Rochdale, Queens

Rochdale is a neighborhood in the southeastern corner of the borough of Queens in New York City. Located in Community Board 12, Rochdale, along with other neighborhood areas, is grouped as part of Greater Jamaica, corresponding to the former Town of Jamaica. It is adjacent to three other Queens neighborhoods: South Jamaica to the west, Locust Manor to the north and Laurelton to the south. Rochdale runs along an east-west part of the Queens/Nassau border and is directly north of John F. Kennedy International Airport.

History
Rochdale Village was named after the English town of Rochdale, Greater Manchester, where the Rochdale Pioneers developed the Rochdale Principles of cooperation. The architect's concept of Rochdale Village was an attractive community that covered 122 blocks that would provide the residents with a park-like setting and facilities of suburbia within the limits of the Urban Jamaica Area. Rochdale was designed to be a "city within a city."

The property is the site of the former Jamaica Racetrack, which was operated by the Metropolitan Jockey Club and its successor, the Greater New York Association (now the New York Racing Association.) When the NYRA decided to renovate Greater Jamaica's other track, Aqueduct Racetrack (in South Ozone Park), it also decided to close Jamaica Racetrack when the Aqueduct Racetrack's improvements were finished. Jamaica Racetrack was shut down in 1959 and demolished.

Construction proceeded at a rapid pace on a new community in Queens. When Rochdale Village opened, it was the largest private cooperative housing complex in the world (later surpassed by Co-op City in the Bronx), and was between 10 to 20 percent African-American and 80 to 90 percent White. As years passed, more and more African-Americans moved to Rochdale. Between the late 1960s and mid-1970s most White people moved from the community.

Rochdale Village: "The Jewel of Jamaica"
Rochdale Village is a 120 acre residential park, consisting of 20 buildings in five groups. Each 13-story building has three sections: A, B and C. Each section has its own mailing address. Rochdale village has a branch of the Queensborough Public Library.

Utilities
The power plant is a 21-megawatt cogeneration facility that generates all the electrical power, heating, air-conditioning and domestic hot water services for the entire residential development and two shopping malls.

Education
The schools in Rochdale are PS. 30, PS. 80 and Catherine Count Basie Middle School 72.

Transportation
Rochdale and the surrounding neighborhoods are served by the Belt Parkway, MTA New York City Transit buses and the Long Island Rail Road, which stops right by the complex at the Locust Manor station. Rochdale is also served by the Q111, Q85, Q3 and Q113 bus routes.