129-673: The Queens Ledger is a weekly newspaper headquartered in the Woodside section of Queens , New York City, for 140-years. The news group publishes eight weekly newspapers, including The Greenpoint Star , Brooklyn Downtown Star , The Leader Observer of Woodhaven , Glendale Register , Astoria/LIC Journal , Forest Hills Times , and Queens Examiner . The Queens Ledger is published every Thursday on 42 newsstands and serves many areas in Queens , including Maspeth, Middle Village, Woodside, Elmhurst, and Ridgewood. The Queens Ledger printed newspapers have
258-453: A gross leasable area of 1,000,000 square feet (93,000 m ), the mall has had retail sales per square foot nearly triple the national average. It was built on land previously occupied by a 24-ride children's amusement park named Fairyland , which opened in 1949 and closed in 1968. The site was also formerly a supermarket and automobile parking. The smaller Queens Place, bounded by Queens Boulevard and by Justice, 55th, and 56th Avenues,
387-634: A German family that had settled in Queens while it was still part of New Netherland . The Kelly family was linked to A. P. Riker's by marriage. Riker, a customs officer, was John A. Kelly's son-in-law. Members of the Kelly family were publishers, and it may not be a coincidence that the agent with whom the Kellys contracted for development of Woodside farmland was a publisher of sheet music , periodicals, and "subscription books" named Benjamin W. Hitchcock. Hitchcock had
516-556: A circulation of 150,000, and is published weekly. Its publisher, since 1986, is Walter H. Sanchez of BQE Media. The Queens Ledger was founded in 1873. In 1941, The Queen Legister entered into a partnership with the Long Island Register . In July 2000, Queens Ledger columnist Frank Borzellieri wrote a column comparing Queens representative of the New York Board of Education Terri Thomson to Adolf Hitler . Borzellieri
645-402: A considerably larger population upon its 1896 foundation. The number of church members, originally 300, quickly grew and was reported to be 1,000 in 1902. In addition to its other advantages, prospective home buyers were enticed by Woodside's places of entertainment. One of its first businesses was a brewery, which had long possessed rooms where men could gather and drink. In the second half of
774-556: A corporation presided over by a local resident, John C. Jackson, built a gravel-topped toll road between Flushing and the ferry at Hunters Point. The Plank Road disappeared during construction projects of the later 19th century but Northern Boulevard tracks closely resemble the route of Jackson Avenue. The improvements in transportation that initially benefited agriculture eventually led to its decline. As it became quicker and more convenient for residents to travel from their homes to other parts of Queens, to Brooklyn, and to Manhattan,
903-579: A family, the Moores, who had lived for more than a century and a half on what would become the northern part of what would become Woodside. He intended to subdivide, but became insolvent and, in 1867, died. His heirs sold the property to two carpenters, Henry G. Schmidt and Emil Cuntz, who, in 1871, deeded their property to an organization known as the Bricklayers' Cooperative Building Association. This organization seems not to have been what its name suggests since it
1032-644: A finance magnate who directed the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad and the New York Municipal Railways System ; Harding encouraged city planner Robert Moses 's system of parkways on New York, and after Harding died, the boulevard—now the service road of the Long Island Expressway —was renamed after him. Horse Brook Island is a traffic island at the intersection of 90th Street, Justice Avenue, and 56th Avenue. The traffic island
1161-422: A flair for publicity and innovative sales techniques. Once the area had been surveyed and 972 plots laid out, he organized excursions from the city, hired brass bands to play, and gave prospects free lunch. The first sales event took place on February 18, 1869. Hitchcock priced empty lots at $ 300. Employing an innovative sales technique, he sold them on the installment plan. Purchasers made a down payment and owed $ 10
1290-539: A floor, most of them having four rooms. Rents initially ranged from $ 18 to $ 20 a month. Located just as close to the trains, but on the other side of the village, the Metropolitan Life apartment project was more ambitious. Consisting of ten five-story buildings, the project had space for four hundred families. The Woodside Development Corporation built four-story apartments with stores on the ground floor and both two- and one-family houses on two large plots of land near
1419-516: A high population of residents who are uninsured . In 2018, this population of uninsured residents was estimated to be 25%, which is higher than the citywide rate of 12%. The concentration of fine particulate matter , the deadliest type of air pollutant , in Elmhurst and Corona is 0.0077 milligrams per cubic metre (7.7 × 10 oz/cu ft), slightly higher than the city average. Fifteen percent of Elmhurst and Corona residents are smokers , which
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#17331211840401548-479: A hill. The land for the park was formerly occupied by gas tanks. The park itself was opened in 2011. It includes the Queens Vietnam Veterans Memorial , which was finished in 2019. Moore Homestead Park is located between Broadway and 45th Avenue. There is a children's playground with slides and swings and there are different sections where people can play basketball, handball, and chess. The park
1677-628: A hub for railroad (the Long Island Rail Road's Main Line electrified in 1908), elevated rapid transit (the joint IRT/BRT Corona and Woodside Line , 1917), and electrified trolleys (Newtown Railway Company, 1895, and New York and Queens County Line , 1896). With the incorporation of Queens into New York City in 1898 and subsequent passage of legislation mandating a five-cent citywide transit fare in 1904, Woodside residents had both abundant and inexpensive options for rapid public transportation. In fact
1806-403: A large Dominican and Latino population. Reflecting its longtime diverse foods and drink, the neighborhood is filled with many cultural restaurants and pubs. It is also home to some of the city's most popular Thai, Filipino, Colombian, and Ecuadorian eateries. Woodside's diversity lends itself to a number of festivals and street fairs. It commemorates Saint Patrick's Day with a parade prior to
1935-413: A last large tract of undeveloped land was made available for construction of garden apartments when a portion of the 10-acre Windmuller Estate was sold to developers. A community profile, published in 1943, characterized Woodside (along with Winfield, its neighbor to the south) as "a district of small homes and middle incomes." The area still had few apartment buildings and very little industry. Although
2064-502: A local newspaper during the 1850s and 1860s. In 1899 one of the original purchasers told a reporter than he had bought a lot with a tiny house on it, only 20' wide by 16' deep. The price was $ 480, and he paid $ 125 down and $ 10 a month until he'd paid off the note. Hitchcock had an instinct for spectacle akin to P.T. Barnum 's. After his success with Woodside he undertook similar real estate promotions in other parts of Queens including hamlets that he dubbed Corona and Ozone Park. When
2193-468: A mix of private homes, small apartment buildings and the occasional towering co-op." The population was about 1,800 in 1880; 3,900 in 1900; 15,000 in 1920; and 41,000 in 1930. By 1963 it had grown to about 55,600, and by 2000, the population had risen to 90,000. In 2008 the chairman of the local Community Board said that large apartment buildings were replacing smaller ones and single-family homes were being converted into multifamily rental properties. At
2322-445: A month until the note was paid off. He took a 25% commission on each sale. To entice purchasers he sold lottery tickets with first option on choice lots as one set of prizes. Other prizes included option to purchase one of five houses already built on the property. It may have been he or perhaps Kelly who gave the name "Woodside" to the area. A member of the Kelly family, John A. F. Kelly, had used it in occasional pieces he had written for
2451-462: A more picturesque locality." Another observer of this time praised Woodside's "pure atmosphere and delightful scenery." In the 19th century, the area was part of the Town of Newtown (now Elmhurst ). The adjacent area of Winfield was largely incorporated into the post office serving Woodside and as a consequence Winfield lost much of its identity distinct from Woodside. Some idea of the bucolic nature of
2580-524: A natural meeting place, its surface one on which to tack public notices, and a strategic point of considerable military significance during the Revolutionary War. A 19th-century antiquarian wrote of the great tree as it stood during the American Revolution and in doing so named the families of the local landowners: Around the roots of the old tree were the huts and stables of the cavalry: with
2709-556: A non-fatal assault rate of 34 per 100,000 people, Corona and Elmhurst's rate of violent crimes per capita is less than that of the city as a whole. The incarceration rate of 227 per 100,000 people is lower than that of the city as a whole. The 110th Precinct has a lower crime rate than in the 1990s, with crimes across all categories having decreased by 83.2% between 1990 and 2020. The precinct reported 4 murders, 29 rapes, 270 robberies, 359 felony assaults, 196 burglaries, 485 grand larcenies, and 138 grand larcenies auto in 2020. Elmhurst
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#17331211840402838-474: A number of settler's huts ranged in woods... Great festivities too were constant in the spacious rooms of the old Moore house, during the winter months when the snow was deeper and the frost more cold than now-a-days. To the streaming lights from the ball room, and the lanterns hung on the trees, were wont to assemble the gay sleighing parties from the Sacket [i.e. Sackett], Morrell, Alsop, Leverich and other houses; for
2967-492: A public demonstration may not be compelled by the state to include groups who impart a message the organizers do not want to be presented by their demonstration. In the wake of these court rulings, Brendan Fay founds the Lavender and Green Alliance (LAG), which organizes an inclusive event "open to anybody who wished to celebrate the spirit of Irishness and their connections to Ireland" and name it "St. Pat's for All". The slogan of
3096-413: A strong Irish culture today. In the early 1990s, many Asian American families include a large Filipino community moved into the area, and as a result the current population is 30% Asian American. South Asians and Latinos have also moved to Woodside in recent years. Reflecting its longtime diverse cuisines, the neighborhood is filled with many cultural restaurants and pubs. It is also home to some of
3225-477: A strong Muslim community and is home of a large, multipurpose organization, the Islamic Institute of New York. Among St. Sebastian Mass-goers, a priest reports that are about 45% are Hispanic (particularly from Colombia and Mexico), 25% Irish, 25% Filipino, and 5% Korean. In 1999, Woodsiders came from 49 countries and spoke 34 different languages. In the early 1990s, many Asian American families moved into
3354-674: A virtuous growth cycle, as more prospective employees moved into the borough. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Woodside residents could find employment to the east in Brooklyn, to the north in College Point , and, especially, to the west. Hunters Point, Sunnyside, and other west-Queens communities possessed foundries, rail yards, chemical works, and numerous factories, including the famous Steinway Piano factory. When, in 1870, these communities formed themselves into Long Island City opportunities for employment grew rapidly, so much so that by
3483-439: A wide at-grade highway that stretches from Long Island City to Jamaica , was formerly composed of two small dirt roads: Old Jamaica Road and Hoffman Boulevard. In the 1910s, it was paved and widened to 12 lanes. It is sometimes called the "Boulevard of Death" because of the high fatality rate on Queens Boulevard. The majority of Whitney Avenue, which stretches from 83rd Street in the west to Roosevelt Avenue and 93rd Street to
3612-700: A wide variety of retail options. One newspaper article published in 1926 singled out its school, P.S. 11, as "one of the leading public schools in Queens." As in nearby communities of the time, religious observance played an important role in the lives of Woodside residents, and its churches both reflected this importance and signaled welcome to prospective newcomers. Riker's 1852 map of Newtown shows an Episcopal, Methodist Episcopal, and Presbyterian church in Newtown Village or Winfield. [1] In 1854 St. Mary's Winfield, today's Blessed Virgin Mary Help of Christians, became
3741-524: Is about the same as the city's average of 87%. In 2018, 68% of residents described their health as "good", "very good", or "excellent", lower than the city's average of 78%. For every supermarket in Elmhurst and Corona, there are 16 bodegas . The Elmhurst Hospital Center is located in Elmhurst. In March 2020, Elmhurst Hospital became the "center of the center" of the COVID-19 pandemic in New York state as
3870-461: Is also very highly populated by Mandarin speakers, although many also speak other varieties of Chinese . Since the 2000s, Elmhurst Chinatown has expanded to the neighborhood of Corona, Queens . Elmhurst and Corona are patrolled by the 110th Precinct of the NYPD , located at 94-41 43rd Avenue. The 110th Precinct ranked 15th safest out of 69 patrol areas for per-capita crime in 2010. As of 2018 , with
3999-410: Is designed in a cylindrical shape and opened in 1965. Originally planned as a traditional rectangular construction designed to replace several blocks of residences, the mall had to be redesigned because the owner of the corner house at 55th Avenue and Queens Boulevard, Mary Sendek, refused to sell what had been her childhood home. The site of the corner home was demolished after Sendek died, and that site
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4128-411: Is equal to the city average of 14% of residents being smokers. In Elmhurst and Corona, 20% of residents are obese , 9% are diabetic , and 23% have high blood pressure —compared to the citywide averages of 20%, 14%, and 24% respectively. In addition, 24% of children are obese, compared to the citywide average of 20%. Eighty-eight percent of residents eat some fruits and vegetables every day, which
4257-767: Is higher than the median life expectancy of 81.2 for all New York City neighborhoods. Most inhabitants are middle-aged adults and youth: 17% are between the ages of 0 and 17, 39% between 25 and 44, and 24% between 45 and 64. The ratio of college-aged and elderly residents was lower, at 8% and 12% respectively. As of 2017, the median household income in Community Board 4 was $ 51,992. In 2018, an estimated 27% of Elmhurst and Corona residents lived in poverty, compared to 19% in all of Queens and 20% in all of New York City. One in fourteen residents (7%) were unemployed, compared to 8% in Queens and 9% in New York City. Rent burden, or
4386-650: Is higher than the median life expectancy of 81.2 for all New York City neighborhoods. Most inhabitants are middle-aged adults and youth: 17% are between the ages of 0–17, 39% between 25 and 44, and 24% between 45 and 64. The ratio of college-aged and elderly residents was lower, at 8% and 12% respectively. As of 2017, the median household income in Community Board 2 was $ 67,359. In 2018, an estimated 20% of Woodside and Sunnyside residents lived in poverty, compared to 19% in all of Queens and 20% in all of New York City. One in twenty residents (5%) were unemployed, compared to 8% in Queens and 9% in New York City. Rent burden, or
4515-553: Is named after a nearby homestead owned by Clement Clarke Moore , whose ancestor John Moore helped negotiate Newtown's land area with the Native American population there. The park, originally acquired by the Independent Subway System and then turned into a playground, was renovated in the 1990s, and again in the 2020s. Frank D. O'Connor Playground is located on Broadway between Woodside Avenue and 78th Street. There
4644-587: Is now a small collection of stores. 57th Avenue was known as the Flushing and Newtown Turnpike. Built in 1801, it connected with present-day Flushing Avenue in Maspeth , and extended all the way to Williamsburg, Brooklyn . The Elks Lodge's name is shared by a local street, Elks Road, a short road in a cluster of 2- and 3-story orange and yellow brick buildings located between Grand Avenue, 79th Street, and Calamus Avenue, that were built in 1930 by Louis Allmendinger for
4773-536: Is reminiscent of the former Horse Brook , a creek that flowed to the Flushing River from the present-day intersection of Kneeland Avenue and Codwise Place. The space was renovated from 1986 to 1994. Justice Avenue, an Elmhurst road that has existed since the American colonial period , follows an unusual curved path through Elmhurst due to a now-defunct railroad line immediately to the south. Queens Boulevard ,
4902-534: Is served by two New York City Fire Department (FDNY) fire stations: FDNY EMS Station 46 is located on the grounds of Elmhurst Hospital Center. As of 2018 , preterm births are less common in Elmhurst and Corona than in other places citywide, but births to teenage mothers are more common. In Elmhurst and Corona, there were 83 preterm births per 1,000 live births (compared to 87 per 1,000 citywide), and 25.8 births to teenage mothers per 1,000 live births (compared to 19.3 per 1,000 citywide). Elmhurst and Corona have
5031-650: Is the second largest in Queens, the other Chinatown being located in Flushing . Previously a small area with Chinese shops on Broadway between 81st Street and Cornish Avenue, this newly evolved second Chinatown in Queens has now expanded to 45th Avenue and Whitney Avenue and is developing as a satellite of the Flushing Chinatown. In Chinese translation, Elmhurst is named 艾浒 (Àihǔ in Standard Chinese ). There are also many other Southeast Asian businesses and shops in
5160-602: The 2010 United States Census , the population of Elmhurst was 88,427, an increase of 455 (0.5%) from the 87,972 counted in 2000 . Covering an area of 750.28 acres (303.63 ha), the neighborhood had a population density of 117.9 inhabitants per acre (75,500/sq mi; 29,100/km ). The racial makeup of the neighborhood was 6.6% (5,870) White , 1.3% (1,140) African American , 0.2% (133) Native American , 43.8% (38,699) Asian , 0.0% (28) Pacific Islander , 0.4% (338) from other races , and 1.6% (1,423) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 46.1% (40,796) of
5289-597: The City of Greater New York . Elmhurst became heavily developed with residential and commercial structures in the early 20th century, and many immigrants started moving in during the latter part of the century. Elmhurst is located in Queens Community District 4 and its ZIP Code is 11373. It is patrolled by the New York City Police Department 's 110th Precinct. Politically, Elmhurst is represented by
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5418-550: The Mespeatches , who gave their name to the town of Maspeth. The first European landowners were mainly Dutch and English and their laborers mainly British, African (slaves), and American Indian. During the nineteenth century, Germans largely took over from these first settlers. In addition to the major Germanic landowners already mentioned (the Kellys—whose name was originally Kölle—Riker, Schroeder, Schmidt, Sussdorf, and Windmuller),
5547-490: The Netherlands , the area where the village of Woodside would be established was sparsely populated. The land was fertile, but also wet. Its Native American inhabitants called it a place of "bad waters", and it was known to early European settlers as a place of "marshes, muddy flats and bogs", where "wooded swamps" and "flaggy pools" were fed by flowing springs." Until drained in the nineteenth century, one of these wet woodlands
5676-610: The New York City Council 's 25th District and small parts of the 21st, 24th, and 29th Districts. The village was founded in 1652 in the Dutch colony of New Netherland ( Nieuw Nederland ) by English Puritans from Connecticut and Massachusetts . They named it Middelburgh ('Middleburgh') after the capital of the Dutch province of Zeeland , which had been a refuge of Puritans fleeing religious persecution in England. The village
5805-507: The Presbyterians , and the Quakers . In 1669, the town planned a new church for all of these denominations, on a plot of land donated by Ralph Hunt near Grand Avenue and Queens Boulevard. According to the town records, the new building was to cost forty pounds , half in corn and half in cattle. The village of Newtown was established as the town seat for the township in 1683, when Queens County
5934-459: The 17th century to 2015, was one of the oldest surviving farmhouses in Newtown through the 21st century. Newtown was also the center of a population of free blacks and slaves by the early 19th century. With the program of gradual abolition and the manumission of some slaves by masters following the American Revolution, the free population increased. In 1828, a year after slavery in New York state
6063-510: The 1980s and into the early 1990s when many Irish immigrated to New York due to poor economic conditions in Ireland. Many of these "new Irish" settled in Woodside, where the men found work as construction workers or bartenders while the women worked as waitresses, nannies or domestics. Toward the end of the 20th century, Irish dominance gradually yielded to a mixture of other nationalities, but even as
6192-425: The 19th century it became renowned for its beer gardens and dance halls . One early resident, Julius Adams, bought a tiny house on one of Hitchcock's small lots. At first he earned his living as a shoemaker, and, succeeding in that business, expanded into others. In 1881 he built Sanger Hall—a German-style beer hall, a dance hall, and performance space for German singing societies and theatrical entertainments—and as
6321-663: The Bayanihan Filipino Community Center opened its doors in Woodside, a project spearheaded by the Philippine Forum. The Philippine Forum also hosts the annual Bayanihan Cultural Festival at the Hart Playground in September to commemorate Filipino American History Month. On June 12, 2022, a sign-unveiling ceremony and celebration were held at the intersection of 70th Street and Roosevelt Avenue to commemorate
6450-457: The Bayanihan Filipino Community Center opened its doors in Woodside, a project spearheaded by the Philippine Forum. The Philippine Forum also hosts the annual Bayanihan Cultural Festival at the Hart Playground in September in commemoration of Filipino American History Month. The intersection of 70th Street and Roosevelt Avenue was co-named "Little Manila Avenue" on June 12, 2022, to celebrate the neighborhood's Filipino community. In February 2008,
6579-487: The Elmhurst A Station at 80-27 Broadway and the Elmhurst Station at 59-01 Junction Boulevard. Places of worship include: Elmhurst has two urban shopping malls: Queens Center and the smaller Queens Place Mall . The 150-store Queens Center, bounded by Queens Boulevard, 57th and 59th Avenues, and 90th and 94th Streets, opened on September 12, 1973, and was renovated and expanded across 92nd Street in 2002–4. With
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#17331211840406708-496: The Elmhurst gas tanks, a pair of large natural gas storage structures built in 1910 and 1921 on 57th Avenue between 74th and 80th Streets, were well-known landmarks, standing 200 feet (61 m) high. Because the Long Island Expressway frequently became congested in that area, "backup at the Elmhurst Gas Tanks" became a familiar phrase in radio traffic reporting . The gas storage facilities were removed in 2001. The site
6837-626: The English settlers in the present Elmhurst section of Newtown was Gershom Moore, who lived at what is now the intersection of Broadway, 45th Avenue, and Elmhurst Avenue. A chance seedling on his farm eventually produced the Newtown Pippin , Colonial America's most famous apple. The St. James Church was founded in 1704, followed by the Reformed Church of Newtown in 1731. The Colonel Bernardus Bloom Farmhouse at 90-11 56th Avenue, which existed from
6966-552: The Filipino community's growing presence and contributions in Queens. Concomitantly, there is also a Roosevelt Avenue in Quezon City, Philippines . The corner in Queens was co-named "Little Manila Avenue". Woodside hosts New York City's only Saint Patrick's Day parade that invites members of New York City's LGBTQ Irish community to march; it is called the St. Pat's for All Parade . The parade
7095-544: The Greater New York Irish Athletic Association formally opened a large athletic complex called Celtic Park on the border between Woodside and Laurel Hill, its neighbor to the south. A second turning point was the death of Louis Windmuller, the last of the German estate owners. Prominent in local as well as city and national affairs, he was called the "grand old man" or "patriarch" of Woodside. Although
7224-499: The Hall thrived, he added dining rooms and even a bowling alley. In 1889, another resident built Heimann's Hall, a beer garden, dancing pavilion, and dining hall. Early in the 20th century a movie theater joined the options for local leisure-time activity. As the 19th century gave way to the 20th, Woodside's plentiful advantages convinced real estate developers to invest substantially in high-occupancy housing and duplex homes to complement
7353-491: The Matthews Company. Hoffman Drive is a remnant of the wide Hoffman Boulevard. Hoffman Boulevard was straightened and renamed Queens Boulevard , but a short slip road, Hoffman Drive, leads from 57th Avenue to Woodhaven Boulevard . Horace Harding Expressway was once a turnpike called Nassau Boulevard, which went from Elmhurst to Flushing , Bayside , and Little Neck . It was renamed for Horace J. Harding (1863–1929),
7482-399: The Town of Newtown (now Elmhurst ). The adjacent area of Winfield was largely incorporated into the post office serving Woodside and as a consequence Winfield lost much of its identity distinct from Woodside. However, with large-scale residential development in the 1860s, Woodside became the largest Irish American community in Queens, being approximately 80% Irish by the 1930s and maintaining
7611-631: The Woodside Houses, a public housing complex built and operated by the New York City Housing Authority . The complex consists of 20 six-story buildings with 1,358 apartments. It is located in western Woodside, bordering Astoria, between 49th and 51st Streets, 31st Avenue and Newtown Road. At the turn of the 21st century, Woodside was finally seen to be built up. The neighborhood nonetheless continued to be seen as an attractive place to live—characterized by "wide avenues, leafy streets and
7740-546: The aftermath of the Revolutions of 1848 . Only 18 years old and penniless, he found success as a commission agent, bringing goods to clients in the U.S. from Germany and other European countries. In 1867 he had accumulated enough savings to buy property adjoining Sussdorf's. The land had formerly belonged to the Morrell family, but had been acquired by a speculator, John A. Mecke, and became available to Windmuller upon Mecke's death and
7869-427: The area came to be seen as both desirable and affordable for the construction of housing for city-dwellers and increases in land values enticed farm owners to sell out. John Sackett came from a family of religious dissenters that had settled in Queens late in the 17th century. In 1802 he inherited a farm of 115 acres including much of what is now Woodside, and in 1826 his heirs sold much of the property to John A. Kelly,
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#17331211840407998-599: The area was known as 'suicide's paradise,' as it was largely snake-infested swamps and wolf-ridden woodlands." Woodside was settled by farmers in the early 18th century. In time, inhabitants learned how to farm the land profitably. The marsh grasses proved to be good for grazing and grains, fruits, and vegetables could be grown on the surrounding dry land. By the middle of the 18th century, the area's farmers had drained some of its marshes and cut back some of its woods to expand its arable land and eliminate natural predators. Agricultural produce found markets in New York City, and at
8127-571: The area, as well as several freight and remittance centers scattered throughout the neighborhood. Other Filipino-owned businesses including professional services (medical, dental, optical ), driving schools, beauty salons, immigration services, and video rental places providing the latest movies from the Philippines dot the community. This area attracts many local Filipinos and non-Filipinos alike and from neighboring places of Long Island , Connecticut , Pennsylvania , and New Jersey . In February 2008,
8256-551: The area, including Malaysian Chinese , Singaporean Chinese , Indonesian , Thai , and Vietnamese . Hong Kong Supermarket and New York Supermarket serve as the largest Chinese supermarkets selling different food varieties to the Elmhurst Chinatown. The Asia Bank serves as the only Chinese bank and the main financial resource business for the growing enclave, though USA HSBC , Chase , and other banks also are located in Elmhurst along Broadway. Like Flushing's Chinatown, it
8385-515: The area, particularly east of the 61st Street – Woodside subway station. In 2000, Woodside's population was 30% Asian American . Woodside has a large population of Thai Americans , Korean Americans , Chinese Americans and Filipino Americans (see Koreatown , Chinatown , and Little Manila ), each with their own respective ethnic enclave . There are also South Asian Americans, particularly Indian Americans , Bangladeshi Americans , Nepalese Americans , and Pakistani Americans , as well as
8514-533: The area. In that year a passenger depot of the Flushing Railroad from Long Island City to Flushing opened for operation near the southern boundary of what would become the village of Woodside. The line gave access to New York City via the Hunters Point Ferry and to Brooklyn via horse-drawn omnibus. In 1861 a second line opened running directly through what would shortly become the village of Woodside. This
8643-413: The bankruptcy of his estate. As farms gave way to country estates , so country estates would, in turn, give way to residential development, as, in the decades after 1850, the land was broken into small lots for construction of single-family houses. As before, this new shift was brought about largely by improvement in transportation resources. In 1854, the first steam-powered passenger rail service came to
8772-399: The beginning of the 19th century the area came to be "abundantly conspicuous in the wealth of the farmers and in the beauty of the villas." A late 19th-century historian described one of the area's 19th-century farms as a pleasing mix of woodlot, tilled acreage, grazing land, orchard, and pleasure garden. He believed "it would probably have been hard to find anywhere in the vicinity of New York
8901-499: The cemetery. The church moved further east and gradually the burial ground was forgotten until the remains of a woman were discovered in an iron coffin in 2011 during development. The church is hoping to buy the land for preservation. More concentrated residential development in the area was spurred by the completion of a horsecar line, the Grand Street Line , which reached New Town in 1854. The Long Island Rail Road 's Main Line
9030-412: The center of the village from which he managed his own property and handled real estate transactions for others. He was also a partner in local businesses: a grocery store in 1876 and, in 1878, a fruit and vegetable canning business which employed 100 workers. The developers who followed Hitchcock's lead in Woodside were less flamboyant though similarly successful. In 1863 John Mecke bought farmland from
9159-563: The center of the village. When a citywide aerial survey was taken in 1924, Woodside was shown to have quite a few other multifamily apartment buildings and duplexes along with its many small single-family homes. During the 1930s and into the post-war era, Woodside residential development continued to grow, although more slowly than in the boom years following World War I. Empty lots continued to be filled with one- and two-family houses, compact apartment buildings continued to be constructed, and larger, elevator-style high-rises were put up. In 1936,
9288-432: The central city. The commute was cheap and short, and during rush hours, the five-cent trip took as little as eight minutes to Times Square . Although other areas of Queens benefited from the expansion of cheap transit, Woodside was, back then, the only village in Queens with both railroad and rapid transit stations in addition to trolley lines. A second circumstance aiding the influx of upwardly-mobile low-income residents
9417-402: The city's most popular Thai , Filipino , and South American eateries. Woodside is located in Queens Community District 2 and its ZIP Code is 11377. It is patrolled by the New York City Police Department 's 108th Precinct. Politically, Woodside is represented by the New York City Council 's 22nd and 26th Districts. For two centuries following the arrival of settlers from England and
9546-508: The division of property near train stations into small lots for construction of houses for working-class families. The area that would become Woodside was not the first community to grow out of Queens farmland. Before the end of the 1850s Woodhaven, Astoria , Maspeth , Corona, Hunters Point, and Winfield all attracted land speculators. Woodside's developers were, however, among the first to divide properties into lots for construction of small homes for working-class families. In doing so they were
9675-552: The east; and the New York Connecting Railroad on the west. The village, originally named Middleburgh , was established in 1652 by English Puritans, approximately 7 miles (11 km) from New Amsterdam . When the British took over New Netherland in 1664, they renamed it New Town, which was eventually simplified to Newtown. It remained a rural community until the late 1890s, when it was renamed Elmhurst and became part of
9804-399: The economy soured and that business declined, he ran a theater, got involved in machine politics, and sponsored some beauty contests including one, the "Congress of Beauty and Culture", which was censured for its overall sleaze and the swindling of its participants. While the other major landowners of Woodside used agents to develop their holdings, A. P. Riker set up a real estate office in
9933-502: The estate did not go out of his heirs' hands until the close of the Depression and beginning of World War II, his passing nonetheless helps mark Woodside's transition from country village to suburban bedroom community. With large-scale residential development in the 1860s, Woodside became the largest Irish American community in Queens. In the early 1930s, the area was approximately 80% Irish. A subsequent influx of Irish occurred during
10062-485: The famous celebration in Manhattan. Woodside also hosts several events in the summer, including an Independence Day street fair. " Little Manila ", or Filipinotown, stretches from 63rd-71st Streets on Roosevelt Avenue, where many Filipino-owned businesses have flocked to serve Woodside's large Filipino American community; the neighborhood is known for its concentration of Filipinos. Filipino cafés and restaurants dominate
10191-437: The first Catholic parish. Much of its congregation and all its early pastors were of German nationality. The first church in Woodside proper, St. Paul's Protestant Episcopal, showed the dominant faith of the area's oldest and most prominent residents. It was established in 1874 by the families of landowners who had farmed there from its earliest settlement as well as by the estate-owning Germanic families that had moved in during
10320-440: The first purchasers of Hitchcock's little plots were largely of German extraction. They included men with names like Eberhardt, Groeber, and Schlepergrel. Beginning at the close of the 19th century and through most of the 20th, growing numbers of Irish residents arrived and Woodside eventually became Irish enough to earn the nickname "Irishtown". A major turning point in the transition from German to Irish occurred in 1901 when
10449-469: The first to use a set of new sales techniques to lure buyers. And they were the first to apply a name to a locale which emphasized its real or supposed virtues. A late 19th century author said "Woodside" was an appropriate name for the community these land speculators created. He maintained that others, created later, were "without the slightest significance, historic or otherwise, and of the kind apparently chosen by boarding schoolgirls to roll romantically from
10578-611: The late 1960s. A trend of diversity began then, and has continued since. This diversity has been remarked upon by many observers and can be shown in residents' places of worship. For example, the Winfield Reformed Church began in 1880 as a Dutch Calvinist church and in 1969 became the first Taiwanese congregation in America. Others of Woodside's places of worship now include ones that are Hindu , Thai Buddhist , Romanian Orthodox , Filipino, Korean, Chinese, and Bahraini. Woodside has
10707-507: The middle decades of the 19th century, including the longstanding Rapelye, Hicks, and Riker families and the newly arrived Sussdorf, Windmuller, and Kelly families. Two years later, residents from among the still newer owners of small houses set up a Baptist church. St. Paul's originally had a small congregation of only 50, with twice that in 1900; the Baptist church had about the same. St. Sebastian, this section's first Roman Catholic church, served
10836-413: The neighborhood has seen growth in ethnic diversity today, the area still retains a strong Irish American presence, and there continue to be a number of Irish pubs and restaurants scattered across Woodside. After World War II, families in the area were primarily of Irish , Italian , and Jewish descent. Gradually, Dominicans and other nationalities began to make an appearance in the community, beginning in
10965-509: The neighborhood was 22.5% (10,140) White , 1.3% (592) African American , 0.2% (76) Native American , 39.9% (17,990) Asian , 0.0% (5) Pacific Islander , 0.5% (221) from other races , and 2.2% (975) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 33.5% (15,100) of the population. The entirety of Community Board 2, which comprises Woodside and Sunnyside, had 135,972 inhabitants as of NYC Health 's 2018 Community Health Profile, with an average life expectancy of 85.4 years. This
11094-428: The northeast, is on a tilted street grid, developed in the early 20th century. The street grid consists of Broadway; Aske, Benham, Case, Denman, Elbertson, Forley, Gleane, Hampton, Ithaca, Judge, Ketcham, Layton, Macnish Streets; Ketcham Place; and Baxter, Pettit, Britton, Vietor, Elmhurst, Whitney, and Lamont Avenues. Whitney Avenue also has the most religious institutions of any street in Elmhurst. Woodhaven Boulevard
11223-601: The northern part of the village and the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company which converted two properties on the west side into salable lots. These and other real estate developers profited from their sale of lots to home buyers, but the growth of Woodside's housing market was hardly a smooth upward trajectory and, some 40 years after Hitchcock's first lottery, the village was far from completely saturated with homes. A minutely detailed property atlas from 1909 shows buildings on considerably less than half of
11352-712: The parade, and get arrested. Two court rulings then further endorsed the exclusion of LGBTQ marchers: in 1993, Federal Judge Kevin Thomas Duffy of the Federal District Court in Manhattan rules that the Ancient Order of Hibernians can ban LGBTQ marchers from the St. Patrick's' Parade in Manhattan; in 1995, the U.S. Supreme Court rules in Hurley v. Irish-American Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Group of Boston that private citizens organizing
11481-646: The parade,"Cherishing All the Children of the Nation Equally," originates from the 1916 Easter Proclamation of the Irish Republic . The first parade was held on March 5, 2000. Elmhurst, Queens Elmhurst (formerly Newtown ) is a neighborhood in the borough of Queens in New York City . It is bounded by Roosevelt Avenue on the north; the Long Island Expressway on the south; Junction Boulevard on
11610-756: The percentage of residents who have difficulty paying their rent, is 51% in Woodside and Sunnyside, about equal to the boroughwide and citywide rates of 53% and 51% respectively. Based on this calculation, as of 2018 , Woodside and Sunnyside is considered to be high-income relative to the rest of the city and not gentrifying . As according to the 2020 census data from New York City Department of City Planning , there were between 20,000 and 29,999 residents of Asian descent, 10,000 to 19,999 Hispanic residents, 5,000 to 9,999 White residents, and less than 5000 Black residents. The character of Woodside's population, in terms of national origin, has changed radically over time. Its first inhabitants were Native Americans, probably of
11739-488: The percentage of residents who have difficulty paying their rent, is 62% in Elmhurst and Corona, higher than the boroughwide and citywide rates of 53% and 51% respectively. As of the 2020 census data from New York City Department of City Planning , Elmhurst is primarily populated by 55,800 Asian residents and 42,600 Hispanic residents, however there were between 5,000 to 9,999 White residents and less than 5000 Black residents. Elmhurst's rapidly growing Chinatown (艾浒 唐人街)
11868-400: The place that would become Woodside can be seen in descriptions of an ancient central landmark, a great chestnut tree. The tree was hundreds of years old when it finally came down in the last decade of the 19th century. It stood on high ground near a junction of three dirt roads and "was of great diameter, some 8 or 10 feet"—perhaps 30 feet in circumference. Its size and central location made it
11997-527: The population. Elmhurst's Latino population is 20.4% South American (9.8% Ecuadorean, 7.2% Colombian, 1.8% Peruvian, 0.4% Argentinean, 0.4% Bolivian, 0.2% Chilean, 0.2% Venezuelan), 11.6% Mexican, 3.1% Dominican, 1.8% Puerto Rican, 1.5% Central American (0.5% Salvadoran, 0.4% Guatemalan, 0.3% Honduran), and 0.7% Cuban. The entirety of Community Board 4, which comprises Elmhurst and Corona, had 135,972 inhabitants as of NYC Health 's 2018 Community Health Profile, with an average life expectancy of 85.4 years. This
12126-430: The proportion of Woodside's arable land to some two-thirds of its total. Flowers and dairy products were added to the fruits and vegetables which farmers took to city markets. These landowners also reaped benefits from improved transportation. Mid-century construction of a plank road from Newtown to Williamsburg and a later one from Newtown to Hunters Point made access to East River ferries quicker and easier. In 1860
12255-479: The rapid population growth of the 1920s had fallen off in the 1930s, the authors of the profile expected improved transit (the IND Queens Boulevard Line which opened in 1933) and a new shopping center to draw larger numbers of new residents. The number of single-family houses is given as 2,159, double-family houses as 1,711, and larger residential buildings as 868. In 1949, construction was completed on
12384-561: The real cost of the five-cent fare declined dramatically during the inflation years of World War I and the 1920s, and it remained in place, despite further inflation, until 1948. The construction of bridge and tunnel connections to Manhattan—the Queensboro Bridge in 1909 and the Steinway Tunnel in 1915—enabled the working members of a tenement-dwelling immigrant family to rent a garden apartment in Woodside while having jobs in
12513-541: The same purpose. Like Kelly, he came of a family that had emigrated from Germany and, like Kelly, he had achieved wealth as a merchant in Charleston, South Carolina . Unlike Kelly, however, he did not move North, but kept the estate for use during summer vacations. After Kelly and Schroeder had moved in, two other well-to-do men of German extraction made country retreats for themselves in Woodside. They were Gustav Sussdorf and Louis Windmuller. Like Kelly and Schroeder, Sussdorf
12642-483: The same time, real estate brokers told a news reporter that interest remained strong among families looking for affordable housing near Manhattan. Based on data from the 2010 United States Census , the population of Woodside was 45,099, an increase of 1,253 (2.9%) from the 43,846 counted in 2000 . Covering an area of 649.22 acres (262.73 ha), the neighborhood had a population density of 69.5 inhabitants per acre (44,500/sq mi; 17,200/km ). The racial makeup of
12771-618: The single-family units which had dominated the area. Three representative examples are Woodside Apartments built in 1913, the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company 's project of 1922, and the projects of the Woodside Development Corporation in 1923. Located near the rail and rapid transit stations, the Woodside Apartments was a row of four-story, semi-detached buildings. There were four apartments on
12900-620: The smelly, polluted Newtown Creek , and partially to celebrate the elm trees ( Ulmus americana ) that abounded in the area. Elmhurst developed as a fashionable district due to a housing development built by the Cord Meyer Development Company between 1896 and 1910, north of the Port Washington Branch railroad station . Cord Meyer expanded its holdings between 1905 and 1930, including Elmhurst Square, Elmhurst South, Elmhurst Heights, and New Elmhurst. Elmhurst also
13029-458: The soldiers were all over and had come to Newtown to recruit [i.e. refresh and restore] themselves after the yearly campaigns... Is there any relic more associated with Newtown [i.e. the town in which the village of Woodside would come to be located] than its old chestnut tree?... [Has it] not been for two centuries the "Legal Notice" centre of Newtown, for all vendues, real estate transfers, town meetings, lost "creeturs" and runaway slaves? Woodside
13158-455: The son of a German immigrant, and his sister-in-law (also of German descent), Catherine B. (Friedle) Buddy. As other well-to-do merchants had done in other areas of Queens, Kelly and Buddy bought farm property for use as a rural estate where they planned to live in the warmer months of the year. Not long after, a friend of Kelly's, William Schroeder, bought another parcel of the Sackett property for
13287-499: The state itself experienced the most cases in COVID-19 pandemic . The neighborhoods of Corona , East Elmhurst , Elmhurst, and Jackson Heights were most affected by the pandemic in New York City . As of August 10 , these communities, with a cumulative 303,494 residents, had recorded 12,954 COVID-19 cases and 1,178 deaths. Elmhurst is covered by ZIP Code 11373. The United States Post Office operates two post offices in Elmhurst:
13416-472: The tongue.". These included Ozone Park , Corona , Winfield , Glendale , Laurel Hill, Elmhurst, and Linden Hill . The real estate promoters who created Woodside were mostly of German extraction. Members of the Kelly family were first, followed by Alpheus P. Riker, Henry G. Schmidt, John A. Mecke, and Emil Cuntz. The Kelly family developed the property where they resided while the others bought land specifically to divide it into building lots. Riker came from
13545-647: The turn of the 20th century, the city could boast that it had the highest concentration of industry in all the United States. There were jobs within Woodside as well. The village had long had the city's largest cemetery, Calvary , as a stimulus to local business. It also possessed a brewery, a major florist, and many local retail establishments. In 1875, the Bulova Watch Company established its headquarters there. Along with good transportation and access to jobs, Woodside possessed many other local amenities. It
13674-509: The villa-cottage order, and thirty trains daily stop at the station, making it, via the Hunter's Point and James Slip Ferry, less than forty-five minutes from the lower part of the city. Woodside is located on sloping ground, having a good elevation, and pleasing, though not very diversified scenery. There is an abundance of good fruit trees in the vicinity... By the middle of the 19th century, drainage and improved agricultural techniques had increased
13803-552: The village's surveyed lots. In fact, although affordable by standards of the time, Woodside's small single family houses on their small lots were too expensive for growing numbers of laborers who crowded the tenement apartments of Manhattan and nearby Brooklyn. In the years before the Panic of 1907 and again after its close, the wage-earners in many of these low-income families, having been able to improve their skills and obtain higher-paying jobs, began pressing for construction of housing that
13932-420: The war, Elmhurst evolved into what has been considered one of the most ethnically diverse neighborhoods in New York City, as immigrants arrived from new areas. By the 1980s, there were persons from 112 nations in residence in the neighborhood, which has continued to diversify since then. Among the most numerous ethnic groups that have settled in the area are Latinos and Chinese Americans . For many years,
14061-578: The western end of the neighborhood, mainly between the LIRR's Port Washington Branch and 51st Avenue. Some buildings in Elmhurst are listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) and/or are designated New York City Landmarks (NYCL): The Elmhurst branch of the Jamaica Savings Bank was previously a New York City Landmark, but the designation was removed in 2005. Based on data from
14190-407: The western portion of the borough of Queens in New York City . It is bordered on the south by Maspeth , on the north by Astoria , on the west by Sunnyside , and on the east by Elmhurst , Jackson Heights , and East Elmhurst . Some areas are widely residential and very quiet, while other parts, especially the ones around Roosevelt Avenue , are busier. In the 19th century the area was part of
14319-403: Was a Charleston merchant. In 1859 he sold his fancy goods business and moved to New York. Not long after, he bought a farm owned by the family of Thomas Cumberson who had died in 1849. It is quite possible that he learned of the place through acquaintance with Schroeder or, more likely, Kelly. Windmuller was of a younger generation than Kelly, Schroeder, and Sussdorf. He emigrated to New York in
14448-554: Was a New York corporation headed by Charles Merweg who gave his occupation as "speculator in real estate". In any event, the Association erected a housing development in north Woodside which it called Charlotteville. The name was later given the more common spelling of Charlottesville. In 1886 another speculator, Effingham H. Nichols, divided property in the eastern part of the village and called it Woodside Heights. Other 19th-century developers included Charles F. Ehrhardt who sold lots in
14577-485: Was a dramatic increase in local employment prospects. Although cheap, fast, and convenient transit made it possible for workers from Queens to have other-borough jobs, intra-borough employment opportunities were increasingly a realistic option. The waterside regions of Queens had long had substantial industries and businesses that benefited from access to water-borne transport. These commercial establishments multiplied as rail transportation became increasingly available and, in
14706-521: Was a segment of the Long Island Rail Road which operated between Hunters Point and Jamaica , replacing an earlier segment which passed through Brooklyn to the ferry dock in Williamsburg. In 1869, another line, the Flushing and North Side Railroad , traversed the same path through Woodside. And soon after, in 1874, a short spur, the Flushing and Woodside Railroad opened its station in the village. The construction of this rail service led directly to
14835-567: Was an attractive place with plentiful open spaces, many trees and wooded areas, healthful air, and an overall pleasant ambiance; one news article in 1926 described this as "sylvan beauty", As it had in the other villages, the creation of the Borough of Queens in 1898 brought improvements in local government and increased spending on police, roads, schools, and public spaces, to Woodside. However, Woodside had provided fire protection, sewers, and street lights earlier on, and its transit facilities gave way to
14964-486: Was better than the tenements but still within their means. Although real estate developers had previously thought Woodside to be too remote and rural in character for marketing of low cost rental units, some changed circumstances convinced them to meet this need by putting up higher-density apartment buildings in the village. Chief among these circumstances were continued improvements to the public transportation network. This network continued to expand and Woodside evolved as
15093-474: Was built through Newtown in 1876, attracting more residents to the neighborhood. Cord Meyer bought land at Broadway and Whitney Avenue in 1896. He proposed that the town be renamed "Elmhurst", meaning "a grove of elms"; in 1897, one year before Queens County was incorporated in the Greater City of New York , the town was renamed. The renaming was done partially to disassociate the town from nearby Maspeth and
15222-468: Was called Wolf Swamp after the predators that infested it. This swamp was not the only place where settlers might fear for the safety of their livestock, and even themselves. One of the oldest recorded locations in Woodside was called Rattlesnake Spring on the property of a Captain Bryan Newton. The vicinity came to be called Snake Woods, and one source maintains that "during New York's colonial period,
15351-447: Was denied permission to march in the St. Patrick's Day Parade on Fifth Avenue. When New York City Mayor Dinkins intervened on their behalf, ILGO members were allowed to march for that one time, but their presence was received with hostility from other marchers as well as the spectators, who openly hurled abuse at them and doused with beer. In the years that followed, ILGO members would be denied permission to march, respond by protesting at
15480-586: Was eventually simplified to Newtown. In a deed dated July 9, 1666, the settlers took title to the lands of Newtown from the Native American tribes. A town building, near what is now Broadway and Corona Avenue, was erected to serve as both a community and religious building. Use of this building was shared by the different religious denominations in Middleburgh: the Church of England , the Dutch Reformed Church ,
15609-508: Was finally abolished under the terms of a 1799 gradual abolition law, landowner James Hunter and his wife deeded 2 acres (0.81 ha) to the community for a church and parsonage. They had already been using land at Corona Avenue and 90th Street as a burial ground since about 1818. This was associated with the United African Society of Newtown, by 1906 known as St. Mark's A.M.E. Church . By 1886, more than 300 burials had been made in
15738-516: Was first developed on a large scale beginning in 1867 by speculative residential neighborhood builder Benjamin W. Hitchcock, who also founded Corona and Ozone Park , and John Andrew Kelly. The neighborhood's location about three miles from Hunter's Point on the Long Island Rail Road line made it an ideal location for a new suburban community. In 1874, the New York Times described Woodside: At Woodside there are now 100 houses erected, chiefly of
15867-574: Was founded by LGBTQ+ rights activist Brendan Fay after the Irish Lesbian and Gay Organization (ILGO) was repeatedly denied permission to march in the Manhattan St. Patrick's Day parade by the Ancient Order of Hibernians . The parade runds from Sunnyside to Woodside, with its starting point in 43rd Street and Skillman Avenue. In 1991, the recently established gay and lesbian Irish organization ILGO
15996-512: Was known as Trotting Course Lane because it was named when horses were the main mode of transport. Although it extends to Cross Bay Boulevard in the Rockaways , two small parts of the original lane still exist in Forest Hills . Elmhurst Park is on 57th Avenue west of 80th Street. There is a children's playground with slides, swings, and exercise machines, as well as walking paths and a lawn atop
16125-430: Was located approximately 7 miles (11 km) from the growing city of New Amsterdam ( Nieuw Amsterdam ) and just east of the settlement at Maspat (now called Maspeth ), which had been abandoned following threats and attacks by local Lenape Native Americans. When the British took over New Netherland in 1664, they renamed Middleburgh as Nieuwe Stad (New Town) to maintain a connection to its Dutch heritage. This
16254-573: Was originally suspended. Later that year, publisher Walter Sanchez rehired him even though Borzellieri refused to apologize. Sanchez cited his reasoning to many readers expressing their interest in Borzellieri's columns and opinions. Sanchez and the Queens Ledger received a lot of scrutiny, including from the Anti-Defamation League . Woodside, Queens Woodside is a neighborhood in
16383-630: Was redeveloped and opened as Elmhurst Park in 2011. Elmhurst contains a variety of zoning districts, including manufacturing, commercial, residential, and mixed-use. Much of the neighborhood is composed of detached or multi-family houses, though there are also rowhouse districts, apartment buildings of up to six or seven stories, and large developments such as LeFrak City . Commercial overlays are located primarily along Queens Boulevard, Broadway, and Grand and Corona Avenues. Several tracts are also zoned for shopping centers, which are occupied by Elmhurst's malls . Light-manufacturing zones are located near
16512-415: Was reorganized as a "one county, five towns" model. The Town of Newtown, which had a town hall, jail, tax office, and town clerk's office, was the center of a municipality that comprised the villages that were located north of present-day Forest Park and west of Flushing Meadows . By 1700, the town had a population of 1,000, including 405 youths under the age of sixteen, 434 adults, and 161 slaves. Among
16641-681: Was the site of the Grand Street LIRR station just west of the current Grand Avenue – Newtown subway station. The Grand Street LIRR station was served by the Main Line and the former Rockaway Beach Branch . In the 1930s, the Independent Subway System 's Queens Boulevard line was built through the neighborhood, spurring economic development but also destroying many old buildings. Prior to World War II, Elmhurst had become an almost exclusively Jewish and Italian neighborhood, made up of early 20th century immigrants and their descendants. Following
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