Jamaica is a middle-class neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens. It was settled under Dutch rule in 1656 in New Netherland as Rustdorp. Under British rule, Jamaica became the center of the "Town of Jamaica". Jamaica was the county seat of Queens County from the formation of the county in 1683 until March 7, 1788, when the town was reorganized by the state government and the county seat was moved to Mineola (now part of Nassau County). In 1814, It became the first incorporated village on Long Island. When Queens was incorporated into the City of Greater New York in 1898, both the Town of Jamaica and the Village of Jamaica were dissolved, but the neighborhood of Jamaica regained its role as county seat. Today, some locals group Jamaica's surrounding neighborhoods into an unofficial Greater Jamaica, roughly corresponding to the former Town of Jamaica, including Richmond Hill, Woodhaven, St. Albans, Rosedale, Springfield Gardens, Hollis, Laurelton, Cambria Heights, Queens Village, Howard Beach and Ozone Park.
Jamaica Center, the area around Jamaica Avenue and 165th Street, is a major commercial center, as well as the home of the Central Library of the Queens Borough Public Library. The New York Racing Association, based at Aqueduct Racetrack in South Ozone Park, lists its official address as Jamaica (Central Jamaica once housed NYRA's Jamaica Racetrack, now the massive Rochdale Village housing development). John F. Kennedy International Airport and the hotels nearby also use Jamaica as their address.
Return Visit
Just returned from our 2nd stay at SRC. Like the first visit and the previous 25 visits to other Sandals locations everything was as good as we could hope for. Food, Bars, Restaurants, Service, and the grounds were what we have come to expect at Sandals. Once again the Jamaican people who work here really make the difference. Some of the nicest you will find. If you visit be sure to check out the bartender at the pool bar named Roderick. His talents and work ethic are second to none. He can be mixing 4 cocktails while taking verbal orders for the next 4 and be joking with everyone else at the bar all while remembering everyone's name. It is quite incredible to watch. Once again special thanks to the G.M. Gerald Christ for keeping a check on us and spending part of his busy schedule to visit with us. One last special thanks for our travel agent Carrie Piekos from Sanditz Travel in East Windsor, Ct. She went above and beyond to get us out a day early before a blizzard that shut down the airport and surely would have cost us a couple of days of our vacation. Would definitely return.
By Brian R trip to Jamaica