Wakefield

Wakefield is a working-class section of the northernmost borough of the Bronx in New York City, bounded to the north by the New York City line with Westchester County or 243rd street, 222nd Street to the south, and the Bronx River, Bronx River Parkway and Metro-North Railroad tracks to the west. Wakefield is the northernmost neighborhood in New York City (although the city's northernmost point is actually in Riverdale, at the College of Mount Saint Vincent). The neighborhood is part of Bronx Community Board 12. The 2000 United States Census reported a total of 67,787 residents. Wakefield was named after the Virginia plantation where George Washington was born, just as neighboring Mount Vernon was named after the plantation where he lived and died.

Like the rest of the northern Bronx, Wakefield was once woods and farmland, but it started to change in 1840 when the New York and Harlem River Railroad arrived. The current Wakefield station of the Metro-North Harlem Line was on the site of a village called Washingtonville, which was incorporated into Wakefield.

Formerly, Wakefield was home to a large Irish-American and Italian-American population. During the 1980s, these communities were replaced - in what is commonly known as White flight) - with large African-American populations, which now comprise 72.3% of the neighborhood. The population is 19.6% Hispanic . Many residents are - or are descended from - Jamaican and West Indian immigrants. The neighborhood is home to many prominent Catholic secondary schools, including the all-male Mount Saint Michael Academy, which serves 1,100 students in grades 7-12.

The Wakefield Metro-North Railroad station on the Harlem Line is located at 241st Street. The neighborhood is served by the IRT White Plains Road Line of the New York City Subway. The neighborhood's primary ZIP Code is 10466, but certain areas around East 241st Street and White Plains Road are listed as 10470.

Social problems
Though the crime rate has been high, Wakefield, like other sections of New York, has shown a steep decline in both violent and non-violent crime. The neighborhood has also seen a rise in gangs and gang-related violence from neighboring Edenwald The high school drop-out rate is higher than the city average but lower than that of central Bronx neighborhoods. Many households in the area are headed by a single mother.

Transportation

 * Bx8: to Locust Point (via Williamsbridge Road)
 * Bx16: to Eastchester or Norwood-205th Street station (via Nereid Avenue-Mundy Lane)
 * Bx31: to Woodlawn or Westchester Square (via Eastchester Road)
 * Bx39: to Soundview and Clason Point, Bronx (via White Plains Road)
 * BxM11: express bus to Midtown Manhattan
 * Wakefield (Metro-North station) (Harlem Line)
 * Wakefield-241st Street (IRT White Plains Road Line) (2, 5)
 * Nereid Avenue (IRT White Plains Road Line) (2, 5)
 * 233rd Street (IRT White Plains Road Line) (2, 5)
 * 225th Street (IRT White Plains Road Line) (2, 5)

Notable Natives and Residents

 * Lloyd Barnes - Jamaican music producer
 * Adelina Patti - 19th century opera singer
 * Harry G. Pellegrin - musician and author