Howard Beach is a quiet suburban, established community. It consists of mostly two family houses and condos. The neighborhood I live in is a section of Howard Beach called Lindenwood. Houses in this area are fairly new with wide open two lain streets. Every house has a front and back yard and is separated on one side. Most residents of the neighborhood have lived in the same house for three generations. Although the community is old the housing is mostly all renovated.
Howard Beach consists mostly of housing and has no type of industrial buildings in site. Instead of like most condensed living areas we find in New York City, Howard Beach is more open and less polluted. Although the area is an excellent living space I does contain many flaws. Most people who do not have access to cars are given only one option of transportation which is by bus. The Q41 and he Q21 are both within walking distance from me. There is no train service close by and can only be acquired by taking either of the two buses. The ride toward the train is about 20 minutes which makes it very difficult for people who need to get to work. Another dilemma within in the transportation is that the buses come ever thirty minutes. When it comes to receiving health care, Jamaica hospital is the closest one to Lindenwood which is about a 20 minute drive and 40 minutes by bus. However there are many other health care services closer in the community such as a chiropractor, dentist and podiatrist.
There isn’t much gang violence in my neighborhood but living conditions worsen further down in East New York Brooklyn which is about three blocks away from my home. There is more violence and drug abuse seen coming from that area. The average monthly income in this area is about $24,163. This can be compared with the average income seen in Howard Beach which is $51,175. The difference in income reflects both the poverty level and living conditions seen in the two areas. While Howard Beach is more open and clean, East New York is more condensed and polluted. The population of East New York requires more education on the negative affects of drug abuse and gang violence. Agencies can help families become more aware of positive health beliefs and disease control to create a safer community.
Howard Beach has been known to be a racist community, especially after the murder of Michael Griffith in 1986. How do you think the social and racial landscapes have changed since then?