Castle Hill

Castle Hill is a residential neighborhood geographically located in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The neighborhood has a high concentration of Latinos, a significant African-American population and emerging pockets of West Indian immigrants. The neighborhood is part of Bronx Community Board 9.

Geography
Castle Hill’s boundaries are Waterbury-Westchester Avenues to the north, Westchester Creek to the east, the East River to the south and White Plains Road to the west. The Bruckner Expressway bisects the neighborhood horizontally. Castle Hill Avenue is the primary thoroughfare. The ZIP codes are 10462, 10472 and 10473. Some of the adjacent neighborhoods are Parkchester, Bronx River, Soundview, Harding Park, Clason Point and Unionport.

The neighborhood is easily accessible to Midtown and Downtown Manhattan and the other boroughs (Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island) via the Cross Bronx Expressway (I-95), the Bronx River Parkway, the Bruckner Expressway (I-95 and I-278), the 6 line train and multiple bus lines. Its proximity to two major highways makes this area easy to get to from just about anywhere in the tri-state area.

The Castle Hill area is low-lying and flat. It is largely composed of multi-unit homes, some tenement buildings and an NYCHA (New York City Housing Authority) development called the Castle Hill Houses, which is composed of about a dozen buildings, ranging from 12 to 20 stories tall. There is also a small pocket of industry located along the Hutchinson River and Zerega Avenue. The area boasts some of the best restaurants in the Bronx, including Sabrosura at 1200 Castle Hill Avenue.

The total land area is roughly 2 sqmi and, although it has not physically shifted, there is a dispute regarding which region of the Bronx encompasses Castle Hill. Many people include this neighborhood in the socioeconomic South Bronx, taking Westchester Creek as a traditional boundary. Some say that - in order to eliminate negative stereotypes - Castle Hill is included in the Southeast Bronx along with Soundview and Harding Park. Many residents feel, however, that although this area is relatively close to the South Bronx, it is distant enough to be entitled to its own geographical definition.

Urban Renewal
Many homes have been rehabilitated, and many multi-unit townhouses and newly constructed apartment buildings have been or are being built on vacant lots throughout the neighborhood. Recently, a New York City project to change the water pipes throughout the neighborhood has rejuvenated the area by rebuilding all sidewalks and renewing the asphalt in all of the streets - giving the area a much welcome refreshed look. On some blocks there’s even a suburban feel that has contributed to bringing back some people who had fled to the suburbs decades ago.

On the southern end of Castle Hill Avenue is Castle Hill Point Park. This end features the renovated Castle Hill YMCA (the only YMCA in the Bronx), which features indoor and outdoor pools, a baseball field, a basketball court, a gym and an outdoor sitting area with a great view of the Bronx-Whitestone Bridge. There is also the Kips Bay Boys and Girls Club (Lucile Palmaro Clubhouse), located at 1930 Randall Avenue, which, among other things, features the Bronx’s only ice skating rink.

Public Schools

 * PS 138 Samuel Randall School (K-5)
 * PS 36 - Unionport School (K-5)
 * PS/MS 194

Private/Parochial Schools

 * St. John Vianney Cure of Ars School
 * Holy Family School (Pre K-8)
 * St. Raymond Academy for Girls, an all-girls' Catholic high school

Special Education Programs

 * New LIFE School (5-8)

Transportation

 * Bx4: to Westchester Square or 3rd Ave.-149th St. station (via Westchester Ave)
 * Bx5: to Pelham Bay Park or Simpson St. station (via Bruckner Blvd. / Story Ave.)
 * Bx22: to Bronx High School of Science (via Fordham Rd. / Castle Hill Ave.)
 * Bx36: to George Washington Bridge Bus Terminal (via East 180th Street)
 * Bx39: to Gun Hill Road station or Clason Point (via White Plains Road)
 * Q44: to Bronx Zoo or Jamaica, Whitestone, Flushing (via Bronx-Whitestone Bridge)
 * BxM7A: Express to Pelham Bay or Midtown Manhattan
 * Castle Hill Av. station (IRT 6)
 * Zerega Avenue station (IRT 6)

Notable natives

 * Jennifer Lopez (1969-), musician and actress, raised on 2210 Blackrock Avenue.
 * Remy Ma (1981-), female rapper, was raised in the Castle Hill Houses.
 * Kenny Satterfield (1981-), former NBA player with the Denver Nuggets, Philadelphia 76ers, and Dallas Mavericks.
 * Maurice Woodson (1967-), Noted author and screenwriter, Castle Hill Houses
 * Darrin Dewitt Henson (1972-), actor and choreographer, was raised in Castle Hill area.