Queens 45579 225526195 2008-07-14T03:57:44Z Nycxdhaliwalxjatti 7418917 /* Demographics */ {{dablink|This article is about the New York City borough. For other uses, see [[Queens (disambiguation)]] and [[Queen (disambiguation)]].}} {{Infobox Settlement <!--See Template:Infobox Settlement for additional fields that may be available--> <!--See the Table at Infobox Settlement for all fields and descriptions of usage--> <!-- Basic info ----------------> |name =Queens <!-- at least one of the first two fields must be filled in --> |official_name =Queens County |other_name = |native_name = <!-- if different from the English name --> |nickname = |settlement_type =[[Borough (New York City)|Borough]] of New York City <!-- e.g. Town, Village, City, etc.--> |total_type = <!-- to set a non-standard label for total area and population rows --> |motto = <!-- images and maps -----------> |image_skyline = Flushing Meadows Globe.jpg |imagesize = |image_caption = The [[Unisphere]], unofficial symbol of Queens. |image_flag = |flag_size = |image_seal = |seal_size = |image_shield = |shield_size = |image_blank_emblem = |blank_emblem_type = |blank_emblem_size = |image_map = Queens Highlight New York City Map Julius Schorzman.png |mapsize = |map_caption = Location of Queens shown in yellow. |pushpin_map = <!-- the name of a location map as per http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Location_map --> |pushpin_label_position = <!-- the position of the pushpin label: left, right, top, bottom, none --> |pushpin_map_caption = |pushpin_mapsize = <!-- Location ------------------> |subdivision_type = Country |subdivision_name = United States |subdivision_type1 = State |subdivision_name1 = [[New York]] |subdivision_type2 = County |subdivision_name2 = Queens |subdivision_type3 = City |subdivision_name3 = [[New York City]] <!-- Smaller parts (e.g. boroughs of a city) and seat of government --> |seat_type = |seat = |parts_type = |parts_style = <!-- =list (for list), coll (for collapsed list), para (for paragraph format) Default is list if up to 5 items, coll if more than 5--> |parts = <!-- parts text, or header for parts list --> |p1 = |p2 = <!-- etc. up to p50: for separate parts to be listed--> <!-- Politics -----------------> |government_footnotes = |government_type = |leader_title =[[Borough president|Borough&nbsp;president]] |leader_name =[[Helen Marshall]] |leader_title1 = <!-- for places with, say, both a mayor and a city manager --> |leader_name1 = |established_title = Settled |established_date = 1683 <!-- Area ---------------------> |area_magnitude = |unit_pref = |area_footnotes = |area_total_sq_mi =178.28 |area_land_sq_mi =109.24 |area_water_sq_mi =69.04 |area_water_percent = <!-- Elevation --------------------------> |elevation_footnotes = <!--for references: use <ref> </ref> tags--> |elevation_m = |elevation_ft = |elevation_max_m = |elevation_max_ft = |elevation_min_m = |elevation_min_ft = <!-- Population -----------------------> |population_as_of = |population_footnotes = |population_note = |population_total =2229379 |population_density_sq_mi =20409.0 <!-- General information ---------------> |timezone = |utc_offset = |timezone_DST = |utc_offset_DST = |latd=40 |latm=42 |lats=15.0 |latNS=N |longd=73 |longm=55 |longs=4.0 |longEW=W <!-- Area/postal codes & others --------> |postal_code_type = <!-- enter ZIP code, Postcode, Post code, Postal code... --> |postal_code = |area_code = |website = [http://www.queensbp.org Official Website of the Queens Borough President] |footnotes = }} '''Queens''' is the largest in area and the second most populous of the [[Borough (New York City)|five boroughs]] of [[New York City]], [[New York]], USA. The borough is coterminous with '''Queens County''', a [[Political subdivisions of New York State#County|county of New York State]]. Located on the western portion of [[Long Island]], Queens is home to New York City's two major airports ([[Kennedy Airport|John F. Kennedy]] and [[LaGuardia Airport|LaGuardia]]), the [[New York Mets]] baseball team, the [[USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center]] (home of the annual [[U.S. Open (tennis)|U.S. Open]]), [[Kaufman Astoria Studios]], [[Silvercup Studios]], [[Flushing Meadows Corona Park]], and [[Queens Center]] (the most profitable per-square-foot mall in America). [[As of 2005|As of the 2005]] American Community Survey, immigrants comprise 47.6% of Queens residents making Queens the city's most diverse borough.<ref>[http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/ACSSAFFFacts?_event=&geo_id=05000US36081&_geoContext=01000US%7C04000US36%7C05000US36081&_street=&_county=queens&_cityTown=queens&_state=&_zip=&_lang=en&_sse=on&ActiveGeoDiv=&_useEV=&pctxt=fph&pgsl=050&_submenuId=factsheet_1&ds_name=null&_ci_nbr=null&qr_name=null&reg=null%3Anull&_keyword=&_industry= 2005 American Community Survey Fact Sheet for Queens County, New York], [[United States Census Bureau]], accessed [[February 24]], [[2007]].</ref> With a population of 2.2 million it is the second most populous borough in New York City (behind [[Brooklyn]]) and the [[List of the most populous counties in the United States|tenth most populous county]] in the United States. The 2.2 million figure is the highest historical population for the borough. [http://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0027.html] Were each borough an independent city, Queens would be the fifth largest city in the United States (and Brooklyn would be fourth). Queens was established in 1683 as one of the [[Province of New York#The twelve original counties|original 12 counties of New York]] and was supposedly named for the then-[[queen consort]], [[Catherine of Braganza]], the Catholic wife of [[Charles II of England|Charles II]][http://queens.about.com/od/queensalmanac/f/queens_name.htm] [http://www.ny.com/histfacts/geography.html#queens] (this is not supported by contemporary documents). The borough is often considered one of the more [[suburb]]an boroughs of New York City. Neighborhoods in central (except those situated along [[Queens Boulevard]]), southern, and eastern Queens have a look and feel similar to the bordering suburbs of western [[Nassau County, New York|Nassau County]]. In its northwestern section, however, Queens is home to many urban neighborhoods and several central business districts. [[Long Island City]], on the Queens' waterfront across from [[Manhattan]], is the site of the [[Citicorp Building]], the tallest skyscraper in New York City outside of Manhattan. ==History== European colonization brought both [[Netherlands|Dutch]] and [[United Kingdom|English]] settlers, as a part of the [[New Netherlands]] colony. First settlements occurred in 1635, with colonization at [[Maspeth, Queens|Maspeth]] in 1642,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nnp.org/vtour/regions/Long_Island/mespath.html |title=A Virtual Tour of New Netherland}}</ref> and [[Vlissingen]] (now [[Flushing, Queens|Flushing]]) in 1643.<ref name="ellis-p54">{{cite book |title=The Epic of New York City |author=Ellis, Edward Robb |publisher=Old Town Books |year=1966 |pages=p. 54}}</ref> Other early settlements included Newtown (now [[Elmhurst, Queens|Elmhurst]]) and [[Jamaica, Queens|Jamaica]]. However, these towns were mostly inhabited by English settlers from [[New England]] via eastern [[Long Island]] ([[Suffolk County, New York|Suffolk County]]) subject to Dutch law. After the capture of the colony by the English and its renaming as New York in 1664, the area (and all of Long Island) became known as [[Yorkshire County, Province of New York|Yorkshire]]. Originally, Queens County included the adjacent area now comprising [[Nassau County, New York|Nassau County]]. It was an original county of New York State, one of twelve created in 1683. Queens played a minor role in the [[American Revolution]], as compared to [[Brooklyn]] where the [[Battle of Long Island]] was largely fought. Queens, like the rest of Long Island, fell under British occupation after the Battle of Long Island in 1776 and remained occupied throughout most of the rest of the war. Under the [[Quartering Act]], British soldiers used, as barracks, the public inns and uninhabited buildings belonging to Queens residents, against the will of many of the local people. The quartering of soldiers in private homes, except in times of war, was banned by the [[Third Amendment to the United States Constitution]]. [[Nathan Hale]] was captured by the British on the shore of Flushing Bay in Queens before being executed in [[Manhattan]]. From 1683 until 1784, Queens County consisted of five towns: Flushing, [[Town of Hempstead, New York|Hempstead]], Jamaica, Newtown, and [[Town of Oyster Bay, New York|Oyster Bay]]. On [[April 6]], [[1784]], a sixth town, the [[Town of North Hempstead, New York|Town of North Hempstead]], was formed through secession by the northern portions of the Town of Hempstead.<ref> {{cite web |url=http://www.city-data.com/forum/new-york-city/214288-geographic-history-queens.html |title=Geographic history of Queens |date=2007-12-16 |accessdate=2007-12-23}} </ref><ref> {{cite web |url=http://www.rootsweb.com/~nyqueen2/History.htm |title=Geographic History of Queens County |author=Walter Greenspan |accessdate=2007-12-23}} </ref><ref> {{cite web |url=http://history.rays-place.com/ny/queens-towns.htm |title=Towns in Queens County, NY; From: Gazetteer of the State of New York |author=J. H. French, LL.D. |year=1860 |accessdate=2007-12-28 }}</ref> The seat of the county government was located first in Jamaica,<ref> {{cite web |url=http://www.hopefarm.com/5boros.htm |title=Early Five Borough's History |quote=When Queens County was created the courts were transferred from Hempstead to Jamaica Village and a County Court was erected. When the building became too small for its purposes and the stone meeting house had been erected, the courts were held for some years in that edifice. Later a new courthouse was erected and used until the seat of justice was removed to North Hempstead |accessdate=2007-12-30 }}</ref> but was moved about 1788 to [[Mineola, New York|Mineola]],<ref> {{cite web |url=http://www.queensbp.org/content_web/tourism/tourism_history.shtml |title=Historical Essay: A Thumbnail View |quote=From the final withdrawal of the British in November, 1783, until the 1830s, Queens continued as an essentially Long Island area of farms and villages. The location of the county government in Mineola (in present-day Nassau County) underscores the island orientation of that era. Population grew hardly at all, increasing only from 5,791 in 1800 to 7,806 in 1830, suggesting that many younger sons moved away, seeking fortunes where land was not yet so fully taken up for farming. |publisher=Official History Page of the Queens Borough President's Office |accessdate=2007-12-29 |note=article does not give specific date }} {{cite book |title=A Research Guide to the History of the Borough of Queens and Its Neighborhood |author=Jon A. Peterson and Vincent Seyfried, ed. |year=1983 }} {{cite book |author=Peterson, Jon A., ed. |title=A Research Guide to the History of the Borough of Queens, New York City |location=New York |publisher=Queens College, City University of New York |year=1987 }}</ref><ref> {{cite web |url=http://www.timevoyagers.com/bookstore/NewYork/counties/queens.htm |title=New York - Queens County - History |accessdate=2007-12-29 }} {{cite web |url=http://www.courts.state.ny.us/history/elecbook/sullivan/pg1.htm |title=History of New York State 1523-1927 |publisher=The Historical Society of the Courts of the State of New York }} {{cite book |author=Sullivan, Dr. James |title=History of New York State 1523-1927 |year=1927 |publisher=Lewis Historical Publishing Company, Inc |location=New York, Chicago }}</ref><ref> {{cite web |url=http://www.mynewyorkgenealogy.com/ny_history.htm |title=New York State History |year=1999 |publisher=Genealogy Inc |quote=Under the Reorganization Act of 7 March 1788, New York was divided into 120 towns (not townships), many of which were already in existence. |accessdate=2007-12-28 }}</ref><ref> {{cite web |url=http://www.dos.state.ny.us/lgss/pdfs/Handbook.pdf |title=State of New York; Local Government Handbook; 5th Edition |year=January 2000 |format=PDF |pages=Ch 4, p 13; Ch 5 p 2 |quote=The 1777 New York State Constitution, Article XXXVI, confirmed land grants and municipal charters granted by the English Crown prior to October 14, 1775. Chapter 64 of the Laws of 1788 organized the state into towns and cities...The basic composition of the counties was set in 1788 when the State Legislature divided all of the counties then existing into towns. Towns, of course, were of earlier origin, but in that year they acquired a new legal status as components of the counties. }}</ref><ref> {{cite web |url=http://www.newsday.com/community/guide/lihistory/ny-history_mysteries_hs221a,0,670882.story |title=HISTORY MYSTERIES: Shelter Island Ferry/Mineola Building |quote=The building shown below "is one of the most important buildings in the history of Mineola," wrote Jack Hehman, president of the Mineola Historical Society. Built in 1787 and known as the "old brig," it was the first Queens County courthouse and later a home for the mentally ill. The building was at Jericho Turnpike and Herricks Road until 1910, when it burned to the ground. |accessdate=2008-04-01 }}</ref><ref> {{cite web |url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9D01E7D61430E433A2575AC2A96E9C94639FD7CF |title=THE MINEOLA ASYLUM.; WITNESSES WHO TESTIFIED THAT IT IS AND HAS BEEN A MODEL INSTITUTION. |quote=The investigation of the charges made against the Superintendent and keepers of the Mineola Asylum for the Insane, which was begun last Tuesday, was continued yesterday by the standing Committee on Insane Asylums of the Queens County Board of Supervisors-- Messrs. Whitney, Brinckerhoff, and Powell. The committee were shown through the asylum, which is the old building of the Queens County Court-house over 100 years old |date=1882-08-29 |publisher=NY Times |accessdate=2008-04-01 }}</ref> <ref name=NCPO>{{cite web |url=http://www.bklyn-genealogy-info.com/Civil/Nassau.P.O.html |title=Nassau County Post Offices 1794-1879 |author=David Roberts |accessdate=2008-04-01}} {{cite book |title=New York Postal History: The Post Offices & First Postmasters from 1775 to 1980 |quote=There was only one post office established in present Nassau County when the Long Island post road to Sag Harbor was established September 25, 1794. It appears that the mail from New York went to Jamaica. This was the only post office in the present day Boroughs of Queens or Brooklyn before 1803. From Jamaica the mail went east along the Jericho Turnpike/Middle Country Road route and ended at Sag Harbor. The only post office on this route between Jamaica and Suffolk County was QUEENS established the same date as the others on this route 9/25/1794. This post office was officially Queens, but I have seen the area called "Queens Court House" and was located approximately in the Mineola-Westbury area. The courthouse was used until the 1870's when the county court was moved to Long Island City. Later it served as the Queens County Insane Asylum and still later as an early courthouse for the new Nassau County, during construction of the present "old" Nassau County Courthouse in Mineola. It was demolished shortly after 1900 ... after about 120 years of service of one type or the other. |author=John L. Kay & Chester M. Smith, Jr.|publisher=American Philatelic Society|date=1982}} </ref><ref> {{cite web |url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9E05E1D8113EEE34BC4D51DFB4668389669FDE |title=The Queens County Court-House Question A New Building to be Erected at Mineola. |date=1872-02-25 |quote=For forty years the Supervisors of Queens County have been quarreling over a site for a Court-house. The incommodious building used |accessdate=2008-04-01 }}</ref> (now part of Nassau County, it was called Clowesville until 1858<ref> {{cite news |url=http://www.newsday.com/community/guide/lihistory/ny-historytown-hist002d,0,6131005.story?coll=ny_community_guide_lihistory_promo |title=Mineola: First Farmers, Then Lawyers |author= Rhoda Amon (Staff Writer) |publisher=Newsday |accessdate=2007-12-31 }}</ref><ref> {{cite web |url=http://www.bklyn-genealogy-info.com/Map/No.Hemp.html |title=1873 map of North Hempstead |quote=bottom right by spur road off Jericho Tpk - location is now known as [[Garden City Park, New York|Garden City Park]]. Clowesville was the name of the nearest station on the LIRR, approximately at the location of the present [[Merillon Avenue (LIRR station)|Merillon Avenue station]]. The courthouse (photo at http://www.newsday.com/community/guide/lihistory/ny-hs2tmi01,0,3275994.photo ) was north of the station. |accessdate=2007-12-31 }}</ref>). In 1870, [[Long Island City, Queens|Long Island City]] was incorporated as a city (consisting of what had been the [[Astoria, Queens|Village of Astoria]] and some unincorporated areas in the Town of Newtown), and about 1874, the seat of county government was moved there from Mineola.<ref> {{cite news |url=http://www.queenstribune.com/guides/2005_PatchworkOfCultures/pages/QueensTimeline.htm |title=A Queens Timeline |publisher=''The Queens Tribune'' |quote=1874 – Queens County Courthouse and seat of county government moved from Mineola (in present-day Nassau County) to Long Island City. |accessdate=2007-12-23 }}</ref><ref> {{cite news |url=http://www.newsday.com/community/guide/lihistory/ny-historytown-hist002d,0,6131005.story?coll=ny_community_guide_lihistory_promo |title=Mineola: First Farmers, Then Lawyers |author= Rhoda Amon (Staff Writer) |quote=That was the year when the "Old Brig" courthouse was vacated after 90 years of housing lawbreakers. The county court moved from Mineola to Long Island City. |publisher=Newsday |accessdate=2007-12-31 }}</ref><ref> {{cite web |title=Nassau's Difficult Birth; Eastern factions of Queens win the fight to separate after six decades of wrangling |author=Geoffrey Mohan (Staff Writer) |publisher=Newsday |url=http://www.newsday.com/community/guide/lihistory/ny-history-hs615a,0,7026626.story?page=2 |note=Courthouse move from Mineola to LIC |year=2007 |accessdate=2007-12-31 }}</ref> The New York City Borough of Queens was formed on [[January 1]], [[1898]], after an 1894 vote on consolidation.<ref> {{cite web |url=http://mapsites.net/gotham01/ConsolidationDBQ.htm |title=Inventing Gotham |accessdate=2007-12-28}} </ref><ref> {{cite news |url=http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9E0CE2D81730E033A25756C1A9649D94659ED7CF |title=Official Announcement of the Results of the Election |publisher= NY Times |date=1894-12-15 |quote=The area included a radius of twenty miles, with the city hall in New York as a center to circumscribe it |accessdate=2007-12-28 }}</ref><ref> {{cite web |url=http://www.usgennet.org/usa/ny/state/his/bk2/ch4/pt8.html |title=The History of New York State |author=Holice, Deb & Pam |accessdate=2007-12-28}} {{cite book |title=The History of New York State |pages= Book II, Chapter IV Part VIII |author=Dr. James Sullivan (editor) }}</ref> Long Island City, the towns of Newtown, Flushing, and Jamaica, and the [[Rockaway, Queens|Rockaway Peninsula]] portion of the Town of Hempstead were merged to form the new borough, dissolving all former municipal governments (Long Island City, the county government, all towns and all villages) within the new borough. The areas of Queens County that were not part of the consolidation plan,<ref> <!-- \\ BEGIN refs that Nassau never voted on consolidation --> {{cite news |url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9C05EFDD1131E033A25750C1A96F9C94659ED7CF |title=OF INTEREST TO POLITICIANS. |pages=p 9, 620 words |date=1894-09-13 (before vote) |publisher=The New York Times |quote=The question of the Greater New-York, which is also to be submitted to the people at this coming election, involves the proposition to unite in one city the following cities, counties, and towns: New-York City, Long Island City, in Queens County; the County of Kings, (Brooklyn;) the County of Richmond, (S.I.;) the towns of Flushing, Newtown, Jamaica, in Queens County; the town of Westchester, in Westchester County, and all that portion of the towns of East Chester and Pelham which lies south of a straight line drawn from a point where the northerly line of the City of New-York meets the centre line of the Bronx River, to the middle of the channel between Hunter's and Glen Islands, in Long Island Sound, and that part of the town of Hempstead, in Queens County, which is westerly of a straight line drawn from the south-easterly point of the town of Flushing in a straight line to the Atlantic Ocean. |accessdate=2007-12-28 }}</ref><ref> {{cite news |url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9D06E0D91131E033A25755C1A9669D94659ED7CF |title=Vote for Greater New York |date=1894-10-16 (before election) |publisher=The New York Times |accessdate=2007-12-28 }}</ref><ref> {{cite news |url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9A0DE3D71131E033A25757C0A9679D94659ED7CF |title=NEW-YORK'S PLACE IN DANGER; CONSOLIDATION DEFEATED, SHE MUST YIELD TO CHICAGO. |date=1894-11-04 (before election) |publisher=The New York Times |note= again, no mention of Town of Oyster Bay, nor Town of North Hempstead, nor any plan for ALL of Town of Hempstead, indeed only part of Hempstead was ever planned to become part of Queens |accessdate=2007-12-28 }}</ref><ref> {{cite news |url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9403E0D61531E033A2575BC0A9679D94659ED7CF |title=GREATER NEW-YORK IN DOUBT; THE CITY VOTE IS FOR IT AND BROOKLYN IS UNCERTAIN |date=1894-11-08 (before results of Queens vote known) |publisher=NY Times |quote=The increase in area and population that New-York will acquire if consolidation becomes a fact will become evident by a glance at the following table... Flushing... *Part of the town of Hempstead... Jamaica... Long Island City ... Newtown... The townships in Queens County that are to be included in the Greater New-York have not been heard from yet... |note= no mention of Town of Oyster Bay, nor Town of North Hempstead, nor any plan for ALL of Town of Hempstead, indeed only part of Hempstead was ever planned to become part of Queens |accessdate=2007-12-28 }}</ref><ref> {{cite news |url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9B02E3DD123EE333A25751C2A9649C94679ED7CF |title=REPORT FAVORS CONSOLIDATION.; An Argument Against the Claims of the Resubmissionists. |pages= Page 1, 5318 words |date=1896-02-22 |publisher=The New York Times |accessdate=2007-12-28 }}</ref><ref> {{cite news |url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9C04E2DC1730E132A25751C1A9649C94689ED7CF |title=THE EAST CITY LINE FIXED |date=1899-02-12 |pages=page 15, 1267 words |publisher=The New York Times |accessdate=2007-12-28 }}</ref><ref> {{cite web |title=Nassau's Difficult Birth; Eastern factions of Queens win the fight to separate after six decades of wrangling |author=Geoffrey Mohan (Staff Writer) |publisher=Newsday |url=http://www.newsday.com/community/guide/lihistory/ny-history-hs615a,0,7026626.story?page=4 |quote=North Hempstead, Oyster Bay and the rest of Hempstead were excluded from the vote. |year=2007 |accessdate=2007-12-31 }}<!-- \\ END refs that Nassau never voted --> </ref> consisting of the towns of North Hempstead and Oyster Bay, and the major remaining portion of the Town of Hempstead, remained part of Queens County <!-- but not were never part of the borough--> until they seceded to form the new Nassau County on [[January 1]], [[1899]], whereupon the boundaries of Queens County and the Borough of Queens became [[wikt:coterminous|coterminous]]. With consolidation, Jamaica once again became the county seat, though county offices now extend to nearby [[Kew Gardens, Queens|Kew Gardens]] also.<ref> {{cite news |url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9E0DE3DC1038E533A65754C0A9609C94679ED7CF |title=THE COMING GREATER CITY; BENEFITS TO LONG ISLAND AND VILLAGES UNDER ITS CONTROL |publisher= NY Times |date=1896-06-10 |accessdate=2007-12-23 }}</ref><ref> The borough's administrative and court buildings are presently located in [[Kew Gardens, Queens|Kew Gardens]] and downtown [[Jamaica, Queens|Jamaica]] respectively, two neighborhoods that were villages of the former Town of Jamaica. </ref> From 1905 to 1908 the [[LIRR]] in Queens was electrified. Transportation to and from [[Manhattan]], previously by ferry or via bridges in Brooklyn, opened up when the [[Queensboro Bridge]] was finished in 1909, and with railway tunnels under the [[East River]] in 1910. From 1915 onward, much of Queens was connected to the New York City subway system.<ref> {{cite web |url=http://www.queensbp.org/content_web/tourism/tourism_history.shtml |title=Historical Essay: A Thumbnail View |author=Vincent F. Seyfried and Jon A. Peterson, History Department, Queens College/CUNY |publisher=Official History Page of the Queens Borough President's Office |quote=Even more crucial to future development was the opening of the Queensboro Bridge in 1909. This span ended the isolation of the borough's road system at precisely the time when mass use of the automobile was getting underway in the United States. |accessdate=2007-12-31 }}</ref><ref> {{cite web |url=http://www.thirteen.org/queens/history3.html |title= A Walk Through Queens with David Hartman and Historian Barry Lewis |quote=The most momentous event in the history of Queens occurred in 1909 when the long planned Queensboro Bridge was finally opened. This ended the century old isolation of the county and dependence on ferries. |author=Vincent F. Seyfried |publisher=Educational Broadcasting Corporation |date=2004 |accessdate=2007-12-29 }}</ref> With the construction of the elevated [[Interborough Rapid Transit|IRT]] [[rapid transit|subway]] lines between Queens and Manhattan, and the emergent expansion of the use of the [[automobile]], the population of Queens more than doubled in the 1920s, from 469,042 in 1920 to 1,079,129 in 1930.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0027.html |title=US Census figures for Queens 1900-1990}}</ref> {{seealso|History of New York City}} {{seealso|List of streetcar lines in Queens}} ==Geography== Queens County is in the western part of Long Island and includes a few smaller islands, most of which are in [[Jamaica Bay]] and form part of [[Gateway National Recreation Area]]. The Rockaway Peninsula sits between Jamaica Bay and the [[Atlantic Ocean]]. The tallest tree in the [[New York metropolitan area]], called the [[Queens Giant]], is also the oldest living thing in the New York metro area. It is located in northeastern Queens, and is 450 years old and {{convert|132|ft|m|0}} tall [[as of 2005]].<!--what kind of tree is it? even linked article does not say--> According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the county has a total area of 178.3 [[square mile|sq&nbsp;mi]]); 109.2 sq&nbsp;mi of it is land and 38.73% of it is water. ==Neighborhoods== [[Image:NYC Jackson Heights 3.jpg|thumb|right|A typical residential street in [[Jackson Heights]].]] [[Image:Baysidestreet.jpg|thumb|right|[[Bayside, Queens|Bayside]]]] [[Image:ForestHills-StationSq.jpg|thumb|right|Station Square in [[Forest Hills, Queens|Forest Hills]]]] [[Image:LIC-skyline.JPG|thumb|right|Industrial buildings in [[Long Island City]] with the Manhattan Skyline in background.]] {{main|Neighborhoods of New York City}} The [[United States Postal Service]] divides the borough into five "towns" based roughly on those in existence at the time of the consolidation of the five boroughs into New York City: Long Island City, Jamaica, Flushing, [[Far Rockaway, Queens|Far Rockaway]], and [[Floral Park, Queens|Floral Park]]. These ZIP codes do not necessarily reflect actual neighborhood names and boundaries; "[[East Elmhurst, Queens|East Elmhurst]]," for example, was largely coined by the USPS and is not an official community. Most neighborhoods have no solid boundaries. The [[Forest Hills, Queens|Forest Hills]] and [[Rego Park, Queens|Rego Park]] neighborhoods, for instance, overlap. Residents of Queens often closely identify with their neighborhood rather than with the borough or city as a whole. Postal addresses are written with the neighborhood, state, and then zip code rather than the borough or city. The borough is a patchwork of dozens of unique neighborhoods, each with its own distinct identity: * [[Howard Beach, New York|Howard Beach]], [[Middle Village, Queens|Middle Village]], and [[Whitestone, Queens|Whitestone]], are home to large [[Italian American]] populations. * [[Rockaway Beach, Queens|Rockaway Beach]] and [[Woodside, Queens|Woodside]] have large [[Irish American]] populations. * [[Astoria, Queens|Astoria]], in the northwest, is traditionally home to one of the largest [[Greek American|Greek]] populations outside of [[Greece]], and is home to a growing population of young professionals from [[Manhattan]]. Nearby Long Island City is a major commercial center and the home of the [[Queensbridge]] housing project. * [[Maspeth, Queens|Maspeth]] and [[Ridgewood, Queens|Ridgewood]] are home to many European immigrants, including large [[Romanians|Romanian]], [[Polish American|Polish]], and other [[Slavic peoples|Slavic]] populations. Ridgewood also has a large [[Hispanic]] population. * [[Jackson Heights, Queens|Jackson Heights]], [[Elmhurst, Queens|Elmhurst]], and [[Corona, Queens|Corona]] make up an enormous conglomeration of [[Hispanic]], [[Asian American]] and [[South Asian]] communities. * [[Flushing, Queens|Flushing]], one of the largest neighborhoods in Queens, is home to people of European, Asian, Hispanic and African-American descent. There are large [[South Asian]], [[Koreans|Korean]] and [[Han Chinese|Chinese]] communities as well. * [[Richmond Hill, Queens|Richmond Hill]], in the south, is often thought of as "Little Guyana" for its large [[Indo-Caribbean]] community.<ref>O'Grady, Jim. [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B0DE3DD1F39F930A25752C0A9649C8B63 " NEIGHBORHOOD REPORT: RICHMOND HILL; Making Guyana More Accessible, Two Sisters Start an Airline"], ''[[The New York Times]]'', [[January 13]], [[2002]]. Accessed [[September 30]], [[2007]]. "Many of them live in Richmond Hill. Just as Chinese-Americans energized downtown Flushing, the Guyanese have revived a once-moribund shopping strip on Liberty Avenue between the Van Wyck Expressway and Lefferts Boulevard, now known as Little Guyana."</ref> It also has the largest population of [[Sikhism|Sikhs]] from the Indian state of [[Punjab (India)|Punjab]]. * [[Rego Park, Queens|Rego Park]], [[Forest Hills, Queens|Forest Hills]], and [[Kew Gardens, Queens|Kew Gardens]] have traditionally large [[Jewish]] populations (many of these communities are Jewish immigrants from Israel, Iran and the former Soviet Union). Also known for large and growing [[Hispanic]]/[[Latino]] community, mainly immigrants from [[South America]]. * [[Jamaica Estates, Queens|Jamaica Estates]], [[Fresh Meadows, Queens|Fresh Meadows]], and [[Hollis Hills, Queens|Hollis Hills]] are also populated with many people of Jewish background. Many Asian families reside in parts of Fresh Meadows as well. * [[Jamaica, Queens|Jamaica]] is home to large [[African American]] and [[Caribbean]] populations. There are also middle-class African American and Caribbean neighborhoods such as [[Hollis, Queens|Hollis]], [[St. Albans, Queens|Saint Albans]], [[Cambria Heights, Queens|Cambria Heights]], [[Springfield Gardens, Queens|Springfield Gardens]], [[Rosedale, Queens|Rosedale]], and [[Laurelton, Queens|Laurelton]] along east and southeast Queens. * [[Bellerose, Queens|Bellerose]] and Floral Park are home to a large [[South-Asian]] population, predominantly [[Indian-Americans]] from the north-Indian state of [[Punjab (India)|Punjab]] and the south-Indian state of [[Kerala]]. There are some less diverse, but still prosperous part of Queens, such as [[South Jamaica, Queens|South Jamaica]]. Together, these neighborhoods comprise the most diverse county in the United States.<ref>Roberts, Sam. [http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/18/us/18population.html "A 300 Millionth American. Don’t Ask Who."], ''[[The New York Times]]'', [[October 18]], [[2006]]. "In Queens, the nation’s most diverse county, Emanuel Plata weighed in at 6 pounds 15 ounces at Elmhurst Hospital Center..."</ref> Several of these neighborhoods are home to a diverse mix of many different ethnicities. {{seealso|List of Queens neighborhoods}} === Adjacent counties === *[[Bronx|Bronx County, New York]] - north *[[Nassau County, New York]] - east *[[Manhattan|New York County, New York]] - west *[[Brooklyn|Kings County, New York]] - west and south *[[Staten Island|Richmond County, New York]]- southwest *[[Monmouth County, New Jersey]] - southwest ==Government== {| align=right class="wikitable" |+ '''Party affiliation of Queens registered voters''' |- bgcolor=lightgrey !Party !2005 !2004 !2003 !2002 !2001 !2000 !1999 !1998 !1997 !1996 |- |align="center" bgcolor="f0f0ff"|[[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] |align="center" bgcolor="f0f0ff"|62.94 |align="center" bgcolor="f0f0ff"|62.52 |align="center" bgcolor="f0f0ff"|62.85 |align="center" bgcolor="f0f0ff"|62.79 |align="center" bgcolor="f0f0ff"|62.99 |align="center" bgcolor="f0f0ff"|62.52 |align="center" bgcolor="f0f0ff"|62.30 |align="center" bgcolor="f0f0ff"|62.27 |align="center" bgcolor="f0f0ff"|62.28 |align="center" bgcolor="f0f0ff"|62.33 |- |align="center" bgcolor="fff3f3"|[[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] |align="center" bgcolor="fff3f3"|14.60 |align="center" bgcolor="fff3f3"|14.66 |align="center" bgcolor="fff3f3"|14.97 |align="center" bgcolor="fff3f3"|15.04 |align="center" bgcolor="fff3f3"|15.28 |align="center" bgcolor="fff3f3"|15.69 |align="center" bgcolor="fff3f3"|16.47 |align="center" bgcolor="fff3f3"|16.74 |align="center" bgcolor="fff3f3"|16.93 |align="center" bgcolor="fff3f3"|17.20 |- |align="center" bgcolor="white"|No affiliation |align="center" bgcolor="white"|18.58 |align="center" bgcolor="white"|18.89 |align="center" bgcolor="white"|18.24 |align="center" bgcolor="white"|18.31 |align="center" bgcolor="white"|18.36 |align="center" bgcolor="white"|18.49 |align="center" bgcolor="white"|18.13 |align="center" bgcolor="white"|17.79 |align="center" bgcolor="white"|17.77 |align="center" bgcolor="white"|17.69 |- |align="center"|Other |align="center"|3.88 |align="center"|3.93 |align="center"|3.94 |align="center"|3.86 |align="center"|3.37 |align="center"|3.30 |align="center"|3.10 |align="center"|3.20 |align="center"|3.02 |align="center"|2.78 |- |} [[Image:Queens County Courthouse by David Shankbone.jpg|thumb|Queens County Courthouse]] {{main|Government of New York City}} Since New York City's consolidation in 1898, Queens has been governed by the New York City Charter that provides for a strong [[Mayor-council government|mayor-council system]]. The centralized New York City government is responsible for public education, correctional institutions, libraries, public safety, recreational facilities, sanitation, water supply, and welfare services in Queens. The office of [[Borough President]] was created in the consolidation of 1898 to balance centralization with local authority. Each borough president had a powerful administrative role derived from having a vote on the [[New York City Board of Estimate]], which was responsible for creating and approving the city's budget and proposals for land use. In 1989 the [[Supreme Court of the United States]] declared the Board of Estimate unconstitutional on the grounds that Brooklyn, the most populous borough, had no greater effective representation on the Board than Staten Island, the least populous borough, a violation of the [[Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution|Fourteenth Amendment's]] [[Equal Protection Clause]] pursuant to the high court's 1964 "one man, one vote" decision.<ref>[http://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/historics/USSC_CR_0489_0688_ZS.html Cornell Law School Supreme Court Collection: Board of Estimate of City of New York v. Morris], accessed [[June 12]], [[2006]].</ref> Since 1990 the Borough President has acted as an advocate for the borough at the mayoral agencies, the City Council, the New York state government, and corporations. Queens' Borough President is [[Helen Marshall]], elected as a [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrat]] in 2001 and re-elected in 2005. The Democratic Party holds the majority of public offices. Sixty-three percent of registered Queens voters are Democrats. Local party platforms center on affordable housing, education and economic development. Controversial political issues in Queens include development, noise, and the cost of housing. {| align=right border="2" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; border: 1px #aaa solid; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 95%;" |+ '''Presidential election results''' |- bgcolor=lightgrey ! Year ! [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] ! [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] |- |align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|[[U.S. presidential election, 2004|2004]] |align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|27.4% ''165,954 |align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|'''71.7%''' ''433,835 |- |align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|[[U.S. presidential election, 2000|2000]] |align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|22.0% ''122,052 |align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|'''75.0%''' ''416,967 |- |align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|[[U.S. presidential election, 1996|1996]] |align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|21.1% ''107,650 |align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|'''72.9%''' ''372,925 |- |align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|[[U.S. presidential election, 1992|1992]] |align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|28.3% ''157,561 |align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|'''62.9%''' ''349,520 |- |align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|[[U.S. presidential election, 1988|1988]] |align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|39.7% ''217,049 |align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|'''59.5%''' ''325,147 |- |align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|[[U.S. presidential election, 1984|1984]] |align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|46.4% ''285,477 |align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|'''53.3%''' ''328,379 |- |align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|[[U.S. presidential election, 1980|1980]] |align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|44.8% ''251,333 |align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|'''48.0%''' ''269,147 |- |align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|[[U.S. presidential election, 1976|1976]] |align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|38.9% ''244,396 |align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|'''60.5%''' ''379,907 |- |align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|[[U.S. presidential election, 1972|1972]] |align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|'''56.3%''' ''426,015 |align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|43.4% ''328,316 |- |align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|[[U.S. presidential election, 1968|1968]] |align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|40.0% ''306,620 |align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|'''53.6%''' ''410,546 |- |align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|[[U.S. presidential election, 1964|1964]] |align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|33.6% ''274,351 |align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|'''66.3%''' ''541,418 |- |align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|[[U.S. presidential election, 1960|1960]] |align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|45.1% ''367,688 |align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|'''54.7%''' ''446,348 |- |align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|[[U.S. presidential election, 1956|1956]] |align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|'''59.9%''' ''471,223 |align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|40.1% ''315,898 |- |} There are currently six Democrats representing Queens in the [[United States Congress|U.S. Congress]]: *[[Gary Ackerman]] represents the [[New York's 5th congressional district|fifth district]], which includes Corona, [[Flushing]], Jamaica Estates, [[Bayside, Queens|Bayside]], and [[Little Neck, Queens|Little Neck]], as well as northwest [[Nassau County]] communities from Great Neck east to Roslyn; *[[Joseph Crowley]] represents [[Woodside, Queens|Woodside]], Jackson Heights, [[East Elmhurst, Queens|East Elmhurst]] and [[College Point, Queens|College Point]] in [[New York's 7th congressional district|seventh district]], as well as the east [[Bronx]] from [[Soundview]] to [[City Island]], also serves as head of the Queens Democratic Party; *[[Gregory Meeks]] represents areas in the [[New York's 6th congressional district|sixth district]] including [[ Jamaica]], Hollis, St. Albans,Queens|St. Albans]] , Springfield Gardens, [[Laurelton, Queens|Laurelton]], Queens Village and [[Far Rockaway]] - his is the only congressional district entirely within Queens County; *[[Anthony Weiner]] represents the [[New York's 9th congressional district|ninth district]], including [[Forest Hills]], [[Rego Park]], [[Middle Village]], [[Fresh Meadows]], [[Woodhaven, Queens|Woodhaven]], [[Ozone Park, Queens|Ozone Park]], [[Howard Beach]] and [[Rockaway Beach]], plus such southeast [[Brooklyn]] communities as Midwood, Manhattan Beach and Mill Island; *Portions of [[Woodside, Queens|Woodside]], [[Maspeth, Queens|Maspeth]], and [[Ridgewood, Queens|Ridgewood]] are represented by [[Nydia Velazquez]], whose largely Brooklyn-based district stretches from Red Hook to Bushwick and includes part of Manhattan's Lower East Side; *[[Astoria, Queens|Astoria]] and [[Long Island City]] are roughly geographically half and demographically a third of the [[New York's 14th congressional district|14th district]] of [[Carolyn Maloney]], the rest of whose district extends across the east side of Manhattan from the East Village through Carnegie Hill. Each of the city's five counties has its own criminal court system and [[District Attorney]], the chief public prosecutor who is directly elected by popular vote. [[Richard A. Brown]], a Democrat, has been the District Attorney of Queens County since 1991. Queens has 12 City Council members, the second largest number among the five boroughs. It also has 14 administrative districts, each served by a local Community Board. Community Boards are representative bodies that field complaints and serve as advocates for local residents. Although it is heavily Democratic, Queens is considered a swing county in New York politics. [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] political candidates who do well in Queens usually win citywide or statewide elections. Republicans such as former Mayor [[Rudolph Giuliani]] and current Mayor [[Michael Bloomberg]] won majorities in Queens. Republican State Senator [[Serphin Maltese]] represents a district in central and southern Queens. In 2002, Queens voted against incumbent Republican [[Governor of New York]] [[George Pataki]] in favor of his Democratic opponent, [[Carl McCall]] by a slim margin. Queens has not voted for a Republican candidate in a presidential election since 1972, when Queens voters chose [[Richard Nixon]] over [[George McGovern]]. In the [[U.S. presidential election, 2004|2004 presidential election]] Democrat [[John Kerry]] received 71.7% of the vote in Queens and Republican [[George W. Bush]] received 27.4%. ==Economy== [[Image:LaGuardiaairport.jpg|thumb|An aerial view of [[LaGuardia Airport]]]] The economy of Queens is based on tourism, industry, and trade. Because the [[New York metropolitan area]] has three major airports, the [[airspace]] overhead is among the busiest and most regulated in the world. [[John F. Kennedy International Airport]], alongside Jamaica Bay, is the country's busiest airport in terms of international travelers. [[La Guardia Airport]], on the East River, mostly serves eastern North America. Queens has witnessed the rebirth of film production &mdash; the return of an industry that had departed decades earlier &mdash; notably the [[Kaufman Astoria Studios|Kaufman Studios]] in Astoria and the [[Silvercup Studios]] in Long Island City, where a number of notable television shows are made, including ''[[Sesame Street]]''. The [[Queens Museum of Art]] and the [[New York Hall of Science]] are further east, in [[Flushing Meadows Park]] &mdash; site of both the [[1939 New York World's Fair]], the [[1964-1965 New York World's Fair]] and the annual [[U.S. Open (tennis)|US Open]] [[tennis]] tournament at the [[USTA National Tennis Center]]. [[Shea Stadium]], home of the [[New York Mets]] baseball team, is in the north end of the park. [[Citi Field]], the future home of the Mets, is currently being constructed adjacent to Shea Stadium. The park is the third largest in New York City at {{convert|1255|acre|km2|0}}, making it {{convert|412|acre|km2|1}} larger than [[Central Park]] in [[Manhattan]]. Several large companies have their headquarters in Queens, including watchmaker [[Bulova]], based in East Elmhurst; internationally renown piano manufacturer [[Steinway & Sons]] in Long Island City; [[Glacéau]], the makers of Vitamin Water, headquartered in Whitestone; and [[JetBlue]], the low-cost airline based in John F. Kennedy Airport. Long Island City is a major manufacturing and back office center. Flushing is a major commercial hub for [[Chinese American]] and [[Korean American]] businesses, while Jamaica is the major civic and transportation hub for the borough. {{seealso|Economy of New York City}} ==Demographics== {{main|Demographics of Queens}} {| class="infobox" style="font-size: 90%;" !colspan="4"|Queens Compared |- |'''[[United States Census, 2000|2000 Census]]'''||'''Queens'''||'''NY City'''||'''NY State''' |- |Total population||2,229,379||8,008,278||18,976,457 |- |Population density||20,409.0/sq&nbsp;mi||26,403/sq&nbsp;mi||402/sq&nbsp;mi |- |Median household income (1999)||$37,439||$38,293||$43,393 |- |Per capita income||$19,222||$22,402||$23,389 |- |Bachelor's degree or higher||23%||27%||24% |- |Foreign born||44%||36%||20% |- |White||44%||45%||62% |- |Black||20%||27%||16% |- |Hispanic (any race)||25%||27%||14% |- |Asian||18%||10%||6% |} As of the [[census]] of [[as of 2000|2000]], there were 2,229,379 people, 782,664 households, and 537,690 families residing in the county. The [[population density]] was 7,879.6/km² (20,409.0/sq&nbsp;mi). There were 817,250 housing units at an average density of 2,888.5/km² (7,481.6/sq&nbsp;mi). The racial makeup of the county was 44.08% [[Race (United States Census)|White]], 20.01% [[Race (United States Census)|Black]] or [[Race (United States Census)|African American]], 0.50% [[Race (United States Census)|Native American]], 17.56% [[Race (United States Census)|Asian]], 0.06% [[Race (United States Census)|Pacific Islander]], 11.68% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 6.11% from two or more races. 24.97% of the population were [[Race (United States Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Race (United States Census)|Latino]] of any race. Some main European ancestry in Queens, 2000: *[[Italian American|Italian]]: 8.99% *[[Irish American|Irish]]: 7.05% *[[German American|German]]: 4.74% *[[English American|English]]: 1.32% The 2000 census show also that the borough is home to one of the largest concentrations of [[Indian-American]]s in the nation, with a total population of 129,715 (5.79% of the borough population) ([http://www.aafny.org/cic/briefs/indianamer.pdf], as well as [[Pakistani-American]]s who number 15,604[http://www.aafny.org/cic/briefs/pakistani.pdf]. Queens has the second largest [[Sikh]] population in the nation after [[California]]. According to a 2002 UJA-Federation of New York study, Queens is home to 186,000 [[Jewish Americans]].[http://www.geocities.com/mplaut2/ujafed1.html] {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:right" align=right |+ Population of Queens County<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.werelate.org/wiki/Place:Queens,_New_York,_United_States#Population_History |title=Place:Queens, New York, United States |accessdate=2007-12-24 }} {{cite book |ISBN= 0-934213-48-8 |author=Forstall, Richard L. |title=Population of the States and Counties of the United States: 1790 to 1990 |publisher=U.S. Bureau of the Census |location=Washington, DC |year=1996 }} </ref><ref> {{cite web |url=http://fisher.lib.virginia.edu/collections/stats/histcensus/php/newlong.php?subject=1 |title=Historical Census Browser 1790-1960 |publisher=University of Virginia Library |accessdate=2007-12-24 }}</ref> |- ! Census<br>Year || Queens<br>(old) || Nassau<br>portion || Queens<br>(new) ||%<br>increase |- | align=center | 1790 || 16,014 || 9,855 || 6,159 || - |- | align=center | 1800 || 16,916 || 10,274 || 6,642 || 7.8% |- | align=center | 1810 || 19,336 || 11,892 || 7,444 || 12.1% |- | align=center | 1820 || 21,519 || 13,273 || 8,246 || 10.8% |- | align=center | 1830 || 22,460 || 13,411 || 9,049 || 9.7% |- | align=center | 1840 || 30,324 || 15,844 || 14,480 || 60.0% |- | align=center | 1850 || 36,833 || 18,240 || 18,593 || 28.4% |- | align=center | 1860 || 57,391 || 24,488 || 32,903 || 77.0% |- | align=center | 1870 || 73,803 || 28,335 || 45,468 || 38.2% |- | align=center | 1880 || 90,574 || 34,015 || 56,559 || 24.4% |- | align=center | 1890 || 128,059 || 41,009 || 87,050 || 53.9% |- | align=center | 1900 || || || 152,999 || 75.8% |- | align=center | 1910 || || || 284,041 || 85.6% |- | align=center | 1920 || || || 469,042 || 65.1% |- | align=center | 1930 || || || 1,079,129 || 130.1% |- | align=center | 1940 || || || 1,297,634 || 20.2% |- | align=center | 1950 || || || 1,550,849 || 19.5% |- | align=center | 1960 || || || 1,809,578 || 16.7% |- | align=center | 1970 || || || 1,986,473 || 9.8% |- | align=center | 1980 || || || 1,891,325 || -4.8% |- | align=center | 1990 || || || 1,951,598 || 3.2% |- | align=center | 2000 || || || 2,229,379 || 14.2% |} According to a Census Bureau estimate, the population increased to 2,241,600 in 2005. There were 782,664 households out of which 31.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.9% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 16.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.3% were non-families. 25.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.81 and the average family size was 3.39. In the county the population was spread out with 22.8% under the age of 18, 9.6% from 18 to 24, 33.1% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 12.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 92.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.6 males. The median income for a household in the county was $37,439, and the median income for a family was $42,608. Males had a median income of $30,576 versus $26,628 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the county was $19,222. About 16.9% of families and 21.6% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 18.8% of those under age 18 and 13.0% of those age 65 or over. In Queens the black population earns more than whites on average.<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/01/nyregion/01census.html Black Incomes Surpass Whites in Queens - New York Times<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Many of these African-Americans live in quiet middle class suburban neighborhoods near the [[Nassau County, New York|Nassau County]] border, such as [[Laurelton, Queens|Laurelton]] and [[Cambria Heights]] which have large black populations who's family income is higher than average. Those areas are known for their well kept homes and suburban feel. The migration of whites from parts of Queens has been long ongoing with departures from Ozone Park, Woodhaven, Bellerose, Floral Park, and Flushing. etc (most of the outgoing population has been replaced with Asian Americans). Neighborhoods such as Whitestone, College Point, North Flushing, Auburndale, Bayside, Middle Village, Little Neck, and Douglaston have not had a substantial exodus of white residents, but have seen an increase of Asian population (mostly South Korean). Queens has recently experienced a real estate boom making most of its neighborhoods very desirable for people who want to reside near Manhattan in a less urban setting. Queens is a diverse county in which people from many races and cultures live in both close proximity as well as in harmony. There are 138 languages spoken in the borough.<ref>[ http://www.osc.state.ny.us/osdc/rpt1100/rpt1100.htm Queens: An Economic Review]</ref> The top languages include:<ref>[http://queens.about.com/od/queensalmanac/f/languages.htm How Many Languages Are Spoken in Queens, NY?]</ref> # [[English language|English]] # [[Spanish language|Spanish]] # [[Chinese language|Chinese]] # [[Korean language|Korean]] # [[Italian language|Italian]] # [[Greek language|Greek]] # [[Russian language|Russian]] # [[Tagalog language|Tagalog (Filipino)]] # [[French language|French]] # [[Punjabi]] # [[Guarani]] # [[Arabic]] ==Culture== [[Image:Ps1-skyline.jpg|thumb|500px|[[P.S. 1 Contemporary Art Center]], in the Queens neighborhood of [[Long Island City]], is one of New York City's largest art museums.]] Queens was an epicenter of jazz in the 1940s. Such jazz greats as [[Louis Armstrong]], [[Count Basie]] and [[Ella Fitzgerald]] found refuge from segregation in the mixed communities of the borough, while a younger generation — [[Charlie Parker]], [[Sonny Rollins]], [[Thelonious Monk]], [[Dizzy Gillespie]], and others — were developing bebop in the clubs of Harlem. Western Queens is becoming an artistic hub, including [[SculptureCenter]], the Flux Factory, the [[Noguchi Museum]], [[Socrates Sculpture Park]], [[Fisher Landau Center]], Dorsky Gallery Curatorial Programs , and the [[Museum of the Moving Image]]. The [[P.S. 1 Contemporary Art Center]] in the neighborhood of [[Long Island City]] is one of the largest and oldest institutions in the United States dedicated solely to contemporary art. In addition to its renowned exhibitions, the institution also organizes the prestigious International and National Projects series, the Warm Up summer music series, and the Young Architects Program with The Museum of Modern Art. The current poet laureate of Queens is Ishle Yi Park. Queens is home to many cultural institutions, including among others: * [[SculptureCenter]] * [[American Museum of the Moving Image]] * Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning (JCAL) * [http://www.york.cuny.edu/pac/ Jamaica Performing Arts Center] * [[New York Hall of Science]] * [[Noguchi Museum]] * [[Queens Botanical Garden]] * [http://www.queenstheatre.org/ Queens Theatre in the Park] * [http://www.flushingtownhall.org/ Flushing Town Hall]Home of jazz in Queens * Thalia Spanish Theater {{seealso|Culture of New York City|Music of New York City|List of people from Queens}} Queens was the setting for path breaking 1970s sitcom, "[[All in the Family]]". It is featured in the ''[[Spider-Man]]'' comics and films as the home of [[Spider-Man|Peter Parker]] and [[Mary Jane Watson]]. On ''[[Ugly Betty]]'' it is also home to Betty and her family. ===Sports=== [[Image:Grandpa Marty Shoot Jul-10-06 260A.jpg|thumb|right|Bronze Statue at the [[USTA National Tennis Center]].]] Queens is the home of the [[New York Mets]] baseball team, the [[U.S. Open (tennis)|U.S. Open]] tennis tournament, and [[Aqueduct Racetrack]]. Just over the Queens line (in [[Nassau County, New York|Nassau County]]) is [[Belmont Park]] Race Track, the home of the [[Belmont Stakes]]. In the past, [[Extreme Championship Wrestling]] has been held at an [[Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks|Elks]] lodge in [[Elmhurst, Queens|Elmhurst]]. {{seealso|Sports in New York City}} ==Food== Being the most diverse county in the nation Queens is home to restaurants from all cultures. A wide variety of foods from all different cultures, particularly Chinese, Colombian, Ecuadorian, Filipino, Indian, Korean, Mexican restaurants, along [[Roosevelt Avenue Queens|Roosevelt Avenue]]; Dominican food in Corona; African-American cuisine in Jamaica; and many Chinese, Korean restaurants in Flushing. Other cultures, such as Greek, Arab, Latin American, and Southeast Asian, have very prominent standings in Astoria. There are several [[Bukharian]] restuarants that serve [[Central Asia]]n food all around Forest Hills and Rego Park. ==Transportation== [[Image:NYCSubway5274.jpg|thumb|left|An {{NYCS|A}} train is about to enter the [[Broad Channel (IND Rockaway Line)|Broad Channel station]].]] [[Image:Queensboro Bridge From Roosevelt Island Night.jpg|right|upright|thumb|Queensboro Bridge facing the neighborhood of Long Island City.]] [[Image:MTA Bus Orion V 5949.jpg|thumb|MTA #5949 operates in [[Forest Hills, Queens|Forest Hills]] on the Q60.]] Twelve [[New York City Subway]] routes traverse Queens, serving 81 stations on seven main lines. The [[A (New York City Subway service)|A]], [[G (New York City Subway service)|G]], [[J (New York City Subway service)|J]], and [[M (New York City Subway service)|M]] routes connect Queens to Brooklyn without going through Manhattan first. The [[F (New York City Subway service)|F]], [[N (New York City Subway service)|N]], and [[R (New York City Subway service)|R]] trains connect Queens and Brooklyn via Manhattan, while the [[E (New York City Subway service)|E]], [[V (New York City Subway service)|V]], [[W (New York City Subway service)|W]], and [[7 (New York City Subway service)|7]] connect Queens to Manhattan only. About 100 local bus routes move people around within Queens, and another 15 express routes shuttle commuters between Queens and Manhattan, under the [[New York City Transit buses|MTA New York City Bus]] and [[MTA Bus Company|MTA Bus]] brands. A commuter train system, the [[Long Island Rail Road]], operates 20 stations in Queens with service to Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Long Island. [[Jamaica (LIRR station)|Jamaica Station]] is a hub station where all the lines in the system but one (the [[Port Washington Branch]]) converge. It is the busiest commuter rail hub in the United States. [[Sunnyside Yard]] is used as a staging area by [[Amtrak]] and [[New Jersey Transit]] for intercity and commuter trains from Penn Station in Manhattan. Queens has crucial importance in international and interstate air traffic. Two of New York City's three major airports are located there; [[LaGuardia Airport]] is in northern Queens, while [[John F. Kennedy International Airport]] is to the south on the shores of [[Jamaica Bay]]. [[AirTrain JFK]] provides a rail link between JFK and local rail lines. Queens is traversed by three trunk east-west highways. The [[Long Island Expressway]] ([[Interstate 495 (New York)|Interstate 495]]) runs from the [[Queens Midtown Tunnel]] on the west through the borough to Nassau County on the east. The [[Grand Central Parkway]], whose western terminus is the [[Triborough Bridge]], extends east to the Queens/Nassau border, where its name changes to the [[Northern State Parkway]]. The [[Belt Parkway]] begins at the [[Gowanus Expressway]] in Brooklyn, and extends east into Queens, past [[Aqueduct Racetrack]] and JFK Airport. On its eastern end at the Queens/Nassau border, it splits into the [[Southern State Parkway]] which continues east, and the [[Cross Island Parkway (New York)|Cross Island Parkway]] which turns north. There are also several major north-south highways in Queens, including the [[Brooklyn-Queens Expressway]] ([[Interstate 278]]), the [[Van Wyck Expressway]] ([[Interstate 678]]), the [[Clearview Expressway]] ([[Interstate 295 (New York)|Interstate 295]]), and the Cross Island Parkway. ===Streets=== [[Image:Queens Blvd 14.JPG|right|upright|thumb|[[Queens Boulevard]] is a major thoroughfare in the borough.]] The streets of Queens are laid out in a semi-[[grid plan|grid]] system, with a numerical system of [[street name]]s (similar to Manhattan and the Bronx). Nearly all roadways oriented north-south are "Streets", while east-west roadways are "Avenues", beginning with the number 1 in the west for Streets and in the north for Avenues. In some parts of the borough, several consecutive streets may share numbers (for instance, 72nd Street followed by 72nd Place, or 52nd Avenue followed by 52nd Road, 52nd Drive, and 52nd Court), often causing confusion for non-residents. In addition, incongruous alignments of street grids, unusual street paths due to geography, or other circumstances often lead to the skipping of numbers (for instance, on Ditmars Boulevard, 70th Street is followed by Hazen Street which is followed by 49th Street). This confusion stems from the fact that many of the village street grids of Queens had only worded names, some were numbered according to local numbering schemes, and some had a mix of words and numbers. In the early 1920s a "Philadelphia Plan" was instituted to overlay one numbered system upon the whole borough. Train stations were only partly renamed, thus now share dual names after the original street names. On the number 7 line in Sunnyside, there are [[40th Street–Lowery Street (IRT Flushing Line)|40th-Lowery St.]], [[46th Street–Bliss Street (IRT Flushing Line)|46th-Bliss St.]], [[52nd Street (IRT Flushing Line)|52nd St.-Lincoln Ave.]] and so forth. Numbered roads tend to be residential, although numbered commercial streets are not rare. A fair number of streets that were country roads in the 18th and 19th centuries, (especially major thoroughfares such as [[New York State Route 25A|Northern Boulevard]], [[Queens Boulevard]], Hillside Avenue, and [[Jamaica Avenue (Queens)|Jamaica Avenue]]) carry names rather than numbers, typically though not uniformly called "Boulevards" or "Parkways". The Rockaway Peninsula does not follow the same system as the rest of the borough and has its own numbering system. Streets are numbered in ascending order heading west from near the Nassau County border, and are prefixed with the word "Beach." Streets at the easternmost end, however, are nearly all named. Another deviance from the norm is [[Broad Channel, Queens|Broad Channel]]; it maintains the north-south numbering progression but uses only the suffix "Road," as well as the prefixes "West" and "East," depending on location relative to [[Cross Bay Boulevard (Queens)|Cross Bay Boulevard]], the neighborhood's major through street. The other exception is the neighborhood of Ridgewood, which for the most part shares a grid and house numbering system with the Brooklyn neighborhood of [[Bushwick, Brooklyn|Bushwick]]. The grid runs east-west from the LIRR [[Bay Ridge Branch]] [[right-of-way (transportation)|right-of-way]] to Flushing Avenue; and north-south from Forest Avenue in Ridgewood to Bushwick Avenue in Brooklyn before adjusting to meet up correctly with the [[Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn|Bedford-Stuyvesant]] grid at Broadway. All streets on the grid have names. ===Waterways=== Queens is connected to the Bronx by the [[Bronx Whitestone Bridge]], the [[Throgs Neck Bridge]], the [[Triborough Bridge]] and the [[Hell Gate Bridge]]. Queens is connected to Manhattan by the [[Triborough Bridge]], the [[Queensboro Bridge]], and the [[Queens Midtown Tunnel]]. While most of the Queens/Brooklyn border is on land, the [[Kosciuszko Bridge (New York City)|Kosciuszko Bridge]] crosses the [[Newtown Creek]] connecting Maspeth to [[Greenpoint, Brooklyn]]. The [[Pulaski Bridge]] connects McGuinness Boulevard in Greenpoint to 11th Street, Jackson Avenue, and Hunters Point Avenue in Long Island City. The Greenpoint Avenue Bridge connects Greenpoint and Long Island City avenues of the same name, which, east of Queens Boulevard ([[New York State Route 25|NY-25]]), becomes Roosevelt Avenue. A lesser bridge connect Grand Avenue in Queens to Grand Street in Brooklyn. The [[Cross Bay Veterans Memorial Bridge]] connects the Rockaway Peninsula to the rest of Queens. One year-round scheduled ferry service connects Queens and Manhattan. [[New York Water Taxi]] operates service across the [[East River]] from [[Hunters Point, Queens|Hunters Point]] in Long Island City to Manhattan at [[34th Street (Manhattan)|34th Street]] and south to Pier 11 at [[Wall Street]]. During baseball season, [[New York Waterway]] ferries operate to Shea Stadium for New York Mets weekend home games.<ref>[http://mets.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/nym/ballpark/nym_ballpark_directions.jsp#ferry Ferry Services to Shea Stadium], [[New York Mets]]. Accessed [[May 16]], [[2006]].</ref> {{seealso|Transportation in New York City}} ==Education== [[Image:Rosenthal Faisal.jpg|thumb|[[Queens College, New York|Queens College]] is part of the [[City University of New York]].]] Education in Queens is provided by a vast number of public and private institutions. Public schools in the borough are managed by the [[New York City Department of Education]], the largest public school system in the United States. [[LaGuardia Community College]], part of the [[City University of New York]] (CUNY), is known as "The World's Community College" for its diverse international student body representing more than 150 countries and speaking over 100 languages. The college has been named a National Institution of Excellence by the Policy Center on the First Year of College and one of the top three large community colleges in the United States.<ref>"Top 3 Large Community Colleges in the U.S." Community College Survey of Student Engagement, 2002</ref> The college hosts the LaGuardia and Wagner Archives. [[Queensborough Community College]], originally part of the [[State University of New York]], is in Bayside and is now part of CUNY. It prepares students to attend senior colleges mainly in the CUNY system. [[Queens College, New York|Queens College]] is one of the elite colleges in the CUNY system. Established in 1937 to offer a strong liberal arts education to the residents of the borough, Queens College has over 16,000 students including more than 12,000 undergraduates and over 4,000 graduate students. Students from 120 different countries speaking 66 different languages are enrolled at the school, which is located in Flushing. Queens College is also the host of [[City University of New York School of Law|CUNY's law school]]. The Queens College Campus is also the home of [[Townsend Harris High School]]. [[York College (New York)|York College]] is one of CUNY's leading general-purpose liberal arts colleges, granting bachelor's degrees in more than 40 fields, as well as a combined BS/MS degree in Occupational Therapy. Noted for its Health Sciences Programs York College is also home to the Northeast Regional Office of the [[Food and Drug Administration]]. [[Vaughn College of Aeronautics and Technology]] is a private, cutting edge, degree granting institution located across the Grand Central Parkway from LaGuardia Airport. Its presence underscores the importance of aviation to the Queens economy. [[St. John's University (New York City)|St. John's University]] is a private, coeducational Roman Catholic university founded in 1870 by the [[Vincentians|Vincentian Fathers]]. With over 19,000 students, St. John's is known for its medical, pharmacy, business and law programs as well as its men's basketball and soccer teams. The [[Queens Borough Public Library]] is the public library system for the borough and one of three library systems serving New York City. Dating back to the foundation of the first Queens library in Flushing in 1858, the Queens Borough Public Library is one of the largest public library systems in the United States. Separate from the [[New York Public Library]], it is composed of 63 branches throughout the borough. In fiscal year 2001, the Library achieved a circulation of 16.8 million. First in circulation in New York State since 1985, the Library has maintained the highest circulation of any city library in the country since 1985 and the highest circulation of any library in the nation since 1987. The Library maintains collections in many languages, including Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Russian, Haitian Creole, Polish, and six Indic languages, as well as smaller collections in 19 other languages. [[Bramson ORT College]] is an [[undergraduate]] college in [[New York City]] operated by the American branch of the [[Jewish]] charity [[World ORT]]. Its main campus is in [[Forest Hills, Queens]], with a satellite campus in [[Brooklyn]]. {{seealso|Education in New York City}} ==Queens reflected in literature== The [[Forest Hills]] and [[Flushing]] sections of Queens are featured in Jacob Appel's short story, "The Ataturk of the Outer Boroughs," which tells of the experiences of a Turkish locksmith named Onur Erdem who attempts to preserve his beloved neighborhood from a developper who wants to sieze and raze local businesses in order to build a hockey arena.<ref><i>Raritan</i>, Volume 24, Number 3 (Winter 2005) p. 78-93 </ref> ==References== {{commonscat|Queens, New York City}} {{Reflist}} {{New York City}} {{Queens}} {{New York}} [[Category:Queens, New York City]] [[Category:Boroughs of New York City]] [[ast:Queens]] [[bn:কুইন্‌স]] [[bs:Queens]] [[bg:Куинс]] [[ca:Queens]] [[cs:Queens]] [[da:Queens]] [[de:Queens]] [[es:Queens]] [[eo:Kvinzo]] [[eu:Queens]] [[fa:کوینز]] [[fr:Queens]] [[ga:Queens]] [[gv:Queens]] [[gl:Queens]] [[hr:Queens]] [[bpy:কুইন্স কাউন্টি, নিউ ইয়র্ক]] [[is:Queens]] [[it:Queens]] [[he:קווינס]] [[ka:კუინზი]] [[ku:Queens]] [[lv:Kvīnsa]] [[lt:Kvinsas]] [[hu:Queens]] [[nl:Queens]] [[ja:クイーンズ区]] [[no:Queens]] [[nn:Queens]] [[nds:Queens County (New York)]] [[pl:Queens (dzielnica)]] [[pt:Queens]] [[ru:Квинс]] [[simple:Queens]] [[sk:Queens]] [[sl:Queens]] [[sr:Квинс]] [[sh:Queens]] [[fi:Queens]] [[sv:Queens]] [[uk:Квінз]] [[yi:קווינס]] [[zh:皇后區]]