Craving a peaceful beach lifestyle close to the city? Then Belle Harbor is a great spot. This small residential neighborhood in Queens sits on the western Rockaway Peninsula. Belle Harbor is commonly known as the area from Beach 126th to Beach 141st Streets.
Residential lots in Belle Harbor were auctioned off in 1915. Frederick J. Lancaster, president of the West Rockaway Land Company, officially named the community Belle Harbor. However, before Lancaster acquired the land, a group formed the Belle Harbor Yacht Club in 1905. They bought property from the West Rockaway Land Company for four thousand dollars. The group received corporation status by the State of New York that same year. By 1908, they participated in inter-club ocean races with other city yacht clubs.
The earliest homes in Belle Harbor appeared around 1910. Over the next four decades, single- and two-family houses filled the land. By the early 1950s, most of the area was developed. In the 1960s and 1970s, Belle Harbor became popular for working-class families. They wanted to escape the congestion of Brooklyn and Queens. Many civil servants, including teachers and police officers, owned homes here. Housing bubbles in the late 1980s and early 2000s brought a different mix of residents. But many third- and fourth-generation residents remain.
Belle Harbor faced heavy losses during the September 11, 2001, attacks. Many members of the Fire Department of New York died. A monument at Tribute Park lists the names of the 343 firefighters killed at the World Trade Center. The park marks the 75 area residents killed in the attacks. Then-mayor Michael Bloomberg noted that this was more than any other neighborhood in the city.
On November 12, 2001, American Airlines Flight 587 crashed in Belle Harbor. All 260 passengers and crew died, as well as five people on the ground. Many passengers were from the Dominican community in Washington Heights. A memorial was erected at Beach 116th Street in Rockaway Park. Although a temporary memorial existed at the crash site on Newport Avenue, people gather at Rockaway Park for commemoration.
Hurricane Sandy devastated Belle Harbor on October 29, 2012. The storm surge inundated the peninsula. Waves crashed through streets and into Jamaica Bay. More than a dozen homes and the Harbor Light restaurant burned down. But the neighborhood has almost completely recovered.
Today, Belle Harbor is primarily made up of single-family homes. Many residents are third- and fourth-generation Irish Catholic. The community also has Italian-American and Jewish-American populations. Many New York City police officers and firefighters live here, both active and retired. You will find a commercial center on Beach 129th Street.
Vehicular access to Belle Harbor is available via the Marine Parkway–Gil Hodges Memorial Bridge. It provides access to Brooklyn. The Cross Bay Veterans Memorial Bridge connects to Broad Channel and mainland Queens. The S train is available at the Rockaway Park–Beach 116th Street station. Several MTA Bus lines also serve the area. A shuttle service from NYC Ferry connects Belle Harbor to Beach 108 Street on Jamaica Bay. So, come and explore Belle Harbor. It is a beautiful and resilient community with a unique history.