Ridgewood?
Ridgewood, NY is a relatively quiet neighboorhood compared to its neighbor Bushwick, which has a little less than twice the population of Ridgewood. Disputes on its border and surrounding areas have existed for as long as the British settled in Ridgewood, and the Dutch settled in Bushwick in the 17th century. Ridgewood borders Bushwick and East Williamsburg on it’s Brooklyn border. In Queens, Ridgewood is surrounded by Fresh Pond, Middle Village, Maspeth, and Glendale. Ridgewood’s neighbors in Queens are somewhat apart of Ridgewood as well, especially Fresh Pond and Glendale who share the 11385 zip code with Ridgewood. Prior to 1979, Ridgewood and Glendale were served by the Brooklyn Post Office in Bushwick. However, due to the public perception of Bushwick, being associated with drugs, arson, and violent crime, the Queens neighborhoods expressed a desire to disassociate from Bushwick. They claimed that their insurance premiums were too high due to the association, thus creating the 11385 postal code. Ridgewood, Middle Village, Maspeth, and Glendale all are patrolled by the the 104th Precinct of the NYPD, uniting this portion of western Queens and continuously moving away from the association to Brooklyn.
Hello! My name is Alvand Daghoghi, I am currently a resident of Ridgewood, NY. From the moment I moved to this neighborhood, just a few short months ago, I’ve been captivated by its environment and how its surrounding areas have shaped its current demeanor. I live in south-western Ridgewood, in the area that is associated with its Hispanic/LatinX roots. West of Forest Avenue, is where you can find this Hispanic population, which is typically of lower income and more family oriented. East of Forest Avenue, is typically older and whiter with heavy Polish influences, Stanley’s Piergoi being a highlight of the region.
Being a contributing factor to the gentrification that is slowly leaking into Ridgewood from Bushwick, the construction on this residential building stood out to me on my exploration of Fresh Pond. Approaching this area of Ridgewood, it felt like this place was hiding from me. The blocks we’re smaller and also had many dead end paths with more residential buildings lined up in them. It felt like a neighborhood, one that you rode your bike in as a kid or one where you would want your children to be riding their bike. It felt like this area was and should be untouched, and this building contributed nothing positive to that feeling.
The Jefferson St L-Train subway stop located in Bushwick is a nightlife hotspot. With the House of Yes, close access to East Williamsburg and their music venues, combined with many late-night food options, this is what people think of when they think Brooklyn nightlife. Located on Wyckoff Avenue, this area acts as an intermediary between East Williamsburg and Ridgewood.
Glendale is a fascinating neighborhood, starting from Myrtle Ave in Ridgewood and walking into Glendale, you see a stark contrast between the region. The photo was taken on an intersection, right outside of Stop-and-Shop, a popular supermarket chain in New England and the north east of the United States. I am from Connecticut, where Stop-and-Shop is the place to go and get your groceries, indicating to me that this area is home for many. More specifically Bushwick, but also Ridgewood in some ways, feels like an intermediary between Manhattan. Glendale feels the opposite of that, local buses are really the only form of public transportation in the area. The closest subway station is in Ridgewood and depending on where in Glendale you are, that may be quite a distance from you.
East Williamsburg is a perplexing place, extremely industrial and not very friendly. It makes up for it in the plurality of art work and murals throughout the neighborhood. Many of the residential buildings are like the ones in the background of the picture, large repurposed warehouses and factories.
Ridgewood is almost entirely the opposite of East Williamsburg, less desolate and more community-driven. These two photos we’re taken approximately five blocks from one another. Walking from East Williamsburg into Ridgewood, there was a massive hill that ends right on Cypress Avenue, the border of Ridgewood. The moment I reached Cypress, the architecture completely changed, from massive concrete buildings with complex designs to simple and small brick 1 to 2 family residential buildings.
Brick buildings are a Ridgewood staple, and can be seen throughout the neighborhood. The color of these buildings are distinctively associated with Ridgewood, creating its own environment through this beautiful shade. When you walk into Ridgewood, you know you’re in Ridgewood. Many of these buildings were constructed by Louis Berger & Co., an architectural firm who helped build Ridgewood block-by-block in the beginning of the 20th Century. They ended up designing around 5,000 buildings in the area.
Ridgewood is not extremely religious, 50.1% of people are religious as opposed to 56.1% of people in the New York-Newark-Jersey City Metro area. However, Catholicism dominates the religious demographics in the neighborhood citing 32.4% of Catholics in the region. Near Forest Avenue, St Matthias Roman Catholic Church towers over West Ridgewood and is visible throughout the area due to its high amount of low-rise residential buildings. This church also offers mass in English, Spanish, and Polish, acting as a uniting force between the east and west sides of Forest Avenue.
The areas of Middle Village that border Ridgewood, all have a similar architectural quality to Bushwick. The difference being, the entryways in Middle Village have awnings that extend out of the building, which signify the likelihood that these buildings are for single-family households.
Ridgewood tends to stay away from that. Usually taller buildings, that tend to have less dimension, substituted for a flat shape. More specifically, the picture taken in Fresh Pond is on Fresh Pond Road, the main street of Fresh Pond. This explains the discrepancies between the two, because as you go more into Fresh Pond you start seeing house-like structures.
This area of Fresh Pond is where the houses are, each being separated by some sort of alley-way that can function as a driveway depending on the size of the opening. This is also primarily where the older white polish people live, walking around this area that is all I saw: American flags, Polish restaurants/cafes, and quiet. It serves as an oasis for these individuals, who can feel connected to their own communities while also living peacefully.
The homes in this area we’re similar to those of Middle Village, however it was very apparent that these homes were of higher income. Continuing with the awnings of Middle Village, these homes had porches, creating the feeling of individuality from each home.
This photograph encompasses many elements of Ridgewood. From the storage units behind the house to the foliage leading to it. Ridgewood has many elements of nature and industrial-style living, but it does both of them on a small scale. You see elements of nature through the very scattered and small amounts of parks in the region, and through the many trees that cover the neighborhood. There are many slight nods to industrial-style living, from many storage containers and facilities with padlocks on street level to the copious amounts of brick comprised in most of the architecture.
Coming out of the Middle Village M-train subway stop, you’re greeted by what seems to be an endless sea of gravestones. You’re on Metropolitan Avenue, and when you look to your left, you have a clear view of the Freedom Tower. Walking down Metropolitan Avenue, it began to feel more and more like a highway. To my left was the All Faiths Cemetery, and to my right was Christ the King Regional High School, which was on top of Middle Village Cemetery. When I looked up, I saw endless sky, it felt like the dead we’re looking down on us.
Ridgewood, NY 11385, a richly diverse neighborhood, is a residential haven. With close access to Manhattan, and the abundance of automobile-owners, Ridgewood highlights the dualist nature of the commuter and the resident. While Ridgewood may look completely different in 20 years, the hope is that the essence of the neighborhood is maintained.
Thank you Ridgewood.