$680,398Average Value$431Average Price per Sq Ft6Homes For Sale
Tight-knit pocket with good train access and growing Yemeni community
Van Nest is a one-square-mile pocket in the East Bronx that’s a mix of residential blocks and local businesses. It’s flanked by Bronx Park to the west, home to the world-class Bronx Zoo and New York Botanical Gardens, and the residential neighborhoods of Pelham Parkway and Morris Park to the east. Parkchester is just below.
Two subway stations, a tight-knit, family-oriented community - including a sizable Yemeni populace - and multifamily homes are among the draws.
Bernadette Ferrara, a founding member and president of the Van Nest Neighborhood Alliance, has spent her entire life in the community. “It’s more like a village because it’s not a high-density area,” she shares, which in turn inspires a strong sense of community. “In summer I sit on my front porch and talk to my neighbors,” she adds.
Older single and multifamily homes with small yards
Detached and semi-detached three-story homes represent a good chunk of the housing stock, with homes spaced close together. Many date back to the early 20th century, with some examples of Queen Anne and Italianate still standing, but brick and colonial-style homes with vinyl siding are more common. Small front yards with stoops and ornate wrought-iron fences are another common sight.
The majority of residents rent, but homebuyers will find price decreases from last year, with a $520,000 median price. Many multifamily options are listed as investment properties, with the option to buy a home with two or three separate units. These start around $600,000 and can reach $1.5 million depending on the number of bedrooms and units.
Van Nest provides a good range of styles and sizes when it comes to homes.
Detached homes with walk-up stairs and garages are also available in Van Nest.
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Little Yemen district and strong retail corridors
Local businesses populate Morris Park Avenue; Conti’s Pastry Shoppe on Morris is arguably the most famous, a neighborhood mainstay dating back to 1921. It’s become a destination for its Boston Cream pie and elaborate custom cakes.
Van Nest is also known for a small section called Little Yemen, where Arabic-language storefronts along White Plains Road and Rhinelander Avenue encompass grocers, coffee shops, restaurants, hookah lounges and clothing boutiques. Traditional coffee drinks are poured at tiny Buun Café, while Azal is a halal restaurant for traditional Yemeni and Bangladeshi dishes, plus an event hall.
Despite its name, Crepe House Morris Park is found in Van Nest, a new neighborhood addition that serves Instagram-worthy dessert crepes. The Pine has been around since 1969 and remains a local favorite for old-school, family-style Italian meals.
MetFresh is the largest option for groceries, supplemented by smaller neighborhood grocers like Dar Al Hajar for Yemeni goods. Additional supermarket options, plus chains like Macy’s and Marshall’s, reside in nearby Parkchester.
Arth Alsaeedah, also known as Happy Land, is a very popular restaurant in Van Nest.
You will find great pastries as well as custom cakes at Conti's Pastry Shoppe in Van Nest.
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Annual cultural parade
The community holds year-round events like a Fall Festival and Christmas tree lighting. The annual Yemeni American Day Parade is a newer tradition dating back five years, and celebrates Yemeni culture with traditional outfits, music and dancing.
Popular charter school option for lower grades
Icahn Charter School 2 is a lottery-based school for kindergarten through eighth grade, with an emphasis on small classes and science lessons in a contemporary building. Niche rates it an A minus. While there aren’t any high schools within Van Nest, the B-plus-rated Collegiate Institute for Math & Science is just north in Allerton, which emphasizes college placement and offers an Einstein Enrichment Program for low-income students interested in a medical or science career.
Icahn Charter School 2 has a student-teacher ratio of 12 to 1.
Collegiate Institute for Math & Science (CIMS) was established in 2003.
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Close proximity to the Bronx Zoo
Though small, Van Nest Park has been renovated and is a popular outlet for kids who frequent its playground and play in the water sprinklers in warm weather. The vast Bronx Park covers the northwestern section Van Nest, home to playgrounds, bike paths, a baseball field, basketball and handball courts. The Bronx Zoo is literally in Van Nest’s backyard, where it offers free admission on Wednesdays.
The Bronx Zoo has an entrance that is very close to the Van Nest neighborhood.
Bronx Park East is a great park for families on a sunny day.
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Two subway lines and a future Metro-North stop
“My father once said that people are going to come back because we have accessibility,” Ferrara says. This includes the 2 and 5 trains at the elevated Bronx Park East and East 180th Street stations. Of note, the latter is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and was meant to resemble an Italian Renaissance villa. Trains reach Midtown in about 35 minutes. The BxM10 express bus is another Midtown option.
There are future plans to rezone a section of East Tremont Avenue near the Con Edison substation for a new Metro-North station, part of the multi-year Penn Access undertaking that would route Metro-North trains into Penn Station. The new Van Nest/Parkchester Metro-North station would also open up a corridor with neighboring Parkchester. It’s slated to open in 2027, along with more housing and retail, and the community is actively involved in the planning stages. “We’re trying to keep the balance between development and maintaining our character,” Ferrara says, while also acknowledging the importance of affordable housing.
Higher crime rates in some parts
Crime is above the national average in some categories, with an overall total of 5 on the CAP Index. The numbers spike to 7 for robbery and 6 for assault with a weapon, compared with the national average of 4. However, Ferrara notes that crime is way down from when the neighborhood alliance formed in 2010 to address a drug problem, and nowadays families feel safe enough to walk in the park around sunset.
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Nobody wants to ever register, vote or take part in any census. I know many people over the last few years because of the corrupt political and community establishment here. They only looking for attention, being worshipped and lining their own pockets.It's all special interest and a clic.
3.0Works here
1/22/2021Niche Review
Convenient shopping and public transit. Local community organization not welcoming to new immigrant resident population. The leaders are wannabe political mouthpiece who is a arrogant know it all. Always looking for attention and opinionated. Plenty of better candidates for Leadership.
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Van Nest Demographics and Home Trends
On average, homes in Van Nest, Bronx sell after 56 days on the market compared to the national average of 52 days. The median sale price for homes in Van Nest, Bronx over the last 12 months is $677,500, up 28% from the median home sale price over the previous 12 months.
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