NEW YORK 9 : Parts of Brooklyn and Queens - Sheepshead Bay; Forest Hills

Few districts are more geographically disparate than the 9th, which takes in widely separated parts of Brooklyn and Queens. The district was originally drawn to exclude concentrations of Hispanics in neighboring districts. But when the 12th District was ruled unconstitutional and redrawn in 1997, the 9th gained a larger portion of Queens. The district is now roughly split between Queens and Brooklyn.

The 9th is about 76 percent non-Hispanic white and consistently votes Democratic. Mostly middle class and residential, the 9th has a large Jewish population, and ethnic populations (mainly Italian- and Irish-American) add to its strong Democratic flavor. The district's few social conservatives live in its wealthiest communities, Forest Hills and Kew Gardens, in the northeast corner.

Unemployment in Queens and Brooklyn is double that of Long Island counties to the east. To boost the area's economy, the region has focused on revitalization along the waterfront community of Sheepshead Bay, which has begun to spawn an economic turn-around.

Major Industry
Service, finance, insurance, manufacturing

Population
580,337 (1990)

Cities
New York (pt.), 580,337 (1990)

People
100% urban; 19% age 65+ (ranks first of 31 in state; top third nationally); 50% married couples, 21% married couples with children; 24% college educated (ranks 10 of 31 in state; top third nationally); 72% white collar (ranks fifth of 31 in state; top third nationally), 19% blue collar (ranks 22 of 31 in state; bottom third nationally) (1990)

Race
Non-Hispanic: 76% white, 3% black, 9% Asian; 13% Hispanic origin (1990)

Median Household Income
$33,901 (ranks 12 of 31 in state; top third nationally) (1990)

Unusual Features
Pip's Comedy Club, where Billy Crystal, Andrew "Dice" Clay and George Carlin started their careers.

© 2002 The Washington Post Company