City Island, Bronx - Misplaced Pages

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City Island is a small populated island approximately 1.5 mi (2.4 km) long by 0.5 mi (1 km) wide located in the Borough of the Bronx in New York City, New York. It is located in Long Island Sound, south of Pelham Bay and east of Eastchester Bay. It is adjacent to nearby Westchester County, New York.

The small island adjacent to the northeast of City Island is called High Island and is owned by Time Warner Inc. and is connected to City Island by a sandbar that emerges at low tide and a private bridge. Two AM Radio Transmitter towers for WCBS AM 88 and WFAN AM 66 are located on High Island causing radio interference on telephones and Hi Fi's.

The body of water between City Island and the even smaller (and uninhabited) Hart Island to the east is known as City Island Harbor. A Ferry for Hart Island Prison, operated by the NYC Dept. Of Corrections, is piered on Fordham Street. The pier is a Restricted Area. Stepping Stones Lighthouse, marking the main shipping channel into New York, is off the southern tip of the island, near the Long Island shore.

As of 2004, the island has a population of about 4500.

130 years ago City Island was known as Greater Minneford Island.

Description

City Island was mostly created by glacial deposits caused by the end of the Ice Age. The southern end has deposits of rare Blue Clay. The area is strewn with Glacial Erratic Boulders made of Granite. Local bedrock is Granite and Schist with grooves from Glaciers.

The island has two supermarkets, one gas station, one pharmacy, one bank, an elmentary school, Public School 175, a Roman Catholic Grade School,St Mary Star Of The Sea School, a U.S. Post Office "City Island Station" (10464) and a NYFD Firehouse, but no police station. There are three churches, one Holy Roman Catholic, one Presbyterian, one Episcopal, and a Jewish synagogue. There is a branch of the New York Public Library. The branch is probably the smallest branch in the entire system, even after the recent expansion which doubled the size of the building. Free pamphlets and maps are availabe from the Librarians desk. City Island has it's own small newspaper called "The Island Current" which is printed about 10 times a year. It's address is P.O Box 6 City Island Station, N.Y. 10464. The island has many Deli's Restaurants and Antique Stores. There are many Community Access Beaches at many dead end streets. Most Community Beaches are illegally locked by local residents to keep everyone else out.

Bridges and Public Transportation

City Island is connected to the mainland by the City Island Bridge, a single 2-lane bridge. A small footbridge connects City Island to High Island.

This City Island Bridge was originally a turntable bridge over the Harlem River to Manhattan Island but was moved to where the old wooden bridge was. The City Island Bridge crosses what local residents call the City Island Channel, a waterway that connects Eastchester Bay with Pelham Bay. This 101 year old bridge has been condemned and is due to be replaced with a modern Cable-Stayed design with two tall mastlike towers. The far end of the City Island Bridge touches down in Pelham Bay Park, which is where The Battle of Pell's Point occurred during the American Revolutionary War.

Public transportation consists of the Bx-29 bus run by the New York City Transit Authority, and an express bus run by the New York Bus Service. The Transit Authority does not even show City Island on its subway map .

Local Businesses and Attractions

The island famous for its seafood dining, notably for lobster. Notable restaurants include Johnny's Reef Restaurant, Seafood City, Sea Shore Resaurant, The Harbor Inn, Tito Puente's, Sammy's Fish Box, The Crab Shanty, Tony's Pier Restaurant. Many of the restaurants close during the Winter months. City Island is a warm-seasonal place for some businesses. It now has it's first franchise reataurants. A Subway and a Dunkin Donuts/Baskin Robbins near the bridge. It has huge Fishing Boats like The Island Current and RipTide III and North Star III that take many people fishing on day long trips to Long Island Sound. It also has big charter boats for renting and fishing. The Sail and Power boating industry has been declining in recent years as boatyards are being sold and being turned into condominiums.

City Island also has the City Island Nautical Museum full of maritime artifacts and antiques of great historical value. It is located at 190 Fordham Street and is open Sunday afternoons, admission is free. There is a gift shop also.

The Island has several landmarks like Samuel Pell Mansion on City Island Avenue near St. Mary Star of the Sea Church. It was where "Arsenic and Old Lace" starring Fred Gwynne was filmed for TV and has a number of old Victorian mansions complete with tall pointy spires and gables with gazebo's such as Delmours Point on Tier Street. The small beach at Belden Point between Johnny's Reef Resaurant and Tony's Pier Restaurant will be developed into a Public Park. The City Island Swamp on west Ditmars Street may become a wildlife sanctuary.

Boating

The island has four yacht clubs, all situated on the Eastchester Bay side of the island. They are, from North to South, the Harlem Yacht Club, Stuyvesant Yacht Club, City Island Yacht Club, and Morris Yacht and Beach Club. The Touring Kayak Club is on the West side of the island. There are two active sail lofts (Ulmer-Kolius and Doyle). The island also has several commerical marinas.

Many of the boats which competed and won in the America's Cup in years past were built in Minneford Boat Yard on City Island. The Eastchester Bay Yacht Racing Association is the major organizer for sailboat races in the area.

Interesting Facts

The island has earned the nickname "Cinema Island" for the numerous films and television shows that been shot on the island. Films shot there include Long Days Journey into Night, starring Katharine Hepburn, Awakenings with Robert De Niro and Robin Williams, and Love Is All There Is starring Lainie Kazan and Angelina Jolie. Television series include Coronet Blue. An episode of Law & Order: Criminal Intent called Sound Bodies was also filmed there and was based on a real-life incident of several teenagers who drowned in Long Island Sound. Many TV Commercial have also been filmed in City Island. It has the telephone exchanges of 718 885 (Verizon)and 347 427(Cablevision).

Notable residents of the island include Oliver Sacks who wrote the Book "Awakenings" which was filmed on Marine Street at his home. Famous former residents include announcer Big Wilson, writer Ernest Hemingway, actors Harry Carey Sr. and Harry Carey Jr.

City Island also has a Mute Swan named Audrey that talks like a Parrot and can actually speak "Good Morning" and is now locally famous. It is the only known talking Swan on Earth.

In Colonial times City Island was called Greater Minneford Island and had about 1000 people. It had freshwater drinking wells and there were barns and horses and cattle and livestock and farms to grow food. Local residents of Scandinavian descent say they were the first Caucasians to live in City Island before The Hugenots from Belgium and archeaological evidence unearthed recently suggests they may be right. Sadly, there are no Native American Indians left of the original Sinawoy Minneford Tribe that once inhabited City Island. During the 20th Century the last of them either married into other tribes or moved far away. Any Native American who comes forward and claims to be a Minneford Tribesman would inherit a great fortune in Reservation lands.

The island has been chronicled in "Tales Of The Clamdiggers" by Alice Payne and "Images Of America, City Island and Orchard Beach" by Catherine A Scott.

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