[7] A short railroad spur was constructed off the main line from the Van Nest station to serve the adjacent Morris Park Racecourse, which was the site of thoroughbred horse racing from 1889 to 1904.

The multi-legged intersection of Van Nest Avenue, Unionport Road, and Victor Street is still known as the "Five Corners" by many old timers and locals.

A small longstanding Italian and Albanian population exist east of White Plains Road near Morris Park.

[21] In 2018, an estimated 21% of Van Nest and Allerton residents lived in poverty, compared to 25% in all of the Bronx and 20% in all of New York City.

Based on this calculation, as of 2018[update], Van Nest and Allerton are considered high-income relative to the rest of the city and not gentrifying.

[18]: 7 Politically, Van Nest is in New York's 14th congressional district,[22][23] represented by Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez as of 2019[update].

[30] Van Nest is located in New York's 13th and 15th City Council districts,[31] represented respectively by Democrats Mark Gjonaj and Ritchie Torres.

Con Edison's Van Nest Service Center is located north of the Amtrak Northeast Corridor line between Unionport Road and Bronxdale Avenue, occupying the former maintenance shops of the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad.

The monument, which stands at the center of the original park, was erected in April 1926 by the Van Nest Citizens' Patriotic League, who were, at one time, located at 1800 Hunt Avenue.

Memorial and Veterans' Day services have been reinstituted in previous years to pay respect to the deceased, as well as current and former servicemen and women.

The renovated park's railroad theme is based on the neighborhood's long-standing ties to the Van Nest station along the Northeast Corridor.

[43][44] Additionally, security cameras were installed through a contribution from Cross-County Federal Bank to monitor night time activity in the park.

Drug trafficking, teen pregnancy, domestic violence and violent crimes, including gang activity, are common.

[18]: 14 The concentration of fine particulate matter, the deadliest type of air pollutant, in Van Nest and Allerton is 0.0074 milligrams per cubic metre (7.4×10−9 oz/cu ft), less than the city average.

[18]: 13  In Van Nest and Allerton, 32% of residents are obese, 14% are diabetic, and 31% have high blood pressure—compared to the citywide averages of 24%, 11%, and 28% respectively.

[63] The United States Postal Service operates the Parkway Station post office at 2100 White Plains Road.

[64] Van Nest and Allerton generally have a lower rate of college-educated residents than the rest of the city as of 2018[update].

[18]: 6  The percentage of Van Nest and Allerton students excelling in math rose from 32% in 2000 to 48% in 2011, though reading achievement remained constant at 37% during the same time period.

[65] Van Nest and Allerton's rate of elementary school student absenteeism is slightly higher than the rest of New York City.

[19]: 24 (PDF p. 55) [18]: 6  Additionally, 74% of high school students in Van Nest and Allerton graduate on time, about the same as the citywide average of 75%.

[18]: 6 Van Nest once had two Catholic grammar schools: St. Dominic's at 1684 White Plains Road and Our Lady of Solace at the intersection of Holland and Morris Park Avenues.

The School of Excellence began leasing the Solace building in August 2010, and had made $400,000 worth of renovations from electric wiring, plumbing, and exterior masonry work.

[79] By January 1979, the First Van Nest Hebrew Congregation had disbanded and sold the property and building to the Mission Christiana Rehoboth church.

The East 180th Street station on the IRT White Plains Road Line, built in 1912, was once the Administration Building for the NYW&B.

The station was designed by Stem, Allen H., Fellheimer & Long, in a style reminiscent of late 19th and early 20th century revivals.

However, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has proposed Penn Station Access, which could possibly bring Metro-North Railroad's New Haven service along the Hell Gate Line.

[88] Conti's Pastry Shoppe was established on October 1, 1921[89] on Victor Street and eventually relocated to 786 Morris Park Avenue in 1928.

[90] Purchased in 2003 by Sal Paljevic from the original owners, it went through a four-week renovation in February 2007 to restore its tin ceiling and wood panel walls.

Other antique features include an original marble countertop, collection of black-and-white photographs and vintage tin advertisements.

Some notable fighters to come out of the Morris Park Boxing Club include WBA world champions welterweight Aaron Davis[98] and light heavyweight Lou Del Valle.