Howard Beach is a suburban neighborhood in southwestern Queens. It is bordered in the north by the Belt Parkway and South Conduit Avenue, the south by Jamaica Bay, the east by 102nd -104th Streets and the west by 78th Street. Howard Beach borders the neighborhoods of Ozone Park to the north and Broad Channel to the south. The Joseph P. Addabbo Memorial Bridge connects mainland Queens from Howard Beach to Broad Channel. The area is part of Community Board 10.
The community was established in the 1890s by William J. Howard, a Brooklyn glove manufacturer who operated a 150-acre goat farm on meadowland near Aqueduct Racetrack as a source of skins for kid gloves.
Bernard Coleman Memorial Square (Coleman Square) is the small plaza at the Howard Beach-JFK station on the IND Rockaway Line of the New York City Subway (served by the A train) and the AirTrain JFK station in Howard Beach. It includes a memorial to service members from Howard Beach who died in World War I, World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. The area is also served by the Q11, Q41 and Q53 bus.
Howard Beach is composed of several smaller neighborhoods — Howard Beach, Old Howard Beach, Hamilton Beach, Ramblersville, Rockwood Park, Lindenwood, and Howard Park. Old Howard Beach includes some docks, boats and views of the channel. The diverse landscape of Howard Beach includes everything from older shacks and bungalows to single and multi-levels homes, and more recently, McMansions. During the 1990s and 2000s, Rockwood Park “New Howard Beach” would see many of the area’s old houses torn down and replaced with upscale million dollar mini-mansions.
The neighborhood is mostly Italian, with smaller populations of Jewish, Irish, German and Polish communities, and the residents tend to be blue collar, working class families. Many of the local businesses are owned by Howard Beach locals.
Cross Bay Boulevard is the main commercial strip of Howard Beach serving the needs of its residents with gyms, pharmacies, salons, shopping, bakeries and restaurants. The boulevard’s six lanes of traffic separate the area into what residents consider Old Howard Beach and New Howard Beach. Home to Russo’s on the Bay, located at 162-45 Cross Bay Boulevard, it is one of Howard Beach’s most well-known and reputable catering halls. Open since 1987 by Frank Russo Jr., Russo’s is known for its great food and water views. Russo also opened Vetro at 164-49 Cross Bay Boulevard in 2009, a sit down Italian restaurant with a wine cellar and rooftop cocktail lounge. The Starbucks at 157-41 Cross Boulevard is a popular local hangout offering an outdoor patio, roof deck and views of the channel.
Those looking for good food have their pick down Cross Bay Boulevard: New Park Pizza at 156-71, Vincent’s Clam Bar at 159-13, Lenny’s Clam Bar at 161-03, Saffron at 161-50 and Danny’s Szechuan Garden at 164-14 Cross Bay Boulevard, just to name a few.
The family-friendly Howard Beach is also home to Frank M. Charles Memorial Park, which includes playgrounds and basketball courts and Shore Parkway, part of the Belt Parkway, with a greenway for bicycles and pedestrians.
“Howard Beach is a close, family-oriented community. There’s good food and good shopping. I really like my neighborhood, I feel safe here,” said Evelyn, a long-time resident.
