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Wakefield-Woodlawn offers affordable housing near Van Cortlandt Park and Woodlawn Cemetery. The 2/4 trains connect to Manhattan.
Wakefield-Woodlawn offers affordable housing near Van Cortlandt Park and Woodlawn Cemetery. The 2/4 trains connect to Manhattan.
Did you know?
Woodlawn Cemetery's residents include Miles Davis, Duke Ellington, Herman Melville, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Joseph Pulitzer — it's sometimes called "the Valhalla of New York."
Who’s your neighbor?
Housing cost
$432 / sq ft
Commute
Weekday mornings · leaving 7:30–9:00
- FromWakefield-Woodlawn
- ToNear Bryant Park
Family scores
Show 5 moreShow fewer
Trade-offs
Stands out
- Affordability73/100
Lower costs than most
To weigh
- Transit9/100
Longer weekday-morning trips to the city's main job centers
- Safety26/100
More reported crimes, traffic injuries or serious housing violations per resident
- Schools35/100
Weaker results at the public and charter schools serving it, or fewer of them
Each score compares it with NYC's other residential neighborhoods.
What these scores don't measure: how a block feels on foot, what's changing on it, and whether a particular school suits your child. Walk it at school drop-off time, and check the zoned school for the exact address before you sign a lease.
Your family’s read
How does Wakefield-Woodlawn fit your family?
An agentic read of this neighborhood — including safety and cost of living — tailored to your priorities, family size, budget, and commute.
Analyze for My FamilySchools & early education
Schools8 schools
Wakefield-Woodlawn offers a genuinely mixed bag when it comes to schools — a solid roster of zoned public options alongside a handful of parochial and charter alternatives. P.S. 016 Wakefield and P.S. 087 Bronx anchor the elementary landscape, while MT St Michael Academy brings a private option to Murdock Avenue. The charter presence is thin but real (Bronx Charter School for Excellence 4), and schools cluster along Carpenter Avenue, giving that stretch an education-corridor feel. Families will want to dig into individual performance — the governance diversity means options vary in size, structure, and specialty.
Browse all early-ed in this neighborhoodLiving here
Parks & Playgrounds1 place
Wakefield Playground anchors the neighborhood's outdoor scene as essentially the only dedicated play space around. It's a solid, well-worn spot that serves families who find it, but tree canopy and waterfront access aren't part of the deal here — this is straight-up Bronx urban park territory. For families seeking more green variety, the trade-off is you'll likely be heading elsewhere or making the most of what's right here.
1 playground within a 10-min walk
Nearest large park: Van Cortlandt Park · ~21 min walk (0.8 mi)
Transportation45 stops
The 2 train cuts through the heart of Wakefield-Woodlawn with three stops — 233 St, Nereid Av, and the terminal at Wakefield-241 St, the latter being the northern end of the line, so your commute into Manhattan is a straight shot down the 2 with no transfers needed. Bus coverage is solid along the main drags, especially the White Plains Road corridor and the Nereid Avenue stretch, giving you a reliable connector if the subway isn't directly at your doorstep.
Restaurants78 places
Wakefield-Woodlawn runs heavy on Caribbean flavor — you'll find a solid cluster of Jamaican and Caribbean spots along White Plains Road and Nereid Avenue, from Fort Negril to Big Daddy's to Kaieteur. Delis and grocery-style eateries anchor the eating scene along White Plains Rd too, and there's a surprising depth of Dunkin' locations if you need coffee on the go. Pizza options thin out to just a couple of local spots, and the fast-food presence is modest — think Burger King and Domino's rather than broader chain variety. It's very much a neighborhood for takeout and casual eats rather than a dinner-out scene.
Groceries11 places
Wakefield-Woodlawn offers a solid lineup for the weekly shop, with Key Food anchoring the White Plains Road corridor alongside Met Food, CTown, and Associated Supermarkets of Edenwald. The mix includes a handful of ethnic grocers — a Caribbean spot just over the Mount Vernon border and Rig's Meat Market for specialty cuts — which adds welcome variety. Most options cluster along the main drags, so a car helps, though you can piece together a full shop on foot if you're strategic.
Coffee Shops9 places
There's a decent spread of coffee options for a walkable morning stop, though you're mostly looking at independent cafes rather than chains. McLean Avenue in Yonkers has a little cluster of spots, while the Bronx side around Katonah and White Plains Road offers a few more. Most are simple counter-service affairs — grab and go or settle in for a bit. Nothing fancy, but the basics are covered for the caffeine-dependent.
Things to Do3 places
The activity scene here is thin but covers the essentials — a swimming option at a local school, a martial arts program that doubles as afterschool care, and a tutoring center. It's the kind of setup where you grab what's close rather than shop around. Families in this part of the Bronx tend to look toward nearby Riverdale or Yonkers for more variety, but for after-school energy burnoff and academic support, you've got a workable baseline.
Daycare & informal care
Pre-K options in Wakefield-Woodlawn are anchored by the local public schools — P.S. 016, P.S. 019, and P.S. 103 all run early childhood programs, with a few additional standalone centers sprinkled in. That's a decent spread for drop-off routes. Where things get thin is traditional daycare; this neighborhood is Pre-K heavy but full-day childcare options beyond that are sparse, so families often cast a wider net for the under-3 set.
Family Resources5 places
There's a real split in public anchors here — the Wakefield Library on Lowerre Place serves the northern part of the neighborhood, while Woodlawn Heights Library covers the southern end, giving this area a surprisingly solid bench of library resources for a smaller community. Wakefield Playground off Carpenter Avenue adds a recreational anchor, and the Bissel Gardens Farmers Market on Baychester Ave brings a weekly food resource to the area. Two libraries serving a low-density family neighborhood is genuinely more than some adjacent areas can claim.
Healthcare12 places
Wakefield-Woodlawn punches above its weight for hospitals — Montefiore's Wakefield campus anchors the stretch along East 233rd Street, and a handful of clinics fill in around Bronx Boulevard. Pediatric care is decent with a few options clustered near the main hospital, and you have a small but solid set of dentists along Katonah Avenue. The gap here is urgent care, which is essentially absent in the neighborhood; families will need to head elsewhere for after-hours needs.
Compare with nearby neighborhoods
Best schools in Wakefield-Woodlawn
Schools in Wakefield-Woodlawn
8
Early education in Wakefield-Woodlawn
12
- All Seasons Day Care, LLC
- CATHERINE CORRY EARLY CHILDHOOD ACADEMY
- Corry Academy
- CREATIVE MINDS DAYCARE OF NYC
- P.S. 016 Wakefield
- P.S. 019 Judith K. Weiss
- P.S. 103 Hector Fontanez
- Saint Francis of Assisi School
- ST FRANCIS OF ASSISI SCHOOL
- St. Barnabas School
- Susan Wagner Day School
- SUSAN WAGNER DAY SCHOOL 4102 - NBDCC
Frequently Asked Questions
- Is Wakefield-Woodlawn a good neighborhood for families?
- Wakefield-Woodlawn scores 43/100 for families on Motley — near the middle of the pack citywide. The Family Fit score blends six parts: how many families live there, schools, affordability, weekday-morning transit time to job centers, safety, and air quality and child health.
- What are the pros and cons of Wakefield-Woodlawn for families?
- For families, Wakefield-Woodlawn stands out for lower costs than most. What to weigh: longer weekday-morning trips to the city's main job centers; more reported crimes, traffic injuries or serious housing violations per resident; and weaker results at the public and charter schools serving it, or fewer of them. Each score compares it with NYC's other residential neighborhoods. They don't measure how a block feels on foot or whether a particular school suits your child, so walk it before you decide.
- Is Wakefield-Woodlawn safe?
- Wakefield-Woodlawn scores 26/100 on safety — toward the lower end citywide. We build the score from NYPD crime complaints, pedestrian and cyclist injuries, and serious (Class C) housing violations, each counted per 1,000 residents.
- How are the schools in Wakefield-Woodlawn?
- Wakefield-Woodlawn has 8 schools mapped inside its boundary and scores 35/100 for schools — toward the lower end citywide.
- How do middle and high school admissions work from Wakefield-Woodlawn?
- Middle school: families in Wakefield-Woodlawn apply in 5th grade through the citywide middle school application. District 11's 44 middle school programs admit by method: 22 unscreened, 10 zoned, 8 charter lottery and 4 screened. High school: one citywide application in 8th grade lets a family rank programs anywhere in the city, and the eight specialized high schools admit on the SHSAT alone.
- Is Wakefield-Woodlawn affordable?
- Wakefield-Woodlawn scores 73/100 for affordability on Motley — more affordable than most NYC neighborhoods.
- Which borough is Wakefield-Woodlawn in?
- Wakefield-Woodlawn is a neighborhood in Bronx, New York City.
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