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'{{About|the New York City borough|other uses|Queens (disambiguation)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=September 2015}} {{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 = Queens, New York |native_name = <!-- if different from the English name --> |nickname = |settlement_type = [[Borough (New York City)|Borough]] of [[New York City]] |total_type = <!-- to set a non-standard label for total area and population rows --> |motto = <!-- images and maps -----------> |image_skyline = Queens Montage 2012 1.png |imagesize = 270px |image_caption = Clockwise from top-left: [[Unisphere]], [[Rockaway Park]] beach, [[US Open (tennis)|US Open]]'s [[US Open (tennis)|Billie Jean King National Tennis Center]], [[Queensboro Bridge]], [[Flushing, Queens|Flushing]]-bound [[7 (New York City Subway service)|7 train]], [[New York Mets]]—[[Citi Field]]. |image_flag = Flag of Queens.png |flag_size = |image_seal = Seal of Queens, New York.png |seal_size = |image_shield = |shield_size = |image_blank_emblem = |blank_emblem_type = |blank_emblem_size = |image_map = New York City location Queens.svg |mapsize = |map_caption = Location of Queens, shown in red, in New York City |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 ------------------> | coordinates_display = inline,title | coordinates_region = US-NY | subdivision_type = [[List of sovereign states|Country]] | subdivision_name = {{nowrap|{{flag|United States of America}}}} | subdivision_type1 = [[U.S. state|State]] | subdivision_name1 = {{flag|New York}} |subdivision_type2= [[List of counties in New York|County]] |subdivision_name2= Queens |subdivision_type3= [[List of cities in New York|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 = [[Borough (New York City)]] |leader_title = [[Borough President]] |leader_name = [[Melinda Katz]] [[Democratic Party (United States)|(D)]]<br/>— ''(Borough of Queens)'' |leader_title1 = [[District Attorney]] <!-- for places with, say, both a mayor and a city manager --> |leader_name1 = Richard Brown<br/>— ''(Queens County)'' |established_title = Settled |established_date = 1683 <!-- Area ---------------------> |area_magnitude = |unit_pref = imperial |area_footnotes = |area_total_sq_mi = 178 |area_land_sq_mi = 109 |area_water_sq_mi = 70 |area_water_percent = 39 <!-- Elevation --------------------------> |elevation_footnotes = <!--for references: use tags--> |elevation_m = |elevation_ft = |elevation_max_m = |elevation_max_ft = |elevation_min_m = |elevation_min_ft = <!-- Population -----------------------> |population_as_of = 2015 |population_footnotes = |population_note = |population_total = 2339150<ref name=QueensQuickFacts/> |population_density_sq_mi = 21460.1 <!-- General information ---------------> |timezone = |utc_offset = |timezone_DST = |utc_offset_DST = |latd = 40 |latm = 45 |latNS = N |longd = 73 |longm = 52 |longEW = W <!-- Area/postal codes & others --------> |postal_code_type = [[ZIP Code]] prefixes |postal_code = 110--, 111--, 113--, 114--, 116-- |area_code = 718, 347, 917 |website = [http://www.queensbp.org/ Official Website of the Queens Borough President] |footnotes = }} '''Queens''' is the easternmost and largest in area of the five [[Borough (New York City)|boroughs]] of [[New York City]]. It is geographically adjacent to the borough of [[Brooklyn]] at the southwestern end of [[Long Island]], and to [[Nassau County, New York|Nassau County]] further east on Long Island; in addition, Queens shares water borders with the boroughs of [[Manhattan]] and [[the Bronx]]. Coterminous with '''Queens County''' since 1899, the borough of Queens is the second-largest in population (after Brooklyn), with a census-estimated 2,339,150 residents in 2015, approximately 48% of them [[foreign born|foreign-born]].<ref name=QueensQuickFacts/> Queens County is also the [[List of counties in New York|second-most populous county]] in [[New York]], behind the neighboring borough of Brooklyn, which is coterminous with Kings County. Queens is the fourth-most densely populated county among New York City's boroughs, as well as in the United States. If each New York City borough were an independent city, Queens would also be the nation's fourth most populous city, after [[Los Angeles]], [[Chicago]] and Brooklyn.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://queens.about.com/od/queensalmanac/f/queens_faq1.htm |title=Is Queens a Suburb of New York or Part of the City? |publisher=Queens.about.com |date=November 3, 2009 |accessdate=June 23, 2014}}</ref> Queens is the most [[ethnic diversity|ethnically diverse]] urban area in the world.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://traveltips.usatoday.com/queens-new-york-sightseeing-107156.html |title=Queens, New York, Sightseeing |author=Christine Kim, Demand Media |newspaper=USA TODAY |accessdate=June 23, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.newyork.com/articles/neighborhoods/queens-72876/ |title=Queens |author=Andrew Weber |publisher=NewYork.com |date=April 30, 2013 |accessdate=June 23, 2014}}</ref> Queens was established in 1683, as one of the [[Province of New York#Counties|original 12 counties of New York]] and was named for the [[Portuguese people|Portuguese]] Princess [[Catherine of Braganza]] (1638–1705), [[Queen consort of England|Queen of England]], [[Scotland]], and [[Ireland]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://queens.about.com/od/queensalmanac/f/queens_name.htm |title=Queens Almanac |publisher=Queens.about.com |date=November 3, 2009 |accessdate=March 28, 2012}} </ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ny.com/histfacts/geography.html#queens |title=NY.com |publisher=NY.com |date= |accessdate=March 28, 2012}}</ref> It became a borough of New York City in 1898, and from 1683 until 1899, the County of Queens included what is now Nassau County. Queens has the most diversified economy of the five boroughs of New York City<ref name="state1">{{cite web |url=http://www.osc.state.ny.us/osdc/rpt3-2007queens.pdf |title=Queens: Economic Development and the State of the Borough Economy. Report 3-2007 |publisher=Office of the State Comptroller |date=June 2006 |accessdate=March 28, 2012}}</ref> and is home to [[John F. Kennedy International Airport|JFK International Airport]] and [[LaGuardia Airport]]. These airports are among the busiest in the world, causing the airspace above Queens to be the most congested in the country. Attractions in Queens include [[Flushing Meadows–Corona Park|Flushing Meadows Park]]—home to the [[New York Mets]] baseball team and the [[USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center|US Open]] tennis tournament—[[Kaufman Astoria Studios]], [[Silvercup Studios]], and [[Aqueduct Racetrack]]. The borough has diverse housing, ranging from [[tower block|high-rise]] [[apartment buildings]] in the [[urban area]]s of western and central Queens, such as [[Jackson Heights, Queens|Jackson Heights]], [[Flushing, Queens|Flushing]], [[Astoria, Queens|Astoria]], and [[Long Island City]], to suburban neighborhoods in the eastern part of the borough such as [[Little Neck]], [[Douglaston]], and [[Bayside, Queens|Bayside]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/08/realestate/if-you-re-thinking-living-douglaston-queens-timeless-city-area-with-country-feel.html?pagewanted=all |work=The New York Times |first=Diana |last=Shaman |title=If You're Thinking of Living In/Douglaston, Queens; Timeless City Area, With a Country Feel |date=February 8, 2004}} </ref><ref> {{cite news |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/20/realestate/posting-queens-more-rentals-planned-in-long-island-city.html?_r=1&ref=queens |work=The New York Times |first=C. J. |last=Hughes |title=Posting – Queens — More Rentals Planned in Long Island City |date=November 17, 2011}}</ref> {{NYC boroughs}} ==History== {{see also|Timeline of Queens}} ===Colonial and post-colonial history=== [[File:CatherineofBraganza1.jpg|left|thumb|[[Catherine of Braganza]], Queen of England.]] {{Long Island}} European colonization brought [[Netherlands|Dutch]] and [[United Kingdom|English]] settlers, as a part of the [[New Netherland]] colony. First settlements occurred in 1635 followed by early colonizations 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 |page=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.<ref>Scheltema, Gajus and Westerhuijs, Heleen (eds.),''Exploring Historic Dutch New York''. Museum of the City of New York/Dover Publications, New York (2011). ISBN 978-0-486-48637-6</ref> 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]]. The [[Flushing Remonstrance]] signed by colonists in 1657 is considered a precursor to the [[United States Constitution]]'s provision on freedom of religion in the [[United States Bill of Rights|Bill of Rights]]. The signers protested the Dutch colonial authorities' persecution of [[Quakers]] in what is today the borough of Queens. 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 on November 1, 1683.<ref>New York: Commissioners of Statutory Revision:''Colonial Laws of New York from the year 1664 to the Revolution, including the Charters of the Duke of York, the Commissions and instructions to Colonial Governors, the Duke's Laws, the Laws of the Dongan and Leisler Assemblies, the Charters of Albany and New York, and the acts of the Colonial Legislatures from 1691 to 1775, inclusive. Report to the Assembly'' #107, 1894. five Volumes. [[Albany, New York]]; 1894–1896; Chapter 4; Section 1; Page 122. </ref> The county was named after [[Catherine of Braganza]], since she was queen of England at the time (she was Portugal's royal princess Catarina daughter of King John IV of Portugal). The county was founded alongside [[Brooklyn|Kings County]] ([[Brooklyn]], which was named after her husband, King Charles II), and [[Staten Island|Richmond County]] ([[Staten Island]], named after his illegitimate son, [[Charles Lennox, 1st Duke of Richmond|the 1st Duke of Richmond]]).<ref>Room, Adrian. 2006. Place names of the world: origins and meanings of the names for 6,600 Countries, Cities, Territories, Natural Features and Historic Sites. P.308</ref><ref>Antos, Jason D. 2009. Queens. P.12</ref><ref>Mushabac, Jane, Angela Wigan and Museum of the City of New York. 1999. A short and remarkable history of New York City. P.19</ref> On October 7, 1691, all counties in the Colony of New York were redefined. Queens gained [[North Brother Island, East River|North Brother Island]], [[South Brother Island, East River|South Brother Island]], and Huletts Island (today known as [[Rikers Island]]).<ref>New York: Commissioners of Statutory Revision:''Colonial Laws of New York from the year 1664 to the Revolution, including the Charters of the Duke of York, the Commissions and instructions to Colonial Governors, the Duke's Laws, the Laws of the Dongan and Leisler Assemblies, the Charters of Albany and New York, and the acts of the Colonial Legislatures from 1691 to 1775, inclusive. Report to the Assembly #107'', 1894. five Volumes. [[Albany, New York]]; 1894–1896; Chapter 17; Section 1; Page 268. </ref> On December 3, 1768, Queens gained other islands in Long Island Sound that were not already assigned to a county but that did not abut on [[Westchester County]] (today's [[The Bronx|Bronx County]]).<ref>New York: Commissioners of Statutory Revision:''Colonial Laws of New York from the year 1664 to the Revolution, including the Charters of the Duke of York, the Commissions and instructions to Colonial Governors, the Duke's Laws, the Laws of the Dongan and Leisler Assemblies, the Charters of Albany and New York, and the acts of the Colonial Legislatures from 1691 to 1775, inclusive. Report to the Assembly #107, 1894.'' five volumes. [[Albany, New York]]; 1894–1896; Chapter 1376; Section 4; page 1063. </ref> 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, remained under British occupation after the Battle of Long Island in 1776 and was occupied throughout most of the rest of the [[American Revolutionary War|Revolutionary War]]. Under the [[Quartering Act]], British soldiers used, as [[barracks]], the public inns and uninhabited buildings belonging to Queens residents. Even though many local people were against unannounced quartering, sentiment throughout the county remained in favor of the British crown. 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 by hanging in [[Manhattan]] for gathering intelligence. 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.rootsweb.com/~nyqueen2/History.htm |title=Geographic History of Queens County |author=Walter Greenspan |accessdate=December 23, 2007}} </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=December 28, 2007}} </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=December 30, 2007}} </ref> but the courthouse was torn down by the British during the American Revolution to use the materials to build barracks.<ref name=HoQC >{{cite web |url=http://www.bklyn-genealogy-info.com/Queens/history/civil1.html |title=History of Queens County}} </ref> After the war, various buildings in Jamaica temporarily served as courthouse and jail until a new building was erected about 1787 (and later completed) in an area near [[Mineola, New York|Mineola]] (now in Nassau County) known then as Clowesville.<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=December 29, 2007}} {{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=December 29, 2007}} {{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 March 7, 1788, New York was divided into 120 towns (not townships), many of which were already in existence. |accessdate=December 28, 2007}} </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 |date=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=April 1, 2008 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080706164332/http://www.newsday.com/community/guide/lihistory/ny-history_mysteries_hs221a,0,670882.story |archivedate=July 6, 2008 }} </ref><ref> {{cite news |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=August 29, 1882 |work=[[New York Times]] |accessdate=April 1, 2008}} </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=April 1, 2008}} {{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 1870s 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 |year=1982}} </ref><ref> {{cite news |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=February 25, 1872 |quote=For forty years the Supervisors of Queens County have been quarreling over a site for a Court-house. The incommodious building used |accessdate=April 1, 2008 |work=The New York Times}} </ref><ref name=MineolaFarmers> {{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 |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. |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20081015160228/http://www.newsday.com/community/guide/lihistory/ny-historytown-hist002d,0,6131005.story?coll=ny_community_guide_lihistory_promo |archivedate=October 15, 2008 |accessdate=November 11, 2012}} </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 Newsday.com] ) was north of the station. |accessdate=December 31, 2007}} {{wayback|url=http://www.bklyn-genealogy-info.com/Map/No.Hemp.html |date=20070610033357 }}</ref><ref> The former county courthouse was located northeast of the intersection of Jericho Turnpike (NY Route 25) and the aptly named County Courthouse Road in an unincorporated area of the Town of North Hempstead, variously referred to in the present day as Garden City Park or New Hyde Park. The site is now a shopping center anchored by a supermarket and is located in the New Hyde Park 11040 Zip Code. A stone marker located on the north side of Jericho Turnpike (NY Route 25), between Marcus Avenue and Herricks Road, identifies the site. </ref><ref> {{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1i9AnIpmtbAC&pg=PA55&lpg=PA55&dq=nassau+county+seat+mineola&source=bl&ots=MmVILVa6bZ&sig=mUMbcR7diiuHAscXQ9LRjmJZnYc&hl=en&ei=kAL4TOyRF47WtQOP8OieAg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=5&ved=0CDIQ6AEwBDgo#v=onepage&q=nassau%20county%20seat%20mineola&f=false |title=Nassau County, Long Island, in early photographs, 1869–1940 |first1=Bette S. |last1=Weidman |first2=Linda B. |last2=Martin |publisher=Courier Dover |year=1981 |page=55 |accessdate=December 2, 2010}} </ref> The 1850 census was the first in which the population of the three western towns exceeded that of the three eastern towns that are now part of Nassau County. Concerns were raised about the condition and distance of the old courthouse, and several sites were in contention for the construction of a new one.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9E05E1D8113EEE34BC4D51DFB4668389669FDE |title=The Queens County Court-House Question |publisher=New York Times |date=February 25, 1872 |accessdate=November 11, 2012}} </ref> In 1870, [[Long Island City, Queens|Long Island City]] split from the Town of Newtown, incorporating itself as a city, consisting of what had been the [[Astoria, Queens|Village of Astoria]] and some unincorporated areas within the Town of Newtown. Around 1874, the seat of county government was moved to Long Island City from Mineola.<ref name=MineolaFarmers/><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=December 23, 2007 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20071109203348/http://queenstribune.com:80/guides/2005_PatchworkOfCultures/pages/QueensTimeline.htm |archivedate=November 9, 2007 }} </ref><ref name=NewsdayNassau> {{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 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20081016012933/http://www.newsday.com/community/guide/lihistory/ny-history-hs615a,0,7026626.story?page=4 |year=2007 |quote=North Hempstead, Oyster Bay and the rest of Hempstead were excluded from the vote. |accessdate=November 11, 2012 |archivedate=October 16, 2008}} </ref><ref> {{cite news |url=http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D07E2D9173BEF34BC4153DFB466838F669FDE |title=The New Queens County Court-House |publisher=New York Times |date=February 9, 1874 |accessdate=November 11, 2012}} </ref> On March 1, 1860, the eastern border between Queens County (later Nassau County) and [[Suffolk County, New York|Suffolk County]] was redefined with no discernible change.<ref>New York. ''Laws of New York; 1860, 83rd Session, Chapter 530'', pages 1074—1076. </ref> On June 8, 1881, [[North Brother Island, East River|North Brother Island]] was transferred to [[Manhattan|New York County]].<ref>New York. ''Laws of New York; 1881, 104th Session, Chapter 478; Section 1'', Page 649. </ref> On May 8, 1884, [[Rikers Island]] was transferred to [[Manhattan|New York County]].<ref>New York. ''Laws of New York; 1884, 107th Session, Chapter 262'', page 328. </ref> In 1885, Lloyd Neck, which was part of the Town of Oyster Bay and was earlier known as Queens Village, seceded from Queens and became part of the Town of Huntington in [[Suffolk County, New York|Suffolk County]].<ref>Beers' ''Atlas of Long Island'' (1873) </ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lloydharbor.org/village/brief_history.htm |title=Lloyd Harbor – A Brief History |publisher=Incorporated Village of Lloyd Harbor, Suffolk County, NY |accessdate=April 9, 2009 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090427205006/http://www.lloydharbor.org:80/village/brief_history.htm |archivedate=April 27, 2009 }} </ref> On April 16, 1964, [[South Brother Island, East River|South Brother Island]] was transferred to [[the Bronx|Bronx County]].<ref>New York. ''Laws of New York; 1964, 187th Session, Chapter 578'', page 1606. </ref> ===Incorporation as borough=== {{See also|History of New York City|List of former municipalities in New York City|List of streetcar lines in Queens}} [[File:Queens Boulevard, New York City (1920).jpg|thumb|right|[[Queens Boulevard]], looking east from Van Dam Street, in 1920. The newly built [[IRT Flushing Line]] is in the boulevard's median.]] The New York City Borough of Queens was authorized on May 4, 1897, by a vote of the [[New York State Legislature]] after an 1894 referendum on consolidation.<ref>New York. ''Laws of New York; 1897'', 120th Session, Chapter 378; Section 2; Page 2.</ref> The eastern {{convert|280|sqmi|km2|sigfig=2}} of Queens that became [[Nassau County, New York|Nassau County]] was partitioned on January 1, 1899.<ref>New York. ''Laws of New York; 1899'', 121st Session, Chapter 588; Section 1; Page 1336.</ref> Queens Borough was established on January 1, 1898.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://mapsites.net/gotham01/ConsolidationDBQ.htm |title=Inventing Gotham |accessdate=December 28, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9E0CE2D81730E033A25756C1A9649D94659ED7CF |title=Official Announcement of the Results of the Election |work=[[New York Times]] |date=December 15, 1894 |quote=The area included a radius of twenty miles (32 km), with the city hall in New York as a center to circumscribe it |accessdate=December 28, 2007 |format=PDF}}</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=December 28, 2007 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070822203458/http://www.usgennet.org/usa/ny/state/his/bk2/ch4/pt8.html <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archivedate=August 22, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=The History of New York State |pages=Book II, Chapter IV Part VIII |author=Dr. James Sullivan (editor) |nopp=true}}</ref> Long Island City, the towns of [[Newtown, Queens County, New York|Newtown]], [[Flushing, Queens|Flushing]], and [[Jamaica, Queens|Jamaica]], and the [[Rockaway, Queens|Rockaway Peninsula]] portion of the [[Hempstead, New York|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.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bklyn-genealogy-info.com/Map/5.Bor.Q.Rich.html |title=Before the Five-Borough City: Queens}} This map shows the boundaries of the former towns and the former city within the present Borough of Queens.</ref> The areas of Queens County that were not part of the consolidation plan,<!-- \\ BEGIN new refs that Nassau never voted on consolidation --><ref name=NewsdayNassau/><ref>{{cite news |url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9C05EFDD1131E033A25750C1A96F9C94659ED7CF |title=Of Interest to Politicians. |page=9 |date=September 13, 1894 |publisher=[[The New York Times]]|subscription=yes |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=December 28, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9D06E0D91131E033A25755C1A9669D94659ED7CF |title=Vote for Greater New York |date=October 16, 1894 |publisher=[[The New York Times]] |accessdate=December 28, 2007|subscription=yes}}</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=November 4, 1894 |subscription=yes| publisher=[[The New York Times]]<!-- 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=December 28, 2007}}</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=November 8, 1894 |work=[[The New York Times]] |subscription=yes|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...<!--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=December 28, 2007}}</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=February 22, 1896 |publisher=The New York Times |accessdate=December 28, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9C04E2DC1730E132A25751C1A9649C94689ED7CF |title=The East City Line fixed. |date=February 12, 1899 |page=15 |publisher=The New York Times |accessdate=December 28, 2007}}</ref><!-- \\ END refs that Nassau never voted --> 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, New York|Nassau County]] on January 1, 1899. At this point, 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 |work=[[New York Times]] |date=Jun 7, 1896 |page=16 |accessdate=December 23, 2007}} </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. From 1905 to 1908 the [[Long Island Rail Road]] in Queens became electrified. Transportation to and from [[Manhattan]], previously by ferry or via bridges in Brooklyn, opened up with the [[Queensboro Bridge]] 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=December 31, 2007}}</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 |year=2004 |accessdate=December 29, 2007}}</ref> With the 1915 construction of the [[Steinway Tunnel]] carrying the [[IRT Flushing Line]] between Queens and Manhattan, and the robust 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 }}{{dead link |date=March 2016}}{{cbignore}}</ref> In later years, Queens was the site of the [[1939 New York World's Fair]] and the [[1964 New York World's Fair]]. [[LaGuardia Airport]], in northern Queens, opened in 1939. Idlewild Airport, in southern Queens and now called [[John F. Kennedy International Airport|JFK Airport]], opened in 1948. [[American Airlines Flight 587]] took off from the latter airport on November 12, 2001, but ended up crashing in Queens' [[Belle Harbor, Queens|Belle Harbor]] area, killing 265 people. In late October 2012, much of Queens's [[Breezy Point, Queens|Breezy Point]] area was destroyed by a massive six-alarm fire caused by [[Hurricane Sandy]]. {{wide image|Queens, New York City, looking south from Queensboro Bridge.jpg|1000px|Looking south from the [[Queensboro Bridge]] in [[Long Island City]], this photo was published in 1920 by the Queens Chamber of Commerce to illustrate the borough's "numerous attractive industrial plants".<ref>{{cite web |last=Willis |first=Walter I. |title=Queens Borough New York City, 1910 - 1920 |publisher=Chamber Of Commerce of the Borough of Queens |date=1920 |url=https://archive.org/stream/queensboroughnew01cham#page/n5/mode/2up}}</ref>}} ==Geography== [[File:Long Island Landsat Mosaic.jpg|thumb|right|300px|[[NASA]] [[Landsat]] [[satellite image]] of Long Island and surrounding areas.]] Queens is located on the far western portion of geographic [[Long Island]] and includes a few smaller islands, most of which are in [[Jamaica Bay]], forming part of the [[Gateway National Recreation Area]], which in turn is one of the [[National Park Service|National Parks]] of New York Harbor.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nps.gov/npnh/parknews/fact-sheet-jaba.htm |title=National Parks of New York Harbor - Fact Sheet: Gateway NRA - Jamaica Bay Unit (U.S. National Park Service) |publisher=Nps.gov |date= |accessdate=March 28, 2012}}</ref> According to the [[U.S. Census Bureau]], Queens County has a total area of {{convert|178|sqmi}}, of which {{convert|109|sqmi}} is land and {{convert|70|sqmi}} (39%) is water.<ref name="GR1">{{cite web |url=http://www.census.gov/geo/maps-data/data/docs/gazetteer/counties_list_36.txt |publisher=United States Census Bureau |accessdate=January 7, 2015 |date=August 22, 2012 |title=2010 Census Gazetteer Files}}</ref> [[Brooklyn]], the only other New York City borough on geographic Long Island, lies just south and west of Queens, with [[Newtown Creek]], an [[estuary]] that flows into the [[East River]], forming part of the border. To the west and north is the East River, across which is [[Manhattan]] to the west and [[The Bronx]] to the north. [[Nassau County, New York|Nassau County]] is east of Queens on Long Island. [[Staten Island]] is southwest of Brooklyn, and shares only a 3-mile-long water border (in the Outer Bay) with Queens. The [[Rockaway Peninsula]], the most southernly part of all of Long Island, sits between Jamaica Bay and the [[Atlantic Ocean]], featuring the most prominent public beaches in Queens.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://queens.about.com/od/thingtodo/tp/beaches-queens.htm |title=Beaches in Queens, New York |publisher=Queens.about.com |date=January 26, 2012 |accessdate=March 28, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.queensmamas.com/queens_mamas/2011/05/summer-beach-season-kicks-off-in-nyc.html |title=NYC Beaches 2011 |publisher=Queens Mamas |date=May 28, 2011 |accessdate=March 28, 2012}}</ref> [[Flushing Bay]] and the [[Flushing River]] are in the north, connecting to the East River. The East River opens into [[Long Island Sound]]. The midsection of Queens is crossed by the [[Long Island#Geography|Long Island straddling terminal moraine]] created by the [[Wisconsin Glacier]]. ===Boroughscapes=== {{Wide image|Long Island City New York May 2015 panorama 3.jpg|1200px|3=<div align=center>The growing [[skyline]] of [[Long Island City, Queens|Long Island City]], facing the [[East River]] at [[blue hour]] in 2015. At left is the [[Queensboro Bridge]], connecting Queens to [[Manhattan]].</div>|dir=rtl}} {{Wide image|Flushing Queens May 2015 2.jpg|800px|3=<div align=center>The busy intersection of [[Main Street (Queens)|Main Street]], [[Kissena Boulevard]], and 41st Avenue in the [[Flushing Chinatown|Flushing Chinatown (法拉盛華埠)]]. Queens' rapidly growing [[Chinese Americans in New York City|Chinese American]] population was approaching 240,000 in 2014,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/14_1YR/S0201/0500000US36081/popgroup~016|title=Selected Population Profile in the United States - 2014 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates Queens County, New York Chinese alone|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=April 2, 2016}}</ref> the [[List of U.S. cities with significant Chinese-American populations#New York City boroughs|highest of any municipality in the United States]] other than New York City overall.</div>|dir=rtl}} ===Climate=== Under the [[Köppen climate classification]], using the {{convert|32|°F|0|abbr=on}} coldest month (January) [[isotherm (contour line)|isotherm]], Queens and the rest of New York City have a [[humid subtropical climate]] (Cfa) with partial shielding from the [[Appalachian Mountains]] and moderating influences from the [[Atlantic Ocean]]. Queens receives plentiful precipitation all year round with 44.8 inches yearly. Extremes range from 107&nbsp;°F (41.6&nbsp;°C) to -3&nbsp;°F (-19.4&nbsp;°C). Winters are relatively mild compared to other areas of [[New York State]], though snow is common and blizzards occur about every 4–6 years. Springs are unpredictable and can be chilly to very warm. Summers are hot, humid, and wet. Autumn is similar to spring, while snowfall generally begins in December. {| ! Monthly and annual statistics for the three main climatology stations in New York City |- |{{New York City weatherbox|collapsed=Y}} |- |{{Queens airports weatherbox}} |} ===Adjacent counties=== *Bronx County ([[the Bronx]]) (north) *[[Nassau County, New York|Nassau County]] (east) *Kings County ([[Brooklyn]]) (west) *New York County ([[Manhattan]]) (northwest) ==Neighborhoods== [[Image:NYC Jackson Heights 3.jpg|thumb|right|A typical residential street in [[Jackson Heights, Queens|Jackson Heights]].]] [[File:Gantrygantries.JPG|thumb|right|[[Long Island City]] is a neighborhood in western Queens.]] [[File:Forest Hills Gardens, Queens, NY.jpg|thumb|right|[[Forest Hills Gardens]]]] [[Image:Ridgewood Houses.jpg|thumb|right|Row houses are prominent in many Queens neighborhoods, including [[Ridgewood, Queens|Ridgewood]].]] {{Main|Neighborhoods of New York City}} {{See also|List of Queens neighborhoods}} Four [[United States Postal Service]] postal zones serve Queens, based roughly on those serving the towns in existence at the consolidation of the five boroughs into New York City: Long Island City (ZIP codes starting with 111), Jamaica (114), Flushing (113), and [[Far Rockaway, Queens|Far Rockaway]] (116). In addition, the [[Floral Park, Queens|Floral Park]] post office (110), based in Nassau County, serves a small part of northeastern Queens. Each of these main post offices have neighborhood stations with individual ZIP codes, and unlike the other boroughs, these station names are often used in addressing letters. These ZIP codes do not always reflect traditional 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. The borough is a patchwork of dozens of unique neighborhoods, each with its own distinct identity: * [[Flushing, Queens|Flushing]], one of the largest neighborhoods in Queens, has a large and growing [[Asian people|Asian]] community. The community consists of [[Chinese American|Chinese]], [[Korean American|Koreans]], and [[South Asian]]s. Asians have now expanded eastward along the [[Northern Boulevard|Northern Boulevard axis]] through [[Murray Hill, Queens|Murray Hill]], [[Whitestone, Queens|Whitestone]], [[Bayside, Queens|Bayside]], [[Douglaston, Queens|Douglaston]], [[Little Neck, Queens|Little Neck]], and eventually into adjacent [[Nassau County, New York|Nassau County]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.forbes.com/sites/hengshao/2014/04/10/chinese-real-estate-buyers-fan-out-to-long-islands-north-shore/|title=Join The Great Gatsby: Chinese Real Estate Buyers Fan Out To Long Island's North Shore|author=Heng Shao|publisher=Forbes|date=2014-04-10|accessdate=April 2, 2016}}</ref><ref name=NassauLongIslandKoreatown>{{cite web|url=http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-10-27/one-percenters-drop-six-figures-at-long-island-mall.html|title=One Percenters Drop Six Figures at Long Island Mall|author=Carol Hymowitz|publisher= Bloomberg L.P|date=October 27, 2014|accessdate=April 2, 2016}}</ref> These neighborhoods historically contained [[Italian American]]s and Greeks, as well as [[Latino American]]s. * [[Howard Beach, Queens|Howard Beach]], Whitestone, and [[Middle Village, Queens|Middle Village]] are home to large Italian American populations. * [[Ozone Park, Queens|Ozone Park]] and [[South Ozone Park, Queens|South Ozone Park]] have large Italian, [[Hispanic]], and [[Guyanese people|Guyanese]] populations. * [[Rockaway Beach, Queens|Rockaway Beach]] has a large [[Irish American]] population. * [[Astoria, Queens|Astoria]], in the northwest, is traditionally home to one of the largest [[Greek American|Greek]] populations outside [[Greece]], it also has large [[Spanish American]] and Italian American communities, and is also home to a growing population of [[Arab American|Arabs]], South Asians, and [[yuppies|young professionals]] from Manhattan. Nearby Long Island City is a major commercial center and the home to [[Queensbridge]], the largest housing project in North America. * [[Maspeth, Queens|Maspeth]] and [[Ridgewood, Queens|Ridgewood]] are home to many Eastern European immigrants such as [[Romanians|Romanian]], [[Polish American|Polish]], [[Albanians|Albanian]], and other [[Slavic peoples|Slavic]] populations. Ridgewood also has a large Hispanic population. * [[Jackson Heights, Queens|Jackson Heights]], [[Elmhurst, Queens|Elmhurst]], and [[East Elmhurst, Queens|East Elmhurst]] make up an conglomeration of [[Hispanic]], [[Asian-American|Asian]], [[Tibetan people|Tibetan]], and [[South Asian]] communities. * [[Woodside, Queens|Woodside]] is home to a large [[Filipino American]] community and has a "[[Little Manila]]" as well a large [[Irish American]] population. There is also a large presence of Filipino Americans in [[Queens Village, Queens|Queens Village]] and in [[Hollis, Queens|Hollis]]. * [[Richmond Hill, Queens|Richmond Hill]], in the south, is often thought of as ''Little Guyana'' for its large [[Guyana|Guyanese]] 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> * [[Rego Park, Queens|Rego Park]], [[Forest Hills, Queens|Forest Hills]], [[Kew Gardens, Queens|Kew Gardens]], and [[Kew Gardens Hills, Queens|Kew Gardens Hills]] have traditionally large [[Jewish]] populations (historically from [[Germany]] and [[eastern Europe]]; though more recent immigrants are from [[Israel]], [[Iran]], and the former [[Soviet Union]]). These neighborhoods are also known for large and growing Asian communities, mainly immigrants from [[China]]. * [[Jamaica Estates, Queens|Jamaica Estates]], [[Jamaica Hills, Queens|Jamaica Hills]], [[Hillcrest, Queens|Hillcrest]], [[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 [[St. Albans, Queens|Saint Albans]], [[Queens Village, Queens|Queens Village]], [[Cambria Heights, Queens|Cambria Heights]], [[Springfield Gardens, Queens|Springfield Gardens]], [[Rosedale, Queens|Rosedale]], [[Laurelton, Queens|Laurelton]], and [[Briarwood, Queens|Briarwood]] along east and southeast Queens. * [[Bellerose, Queens|Bellerose]] and [[Floral Park, Queens|Floral Park]], originally home to many Irish Americans, is home to a growing South Asian population, predominantly [[Indian American]]s from the northern Indian state of [[Punjab (India)|Punjab]] and the southern Indian states of [[Tamil Nadu]] and [[Kerala]]. * [[Corona, Queens|Corona and Corona Heights]], once considered the "Little Italy" of Queens, was a predominantly Italian community with a strong African American community in the northern portion of Corona and adjacent East Elmhurst. From the 1920s through the 1960s, Corona remained a close-knit neighborhood. Corona today has the highest concentration of Latinos of any Queens neighborhood, with an increasing Chinese American population, located between [[Elmhurst, Queens|Elmhurst]] and Flushing.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.msaag.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/13_McGlinn.pdf|title=Beyond Chinatown: Dual immigration and the Chinese population of metropolitan New York City, 2000, pp. 114-115|author=Lawrence A. McGlinn, Department of Geography SUNY-New Paltz|publisher=Middle States Geographer, 2002, 35: 110–119, Journal of the Middle States Division of the Association of American Geographers |accessdate=April 2, 2016}}</ref> ==Demographics== {{Main|Demographics of Queens}} {{US Census population |1790= 6159 |1800= 6642 |1810= 7444 |1820= 8246 |1830= 9049 |1840= 14480 |1850= 18593 |1860= 32903 |1870= 45468 |1880= 56559 |1890= 87050 |1900= 152999 |1910= 284041 |1920= 469042 |1930= 1079129 |1940= 1297634 |1950= 1550849 |1960= 1809578 |1970= 1986473 |1980= 1891325 |1990= 1951598 |2000= 2229379 |2010= 2230722 |estyear=2015 |estimate=2339150 |estref=<ref name=QueensQuickFacts/><ref name="USCensusEst2014">{{cite web |url=http://www.census.gov/popest/data/cities/totals/2014/SUB-EST2014.html |title=Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2014 |accessdate=June 4, 2015}}</ref> |align-fn=center |footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.census.gov/prod/www/decennial.html |title=U.S. Decennial Census |publisher=United States Census Bureau |accessdate=January 7, 2015}}</ref><br />1790-1960<ref>{{cite web |url=http://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu |title=Historical Census Browser |publisher=University of Virginia Library |accessdate=January 7, 2015}}</ref> 1900-1990<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.census.gov/population/cencounts/ny190090.txt |title=Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990 |publisher=United States Census Bureau |accessdate=January 7, 2015}}</ref><br />1990-2000<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/briefs/phc-t4/tables/tab02.pdf |title=Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000 |publisher=United States Census Bureau |accessdate=January 7, 2015}}</ref> 2010 and 2015<ref name=QueensQuickFacts>{{cite web |title=State & County QuickFacts - Queens County (Queens Borough), New York |url=http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/36/36081.html |publisher=United States Census Bureau |accessdate=March 24, 2016}}</ref></center> }} {| class="wikitable sortable collapsible" style="font-size: 90%;" |- ! Racial composition !! 2014<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.census.gov/quickfacts/table/PST045214/36081 |title=Queens County (Queens Borough), New York |work=State & County QuickFacts |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau}}</ref>!! 1990<ref name="census2"/> !! 1970<ref name="census2"/> !! 1950<ref name="census2"/> |- | [[White American|White]] || 49.1% || 57.9% || 85.3% || 96.5% |- | —Non-Hispanic || 26.2% || 48.0% || n/a || n/a |- | [[African American|Black or African American]] || 20.8% || 21.7% || 13.0% || 3.3% |- | [[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]] (of any race) || 28.0% || 19.5% || 7.7%<ref>From 15% sample</ref> || n/a |- | [[Asian American|Asian]] || 25.8% || 12.2% || 1.1% || 0.1% |} [[Image:Bwy Elmhurst Chinatown jeh.jpg|thumb|The [[Elmhurst, Queens#Chinatown, Elmhurst (唐人街, 艾姆赫斯特)|Elmhurst Chinatown (艾姆赫斯特 唐人街)]] at the corner of Broadway and Dongan Avenue.]] [[Image:Astoria uncle georges.jpg|thumb|Street scene in [[Astoria, Queens|Astoria]], a largely [[Greek-American]] neighborhood.]] ===Population estimates=== Since 2010, the population of Queens was estimated by the [[United States Census Bureau]] to have increased 4.9% to 2,339,150, as of 2015 – Queens' estimated population represented 27.4% of New York City's population of 8,550,405; 29.8% of Long Island's population of 7,838,722; and 11.8% of New York State's population of 19,795,791.<ref name=QueensQuickFacts/><ref name=NYCest>{{cite web |url=http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/PEP/2015/PEPANNRES/0400000US36.05000 |title=Annual Estimates of the Resident Population: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2015 – 2015 Population Estimates – New York |publisher=United States Census Bureau |accessdate=March 24, 2016}}</ref><ref name="Kings County, New York QuickFacts">{{cite web |url=http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/36/36047.html |title=Kings County, New York QuickFacts |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |accessdate=March 24, 2016}}</ref><ref name="Nassau County, New York QuickFacts">{{cite web |url=http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/36/36059.html |title=Nassau County, New York QuickFacts |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |accessdate=March 24, 2016}}</ref><ref name="U.S. Census Bureau">{{cite web |url=http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/36/36103.html |title=Suffolk County, New York QuickFacts |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |accessdate=March 24, 2016}}</ref><ref name=NYSQuickFacts>{{cite web|url=http://www.census.gov/quickfacts/map/PST045214/36|title= New York QuickFacts|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|accessdate=March 30, 2016}}</ref> According to 2012 census estimates, 27.2% of the population was [[Non-Hispanic White]],<ref name="census2">{{cite web |title=New York - Race and Hispanic Origin for Selected Cities and Other Places: Earliest Census to 1990 |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |url=http://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0076/twps0076.html}}</ref> 20.9% [[African American|Black]] or African American, 24.8% [[Asian American|Asian]], 12.9% from some other race, and 2.7% of two or more races. 27.9% of Queens's population was of [[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic]] or Latino origin (of any race).<ref name="census1">{{cite web |url=http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=DEC_10_SF1_QTP5&prodType=table |title=2010 Census}}</ref> The New York City Department of City Planning was alarmed by the negligible reported increase in population between 2000 and 2010, and it considers estimated increases for Queens for 2012 and 2013 to be questionable. Areas with high proportions of immigrants and undocumented aliens are traditionally undercounted for a variety of reasons. New housing and transit statistics suggest otherwise but corrective formulas were not applied. The racial breakdown of the population is similarly suspect. Foreign born people frequently do not interpret racial definitions as the Census suggests.<ref>{{cite news |last=Roberts |first=Sam |date=May 24, 2011 |title=Survey Hints at a Census Undercount in New York City |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/25/nyregion/survey-suggests-census-undercounted-new-york-city.html |newspaper=New York Times |location= |publisher= |accessdate=}}</ref> As of the most stable [[census]] of {{as of|2000|alt=2000}}, there were 2,229,379 people, 782,664 households, and 537,690 families residing in the county. The [[population density]] was 20,409.0 inhabitants per square mile (7,879.6/km²). There were 817,250 housing units at an average density of 7,481.6 per square mile (2,888.5/km²). 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. ===Ethnic groups=== In Queens, approximately 48.5% of the population was foreign-born as of 2010. Of that, 49.5% were born in [[Latin America]], 33.5% in [[Asia]], 14.8% in [[Europe]], 1.8% in [[Africa]], and 0.4% in [[North America]]. Roughly 2.1% of the population was born in [[Puerto Rico]], a U.S. territory, or abroad to American parents. In addition, 51.2% of the population was born in the United States. Approximately 44.2% of the population over 5 years of age speak [[English language|English]] at home; 23.8% speak [[Spanish language|Spanish]] at home. Also, 16.8% of the populace speak other [[Indo-European languages]] at home. Another 13.5% speak an [[Languages of Asia|Asian language]] at home.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/ADPTable?_bm=y&-geo_id=05000US36081&-context=adp&-ds_name=ACS_2009_1YR_G00_&-tree_id=309&-_lang=en&-_caller=geoselect&-format= |title=American FactFinder |publisher=Factfinder.census.gov |date= |accessdate=March 28, 2012 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/20120106204744/http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/ADPTable?_bm=y&-geo_id=05000US36081&-context=adp&-ds_name=ACS_2009_1YR_G00_&-tree_id=309&-_lang=en&-_caller=geoselect&-format= |archivedate=January 6, 2012}}</ref> Among the Asian population, people of [[Chinese American|Chinese ethnicity]] make up the largest ethnic group at 10.2% of Queens' population, with about 237,484 people;<ref>{{cite web|url=http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/14_1YR/S0201/0500000US36081/popgroup~016|title=Selected Population Profile in the United States - 2014 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates Queens County, New York Chinese alone|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=April 2, 2016}}</ref> the other East and Southeast Asian groups are: [[Korean American|Korean]]s (2.9%), [[Filipino American|Filipino]]s (1.7%), [[Japanese American|Japanese]] (0.3%), [[Thai American|Thai]]s (0.2%), [[Vietnamese American|Vietnamese]] (0.2%), and [[Indonesian American|Indonesian]]s and [[Burmese American|Burmese]] both make up 0.1% of the population.<ref name="census1"/> People of [[South Asian]] descent make up 7.8% of Queens' population: [[Indian American|Indian]]s (5.3%), [[Bangladeshi American|Bangladeshi]] (1.5%), [[Pakistani American|Pakistani]]s (0.7%), and [[Nepalese American|Nepali]] (0.2%).<ref name="census1"/> Among the Hispanic population, [[Puerto Rican people|Puerto Rican]]s make up the largest ethnic group at 4.6%, next to [[Mexican American|Mexican]]s, who make up 4.2% of the population, and [[Dominican American|Dominican]]s at 3.9%. [[Central American]]s make up 2.4% and are mostly [[Salvadorans]]. [[South American]]s constitute 9.6% of Queens's population, mainly of [[Ecuadorian]] (4.4%) and [[Colombian American|Colombian]] descent (3.2%).<ref name="census1"/> Some main European ancestries in Queens as of 2000 include: *[[Italian American|Italian]]: 8.4% *[[Irish American|Irish]]: 5.5% *[[German American|German]]: 3.5% *[[Polish American|Polish]]: 2.7% *[[Russian American|Russian]]: 2.3% *[[Greek American|Greek]]: 2.0% The Hispanic or Latino population increased by 61% to 597,773 between 1990 and 2006 and now accounts for 26.5% of the borough's population. Queens is now home to hundreds of thousands of Latinos and Hispanics: * Queens has the largest [[Colombian American|Colombian]] population in the city, accounting for 76.6% of the city's total Colombian population, for a total of 80,116. * Queens has the largest [[Ecuadorian American|Ecuadorian]] population in the city, accounting for 62.2% of the city's total Ecuadorian population, for a total of 101,339. * Queens has the largest [[Peruvian American|Peruvian]] population in the city, accounting for 69.9% of the city's total Peruvian population, for a total of 30,825. * The [[Mexican American|Mexican]] population in Queens has increased 45.7% to 71,283, the second highest in the city, after Brooklyn.<ref>[http://www.queenslibrary.org/pub/QuickFacts.asp Queenslibrary.org] {{wayback|url=http://www.queenslibrary.org/pub/QuickFacts.asp |date=20110927072015 }}</ref> * Queens has the largest [[Salvadoran American|Salvadoran]] population in the city, accounting for 50.7% of the city's for a total population of 25,235. Queens is home to 49.6% of the city's [[Asian American|Asian]] population. Among the five boroughs, Queens has the largest population of [[Chinese American|Chinese]], [[Indian American|Indian]], [[Korean American|Korean]], [[Filipino American|Filipino]], [[Bangladeshi American|Bangladeshi]] and [[Pakistani American]]s. Queens has the largest [[Asian American]] population by county outside the [[Western United States]]; according to the 2006 American Community Survey, Queens ranks fifth among US counties with 477,772 (21.18%) Asian Americans, behind [[Los Angeles County, California]], [[Honolulu County, Hawaii]], [[Santa Clara County, California]], and [[Orange County, California]]. The borough is also home to one of the highest concentrations of [[Indian American]]s in the nation, with an estimated population of 144,896 in 2014 (6.24% of the 2014 borough population),<ref>{{cite web|url=http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/14_1YR/S0201/0500000US36081/popgroup~013|title=Selected Population Profile in the United States - 2014 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates Queens County, New York Asian Indian alone|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=April 2, 2016}}</ref> as well as [[Pakistani American]]s, who number at 15,604.<ref>[http://www.aafny.org/cic/briefs/pakistani.pdf AAFNY.org] {{wayback|url=http://www.aafny.org/cic/briefs/pakistani.pdf |date=20110725220920 }}</ref> Queens has the second largest [[Sikh]] population in the nation after [[California]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://online.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748704868604575433532014656688 |title=New Immigrants Put Stamp on Richmond Hill |work=[[Wall Street Journal]] |date=August 20, 2010 |accessdate=November 9, 2014 |author=Mokha, Kavita}}</ref> In 2010, Queens held a disproportionate share of several Asian communities within New York City, relative to its overall population, as follows:<ref>{{cite web|url=http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/DPDP1/0500000US36081|title=Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 - 2010 Demographic Profile Data Queens County, New York|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=April 2, 2016}}</ref> * [[Chinese American|Chinese]]: 200,205; 39.8% of the city's total Chinese population. * [[Indian American|Indian]]: 117,550; 64% Asian Indian population. * [[Korean American|Korean]]: 64,107; 66.4% of the city's total Korean population. * [[Filipino American|Filipino]]: 38,163; 61.3% of the city's total Filipino population. * [[Bangladeshi American|Bangladeshi]]: 18,310; 66% of the city's total Bangladeshi population. * [[Pakistani American|Pakistani]]: 10,884; 39.5% of the city's total Pakistani population. Queens has the third largest [[Bosnian American|Bosnian]] population in the United States behind only [[St. Louis]] and [[Chicago]], numbering more than 15,000.<ref>[http://www.quchronicle.com/2012/02/the-refugee/ Bosnian war causes family to start over in America]</ref> A 2011 [[United Jewish Appeal|UJA]]/Federation of New York study found that Queens was home to 198,000 [[Jewish Americans]], up from 186,000 in 2002.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.chareidi.org/ATCOTU/ujafed1.html |title=Metropolitan New York Jewish Population Stable At 1.4 Million – Conservative and Reform Jews Decreasing Rapidly |last=Mordecai |first=Plaut |work=At the Center of the Universe: Essays on Western Intellectual Space (website) |date=March 15, 2007 |accessdate=February 16, 2009 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110628130154/http://www.chareidi.org/atcotu/ujafed1.html |archivedate=June 28, 2011 }} {{Verify source|date=February 2009}}<!-- It appears UJA had already merged into another organization in 1999. Is this organization still called UJA? What is the actual source study? --> </ref> {{Verify source|date=February 2009}} 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 24.7% 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>{{cite news |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/01/nyregion/01census.html |work=The New York Times |title=Black Incomes Surpass Whites in Queens |first=Sam |last=Roberts |date=October 1, 2006 |accessdate=May 22, 2010}}</ref> Many of these African Americans live in quiet, middle class suburban neighborhoods near the Nassau County border, such as [[Laurelton, Queens|Laurelton]] and [[Cambria Heights]] which have large black populations whose family income is higher than average. Those areas are known for their well kept homes, suburban feel, and low crime rate. The migration of European Americans 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 Chinese and 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. According to a 2001 Claritas study, Queens is the most diverse county in the United States among counties of 100,000+ population.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Claritas+Study+Ranks+Racial%2FEthnic+Diversity+in+Counties+Nationwide%3B...-a076689304 |work=Business Wire |title=Claritas Study Ranks Racial/Ethnic Diversity in Counties Nationwide; Analysis Shows California Leads Nation In Diversity Among Counties Of 100,000-Plus Population |date=July 23, 2001}}</ref> ==Culture== [[File:5pointz graffiti.jpg|thumb|right|[[5 Pointz]] graffiti exhibit in [[Long Island City]]]] {{See also|Culture of New York City|Music of New York City|List of people from Queens}} While Queens has not been the center of any major artistic movements, it has been the home of such notable artists as [[Tony Bennett]], [[Francis Ford Coppola]], [[Paul Simon]], and [[Robert Mapplethorpe]]. The current poet laureate of Queens is [[Paolo Javier]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.diaart.org/events/main/371 |title=Dia Art Foundation - Events |publisher=Diaart.org |date=March 10, 2011 |accessdate=March 28, 2012}}</ref> Queens has notably fostered [[African-American culture]], with establishments such as The Afrikan Poetry Theatre<ref>{{cite web |url=http://afrikanpoetrytheatre.org/apt/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=16&Itemid=29 |title=History of Afrikan Poetry Theatre |publisher=Afrikanpoetrytheatre.org |date= |accessdate=March 28, 2012}}</ref> and the Black Spectrum Theater Company<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.blackspectrum.com/about.html |title=About Black Spectrum Theater Company |publisher=Blackspectrum.com |date=December 11, 2010 |accessdate=March 28, 2012}}</ref> catering specifically to African Americans in Queens. In the 1940s, Queens was an important center of jazz; such jazz luminaries as [[Louis Armstrong]], [[Charlie Parker]], and [[Ella Fitzgerald]] took up residence in Queens, seeking refuge from the segregation they found elsewhere in New York.<ref>{{cite web |last=Virella |first=Kelly |url=http://www.dominionofnewyork.com/2011/09/06/best-black-arts-culture-in-queens-2011/#.TzUk7dRDuHc |title=Best Black Arts & Culture in Queens 2011 |publisher=Dominion of New York |date=September 6, 2011 |accessdate=March 28, 2012}}</ref> Additionally, many notable hip-hop acts hail from Queens, including [[Nas]], [[Run-D.M.C.]], [[Kool G Rap]], [[A Tribe Called Quest]], [[LL Cool J]], [[Mobb Deep]], [[50 Cent]], [[Nicki Minaj]], and [[Heems]] of [[Das Racist]]. Queens hosts various museums and cultural institutions that serve its diverse communities. They range from the historical (such as the [[John Bowne House]]) to the scientific (such as the [[New York Hall of Science]]), from conventional art galleries (such as the [[Noguchi Museum]]) to unique graffiti exhibits (such as [[5 Pointz]]). Queens's cultural institutions include, but are not limited to: * [[5 Pointz]] * [[Afrikan Poetry Theatre]] * [[Bowne House]] * [[Flushing Town Hall]] * [[King Manor]] * [[MoMA PS1]] * [[Museum of the Moving Image (New York City)|Museum of the Moving Image]] * [[Noguchi Museum]] * [[New York Hall of Science]] * [[Queens Botanical Garden]] * [[Queens Museum of Art]] * [[SculptureCenter]] * [[Hindu Temple Society of North America]] The travel magazine ''[[Lonely Planet]]'' also named Queens the top destination in the country for 2015 for its cultural and culinary diversity.<ref>{{cite web|title=Lonely Planet guidebooks call Queens the best travel destination in the United State|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/queens/queens-best-travel-destination-country-article-1.2040496|access-date=2015-11-25|date=2014-12-11|first1=Eli|last1=Rosenberg|first2=Chris|last2=Erikson|publisher=[[New York Daily News]]}}</ref> Stating that Queens is "quickly becoming its hippest" but that "most travelers haven’t clued in… yet,"<ref>http://www.lonelyplanet.com/north-america/travel-tips-and-articles/best-in-the-us-2015</ref> the ''Lonely Planet'' stated that "nowhere is the image of New York as the global melting pot truer than Queens."<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://nycitylens.com/2015/04/sutphin-boulevard-the-next-tourist-hot-spot/ |title=Sutphin Boulevard: The Next Tourist Hot Spot? - NY City Lens|website=NY City Lens|language=en-US|access-date=2016-04-12}}</ref> ===Languages=== There are 138 languages spoken in the borough.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.osc.state.ny.us/osdc/rpt1100/rpt1100.htm |title=Queens: An Economic Review |publisher=Osc.state.ny.us |date= |accessdate=March 28, 2012}}</ref> As of 2010, 43.84% (905,890) of Queens residents age 5 and older spoke [[English language|English]] at home as a [[primary language]], while 23.88% (493,462) spoke [[Spanish language|Spanish]], 8.06% (166,570) [[Chinese language|Chinese]], 3.44% (71,054) [[Indo-Aryan languages|various Indic languages]], 2.74% (56,701) [[Korean language|Korean]], 1.67% (34,596) [[Russian language|Russian]], 1.56% (32,268) [[Italian languages|Italian]], 1.54% (31,922) [[Tagalog language|Tagalog]], 1.53% (31,651) [[Greek language|Greek]], 1.32% (27,345) [[French-based creole languages|French Creole]], 1.17% (24,118) [[Polish language|Polish]], 0.96% (19,868) [[Hindi language|Hindi]], 0.93% (19,262) [[Urdu language|Urdu]], 0.92% (18,931) [[Languages of Asia|other Asian languages]], 0.80% (16,435) [[Indo-European languages|other Indo-European languages]], 0.71% (14,685) [[French language|French]], 0.61% (12,505) [[Arabic language|Arabic]], 0.48% (10,008) [[Serbo-Croatian language|Serbo-Croatian]], and [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]] was spoken as a [[main language]] by 0.46% (9,410) of the population over the age of five. In total, 56.16% (1,160,483) of Queens's population age 5 and older spoke a [[mother language]] other than English.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mla.org/cgi-shl/docstudio/docs.pl?map_data_results |title=Queens County, New York |publisher=[[Modern Language Association]] |accessdate=August 10, 2013}}</ref> ===Food=== The cuisine available in Queens reflects its vast cultural diversity.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://queens.about.com/od/eatingout/Eating_Out_Guide_to_Restaurants_and_Dining_in_Queens_NY.htm |title=Eating Out: Guide to Restaurants and Dining in Queens, NY |publisher=Queens.about.com |date=January 5, 2012 |accessdate=March 28, 2012}}</ref> The cuisine of a particular neighborhood often represents its demographics; for example, [[Astoria, Queens|Astoria]] hosts many [[Greek restaurant]]s, in keeping with its traditionally Greek population.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nycgo.com/slideshows/must-see-astoria |title=Must-See Astoria: 12 Great Things to See and Do |publisher=Nycgo.com |date= |accessdate=March 28, 2012}}</ref> [[Jackson Heights, Queens|Jackson Heights]] is known for its prominent [[Indian cuisine]] and also many [[Spanish cuisine|Latin American eateries]]. ==Government== {| class="wikitable" style="float:right; text-align:right; margin:1em;" |+ '''Party affiliation of Queens registered voters''' |- style="background:lightgrey;" !Party !2005 !2004 !2003 !2002 !2001 !2000 !1999 !1998 !1997 !1996 |- style="background:#B0CEFF;" | style="text-align:center;"|[[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] |62.94% |62.52 |62.85 |62.79 |62.99 |62.52 |62.30 |62.27 |62.28 |62.33 |- style="background:#FFB6B6;" | style="text-align:center;"|[[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] |14.60% |14.66 |14.97 |15.04 |15.28 |15.69 |16.47 |16.74 |16.93 |17.20 |- style="background:white;" | style="text-align:center;"|Other |3.88% |3.93 |3.94 |3.86 |3.37 |3.30 |3.10 |3.20 |3.02 |2.78 |- | style="text-align:center;"|No affiliation |18.58% |18.89 |18.24 |18.31 |18.36 |18.49 |18.13 |17.79 |17.77 |17.69 |} [[File:Queens County Courthouse by David Shankbone.jpg|thumb|left|250px|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[[New York City Department of Education|public education]], correctional institutions, [[public safety]], recreational facilities, sanitation, water supply, and welfare services in Queens. The [[Queens Library]] is governed by a 19-member Board of Trustees, who are appointed by the [[Mayor of New York City]] and the [[Borough President]] of Queens. 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 [[Melinda Katz]], elected in November 2013 as a [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrat]] with 80.3% of the vote . [[Queens Borough Hall]] is the seat of government and is located in [[Kew Gardens, Queens|Kew Gardens]]. The Democratic Party holds most 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. {| class="wikitable" style="float:right; margin:1em; font-size:95%;" |+ '''Presidential election results''' |- style="background:lightgrey;" ! Year ! [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] ! [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] |- |align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|[[United States presidential election, 2012|2012]] |align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|19.9% ''118,589 |align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''79.1%''' ''470,732 |- |align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|[[United States presidential election, 2008|2008]] |align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|24.4% ''145,898 |align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''74.9%''' ''447,906 |- |align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|[[United States presidential election, 2004|2004]] |align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|27.4% ''165,954 |align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''71.7%''' ''433,835 |- |align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|[[United States presidential election, 2000|2000]] |align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|22.0% ''122,052 |align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''75.0%''' ''416,967 |- |align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|[[United States presidential election, 1996|1996]] |align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|21.1% ''107,650 |align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''72.9%''' ''372,925 |- |align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|[[United States presidential election, 1992|1992]] |align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|28.3% ''157,561 |align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''62.9%''' ''349,520 |- |align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|[[United States presidential election, 1988|1988]] |align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|39.7% ''217,049 |align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''59.5%''' ''325,147 |- |align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|[[United States presidential election, 1984|1984]] |align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|46.4% ''285,477 |align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''53.3%''' ''328,379 |- |align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|[[United States presidential election, 1980|1980]] |align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|44.8% ''251,333 |align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''48.0%''' ''269,147 |- |align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|[[United States presidential election, 1976|1976]] |align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|38.9% ''244,396 |align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''60.5%''' ''379,907 |- |align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|[[United States presidential election, 1972|1972]] |align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|'''56.3%''' ''426,015 |align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|43.4% ''328,316 |- |align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|[[United States presidential election, 1968|1968]] |align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|40.0% ''306,620 |align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''53.6%''' ''410,546 |- |align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|[[United States presidential election, 1964|1964]] |align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|33.6% ''274,351 |align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''66.3%''' ''541,418 |- |align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|[[United States presidential election, 1960|1960]] |align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|45.1% ''367,688 |align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''54.7%''' ''446,348 |- |align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|[[United States presidential election, 1956|1956]] |align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|'''59.9%''' ''471,223 |align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|40.1% ''315,898 |} 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, who ran on both the Republican and Democratic Party tickets, has been the District Attorney of Queens County since 1991.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.queensda.org/ |title=Queens DA site |publisher=Queensda.org |date= |accessdate=March 28, 2012}}</ref> Queens has 12 seats on the [[New York City Council]], the second largest number among the five boroughs. It is divided into 14 community districts, each served by a local [[Community Boards of Queens|Community Board]]. Community Boards are representative bodies that field complaints and serve as advocates for local residents. Although Queens is heavily Democratic, it 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 Mayors [[Rudolph Giuliani]] and [[Michael Bloomberg]] won majorities in Queens. Republican State Senator [[Serphin Maltese]] represented a district in central and southern Queens for twenty years until his defeat in 2008 by Democratic City Councilman Joseph Addabbo. 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. However, Queens has not voted for a Republican candidate in a presidential election since 1972, when Queens voters chose [[Richard Nixon]] over [[George McGovern]]. Since the [[United States presidential election, 1996|1996 presidential election]], Democratic presidential candidates have received over 70% of the popular vote in Queens. ==Economy== [[File:LaGuardia Airport.JPG|thumb|250px|A multibillion-dollar reconstruction of [[LaGuardia Airport]] was announced in July 2015.<ref name=LaGuardiaReconstruction/>]] {{See also|Economy of New York City}} Queens has the second-largest economy of New York City's five boroughs, following Manhattan. In 2004, Queens had 15.2% (440,310) of all private sector jobs in New York City and 8.8% of private sector wages. Queens has the most diversified economy of the five boroughs, with occupations spread relatively evenly across the health care, retail trade, manufacturing, construction, transportation, and film and television production sectors, such that no single sector is overwhelmingly dominant.<ref name="state1"/> The diversification in Queens' economy is reflected in the large amount of employment in the [[export-oriented economy|export-oriented]] portions of its economy—such as transportation, manufacturing, and business services—that serve customers outside the region. This accounts for more than 27% of all Queens jobs and offers an average salary of $43,727, 14% greater than that of jobs in the locally oriented sector. The borough's largest employment sector—trade, transportation, and utilities—accounted for nearly 30% of all jobs in 2004. Queens is home to two of the three major New York City area airports, [[JFK International Airport]] and [[LaGuardia Airport]]. These airports are among the busiest in the world, leading the airspace above Queens to be the most congested in the country. This airline industry is particularly important to the economy of Queens, providing almost one quarter of the sector's employment and more than 30% of the sector's wages. Education and health services is the next largest sector in Queens and comprised almost 24% of the borough's jobs in 2004. The manufacturing and construction industries in Queens are the largest of the City and account for nearly 17% of the borough's private sector jobs. Comprising almost 17% of the jobs in Queens is the information, financial activities, and business and professional services sectors. {{As of|2003}}, Queens had almost 40,000 business establishments. Small businesses act as an important part of the borough's economic vitality with two thirds of all business employing between one and four people. Several large companies have their headquarters in Queens, including watchmaker [[Bulova]], based in [[Whitestone, Queens|East Elmhurst]]; internationally renowned piano manufacturer [[Steinway & Sons]] in Astoria; [[Glacéau]], the makers of Vitamin Water, headquartered in [[Whitestone, Queens|Whitestone]]; and [[JetBlue Airways]], an airline based in Long Island City. Long Island City is a major manufacturing and back office center. [[Whitestone, Queens|Flushing]] is a major commercial hub for [[Chinese American]] and [[Korean American]] businesses, while [[Jamaica, Queens|Jamaica]] is the major civic and transportation hub for the borough. ==Sports== [[File:Citi Field and Apple.JPG|thumb|250px|right|[[Citi Field]], the home of the [[New York Mets]], 2010]] [[File:US Open 2014 (15048888245).jpg|thumb|left|250px|[[Arthur Ashe Stadium]] interior, US Open 2014]] {{See also|Sports in New York City}} [[Citi Field]], home ballpark of the [[New York Mets]] of [[Major League Baseball]] is located in [[Flushing Meadows-Corona Park]]. [[Shea Stadium]], the former home of the Mets and the [[New York Jets]] of the [[National Football League]], as well as the temporary home of the [[New York Yankees]] and the [[New York Giants|New York Giants Football Team]] stood where Citi Field's parking lot is now located. The [[US Open (tennis)|US Open]] tennis tournament is played at the [[USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center]], located just south of Citi Field. [[Arthur Ashe Stadium]] is [[List of tennis stadiums by capacity|the biggest tennis stadium in the world]]. The US Open was formerly played at the [[West Side Tennis Club]] in [[Forest Hills, Queens|Forest Hills]].<ref>http://www.6sqft.com/a-history-of-the-us-open-in-new-york-from-the-west-side-tennis-club-to-arthur-ashe-stadium/</ref> Queens is also the home of [[Aqueduct Racetrack]], located in [[Ozone Park, Queens|Ozone Park]]. ==New York City Designated Landmarks== {{main|List of New York City Designated Landmarks in Queens}} {{Clear}} ==Transportation== {{See also|Transportation in New York City}} [[File:JFK Plane Queue.jpg|thumb|250px|[[John F. Kennedy International Airport|John F. Kennedy Airport]] in Queens, the [[Busiest airports in the United States by international passenger traffic|busiest international air passenger gateway]] to the United States.|alt=Five jumbo airplanes wait in a line on a runway next to a small body of water. Behind them in the distance is the airport and control tower.]] Queens has crucial importance in international and interstate air traffic. Two of the [[New York metropolitan area]]'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]]. According to the 2000 Census, 37.7% of all Queens households did not own a car. The citywide rate is 55%. Therefore, [[mass transit]] is also used.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tstc.org/reports/cpsheets/Queens_factsheet.pdf |title=Queens (factsheet) |year=2007 |publisher=Tri‐State Transportation Campaign and the Pratt Center for Community Development |accessdate=March 28, 2012}}</ref> ===Public transport=== {{See also|Public transportation in New York City}} [[File:NYCSub 7 station view.jpg|thumb|250px|right|[[46th Street – Bliss Street (IRT Flushing Line)|46th Street – Bliss Street subway station]]]] [[File:Bombardier M7 7799 enters Flushing.jpg|thumb|250px|right|[[Flushing – Main Street (LIRR station)|Flushing – Main Street LIRR station]]]] Twelve [[New York City Subway]] routes traverse Queens, serving [[List of New York City Subway stations in Queens|81 stations on seven main lines]]. The {{NYCS|A}}, {{NYCS|G}}, {{NYCS|J/Z}}, and {{NYCS|M}} routes connect Queens to Brooklyn without going through Manhattan first. The {{NYCS|F}}, M, {{NYCS|N}}, {{NYCS|Q}}, and {{NYCS|R}} trains connect Queens and Brooklyn via Manhattan, while the {{NYCS|E}} and {{NYCS|7}}/{{NYCS|7d|&lt;7&gt;}} trains connect Queens to Manhattan only. Trains on the M service go through Queens twice in the same trip; both of its full-length termini, in [[Middle Village – Metropolitan Avenue (BMT Myrtle Avenue Line)|Middle Village]] and [[Forest Hills – 71st Avenue (IND Queens Boulevard Line)|Forest Hills]], are in Queens. A commuter train system, the [[Long Island Rail Road]], operates 22 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 [[NJ Transit]] for intercity and commuter trains from Penn Station in Manhattan. [[61st Street – Woodside (IRT Flushing Line)|61st Street – Woodside]] acts as one of the many LIRR connections to the [[New York City Subway]]. The elevated [[AirTrain JFK|AirTrain]] [[people mover]] system connects JFK International Airport to the New York City Subway and the Long Island Rail Road; a separate AirTrain system is planned alongside the [[Grand Central Parkway]] to connect LaGuardia Airport to these transit systems.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/cuomo-announces-plan-building-airtrain-laguardia-airport-article-1.2085807 |title=Andrew Cuomo announces $450M plan to build AirTrain connecting LaGuardia Airport to the subway |author=Erin Durkin |publisher=NYDailyNews.com |date=January 20, 2015 |accessdate=January 21, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Honan |first=Katie |title=Cuomo Announces AirTrain to LaGuardia Airport from Subway, LIRR |url=http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20150120/east-elmhurst/cuomo-announces-airtrain-laguardia-airport-from-subway-lirr |work=DNAinfo |accessdate=January 20, 2015}}</ref> Plans were announced in July 2015 to entirely rebuild LaGuardia Airport itself in a multibillion-dollar project to replace its aging facilities, and this project would accommodate the new AirTrain connection.<ref name=LaGuardiaReconstruction>{{cite news |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/28/nyregion/la-guardia-airport-to-be-rebuilt-by-2021-cuomo-and-biden-say.html |title=La Guardia Airport to Be Overhauled by 2021, Cuomo and Biden Say |author=Patrick McGeehan |newspaper=The New York Times |date=July 27, 2015 |accessdate=July 28, 2015}}</ref> About [[List of bus routes in Queens|100 local bus routes]] operate within Queens, and another 15 express routes shuttle commuters between Queens and Manhattan, under the [[MTA Regional Bus Operations|MTA New York City Bus and MTA Bus]] brands. A [[streetcar]] line [[Brooklyn Queens Connector|connecting Queens with Brooklyn]] was proposed by the city in February 2016, with the planned timeline calling for service to begin around 2024. ===Roads=== ====Highways==== 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. <gallery> File:59thstbridge2007.jpg|[[Queensboro Bridge]] File:Aerial View of the Throgs Neck Bridge.jpg|[[Throgs Neck Bridge]] File:Air Train JFK Van Wyck jeh.jpg|[[Air Train JFK]] path above the [[Van Wyck Expressway]] File:Queens-Midtown Tunnel 4.JPG|[[Queens-Midtown Tunnel]] File:Jfkairport.jpg|The road alongside [[TWA Flight Center]] within JFK Airport </gallery> ====Streets==== [[Image:Parsons jewel.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Standard cross-street signs for a single-named Boulevard and a co-named Avenue, in Queens]] 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 and 72nd Lane, 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). 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 (Queens)|Hillside Avenue]], and [[Jamaica Avenue (Queens)|Jamaica Avenue]]) carry names rather than numbers, typically though not uniformly called "Boulevards" or "Parkways". The structure of a Queens address was designed to provide convenience in locating the address itself; the first half of a number in a Queens address refers to the nearest cross street, the second half refers to the house or lot number from where the street begins from that cross street, followed by the name of the street itself. For example, to find an address in Queens, 14-01 120th Street, one could ascertain from the address structure itself that the listed address is at the intersection of 14th Avenue and 120th Street, and that the address must be closest to 14th Avenue rather than 15th Avenue, as it is the first lot on the block. This pattern doesn't stop when a street is named, assuming that there is an existing numbered cross-street. For example, [[Queens College]] is situated at 65–30 Kissena Boulevard, and is so named because the cross-street closest to the entrance is 65th Avenue. Th 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. The Topographical Bureau, Borough of Queens, worked out the details. Subway stations were only partly renamed, and some, including those along the [[IRT Flushing Line]] ({{NYCS trains|Flushing}}), now share dual names after the original street names.<ref>[http://www.junipercivic.com/historyArticle.asp?nid=74#.VHXch8m25KK Bringing Order Out of Chaos in Street Naming and House Numbering], by Charles U. Powell, Engineer in Charge, Topographical Bureau, Borough of Queens, February 1928</ref> In 2012, some numbered streets in the [[Douglaston Hill Historic District]] were renamed to their original names, with 43rd Avenue becoming Pine Street.<ref name="nyt-2012-03-26">{{cite news |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/27/nyregion/in-douglaston-queens-turning-away-from-numbered-streets.html?src=recg |title=In Queens, Taking a Step Back From Numbered Streets |last=Sarah Maslin Nir |date=March 26, 2012 |work=The New York Times |accessdate=March 28, 2012}}</ref> 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. Streets in [[Bayswater]], which is on Jamaica Bay, has its numbered streets prefixed with the word "Bay" rather than "Beach". Another deviation 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. Broad Channel's streets were a continuation of the mainland Queens grid in the 1950s; formerly the highest numbered avenue in Queens was 208th Avenue rather today's 165th Avenue in Howard Beach & Hamilton Beach. 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 with the [[Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn|Bedford-Stuyvesant]] grid at Broadway. All streets on the grid have names. ====Bridges and tunnels==== {{see also|List of bridges and tunnels in New York City}} [[File:Hell Gate and Triborough Bridges New York City Queens.jpg|thumb|right|250px|[[Triborough Bridge]]]] Queens is connected to the Bronx by the [[Bronx–Whitestone Bridge]], the [[Throgs Neck Bridge]], the [[Triborough Bridge|Triborough (Robert F. Kennedy) Bridge]], and the [[Hell Gate Bridge]]. Queens is connected to Manhattan Island by the [[Robert F. Kennedy Bridge]], the [[Queensboro Bridge]], and the [[Queens Midtown Tunnel]], as well as to [[Roosevelt Island]] by the [[Roosevelt Island Bridge]]. While most of the Queens/Brooklyn border is on land, the [[Kosciuszko Bridge (New York City)|Kosciuszko Bridge]] crosses the [[Newtown Creek]] connecting [[Maspeth, Queens|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 J. J. Byrne Memorial Bridge (a.k.a. [[Greenpoint Avenue Bridge]]) connects the sections of [[Greenpoint Avenue]] in Greenpoint and Long Island City. A lesser bridge connects [[Grand Street and Grand Avenue|Grand Avenue in Queens to Grand Street in Brooklyn]]. The [[Cross Bay Veterans Memorial Bridge]] traverses Jamaica Bay to connect the Rockaway Peninsula to the rest of Queens. [[Marine Parkway–Gil Hodges Memorial Bridge]] links the western part of the Peninsula with [[Flatbush Avenue]], Brooklyn's longest thoroughfare. Both crossings were built and continue to be operated by what is now known as [[Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority|MTA Bridges and Tunnels]]. The [[IND Rockaway Line]] parallels the Cross Bay, has a mid-bay station at [[Broad Channel]] which is just a short walk from the [[Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge]], now part of [[Gateway National Recreation Area]] and a major stop on the [[Atlantic Flyway]]. ===Waterways=== [[File:Small tankers unload Newtown Creek.JPG|left|thumb|300px|[[Newtown Creek]] with the Midtown Manhattan skyline in the background.]] 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]]. In 2007, limited weekday service was begun between [[Breezy Point, Queens|Breezy Point]], the westernmost point in the Rockaways, to Pier 11 via the [[Brooklyn Army Terminal]]. Summertime weekend service provides service from Lower Manhattan and southwest Brooklyn to the peninsula's [[Gateway National Recreation Area|Gateway]] beaches. In the [[Effects of Hurricane Sandy in New York|aftermath]] of [[Hurricane Sandy]] on October 29, 2012, massive infrastructure damage to the [[IND Rockaway Line]] ({{NYCS trains|Rockaway}}) south of the [[Howard Beach – JFK Airport (IND Rockaway Line)|Howard Beach – JFK Airport]] station severed all direct subway connections between the [[Rockaway Peninsula]] and [[Broad Channel, Queens]] and the Queens mainland for many months. Ferry operator [[SeaStreak]] began running a city-subsidized ferry service between a makeshift ferry slip at Beach 108th Street and [[Beach Channel Drive]] in [[Rockaway Park, Queens]], and [[Pier 11/Wall Street]], then continuing on to the [[East 34th Street Ferry Landing]]. In August 2013, a stop was added at [[Brooklyn Army Terminal]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.seastreakusa.com/viewpage.aspx?page=Brooklyn |title=Seastreak Ferry New Jersey, New York and New Bedford, Martha's Vineyard |publisher=Seastreakusa.com |date= |accessdate=April 20, 2014}}</ref> Originally intended as just a stopgap alternative transportation measure until subway service was restored to the Rockaways, the ferry proved to be popular with both commuters and tourists and was extended several times, as city officials evaluated the ridership numbers to determine whether to establish the service on a permanent basis. Between its inception and December 2013, the service had carried close to 200,000 riders.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20140120/rockaway-beach/rockaway-ferry-floats-on-through-may-but-trip-will-cost-nearly-double |title=Rockaway Ferry Floats On Through May, But Trip Will Cost Nearly Double - Rockaway Beach - DNAinfo.com New York |publisher=Dnainfo.com |date=January 20, 2014 |accessdate=April 20, 2014}}</ref> When the city government announced its budget in late June 2014 for the upcoming fiscal year beginning July 1, the ferry only received a $2 million further appropriation, enough to temporarily extend it again through October, but did not receive the approximately $8 million appropriation needed to keep the service running for the full fiscal year.<ref>http://www.amny.com/transit/rockaway-ferry-service-only-funded-through-october-1.8582809</ref> Despite last-minute efforts by local transportation advocates, civic leaders and elected officials, ferry service ended on October 31, 2014. They promised to continue efforts to have the service restored.<ref>http://pix11.com/2014/11/01/end-of-ferry-leaves-rockaway-a-transportation-desert/</ref> ==Education== {{See also|Education in New York City|List of high schools in New York City#Queens}} ===Elementary and secondary education=== Elementary and secondary school 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. Most private schools are affiliated to or identify themselves with the [[Roman Catholic]] or [[Jewish]] religious communities. [[Townsend Harris High School]] is a Queens public magnet high school for the humanities consistently ranked as among the top 100 high schools in the United States. ===Postsecondary institutions=== [[Image:Rosenthal Faisal.jpg|thumb|[[Queens College, New York|Queens College]] is part of the [[City University of New York]].]] *[[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]]. *[[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. *[[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|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]] and the Queens College School for Math, Science, and Technology (PS/IS 499). *[[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. *[[St. John's University (New York City)|St. John's University]] is a private, coeducational Roman Catholic university founded in 1870 by the [[Vincentian Family|Vincentian Fathers]]. With over 19,000 students, St. John's is known for its pharmacy, business and law programs as well as its men's basketball and soccer teams. *[[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. *[[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]]. ===Queens Library=== [[File:QPL Flushing jeh.JPG|thumb|right|250px|A branch of the [[Queens Library]] in [[Flushing, Queens|Flushing]].]] 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. ==Notable people== {{see also|:Category:People from Queens, New York|List of people from New York City}} Various public figures have grown up or lived in Queens.<ref>Ojito, Mirta. [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9402EFD91E39F93BA3575AC0A9679C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=3 "CAMPAIGNING FOR CITY HALL: THE BATTLEGROUND; Gauging the Vote of the Satisfied"], ''[[The New York Times]]'', September 8, 2001. Accessed November 11, 2007.</ref> Musicians who have lived in the borough include singer [[Nadia Ali]],<ref>Nadia Ali [http://www.nadiaali.com/bio/bio.html Nadia Ali's Biography] Accessed July 7, 2010. "Nadia Ali was born in the Mediterranean and grew up in Queens, New York City." {{wayback|url=http://www.nadiaali.com/bio/bio.html |date=20110714150615 }}</ref> rappers [[LL Cool J]], [[Nas]], [[Ja Rule]], [[50 Cent]], [[Run–D.M.C.]], [[Nicki Minaj]], [[Rich The Kid]], [[Simon & Garfunkel]]<ref name = "Simon & Garfunkel">{{cite web |url=http://www.simonandgarfunkel.net/history-of-simon-and-garfunkel |title=Simon and Garfunkel were raised in Forest Hills, Queens, New York, and lived within walking distance of one another. |publisher=Simonandgarfunkel.net |date= |accessdate=April 20, 2014}}</ref> and [[Johnny Ramone]].<ref>Silverman, Stephen M. [http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,697848,00.html "Punk Rock Legend Johnny Ramone Dies at 55"], ''[[People (American magazine)|People]]'', September 16, 2004. Accessed June 2, 2009. "Johnny Ramone, 55, was born John Cummings and grew up in Forest Hills, N.Y., soaking up rock in the '60s but then moving to an edgier sound."</ref> Actors such as [[Adrien Brody]],<ref>[http://www.cnn.com/2003/SHOWBIZ/03/25/showbuzz/ "Brody's friend's parents proud"], [[CNN.com]], March 25, 2003. Accessed May 17, 2007. "Brody, who grew up in Woodhaven, and Zarobinski, a native of Rego Park, attended the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School for Performing Arts together, where Brody studied acting and Zarobinski studied drawing." {{wayback|url=http://www.cnn.com/2003/SHOWBIZ/03/25/showbuzz/ |date=20080308164023 }}</ref> and [[Lucy Liu]]<ref>Ogunnaike, Lola. [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9906E5D7133FF930A25753C1A9659C8B63 "The Perks and Pitfalls Of a Ruthless-Killer Role; Lucy Liu Boosts the Body Count in New Film"], ''[[The New York Times]]'', October 13, 2003. Accessed October 25, 2007. "Born in Jackson Heights, Queens, Ms. Liu, the daughter of working-class Chinese immigrants, recalled many an afternoon spent parked in front of a television set."</ref> and [[Idina Menzel]]<ref name="nydaily-15nov2005">{{Cite news |last=Neumaier |first=Joe |title=RENT CONTROL. One part original, one part newcomer |publisher=''[[Daily News (New York)]]'' |date=November 15, 2005 |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/nydn-features/rent-control-part-original-part-newcomer-article-1.640767 |accessdate=March 17, 2014}}</ref> have been born and/or raised in Queens. Porn star [[Ron Jeremy]] was born in Queens.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/gossip/ron-jeremy-holding-pattern-aneurysm-article-1.1252201 |title=Ron Jeremy's dad says porn star in 'holding pattern,' on respirator after heart aneurysm |publisher=NY Daily News |date=January 31, 2013 |accessdate=April 20, 2014}}</ref> Actor [[Mae West]] has also lived in Queens.<ref>[http://www.newsday.com/about/ny-ihiny041505story,0,5288754.htmlstory "1855: Union Course Tavern, Oldest Bar in Queens, Opens"], ''[[Newsday]]''. Accessed May 17, 2007. "There is a painting of Mae West, who lived in Woodhaven and performed at the tavern, on the door." {{wayback|url=http://www.newsday.com/about/ny-ihiny041505story,0,5288754.htmlstory |date=20110605040010 }}</ref> Physician [[Joshua Prager (doctor)|Joshua Prager]] was born in Whitestone.<ref>http://www.neuromodulation.org/uploads/files/AnnMtg/NANS12_ConfBro_final_for_web_highres.pdf</ref> Mafia boss [[John Gotti]] lived in Queens for many years.<ref>[http://archives.cnn.com/2002/US/06/10/john.gotti/ 'Dapper Don' John Gotti dead: Brought down by the Bull], [[CNN.com]], June 11, 2002. {{wayback|url=http://archives.cnn.com/2002/US/06/10/john.gotti/ |date=20150202205419 }}</ref> [[Donald Trump]], a [[real estate]] [[billionaire]], [[socialite]], and [[2016 United States Presidential election|2016]] U.S. presidential candidate for the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]], was born in Queens and raised in Jamaica Estates.<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/23/us/politics/donald-trumps-old-queens-neighborhood-now-a-melting-pot-was-seen-as-a-cloister.html "Donald Trump’s Old Queens Neighborhood Contrasts With the Diverse Area Around It"]. ''The New York Times''. September 22, 2015. Retrieved April 30, 2016.</ref><ref>[http://politics.blogs.foxnews.com/2011/03/28/donald-trump-proves-he-was-born-queens "Donald Trump Proves He Was Born In Queens"]. Fox News Channel. March 28, 2011. Accessed April 30, 2016.</ref> Queens has also been home to athletes such as professional basketball player [[Rafer Alston]]<ref>Litsky, Frank. [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C04E0DD1E38F936A15750C0A96E958260 "Basketball: N.I.T.; Minnesota Will Meet Penn State for the Title"], The New York Times'', March 25, 1998. Accessed October 18, 2007. "Rafer Alston, the junior point guard from South Jamaica, Queens, explained it this way..."</ref> Basketball players [[Kareem Abdul-Jabbar]]<ref name = "Kareem Abdul-Jabbar">(born Lew Alcindor)</ref><ref>http://www.biography.com/people/kareem-abdul-jabbar-9174053</ref> and [[Metta World Peace]]<ref name = "Metta World Peace">(born Ron Artest)</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Aasen |first=Adam |url=http://www.idsnews.com/news/story.aspx?id=39502 |title=The man behind the melee &#124; Sports &#124; Indiana Daily Student |publisher=Idsnews.com |date= |accessdate=April 20, 2014}}</ref> were both born in Queens. Olympic Athlete [[Bob Beamon]].<ref>Williams, Lena. [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=980CE7D91338F932A35752C0A9669C8B63 "Track and Field; Soothing an Old Ache"], ''[[The New York Times]]'', January 1, 2000. Accessed November 7, 2007. "Neither the outpouring of affection from an adoring public nor the love he finally found after four failed marriages could make up for the neglect and physical abuse he suffered as a child growing up in South Jamaica, Queens."</ref> Tennis star [[John McEnroe]]<ref name = "John McEnroe">http://www.biography.com/people/john-mcenroe-9391860</ref> was born in Douglaston. Fictional [[Marvel Comics]] character [[Spider-Man]] is also portrayed as a native of Queens. ==See also== {{Portal|New York City|New York}} * [[List of counties in New York]] * [[National Register of Historic Places listings in Queens County, New York]] ==Notes== {{notelist}} ==References== {{Reflist|30em}} ==Further reading== * Copquin, Claudia Gryvatz. ''The Neighborhoods of Queens'' (Yale University Press, 2007); Guide to 99 neighborhoods * Glascock, Mary A. ''An Annotated Bibliography of the History of Queens County, New York'' (Queens College, 1977) 218 pages * Lieberman, Janet E. and Richard K. Lieberman. ''City Limits: A Social History of Queens'' (Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company, 1983) * McGovern, Brendan, and John W. Frazier. "Evolving Ethnic Settlements in Queens: Historical and Current Forces Reshaping Human Geography." ''Focus on Geography'' (2015) 58#1 pp: 11-26. * Miyares, Ines M. "From Exclusionary Covenant to Ethnic Hyperdiversity in Jackson Heights, Queens*." ''Geographical Review'' (2004) 94#4 pp: 462-483. * ''History of Queens County, New York'' (WW Munsell, 1882) ==External links== {{Commons category|Queens, New York City}} {{Wikivoyage|Queens}} *[http://www.queensbp.org/content_web/tourism/tourism_history.shtml Official History Page of the Queens Borough President's Office] *[http://www.laguardiawagnerarchive.lagcc.cuny.edu/COLLECTIONS.aspx?ViwType=1&ColID=3 La Guardia and Wagner Archives/Queens Local History Collection] *[https://web.archive.org/web/20110615113247/http://www.queenstribune.com/feature/TheyCameFromQueens.html They Came from Queens. Long list] compiled by the [[Queens Tribune]]. *[http://queensbuzz.com/history-historical-sites-in-queens-cms-644 Queens Buzz] {{Geographic location |Centre = Queens County, New York |North = [[The Bronx|Bronx County <br/>(The Bronx)]] |Northeast = [[Long Island Sound]] |East = [[Nassau County, New York|Nassau County]] |South = [[Atlantic Ocean]] |Southwest = [[Brooklyn|Kings County <br/>(Brooklyn)]] |West = [[Brooklyn|Kings County <br/>(Brooklyn)]] |Northwest = [[Manhattan|New York County <br/>(Manhattan)]] |Southeast = [[Nassau County, New York|Nassau County]] }} {{navboxes|list= {{Queens}} {{New York City}} {{New York metropolitan area}} {{Long Island region}} {{New York}} }} [[Category:Queens, New York| ]] [[Category:Boroughs of New York City]] [[Category:Populated coastal places in New York]] [[Category:1683 establishments in New York]] [[Category:Populated places established in 1683]]'