Metropolitan Avenue
Encyclopedia
Metropolitan Avenue is a major east-west street in Queens
and northern Brooklyn
. Its western end is at the East River
in Williamsburg, Brooklyn
, and the eastern end at Jamaica Avenue
in Jamaica, Queens
.
Metropolitan Avenue runs mainly through the neighborhoods of Williamsburg
, East Williamsburg in Brooklyn and Ridgewood
, Maspeth, Middle Village, Glendale
, Forest Hills
, Kew Gardens
, Richmond Hill
and Jamaica
in Queens. The avenue marks the northern borders of Ridgewood and Glendale, and the southern borders of Maspeth and Middle Village. This four-lane avenue intersects Flushing Avenue
, Fresh Pond Road, Woodhaven Boulevard, and the Jackie Robinson Parkway
, and passes through Forest Park. The Metropolitan Avenue (IND Crosstown Line) (the G Line), The Canarsie Line
(L Line), Middle Village – Metropolitan Avenue (BMT Myrtle Avenue Line) (the M Line) and Jamaica – Van Wyck (IND Archer Avenue Line) (the E and J Lines) subway stations serve Metropolitan Avenue.
A public high school, Queens Metropolitan High School
on the avenue opened in Fall, 2010.
(as it was originally spelled) and Jamaica
, New York. The road became a farmer's and stage coach route to the Williamsburgh ferries across the East River
to Manhattan
. The easternmost segment of the present avenue in Williamsburg initially had several names before it was joined to Metropolitan Avenue circa 1858: Bushwick Street, then Woodhull Street, and, later, North Second Street. The City of Brooklyn
acquired Metropolitan Avenue from the Williamsburgh and Jamaica Turnpike Road Company in 1872. Several of the neighborhoods through which it passes originated as villages along its length.
Queens
Queens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....
and northern Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
. Its western end is at the East River
East River
The East River is a tidal strait in New York City. It connects Upper New York Bay on its south end to Long Island Sound on its north end. It separates Long Island from the island of Manhattan and the Bronx on the North American mainland...
in Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Williamsburg is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, bordering Greenpoint to the north, Bedford-Stuyvesant to the south, Bushwick to the east and the East River to the west. The neighborhood is part of Brooklyn Community Board 1. The neighborhood is served by the NYPD's 90th ...
, and the eastern end at Jamaica Avenue
Jamaica Avenue
Jamaica Avenue is a major avenue in the boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens in New York City, New York, in the United States. Jamaica Avenue starts at Broadway and Fulton Street in the East New York neighborhood in Brooklyn, and goes to the city line in Bellerose, Queens, where it becomes Jericho...
in Jamaica, Queens
Jamaica, Queens
Jamaica is a neighborhood in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York, United States. It was settled under Dutch rule in 1656 in New Netherland as Rustdorp. Under British rule, the Village of Jamaica became the center of the "Town of Jamaica"...
.
Metropolitan Avenue runs mainly through the neighborhoods of Williamsburg
Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Williamsburg is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, bordering Greenpoint to the north, Bedford-Stuyvesant to the south, Bushwick to the east and the East River to the west. The neighborhood is part of Brooklyn Community Board 1. The neighborhood is served by the NYPD's 90th ...
, East Williamsburg in Brooklyn and Ridgewood
Ridgewood, Queens
Ridgewood is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens. It borders the neighborhoods of Maspeth, Middle Village and Glendale, as well as the Brooklyn neighborhood of Bushwick. Historically, the neighborhood straddled the Queens-Brooklyn boundary. The neighborhood is part of Queens...
, Maspeth, Middle Village, Glendale
Glendale, Queens
Glendale is a neighborhood in the west-central portion of the borough of Queens in New York City. It is bounded by Cooper Avenue to the north, Woodhaven Boulevard to the east, Myrtle Avenue to the south and Fresh Pond Road to the West...
, Forest Hills
Forest Hills, Queens
Forest Hills is a neighborhood in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York, United States.-Neighborhood:The neighborhood is home to upper-middle class residents, of whom the wealthier residents often live in the neighborhood's Forest Hills Gardens area...
, Kew Gardens
Kew Gardens, Queens
Kew Gardens is a triangular-shaped neighborhood in central Queens bounded to the north by the Jackie Robinson Parkway , to the east by Van Wyck Expressway and 131st Street, to the south by Hillside Avenue, and to the west by Park Lane, Abingdon Road and 118th Street...
, Richmond Hill
Richmond Hill, Queens
Richmond Hill is a neighborhood in central-southern Queens, New York City, USA. It is bordered by Kew Gardens to the north, Woodhaven and Ozone Park to the west, South Ozone Park to the south and South Jamaica to the east...
and Jamaica
Jamaica, Queens
Jamaica is a neighborhood in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York, United States. It was settled under Dutch rule in 1656 in New Netherland as Rustdorp. Under British rule, the Village of Jamaica became the center of the "Town of Jamaica"...
in Queens. The avenue marks the northern borders of Ridgewood and Glendale, and the southern borders of Maspeth and Middle Village. This four-lane avenue intersects Flushing Avenue
Flushing Avenue
Flushing Avenue is an approximately five mile street running through northern Brooklyn and west central Queens beginning at the termination of Nassau Street, on the northern fringe of Fort Greene, Brooklyn, and ending where it merges with Grand Avenue, in Maspeth. It divides the neighborhood of...
, Fresh Pond Road, Woodhaven Boulevard, and the Jackie Robinson Parkway
Jackie Robinson Parkway
The Jackie Robinson Parkway is a parkway in the New York City boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens. The western terminus of the parkway is at Jamaica Avenue in the Brooklyn neighborhood of East New York. It runs through Highland Park, along the north side of Ridgewood Reservoir, and through Forest Park...
, and passes through Forest Park. The Metropolitan Avenue (IND Crosstown Line) (the G Line), The Canarsie Line
L (New York City Subway service)
The L 14th Street – Canarsie Local is a rapid transit service of the New York City Subway, providing service along the entire length of the two-tracked BMT Canarsie Line...
(L Line), Middle Village – Metropolitan Avenue (BMT Myrtle Avenue Line) (the M Line) and Jamaica – Van Wyck (IND Archer Avenue Line) (the E and J Lines) subway stations serve Metropolitan Avenue.
A public high school, Queens Metropolitan High School
Queens Metropolitan High School
Queens Metropolitan High School is a public high school in Forest Hills, Queens. It is generally referred to simply as "QMHS," or just "'Queens Metro" by the students. It is on the south side of Metropolitan Avenue at 91-30 Metropolitan Avenue, between the Rockaway Cut-off of the Long Island...
on the avenue opened in Fall, 2010.
History
Originally an Indian trail, Metropolitan Avenue was constructed in 1816 as the Williamsburgh and Jamaica Turnpike, a toll road which connected the then villages of WilliamsburghWilliamsburg, Brooklyn
Williamsburg is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, bordering Greenpoint to the north, Bedford-Stuyvesant to the south, Bushwick to the east and the East River to the west. The neighborhood is part of Brooklyn Community Board 1. The neighborhood is served by the NYPD's 90th ...
(as it was originally spelled) and Jamaica
Jamaica, Queens
Jamaica is a neighborhood in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York, United States. It was settled under Dutch rule in 1656 in New Netherland as Rustdorp. Under British rule, the Village of Jamaica became the center of the "Town of Jamaica"...
, New York. The road became a farmer's and stage coach route to the Williamsburgh ferries across the East River
East River
The East River is a tidal strait in New York City. It connects Upper New York Bay on its south end to Long Island Sound on its north end. It separates Long Island from the island of Manhattan and the Bronx on the North American mainland...
to Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
. The easternmost segment of the present avenue in Williamsburg initially had several names before it was joined to Metropolitan Avenue circa 1858: Bushwick Street, then Woodhull Street, and, later, North Second Street. The City of Brooklyn
History of Brooklyn
The history of Brooklyn, a present-day borough of New York City, spans more than 350 years. The settlement began in the 17th century as the small Dutch-founded town of "Breuckelen" on the East River shore of Long Island, grew to be a sizable city in the 19th century, and was consolidated in 1898...
acquired Metropolitan Avenue from the Williamsburgh and Jamaica Turnpike Road Company in 1872. Several of the neighborhoods through which it passes originated as villages along its length.