At New Five Star, a cafe and restaurant on Unionport Road in Parkchester, nearly every table is filled with customers speaking Bengali.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s so much fun, and I\u2019m listening to everybody,\u201d said owner Mostaque \u201cRafiq\u201d Ahmed. \u201cIt feels like we\u2019re in Little Bangladesh.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLittle Bangladesh\u201d is a term of affection many use to describe the ethnic enclave centered around Unionport Road and Starling Avenue.<\/p>\n
What You Need To Know<\/p>\n
Parkchester is home to a growing Bangladeshi community often called \u201cLittle Bangladesh,\u201d centered on Unionport Road and Starling Avenue
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More than 12,200 households in Bronx Community District 9 speak Bengali, about 7.7% of the population
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The community expanded significantly after the U.S. Diversity Visa program in the 1990s brought Bangladeshi immigrants to the area
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Residents say shared culture, faith and local businesses make Parkchester a strong, supportive place to live and raise families<\/p>\n
\u201cI love everything. It\u2019s like my community. My people, my culture. Our groceries, our restaurants \u2014 everything is here,\u201d said customer Sumaiya Meem.<\/p>\n
From clothing vendors and mosques to supermarkets carrying imported goods that are not widely available, Parkchester \u2014 part of Bronx Community District 9 \u2014 is home to thousands of residents who grew up in Bangladesh.<\/p>\n
A 2024 Data USA survey found Bengali was spoken in more than 12,200 households, accounting for 7.7% of the district\u2019s population, which also includes Soundview.<\/p>\n
Mohammed Mujumder left Bangladesh after the U.S. government introduced the Diversity Visa program in the 1990s.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur country had a 50,000 visa lottery. Half of them came here,\u201d said Mujumder.<\/p>\n
The program awarded approximately 50,000 immigrant visas to residents of Bangladesh as part of a U.S. effort to attract people from countries with low immigration rates.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen they came, after five years, their wives, father, mother, neighbors, nieces and nephews \u2014 they started to come,\u201d said Mujumder.<\/p>\n
Mujumder is the longest-serving member of Community Board 9, which includes Parkchester. He is also the first person of Bangladeshi descent to serve as chairman of a New York City community board, and he considers it part of his role to help lead the community.<\/p>\n
Recently, he comforted the family of NYPD Officer Didarul Islam, a Parkchester resident who was killed in a mass shooting in Midtown last July<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cI visited his home,\u201d said Mujumder. \u201cSpoke to the family members. We are all devastated. And on the other hand, the community is proud that someone Muslim, also Bangladeshi American, sacrificed his life for the best interest of the community.\u201d<\/p>\n