Neponsit, Queens

Neponsit is an upscale neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens. It is located on the western half of the Rockaway Peninsula, the southernmost area of the borough. The small area starts at 142nd Street and ends at 149th Street. It borders the neighborhood of Belle Harbor to the east and Jacob Riis Park on the west. Jamaica Bay and the Atlantic Ocean are the northern and southern borders. The neighborhood is part of Queens Community Board 14. As of January 1, 2007, the neighborhood's population reached just over 2,000, making it one of the smallest communities on the peninsula.

Neponsit's zoning is residential, R-1, a rarity in New York City. This category of zoning prohibits any commercial structures and allows only single-family homes to be built. Due to this zoning and the secluded beach location, homes may be mansion-like and the average market price for properties has exceeded $1.1 million since 2006.

History
Neponsit is a Native American name that means "the place between waters," the waters of the Atlantic Ocean and of Jamaica Bay or Rockaway Inlet.

The present community's character has persisted since Neponsit was established. In January 1910, the Neponsit Realty Company purchased the land for the development of an exclusive community. It forbade the construction of any homes that cost less than $3,000, and the homes were built in order to withstand the beach weather and geography of the narrow peninsula. The entrance to the area was originally marked by a massive ornamental gateway. More recently, a stretch of tree-dotted islands, called "the malls," along Rockaway Boulevard was a distinguishing feature. It extended through Belle Harbor. By the 1930s, high quality homes were dominant in Neponsit.

The first transatlantic flight departed from Neponsit. On May 8, 1919, four United States Navy-Curtis model seaplanes took off from what is now Beach Channel Drive in Neponsit to Newfoundland, Canada, the Azores Islands, and Lisbon, Portugal. Finally on May 31, 1919, only one plane, piloted by Lt. Commander Albert C. Read, arrived in Plymouth, England.

Pop culture

 * The television show, Rescue Me (FX Network) has regularly filmed in Neponsit, using residences to portray the fictional homes of some of the characters.