Living in Pelham Bay: rent, commute and grades

The Bronx · Updated October 2026

Black Whale restaurant on City Island Avenue, City Island.
Horse and buggy on City Island Avenue at dusk, City Island.
Sea Shore Restaurant on City Island, Pelham Bay.
City Island marina with the Throgs Neck Bridge beyond, Pelham Bay.
City Island Avenue looking south, City Island.
Photo credits

This guide also covers Country Club and City Island, which share Pelham Bay’s official city boundaries.

Rent in Pelham Bay

$1,333 a month

Type of homeA room in a 2-bedroom, shared by two

Pelham Bay is cheaper with roommates

Find people looking in Pelham Bay
B-Overall

Pelham Bay graded

Grades compare NYC neighborhoods with each other. How the grades work.

Everyday life

  • CWalkability

    The average home has 4.4 of 5 everyday needs within a 10-minute walk (grocery store, restaurant, cafe, subway station, park) and about 75 places to eat or shop.

    Residents: City Island is too far from everything if you do not drive. Former City Island resident, Jun 2024

  • C-Food and shopping

    Within a 10-minute walk of the average home: about 17 places to eat, 11 kinds of cuisine, 1 large grocery stores and 44 open storefronts.

    Residents: Good, affordable grocery stores are few and hard to reach without a car. Former resident of 4 years, Jun 2025

    City data alone would give D; what residents say in 4 Reddit threads moves it to C-.

  • AParks and green space

    100% of residents live within a 10-minute walk of a park of an acre or more, with about 2,406 acres of parkland within 1 km and about 369 street trees within 300 m of the average home.

People

  • C+Community

    19% of households moved in since 2018, 6% are roommates sharing a home, 17% of residents are 22 to 34, and there are about 10 cafes and bars within a 10-minute walk of the average home.

    Residents: The local social scene in Country Club feels nonexistent, though work and friends in other boroughs play a part. Country Club resident, Jun 2025

  • C+Nightlife

    About 9 bars, clubs and restaurants licensed to serve alcohol on site within a 10-minute walk of the average home.

    Residents: There is little nightlife nearby apart from East Tremont Avenue, so socializing often means going to Manhattan. Former resident of 4 years, Jun 2025

Home and safety

  • BSafety

    4.9 murders, robberies, felony assaults and burglaries were reported per 1,000 residents in 2025 (139 in all).

    Residents: Country Club has no crime to speak of. Country Club resident, Jun 2025

    City data alone would give B-; what residents say in 4 Reddit threads moves it to B.

  • B-Quiet

    36 noise complaints to 311 per 1,000 residents in 2025, not counting helicopter complaints, and counting each address at most 12 days a year. That measures how often people complain, not how loud it is.

    Residents: Fourth of July fireworks are loud, and were louder in 2025 than the year before. Resident, Jul 2025

    City data and 5 resident threads on Reddit agree on this grade.

  • C-Building upkeep

    22.7 serious housing code violations (class B or C) were issued in 2025 per 100 rented homes, and there were 14.6 heat or hot water complaints per 100 rented homes.

Who lives there

  • Older residents

What residents say

Residents like

Residents don’t like

Show 14 moreShow less

Safety

Food and shopping

Nightlife

Walkability

Quiet

Parks and green space

Getting around from Pelham Bay

Map of New York City neighborhoods shaded by travel time by subway or bus from Pelham Bay
By subway or bus, arriving by 9:00 on a weekday:Under 30 min30 to 45 min45 to 60 minOver an hourPelham Bay
  • Buhre Av 6
  • Middletown Rd 6
  • Pelham Bay Park 6

Residents: Commuting from City Island to Midtown without a car is brutal. Former City Island resident, Jun 2024

Residents: Transit beyond the 6 is poor, and reaching express trains means relying on the Bx12 bus. Former resident of 4 years, Jun 2025

What to know about Pelham Bay

  • Pelham Bay is mostly large one- and two-family detached houses on the inner blocks, with apartment buildings along the wider avenues. The city's 2006 rezoning study counted detached homes as about 72% of the housing. Source
  • Westchester Avenue and Crosby Avenue are Pelham Bay's main commercial streets. Source
  • Pelham Bay grew up in the early 20th century around what was then a new rail terminal, after the Interborough Rapid Transit subway reached the area. Source
  • Pelham Bay Park, entered from the 6 train's last stop at Bruckner Boulevard and Westchester Avenue, is the largest recreation area in New York City: at 2,766 acres, more than three times the size of Central Park. Source
  • Orchard Beach, nicknamed the Riviera of New York after it opened in 1936, is a 1.1-mile strand with a promenade, picnic areas and views of City Island. Source
  • City Island is a special zoning district meant to keep its character for nautical and waterfront uses: building heights are limited to keep it low-rise, and City Island Avenue has special setback and sign rules to protect its village character. Source

More of Pelham Bay

Moving to Pelham Bay? Find a roommate who wants to live there too.

Free on iPhone and Android, at 800+ colleges and in NYC.

Scan to get Bunky

Free onApp StoreGoogle Play

Check it out on the App StoreCheck it out on Google Play
App StoreGoogle Play

Free on iPhone and Android

More NYC neighborhoods

The Bronx

34 neighborhoods

Manhattan

30 neighborhoods

Brooklyn

40 neighborhoods

Queens

46 neighborhoods

Staten Island

16 neighborhoods

See every neighborhood on the map

Sources

Facts about Pelham Bay:

Data behind the grades: