Laurelton derives its name from theLaurelton station on theLong Island Rail Road, which was named for the laurels that grew there over 100 years ago. It was developed byDean Alvord and was modeled after an English village, with statelyTudor-style homes, both attached and detached.[4] A few co-ops exist in a former garden apartment complex, there has been some new construction but no high-rise buildings, which has enabled Laurelton to keep its small-town feel.
The area of Laurelton closest toRosedale andCambria Heights consists primarily of single-family homes whereas the area abuttingSpringfield Gardens contains more multi-family homes. The area south of Merrick Boulevard contains many large, individually designed houses, while certain blocks to the north, running eastward fromFrancis Lewis Boulevard, have attached, Tudor-stylerowhouses. Laurelton also has a series of streets with landscaped and tree-lined center malls.[5]
In the 1930s through the 1970s, Laurelton was home to manyJewish-American families, home to female American radio trioNBC radio vocal harmonistsThree X Sisters during the 1930s, but succeeding generations since the 1960s have included various Afro-descended groups, including African-Americans, Caribbean/West Indians and West Africans, many of whom were attracted to Laurelton's more suburban-like environment.[5][6]
Based on data from the2010 United States census, the population of Laurelton was 24,453, a decrease of 1,922 (7.3%) from the 26,375 in2000. Covering an area of 909.17 acres (367.93 ha), the neighborhood had a population density of 26.9 inhabitants per acre (17,200/sq mi; 6,600/km2).[2]
Belt Parkway exits 24A/B, 23A, and 22 service Laurelton. The section of the Belt Parkway known as the Laurelton Parkway was the subject of a master plan[7] as part of the city's emerging system ofgreenways and bikeways. The restoration of this 1.5 miles (2.4 km) link was completed in 2006.
^abBeyer, Gregory."Prosperous Area Seeks Shops to Match",The New York Times, April 24, 2009. Accessed November 2, 2017. "IN parts of Laurelton, Queens, you can look down seemingly endless streets lined with Tudor homes, each a collection of squat rectangles with roofs so pointed as to have come from a child’s drawing.... 'Mine is the eighth-wealthiest district in the city, and a large part of that is Laurelton,' said Councilman James Sanders Jr., of the 31st Council District. “One of the things that make Laurelton unique is that it sits in the only census tract where blacks make more money than whites.'"
^Roberts, Sam."Black Incomes Surpass Whites in Queens",The New York Times, October 1, 2006. Accessed November 2, 2017. "In Queens, the median income among black households, nearing $52,000 a year, has surpassed that of whites in 2005, an analysis of new census data shows.... The gains among blacks in Queens, the city’s quintessential middle-class borough, were driven largely by the growth of two-parent families and the successes of immigrants from the West Indies. Many live in tidy homes in verdant enclaves like Cambria Heights, Rosedale and Laurelton, just west of the Cross Island Parkway and the border with Nassau County."
^Bergman, David."The Pleasure of Libraries",GLBTF Newsletter, Fall 1998, p. 5. Accessed January 16, 2023. "I have loved libraries all my life. Even the branch library in Laurelton, the neighborhood in Queens where I grew up, had a particular charm."
^"At Home With A Jet Star",New York Daily News, December 11, 1966. Accessed January 16, 2023, viaNewspapers.com. "On a football field, they don't come any tougher than Sam DeLuca of the Jets.... Sam becomes a much milder man, however, after he makes the short drive from Shea Stadium to a quiet residential section of Laurelton, Queens, where he lives with his wife, Henrietta, and their three children."
^"Mikey D".Bomb Hip Hop. 2012. RetrievedSeptember 6, 2021.
^ab"At Iowa, Harmon Makes Offense Go",The New York Times, October 10, 1984. Accessed November 2, 2017. "Greg, 23 years old, is the oldest Harmon brother, followed by Gary, 22, the musically inclined nonathlete of the family, and then Derrick, 21, Ronnie, 20, and Kevin, who will be 19 on Oct. 26. The boys grew up in a two-story brick home in Laurelton, Queens."
^Harris, Rosemary Banks."The Story Behind Hettie Jones' Metamorphosis",Orlando Sentinel, July 15, 1990. Accessed January 16, 2023. "The night of Billie's second TV appearance found Hettie Cohen visiting her hometown of Laurelton, in Queens, celebrating a belated 24th birthday with her mother."
^Kaufman, Michael T."The Complex Past of Meir Kahane",The New York Times, January 24, 1971. Accessed January 16, 2023. For a year and a half around the time of the preparation of the manuscript, Meir Kahane would frequently commute to Washington, leaving his home in Laurelton, Queens, on Mon day and returning for the Sabbath on Friday."
^Lelinwalla, Mark."Former Loughlin standout Doron Lamb returns to Gauchos",New York Daily News, June 16, 2009. Accessed January 16, 2023. "The stage was the Rumble in The Bronx basketball tournament on Saturday, and Doron Lamb was getting the Bronx cheer..... The Laurelton product added emphasis with a tomahawk dunk on a fast break with seconds remaining in his Gauchos' 71-47 thrashing of Triple Threat at Manhattan College."
^Seal, Mark."Ruth’s World",Vanity Fair (magazine), August 4, 2009. Accessed July 4, 2019. "But Ruth was from Laurelton, a middle-class community in Queens, and her single-family house was already a major step up for her parents, Saul and Sara Alpern, who had moved there from an apartment building in Brooklyn."
^Rummell, Nick."Burning Spear Seeks Rights to Songs",Courthouse News Service, July 7, 2015. Accessed January 16, 2023. "Reggae legend Burning Spear claims in court that Florida-based Tammi Music reneged on a deal to return copyrights to dozens of his own songs, and refuses to provide an accounting of what they've earned.... In addition, he says, he bargained for the right to conduct a financial audit within one year's time related to the earnings from his songs, and for all relevant documents to be sent to his Laurelton, N.Y. home."
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New York
New York City
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