| Where Jamaicans live
by Antoinette
When mi check it out Lawd! No wey nuh betta
dan yawd! Let me add another verse to this famous song. When
yu
cyan ongly 'ford fi walk, no whey no betta dan New York. All
jokes aside, when you can't get home there is no need to worry.You
can
find almost everything Jamaican, mi sey everyting (man and woman
included) in New York. It is not called "the mecca" for
nothing. The largest influx of Jamaicans to New York occurred
first in the mid 1960's and again in the mid 1980's. Despite
a
great exodus by many to other states or back home, (sometimes
by force) many Jamaicans still reside in the Big Apple. The 2000
Census results showed that over 500,000 Caribbeans are living
in New York City with Jamaicans and Haitians as the largest groups.
The top boroughs with heavy representation of Jamaicans are:
Queens,
Brooklyn, and the Bronx. These are the boroughs that will be
discussed. I will also include Long Island, which has smaller
representation
but JA is definitely present. Some may argue this, but the boroughs
by region alone that tie for the most Jamaicans, would definitely
be Brooklyn and Queens. Listed below are some areas of Brooklyn,
Queens and Bronx that have a large concentration of fellow yardies.
Brooklyn - Flatbush, East Flatbush, Crown Heights,
Carnasie and Midwood. Drive along commercial Flatbush Ave., as
it takes you through several neighborhoods. There are legal van
drivers who proudly display their flag from JA or from some other
part of the Caribbean and they will take you anywhere on the Flatbush
Ave. bus route, faster and cheaper than the bus. Van drivers are
also on other commercial strips such as Church Avenue, Glenwood
Rd. and Utica Ave. Big up all van drivers!
Queens/Long Island - Jamaica, South Jamaica,
East Elmhurst, St. Albans, Lawrence, Laurelton and Rosedale are
all areas that have a large Jamaican population. In addition,
van drivers are also along Merrick Blvd. and Jamaica Ave., as
well as other commercial parts of Queens.
Bronx - Unlike the other boroughs, it seems
that Jamaicans are condensed in specific areas of the Bronx. North
Bronx areas have a large Jamaican population, streets like White
Plains Rd., Gunther Ave., Boston Rd., Fish and Barnes Avenue,
Allerton Ave, etc. The older residents of some of these areas
are still there as well, more so in the Castle Hill section. Neighboring
Mt. Vernon has a section of middle class Jamaicans on the residential
side. New Rochelle although a small town, definitely has Jamaican
representation. As for any areas that might not have been included,
it was not intentional, this is just an overview.
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