For much of the first half of the 20th century, the Bronx was overall home to a predominantly middle-class population of European and Jewish descent hailing from diverse nationalities, including immigrants directly from the corresponding countries of varying socioeconomic statuses.

[6] Beginning in the 1950s, the older, more developed parts of the Bronx experienced a socioeconomic shift due to a number of factors.

[8][9] What was left was a wasteland of abandoned buildings, vacant lots, filthy streets and a severe lack of even basic commercial amenities.

During this period of time, the neighborhood was dealt another blow as violent crime hit historic highs during the crack epidemic.

The police seemed to be fighting a losing battle as many young men in New York City were killed on the streets over drug turf.

The greater South Bronx was one of the hardest hit areas, with a largely poor population which lacked local jobs, many began to turn to the lucrative drug trade.

The NYCHA was one of the first agencies to create and renovate residential units in Longwood, the city soon followed up with independent, locally driven developments.

This construction resulted in escalating reinvestment in these communities Continuing into the mid-1990s, local and federal governments invested over $550 million in new subsidized residential housing and the expansion of businesses and commerce.

This period saw the construction of the South Bronx headquarters of the Police Athletic League of New York City and the relocation of the 41st Precinct of the NYPD from Simpson Street to Longwood Avenue.

Crime, for instance, has declined versus historic highs in the 1990s, but remains significantly above average for New York City.

[11] The neighborhood predominantly consists of Latin Americans (Longwood has one of the highest concentrations of Puerto Ricans in New York City) but includes a small yet diverse mix of races, ethnic groups, religious affiliations, sexual orientations, and national origins.

Almost half of the population lives below the federal poverty line and receives public assistance (AFDC, Home Relief, Supplemental Security Income, and Medicaid).

[17] In 2018, an estimated 29% of Longwood and Hunts Point residents lived in poverty, compared to 25% in all of the Bronx and 20% in all of New York City.

Much of the original housing stock was structurally damaged by arson and eventually razed by the city between mid and late 1980s.

The Southern Boulevard Business Improvement District, formed in 2008,[18] sits between the two points of closest proximity for the IRT Pelham and White Plains Road Lines.

[19] Other primary thoroughfares contain amenities like supermarkets, pharmacies, barbershops, hair salons, fast food, bodegas, and cheap shops.

[7] During the 1960s, crime reached such a level that the Simpson Street building became known by the police as "Fort Apache", as was later immortalized in a 1981 movie named for it.

[14]: 14 The concentration of fine particulate matter, the deadliest type of air pollutant, in Longwood and Hunts Point is 0.0085 milligrams per cubic metre (8.5×10−9 oz/cu ft), more than the city average.

[35] Longwood and Hunts Point generally have a lower rate of college-educated residents than the rest of the city as of 2018[update].

[14]: 6  The percentage of Longwood and Hunts Point students excelling in math rose from 24% in 2000 to 26% in 2011, and reading achievement increased from 28% to 32% during the same time period.

[36] Longwood and Hunts Point's rate of elementary school student absenteeism is more than the rest of New York City.

[15]: 24 (PDF p. 55) [14]: 6  Additionally, 58% of high school students in Longwood and Hunts Point graduate on time, lower than the citywide average of 75%.