Most of the neighborhood is land that was purchased by Thomas Pell in 1654, part of an original grant to the Dutch West India Company.

Pelham Bay includes the residential enclave of Country Club, which occupies the portion of the neighborhood east of Interstate 95 (I-95).

Pelham Bay is part of Bronx Community District 10, which also covers Throgs Neck and Co-op City.

[1] The neighborhood is home to a number of active civic and community associations, including the Pelham Bay Little League.

Arnow Place, a small street between Westchester Avenue and the New England Thruway (I-95) in Pelham Bay, was the site of the December 2005 shooting death of off-duty police officer, Daniel Enchautegui.

[5] There has been recent influx of Asians moving into the neighborhood, as Real estate value in Pelham Bay have grown much faster than other residential areas in the Bronx.

[6] Pelham Bay is known for not having section 8 housing and NYCHA buildings in close proximity; as zoning laws promoted by local residents have maintained its single to two-family nature as well as relative low crime.

However, democratic lawmakers have attempted to impose low-income building constructions directly next to single-family houses, causing a friction and resistance from locals.

[7] Based on data from the 2010 United States Census, the population of Pelham Bay-Country Club-City Island was 26,583, a decrease of 557 (2.1%) from the 27,140 counted in 2000.

[9] The entirety of Community District 10, which comprises City Island, Co-op City, Country Club, Pelham Bay, Schuylerville, Throgs Neck and Westchester Square, had 121,868 inhabitants as of NYC Health's 2018 Community Health Profile, with an average life expectancy of 81.1 years.

Based on this calculation, as of 2018[update], Community District 10 is considered high-income relative to the rest of the city and not gentrifying.

[10]: 14 The concentration of fine particulate matter, the deadliest type of air pollutant, in Community District 10 is 0.0075 milligrams per cubic metre (7.5×10−9 oz/cu ft), the same as the city average.

[21] The United States Postal Service operates the Pilgrim Station post office at 1545 Crosby Avenue.

[10]: 6  The percentage of Community District 10 students excelling in math rose from 29% in 2000 to 47% in 2011, and reading achievement increased from 33% to 35% during the same time period.

[23] Community District 10's rate of elementary school student absenteeism is slightly higher than the rest of New York City.