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Woodhaven is part of the borough of Queens in New York City. Its major arteries are Jamaica Avenue which runs east and west, and Woodhaven Boulevard. which runs north and south. Numerous bus routes and subway lines serve the area.
Commerce is centered on Jamaica Avenue which effectively bisects Woodhaven. On this avenue, from Brooklyn on the west to Richmond Hill, Queens, on the east, are a number of stores, most being small and locally owned. One of the oldest and best known was Lewis' of Woodhaven which had two locations and recently closed its doors. Woodhaven is bordered on the north by a public park, Forest Park, and a street named Park Lane South. On its south, Atlantic Avenue forms the border with the neighborhood of Ozone Park.
Woodhaven began in the mid-1700s as a small town that revolved around farming. The first European settlements here were by the Ditmar, Lott, Wyckoff, Suydam and Snediker families. Woodhaven became the site of two racetracks: the Union Course (1821) and the Centerville (1825). Union Course was a nationally famous racetrack situated in the area now bounded by 78th Street, 82nd Street, Jamaica Avenue and Atlantic Avenue. The Union Course was the site of the first skinned — or dirt — racing surface, a curious novelty at the time. These courses were originally without grandstands. The custom of conducting a single, four-mile race consisting of as many heats as were necessary to determine a winner, gave way to programs consisting of several races. Match races between horses from the South against those from the North drew crowds as high as 70,000. Several hotels (including the Forschback Inn) were built in the area to accommodate the racing crowds.
A Connecticut Yankee, John R. Pitkin, developed the eastern area as a workers' village and named it Woodville (1835). In 1853, he launched a newspaper, and the few inhabitants voted to change the name of the village to Woodhaven.
In 1836, Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) cars were pulled by horses along Atlantic Ave. The train traveled with other traffic at street level and stopped at all major intersections — much as a bus does — except that people would often hop on and hop off the train while it was moving. The 1848 LIRR schedule shows an intersection called Union Course (serving that racetrack) and another called Woodville (farther east).
Two Frenchmen named Charles Lalance and Florian Grosjean launched the village as a manufacturing community by opening a tin factory and improving the process of tin stamping. As late as 1900, the surrounding area, however, was still primarily farmland, and from Atlantic Avenue one could see as far south as Jamaica Bay.
With electrification, the LIRR constructed permanent tracks, and Atlantic Avenue was mostly closed to other traffic. The four tracks split the community and become the border between Woodhaven and Ozone Park. In the early 1940s, the LIRR tracks were enclosed under Atlantic Avenue, and stations between Jamaica, Queens and East New York, Brooklyn were closed.
Since 1894, Woodhaven's local newspaper has been the Leader-Observer. On July 13, 1895 a tornado hit the town causing great damage. At the end of the 1930s, Woodhaven Boulevard was widened and many buildings had to be demolished.
Today, Woodhaven is a densely populated residential area with a mixed population, consisting mainly of Whites, Hispanics, Latinos, African-Americans, and a growing population of Asian-Americans. Local residents are quick to point out that Woodhaven is home to a great number of shared cultures and this demonstrates the broad range of ethnicities present in the most diverse county in the United States -- Queens.
Oscar winning actor Adrien Brody grew up in Woodhaven. Mae West also grew up in Woodhaven, on 88th St. A historical marker is outside her home.
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"Woodhaven, Queens"