Over 70 Rockaways residents were killed in the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center in 2001 , including people who worked there and New York City Fire Department firefighters and EMS personnel dispatched to the location . The city later opened Tribute Park on Jamaica Bay north of the Beach 116th Street shopping area in Rockaway Park , dedicating it to their memory . On clear days , the park affords an excellent view of the skyscrapers of Lower Manhattan , the former site of the WTC . In the center of the park is a piece of twisted steel from the ruins of the trade center 's Twin Towers . Solemn ceremonies are held at the park every Sep 11 , including a reading of the names of all of the locals who perished on that day
September 11 attacks
September 11 attacks
Rockaway, Queens