牙买加 (纽约市皇后区) 城镇

Jamaica is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens. Jamaica is bordered by Hollis, Queens Village, St. Albans, and Cambria Heights to the east; South Jamaica, Rochdale Village, John F. Kennedy International Airport, and Springfield Gardens to the south; Laurelton and Rosedale to the southeast; Richmond Hill, South Ozone Park, and Aqueduct Racetrack to the west and southwest; Briarwood to the northwest; and Kew Gardens Hills, Jamaica Hills, and Jamaica Estates to the north.

Jamaica may get its name from Yameco, a corruption of a word for "beaver" in the Lenape language spoken by the Native Americans who lived in the area at the time of first European contact. The liquid "y" sound of English is spelled with a "j" in Dutch, the language of the first people to write about the area; the English retained this Dutch spelling, but, after repeated reading and speaking of "Jamaica", slowly replaced the liquid sound with the hard "j" of the English pronunciation of the name today.

Jamaica was settled under Dutch rule in 1656. It was originally called Rustdorp. Under English rule, Jamaica became the center of the "Town of Jamaica"; the name is of Lenape origin and wholly unrelated to that of the country. It was the first county seat of Queens County, holding that title from 1683 to 1788, and was the first incorporated village on Long Island. When Queens was incorporated into the City of Greater New York in 1898, both the town of Jamaica and the village of Jamaica were dissolved, but the neighborhood of Jamaica regained its role as county seat.

Jamaica is the location of several government buildings such as Queens Civil Court, the civil branch of the Queens County Supreme Court, the Queens County Family Court and the Joseph P. Addabbo Federal Building, home to the Social Security Administration's Northeastern Program Service Center. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Northeast Regional Laboratory as well as the New York District Office are located in Jamaica. Jamaica Center, the area around Jamaica Avenue, is a major commercial center. The New York Racing Association, based at Aqueduct Racetrack in South Ozone Park, lists its official address as Jamaica. Central Jamaica once housed the Jamaica Racetrack, now the massive Rochdale Village housing development. John F. Kennedy International Airport and the hotels nearby are also located in Jamaica. The neighborhood is located in Queens Community District 12. It is patrolled by the New York City Police Department's 103rd and 113th Precincts.

History

Etymology

The neighborhood was named Yameco, a corruption of the word yamecah, meaning "beaver", in the language spoken by the Lenape, the Native Americans who lived in the area at the time of first European contact. The semivowel "y" sound of English is spelled with a "j" in Dutch, the language of the first people to write about the area; the English retained the Dutch spelling but replaced the semivowel sound with the affricate [dʒ] sound that the letter "j" usually represents in English. The name of the Caribbean island country Jamaica is unrelated, coming from the Taíno term Xaymaca, meaning "land of wood and water" or "land of springs"; the "x" spelling became a hard "j".

Precolonial and colonial periods

Jamaica Avenue was an ancient trail for tribes from as far away as the Ohio River and the Great Lakes, coming to trade skins and furs for wampum.

Demographics

Based on data from the 2020 United States census, the population of Jamaica was 60,993 an increase of 7,110 (13.2%) from the 53,751 counted in 2010. Covering an area of 1,084.85 acres (439.02 ha), the neighborhood had a population density of 56.2 inhabitants per acre (36,000/sq mi; 13,900/km2).

The racial makeup of the neighborhood was 3.3% (2,001) Non-Hispanic White, 17.4% (10,614) Black or African American, 0.9% (466) Native American, 34.9% (21,263) Asian, 5.7% (3,481) from other races, and 4.5% (2,775) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race were 34.2% (20,859) of the population.

The entirety of Community Board 12, which mainly comprises Jamaica but also includes Hollis, had 232,911 inhabitants as of NYC Health's 2018 Community Health Profile, with an average life expectancy of 80.5 years.

Economy

History

Economic development was long neglected. In the 1960s and 1970s, many big box retailers moved to suburban areas where business was more profitable. Departing retailers included brand name stores and movie theaters that once thrived in Jamaica's busiest areas. Macy's and the Valencia theater were the last companies to move out in 1969. The 1980s crack epidemic created even more hardship and crime. Prime real estate spaces were filled by hair salons and 99 cent stores. Existing zoning patterns and inadequate infrastructure did not anticipate future development.

Since then, the decrease in crime has encouraged entrepreneurs to invest in the area. The Greater Jamaica Development Corporation, the local business improvement district, acquired valuable real estate for sale to national chains in order to expand neighborhood commerce.

Police and crime

Jamaica is patrolled by two precincts of the NYPD. The 103rd Precinct is located at 168-02 91st Avenue and serves downtown Jamaica and Hollis, while the 113th Precinct is located at 167-02 Baisley Boulevard and serves St. Albans and South Jamaica. The 103rd Precinct ranked 51st safest out of 69 patrol areas for per-capita crime in 2010, while the 113th Precinct ranked 55th safest. As of 2018, with a non-fatal assault rate of 68 per 100,000 people, Jamaica and Hollis's rate of violent crimes per capita is more than that of the city as a whole. The incarceration rate of 789 per 100,000 people is higher than that of the city as a whole.

The 103rd Precinct has a lower major felony crime rate than in the 1990s, with total major felony complaints decreasing by 71.1% between 1990 and 2025.

Fire safety

Jamaica contains four New York City Fire Department (FDNY) fire stations:

Engine Company 275/Ladder Company 133 – 111-36 Merrick Boulevard

Engine Company 298/Ladder Company 127/Battalion 50 – 153-11 Hillside Avenue

Engine Company 302/Ladder Company 155 – 143-15 Rockaway Boulevard

Engine Company 303/Ladder Company 126 – 104-12 Princeton Street

Health

Major hospitals in Jamaica include Jamaica Hospital and Queens Hospital Center. As of 2018, preterm births and births to teenage mothers are more common in Jamaica and Hollis than in other places citywide. In Jamaica and Hollis, there were 100 preterm births per 1,000 live births (compared to 87 per 1,000 citywide), and 21.4 births to teenage mothers per 1,000 live births (compared to 19.3 per 1,000 citywide). Jamaica and Hollis have a low population of residents who are uninsured. In 2018, this population of uninsured residents was estimated to be 5%, lower than the citywide rate of 12%.

The concentration of fine particulate matter, the deadliest type of air pollutant, in Jamaica and Hollis is 0.007 milligrams per cubic metre (7.0×10−9 oz/ft3), less than the city average.

For every supermarket in Jamaica and Hollis, there are 20 bodegas.

Post offices and ZIP Codes

Jamaica is covered by multiple ZIP Codes. West of Sutphin Boulevard, Jamaica falls under ZIP Codes 11435 north of Linden Boulevard and 11436 south of Linden Boulevard. East of Sutphin Boulevard, Jamaica is part of three ZIP Codes: 11432 north of Jamaica Avenue, 11433 between Jamaica Avenue and Linden Boulevard, and 11434 south of Linden Boulevard. The United States Post Office operates four post offices nearby:

Briarwood Station – 138-69 Queens Boulevard

Jamaica Station – 88-40 164th Street

Archer Avenue New Station – 97-03 Sutphin Boulevard

Rochdale Village Station – 165-100 Baisley Boulevard

Education

Hollis & Jamaica possess a lower rate of college-educated residents than the rest of the city as of 2018. While 29% of residents age 25 and older have a college education or higher, 19% have less than a high school education and 51% are high school graduates or have some college education. By contrast, 39% of Queens residents and 43% of city residents have a college education or higher. The percentage of Jamaica and Hollis students excelling in math rose from 36% in 2000 to 55% in 2011, and reading achievement increased slightly from 44% to 45% during the same time period.

Jamaica and Hollis's rate of elementary school student absenteeism is more than the rest of New York City. In Jamaica and Hollis, 22% of elementary school students missed twenty or more days per school year, higher than the citywide average of 20%.

Primary and secondary schools

Private schools

Private schools in Jamaica include:

Transportation

Public transport

Jamaica station is a central transfer point on the LIRR which is headquartered in a building adjoining the station. All of the commuter railroad's passenger branches except for the Port Washington Branch run through the st