Jackson Heights is a neighborhood in the northwestern portion of the borough of Queens in New York City, USA. The neighborhood is part of Queens Community Board 3. The zip code of Jackson Heights is 11372.

Jackson Heights is also where the IRT Flushing Line (7 <7>) train meets the IND Queens Boulevard Line (E F G R V) and numerous bus routes at the 74th Street-Broadway transportation hub, which has recently received a $100+ million renovation by the MTA. It includes one of the first green buildings by the MTA, the Victor A. Moore Bus Terminal, which is partially powered by solar panels built into the roof. These are located along the length of the sheds above the No. 7 platforms.[citation needed] It is the largest subway stop in Queens with six subway lines (E, F, G, R, V and 7) and six bus lines (Q32, Q33, Q45, Q47, Q49 and Q53). The Q33 bus goes to LaGuardia Airport's main terminals and operates 24 hours a day. The Q47 bus goes to the Marine Air Terminal. The Q53 bus goes to Rockaway Beach, Queens. The Long Island Rail Road Woodside station is nearby on 61st Street and Roosevelt Avenue, which is two stops on #7 train.

The community is bounded by Astoria Boulevard to the north, the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway to the west, Roosevelt Avenue to the south, and Junction Boulevard to the east. East Elmhurst, the area immediately to the north, from Northern Boulevard to the Grand Central Parkway, though not part of the original development, is sometimes regarded as a northward extension of the neighborhood. The Jackson Heights name comes from Jackson Avenue, the former name for Northern Boulevard. The Jackson Avenue name is retained by this major road in a short stretch between Queensboro Plaza and the Queens Midtown Tunnel approaches, in the Long Island City neighborhood.

In 1987 British Airways moved its United States corporate offices to the Bulova Corporate Center, a converted watch factory in the Jackson Heights/East Elmhurst area. In 1999 British Airways said it would close its headquarters in the watch factory and move to a new headquarters building in a location in the New York City area by 2002, when the airline's lease would run out. By 2001 the airline said it would keep 80,000 square feet (7,400 m2) of office space in the watch building, but that its telephone operations would move to Jacksonville, Florida. As of 2008 British Airways maintains offices in the Bulova building. In 2006, India's ban of the export of lentils caused a price crisis in the neighborhood.

Most of the original neighborhood is a National Register Historic District and a New York State Historic Register District. About half has been designated as a New York City Historic District by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. It comprises large garden apartment buildings (the term was invented for buildings in Jackson Heights) and many groupings of private homes. It was a planned development laid out by Edward A. MacDougall's Queensboro Corporation beginning about 1916, and following the arrival of the No. 7 elevated line between Manhattan and Flushing. The community was initially planned as a place for middle- to upper-middle income workers from Manhattan to raise their families.[citation needed] The Jackson Heights New York State and National Register Districts range from 93rd Street through 69th Street between Northern Boulevard and Roosevelt Avenue. Some property fronting on Northern Boulevard and Roosevelt Avenue, as well as some "cut-outs", are not inside the Register Districts. A former golf course located between 76th and 78th Streets and 34th and 37th Avenues was built upon during the 1940s.

Jackson Heights is believed to be[citation needed] the first garden city community built in the United States, as part of the international garden city movement at the turn of the last century. There are many private parks (historically called "gardens" by the residents) within walking distance of each other. They are tucked in the mid-blocks, mostly hidden from view by the buildings surrounding them. Several approach the size of Gramercy Park in Manhattan,[citation needed] and one is slightly larger.[citation needed] Unless given an invitation, entry is restricted to those who own a co-op around its perimeter. The basis for the private ownership of the parks of Jackson Heights is derived from its founding principle as a privately owned neighborhood built largely under the oversight of one person. The historic section of Jackson Heights is the more affluent part of the neighborhood.[citation needed]

Primarily during the 1930s, Holmes Airport operated on 220 acres adjacent to the community. The area later became the Bulova watch factory site.

Many residents commute to nearby Manhattan, ten to fifteen minutes to 53st Street and Lexington Avenue via the express E train or 63rd Street and Lexington via the F train. It takes about 20 to 30 minutes via the 7 train.

Jackson Heights is mainly composed of private homes, co-op buildings, and rentals, with a small number of condominiums.

The main retail thoroughfare is located on 37th Avenue from 72nd Street to Junction Boulevard, with more retail on 82nd, 73rd and 74th Streets on the blocks between 37th and Roosevelt Avenues. Stores and restaurants on and near 74th street tend to cater towards the large South Asian population in the neighborhood, with sari and jewellery stores, Bengali and Hindi music and movie retailers and many restaurants. . 37th Avenue contains a wide mix of retailers, including many grocery stores, and 82nd street contains many national chain stores located in Tudor-style buildings in the Jackson Heights Historic District. South American retailers and eateries, predominantly from Colombia, Ecuador and Peru dominate Northern Boulevard from 80th Street east to the border of neighboring Corona, Queens at Junction Boulevard.Roosevelt Avenue is also lined with various mainly Hispanic retail stores. The majority of 35th and 34th Avenues and most side streets between 37th Avenue and Northern Boulevard are residential.

The community is home to various houses of worship from a wide array of religions but mainly Catholic. Saint Joan of Arc Catholic Church is located between 82nd and 83rd Street on 35th Avenue. The Jackson Heights Jewish Center is located on the corner of 77th Street and 37th Avenue. The Community United Methodist Church is on 82nd Street.

Jackson Heights is among the most diverse neighborhoods in New York City, and the nation. Jackson Heights is home to large numbers of South Asian, East Asian, South American immigrants, as well as a sizeable gay and lesbian population. Reflecting this diversity, there are several parades throughout the year along 37th Avenue and Northern Boulevard.

There is a greenmarket every Sunday morning during summer at Travers Park, as well as various family-oriented spring & summer concerts.

Colombian broadcaster RCN TV has its US-American headquarters in the neighborhood, reflecting the sizable Colombian population in the area.

The Jackson Heights Garden City Society is a historical society, whose founders include local historians, the Queens Borough Historian and local activists. They created and oversee the Jackson Heights Garden City Trail and publish a walking guidebook to Jackson Heights. They also collect artifacts of the community. Periodically the Society testifies before the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission on issues of concern to the community.

Jackson Heights has followed the general patterns of New York City when it comes to crime. After spikes in the 1980s into the 1990s, crime has declined significantly. According to New York City CompStat statistics, measured crime has declined more than 79% in the last 15 years (1993 to 2008). As of January 2008, the murder rate is down over 82% and grand larceny auto down is down 90% from 1990.

Travers Park is the main local playground. It has a variety of sports, including basketball, tennis, baseball, soccer, and handball. Prior to expansion, the P.S. 69 school yard offered baseball fields, a stickball field, a handball court and three tennis courts. Con Edison sponsored several summer tennis camps at P.S. 69's school yard from 1982-1992.[citation needed] In 1998, P.S. 69 built an annex to compensate for the booming population of children in Jackson Heights and the public access to the school yard was removed.[citation needed]

Notable residents of Jackson Heights (including fictional characters said to live in the neighborhood) include:

Major portions of the Academy Award nominated1 Maria Full of Grace (2004) were filmed on location in Jackson Heights. Portions of Random Hearts (1999) were filmed in Jackson Heights on 35th Avenue between 76th and 77th street.[citation needed] Part of The Usual Suspects was filmed in Jackson Heights around 34th Avenue and 82nd street.[citation needed]

Much of the Alfred Hitchcock film The Wrong Man takes place within a few blocks of the intersection of Broadway and 74th Street. The former Victor Moore Arcade and the connecting subway station, were prominently featured in the movie. The arcade was demolished and rebuilt from 1998 to 2005 and became known as the Victor A. Moore Bus Terminal. It was named after Jackson Heights resident Victor Moore, a Broadway and film actor from the era of silent film to the 1950s.

Also, parts of director James Gray's We Own the Night (2007) were filmed between 32nd Avenue and 31st Avenue on 84th street.[citation needed] It is also the setting for the TV show Ugly Betty, where Betty and her family live. Ingrid Bergman's character Stephanie Dickinson in the movie Cactus Flower lives in Jackson Heights.

New York City Department of Education operates public schools. Schools in Jackson Heights include P.S. 69 Jackson Heights School, P.S. 149 Christa McAuliffe School, P.S. 212, P.S 222 FF Christopher A. Santora School, I.S. 145 Joseph Pulitzer School, and the K-12 school Renaissance Charter School.

Queens Library operates the Jackson Heights Library.

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