University Heights is a neighborhood of the West Bronx in New York City. Its boundaries, starting from the north and moving clockwise, are: West Fordham Road to the north, Jerome Avenue to the east, West Burnside Avenue to the south and the Harlem River to the west. University Avenue is the primary thoroughfare in University Heights.
The neighborhood is mostly part of Bronx Community Board 5, with a small portion in Community Board 7. Its ZIP Codes include 10453 and 10468. The nearest subway is the IRT Jerome Avenue Line (), operating along Jerome Avenue. The area is patrolled by the New York City Police Department's 46th Precinct. NYCHA property in the area is patrolled by P.S.A. 7 at 737 Melrose Avenue in the Melrose section of the Bronx.
History
The neighborhood takes its name from the hill on which New York University's Bronx campus was built in 1894. The campus includes the Hall of Fame for Great Americans. Although NYU sold the campus to the City University of New York to house Bronx Community College in 1973, the neighborhood name has endured. The New York Times quoted the Encyclopedia of New York City as saying that NYU "dominated the neighborhood", since much of University Heights was filled with dormitories and other residential buildings for NYU.
With the opening of the New York City Subway's IRT Jerome Avenue Line in 1917, the neighborhood began a rapid transition from a one-time farm community that had become a place where wealthy people had their mansions and suburban villas, to an urban neighborhood built almost entirely of low-rise apartment buildings housing the prosperous middle classes.
Demographics
University Heights has a population of around 25,702. There is a mix of renter-occupied as well as owner-occupied households. The demographics are 23.0% African American, 2.0% White, 3.4% Asian or Pacific Islander and 72.6% Hispanic or Latino, the majority of which are of Dominican and Puerto Rican descent.
Based on data from the 2010 United States Census, the population of University Heights and Morris Heights was 54,188, a change of -147 (-0.3%) from the 54,335 counted in 2000. Covering an area of , the neighborhood had a population density of . The racial makeup of the neighborhood was 1.4% (760) White, 31.8% (17,219) African American, 0.2% (106) Native American, 1.3% (688) Asian, 0% (11) Pacific Islander, 0.3% (158) from other races, and 0.8% (424) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 64.3% (34,822) of the population.
The entirety of Community District 5, which comprises University Heights and Fordham, had 136,151 inhabitants as of NYC Health's 2018 Community Health Profile, with an average life expectancy of 79.9 years. This is lower than the median life expectancy of 81.2 for all New York City neighborhoods. Most inhabitants are youth and middle-aged adults: 28% are between the ages of between 0–17, 29% between 25 and 44, and 23% between 45 and 64. The ratio of college-aged and elderly residents was lower, at 12% and 8% respectively.
As of 2017, the median household income in Community District 5 was $30,166. In 2018, an estimated 34% of University Heights and Fordham residents lived in poverty, compared to 25% in all of the Bronx and 20% in all of New York City. One in eight residents (13%) were unemployed, compared to 13% in the Bronx and 9% in New York City. Rent burden, or the percentage of residents who have difficulty paying their rent, is 65% in University Heights and Fordham, compared to the boroughwide and citywide rates of 58% and 51% respectively. Based on this calculation, , University Heights and Fordham are considered low-income relative to the rest of the city and not gentrifying.
Land use and terrain
University Heights consists of 5- and 6-story buildings, older multi-unit homes, newly constructed multi-unit townhouses and apartment buildings, and co-ops. The total land area is roughly one square mile. The terrain is elevated and hilly. There are many shops along Fordham Road.
Public housing projects
There are ten NYCHA developments located in University Heights.
Harrison Avenue Rehab (Group A); a 5-story building. Harrison Avenue Rehab (Group B); four buildings, 5 and 6 stories tall. Macombs Road; two buildings, 5 and 6 stories tall. Morris Heights Rehab; three buildings, 5 and 6 stories tall. Sedgwick Houses; seven buildings, 14 and 15 stories tall. University Avenue Rehab; four 6-story buildings. West Tremont Avenue-Sedgwick Avenue Area; a 12-story building. West Tremont Rehab (Group 1); two buildings, 5 and 6 stories tall. West Tremont Rehab (Group 2); two 6-story buildings. West Tremont Rehab (Group 3); a 5-story building.