Woodlawn, The Bronx : NYC Tourist Guide

Woodlawn

Woodlawn (population 7,741) is a neighborhood in the borough of the Bronx in New York City. Unlike many other neighborhoods in New York City, its boundaries are fairly well-defined, as it is bounded by the New York City / Westchester County line to the north, the Bronx River to the east, Woodlawn Cemetery to the south and Van Cortlandt Park to the west. In addition to being home to a large Irish-American and Irish immigrant population, it is also the site of the famous Woodlawn Cemetery. The neighborhood is part of Bronx Community Board 12.

The neighborhood extends north of the city line for a few blocks into an area of Yonkers, New York with a large Irish population as well. Though not officially part of Woodlawn, stores and pubs on McLean Avenue in Yonkers are considered to be some of the neighborhood's most notable fixtures. Woodlawn and McLean Avenue are often collectively referred to as "Wood-Lean."

According to the United States Census, 2000, 4,653 of Woodlawn's 7,741 residents (60.1%) were of Irish ancestry. It also has a smaller but still significant (14.6%, or 1,127 persons) Italian population. Woodlawn's youth have been known for their rivalry with the nearby Riverdale section of the Bronx directly across from Van Cortlandt Park. Rivalries with Bainbridge in the 1980's and Yonkers have existed as well. In recent years, the neighborhood has been revived with many "20 somethings" traveling in from Ireland.

St. Barnabas, a Catholic church in Woodlawn, serves as a center of Irish culture offering Irish language classes and also having an Irish Outreach program to assist Irish immigrants in finding jobs and residence in the neighborhood.

The Woodlawn Heights Library Branch has an extensive collection of Irish books.

The neighborhood is served by the IRT Jerome Avenue Line (4) and Metro-North Railroad's Harlem Line.