbridge proper is bounded by Manhattan College Parkway to the north, either the Major Deegan Expressway or Bailey Avenue to the east, West 230th Street to the south, and Irwin Avenue to the west. Kingsbridge has detached, semi detached, and attached homes, and apartment buildings. Streets connecting Riverdale and Kingsbridge include "step streets", with stairways of as many as 160 steps climbing the slope. The neighborhood is also part of a business improvement district that is home to 200 merchants, and is one of the largest retail shopping districts in the Bronx. River Plaza Shopping Center is located nearby (in Marble Hill, Manhattan) but it is not part of the business improvement district. During the past several years there have been significant improvements in the infrastructure of the community. For example, the parks have been improved significantly and there are new elementary schools on 230th Street. On 233rd and Bailey Avenue, there is a baseball field that is run by Kingsbridge Little League. The field has lights, dugouts, stands, and a small food court. The neighborhood is named for the King's Bridge, likely erected by enslaved Africans in 1693 and owned by Frederick Philipse, a local lord loyal to the British monarch. The bridge spanned a now-filled-in section of Spuyten Duyvil Creek, roughly parallel to today's 230th Street. The King's Bridge was part of Boston Post Road, connecting southern Westchester County (which later became the Bronx) with Marble Hill, once part of Manhattan Island and still part of the borough of Manhattan.