The Bronx

The Bronx is a borough of New York City and Bronx County, both of which are located in the state of New York in the United States. It is located south of Westchester County, north of the New York City borough of Queens, and north of the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is also located across the Harlem River from Manhattan and Manhattan's northern and eastern neighbourhoods. According to the census completed in 2020, the Bronx has a total land area of 42 square miles (109 km2) and a population of 1,472,654 people. The Bronx would be classified as the ninth most populated city in the United States if each borough were considered a separate city. It has the fourth-highest population, the fourth-largest area, and the third-highest population density out of the five boroughs that make up New York City. This borough of New York City is the only one that is not predominantly located on an island. As of the year 2020, the population of this county will be 54.8% Hispanic, making it the only county in the Northeastern United States to have a majority Hispanic population. It will also be the fourth most populated county in the whole country.

The Bronx River creates a natural boundary that separates the hillier western portion of the borough from the flatter eastern portion of the borough. Jerome Avenue serves as a divider between the east and west side of the street names. The regions east of the Bronx River were annexed to New York City in 1895, while the West Bronx was incorporated into the city in 1874. In 1914, New York County and Bronx County were legally severed from one another. Woodlawn Cemetery, Van Cortlandt Park, Pelham Bay Park, the New York Botanical Garden, and the Bronx Zoo are all examples of the open space that can be found in the northern and central parts of the borough of the Bronx in New York City. The Thain Family Forest at the New York Botanical Garden is estimated to be thousands of years old, and it is the biggest surviving tract of the ancient forest that formerly enveloped New York City. You can find this forest at the New York Botanical Garden. The majority of the land that makes up these parks and other open areas was set aside for preservation in the late 19th century as urbanisation spread north and east from Manhattan.

Jonas Bronck, who may have been born in the Faroe Islands or Sweden, is credited with founding the first settlement in what is now known as the Bronx in 1639 as a member of the New Netherland colony. The name "Bronx" comes from his last name. After 1643, the Lenape people were driven from their homes by European immigrants. As it was transformed into an urban community in the 19th and 20th centuries, the Bronx welcomed a large number of immigrant and migrant groups. These groups came initially from European nations (especially Ireland, Germany, Italy, and Eastern Europe) and later from the Caribbean region (particularly Puerto Rico, Trinidad, Haiti, Guyana, Jamaica, Barbados, and the Dominican Republic), as well as African American migrants from the southern United States, Panamanians, Hondurans, West Africans, and South Asians.

The 15th Congressional District is the most impoverished district in the United States, and it is located in the Bronx. Riverdale, Fieldston, Spuyten Duyvil, Schuylerville, Pelham Bay, Pelham Gardens, Morris Park, and Country Club are examples of communities that fall into both the top and medium income brackets. Other examples include Spuyten Duyvil and Schuylerville. Beginning in the late 1960s and continuing through the 1970s, 1980s, and into the early 1990s, some areas of the Bronx had a sharp drop in population, the availability of acceptable housing, and the quality of life, which culminated in a wave of arson in the late 1970s. The South Bronx in particular went through a particularly terrible period of urban degradation. The late 1990s marked the beginning of a new period of population increase for the borough, which has continued uninterrupted up to the current day.