SafekipediaQueens
Adapted from Wikipedia · Adventurer experience
Queens is the largest part of New York City by area and matches the area of Queens County. It is in the U.S. state of New York, near the western end of Long Island. It touches Brooklyn and Nassau County and has water borders with Manhattan, The Bronx, Staten Island, and New Jersey. Queens is known for having many different languages and people from many backgrounds.
As of the 2020 census, Queens has about 2.4 million people, making it the second-biggest county in New York state and the second-biggest part of New York City. If Queens were its own city, it would be the fourth most-populous in the U.S. after Los Angeles and Chicago. About 47% of the people living there were born in other countries.
Queens was set up in 1683 and was named after the English [Queen](/wiki/Queen_(disambiguation) and Portuguese royal princess Catherine of Braganza. It became a part of New York City in 1898, joining towns such as Long Island City, Newtown, Flushing, Jamaica, and parts of Hempstead.
Queens has many jobs and is home to two big airports: John F. Kennedy and LaGuardia. Famous places include Flushing Meadows–Corona Park, Citi Field where the New York Mets play, and the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center where the U.S. Open tennis event happens. Areas like Flushing and Long Island City are growing and changing a lot.
History
The Dutch were the first people to settle in what is now Queens. They started their first European settlement there as part of the colony of New Netherland. Settlements began in 1635, with towns like Maspeth and Vlissingen (now Flushing) added later. The English took over these areas in 1664 and renamed them New York.
Queens had a small part in the American Revolution. After the Battle of Long Island, British soldiers stayed in the area, using local buildings for barracks. In 1683, Queens County became one of the original counties of New York State. Over time, its borders changed, with islands like Rikers Island being added or moved. The area became a borough of New York City in 1898. The Long Island Rail Road got electric power between 1905 and 1908, and big bridges and subway tunnels opened around that time. This helped many people move there in the 1920s. Two famous world fairs were held in Queens, one in 1939 and another in 1964.
Geography
Queens is located on the far western part of Long Island. It includes a few smaller islands, many of which are in Jamaica Bay. This area is part of the Gateway National Recreation Area, one of the National Parks of New York Harbor.
According to the United States Census Bureau, Queens has a total area of 178 square miles. Of this, 109 square miles is land and 70 square miles is water.
Brooklyn is just south and west of Queens. To the west and north is the East River, with Manhattan to the west and The Bronx to the north. Nassau County lies east of Queens on Long Island.
The midsection of Queens is crossed by a glacial ridge created long ago by the Wisconsin Glacier. The Rockaway Peninsula, the southernmost part of Queens, sits between Jamaica Bay and the Atlantic Ocean and has beautiful beaches.
Neighborhoods
Main article: Neighborhoods of New York City
See also: List of Queens neighborhoods
Queens has many different neighborhoods, and each one has its own special feel. People in Queens often feel very connected to their own neighborhood.
Some well-known neighborhoods include Flushing, which has a large Asian community with many Chinese, Korean, and South Asian people. Astoria, in the northwest part of Queens, is famous for its big Greek population, along with many Spanish Americans, Italians, and people from the Middle East and the Balkans. Other neighborhoods like Howard Beach and Middle Village have many Italian Americans, while Ozone Park and South Ozone Park are home to Italian, Hispanic, and Guyanese communities. Rockaway Beach has a large Irish American population, and Jackson Heights is known for its Hispanic, Asian, Tibetan, and South Asian residents. Each neighborhood adds its own unique culture and history to Queens, making the borough very diverse and interesting.
Demographics
Main article: Demographics of Queens
Queens is the largest of the five boroughs of New York City. In 2020, about 2.4 million people lived there. Queens is very diverse, with people from many different countries and backgrounds.
Many languages are spoken in Queens. Over half of the people living there speak a language other than English at home. Spanish, Chinese, and Bengali are some of the most common languages spoken besides English. This makes Queens one of the most linguistically diverse places in the world.
| Jurisdiction | Population | Land area | Density of population | GDP | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Borough | County | Census (2020) | square miles | square km | people/ sq. mile | people/ sq. km | billions (US$, 2024) 2 | |
Bronx | 1,472,654 | 42.2 | 109.2 | 34,920 | 13,482 | 58.323 | ||
Kings | 2,736,074 | 69.4 | 179.7 | 39,438 | 15,227 | 145.934 | ||
New York | 1,694,251 | 22.7 | 58.7 | 74,781 | 28,872 | 1,006.673 | ||
Queens | Queens | 2,405,464 | 108.7 | 281.6 | 22,125 | 8,542 | 143.131 | |
Richmond | 495,747 | 57.5 | 149.0 | 8,618 | 3,327 | 23.779 | ||
| 8,804,190 | 300.5 | 778.2 | 29,303 | 11,314 | 1,354.061 | |||
| 20,201,249 | 47,123.6 | 122,049.5 | 429 | 166 | 2,297.028 | |||
| Sources: and see individual borough articles. | ||||||||
| Racial composition | 2020 | 2010 | 1990 | 1970 | 1950 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White | 25.8% | 39.7% | 57.9% | 85.3% | 96.5% |
| —Non-Hispanic | 22.8% | 27.6% | 48.0% | n/a | n/a |
| Black or African American | 16.8% | 19.1% | 21.7% | 13.0% | 3.3% |
| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) | 27.8% | 27.5% | 19.5% | 7.7% | n/a |
| Asian | 27.5% | 22.9% | 12.2% | 1.1% | 0.1% |
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| Language |
|---|
| Ages 5+ |
| % |
| Source → |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| English | non-English | Spanish | Chinese | Bengali | Korean | Tagalog | Russian | Haitian Creole | Polish | Italian | Greek | Arabic | Punjabi | Urdu | Hindi | French | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1,000,116 | 1,199,561 | 516,251 | 205,371 | 84,349 | 41,420 | 30,427 | 28,013 | 24,928 | 22,342 | 21,273 | 19,749 | 16,269 | 16,139 | 15,769 | 13,176 | 12,384 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 45.47% | 54.53% | 23.47% | 9.34% | 3.83% | 1.88% | 1.38% | 1.27% | 1.13% | 1.02% | 0.97% | 0.9% | 0.74% | 0.73% | 0.72% | 0.6% | 0.56% | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
"2021 American Community Survey: LANGUAGE SPOKEN AT HOME"". United States Census Bureau. 2010.
CultureSee also: Culture of New York City, LGBT culture in New York City § Queens, Music of New York City, and List of people from Queens Queens has a rich and varied culture. It was an important place for punk rock, with famous bands like the Ramones starting there. Many well-known artists, such as Tony Bennett and Paul Simon, lived in Queens. The area has supported African American culture, with special theaters for African American artists. In the 1940s, famous jazz musicians like Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald lived in Queens. Today, Queens is also an important place for hip-hop, home to many famous rap artists. Queens has many museums and cultural places that show its diverse communities. These include the New York Hall of Science, the Noguchi Museum, and the Museum of the Moving Image. In 2015, a travel magazine named Queens one of the best places to visit in the United States for its culture and food variety. EconomySee also: Economy of New York City Queens has a big economy, second only to Manhattan in New York City. It has many kinds of jobs in health care, retail, making things, building, moving goods, and film and television production. This helps keep the economy strong. Queens has two major airports, JFK International Airport and LaGuardia Airport. These airports are very busy and help create many jobs. Many businesses, both large and small, make Queens a lively place to work and visit. SportsSee also: Sports in New York City Queens is home to the New York Mets of Major League Baseball. The team started in 1962 and played in Shea Stadium in Flushing from 1964 to 2008. Now, they play in Citi Field, a big stadium in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park that opened in 2009. Queens also holds the U.S. Open tennis tournament at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Arthur Ashe Stadium, located there, is the largest tennis stadium in the world. Also, South Ozone Park is where the Aqueduct Racetrack is, and people can watch Thoroughbred horse races there. GovernmentMain article: Government of New York City Queens is governed by the New York City Charter, which creates a strong mayor–council system. The city government handles important services like schools, safety, parks, and water for everyone living in Queens. The Queens Library is managed by a group of leaders chosen by the Mayor and the Borough President. The Borough President speaks for Queens, working with city and state leaders. Donovan Richards has been the Borough President since 2020. Most voters in Queens support the Democratic Party, and local politics often focus on housing and education. Queens has its own courts and a District Attorney, currently Melinda Katz, who was elected in 2020. The area has seats on the New York City Council and is split into community districts, each with a local group to help residents. Five Democrats represent Queens in the United States House of Representatives. These representatives are Tom Suozzi, Gregory Meeks, Grace Meng, Nydia Velázquez, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
HousingQueens has many kinds of homes. You can find tall apartment buildings in places like Forest Hills, Jackson Heights, Flushing, Astoria, and Long Island City. There are also smaller homes in the eastern part of Queens. In 2022, there were 911,957 places to live. Many of these are affordable rentals or co-operative housing made possible by the Mitchell–Lama Housing Program. Public housing is taken care of by the New York City Housing Authority. EducationSee also: Education in New York City and List of high schools in New York City § Queens Queens has many schools, both public and private. Public schools are run by the New York City Department of Education, the biggest school system in the United States. Some well-known schools are Townsend Harris High School, which focuses on humanities, and the Queens High School for the Sciences at York College, which emphasizes science and math. Queens is also home to several colleges and universities. LaGuardia Community College is known for its students from many countries. Queens College offers strong programs in the liberal arts and has many students. Other schools include Queensborough Community College, St. John’s University, Vaughn College of Aeronautics and Technology, and York College. The Queens Public Library is one of the largest library systems in the United States, with branches all over the borough and books in many languages. TransportationQueens has many ways to get around, making travel easy for people. Many homes in Queens do not have cars, and the city offers many options for getting around without one. Queens has many vehicles for hire, including ride-hail services like Uber and Lyft, traditional taxis, and other car services. There are also car-sharing programs like Zipcar and Citi Bike for renting bikes. The borough is home to two major airports: John F. Kennedy International Airport and LaGuardia Airport, which help many travelers each year. Public transportation in Queens is very good. The New York City Subway has many stations in Queens, connecting it to other parts of the city. The Long Island Rail Road also runs through Queens, offering train service to many areas. There are also many bus routes, including special express buses to Manhattan. Plans for new streetcars and ferry services are also in development to improve transportation even more.
Notable peopleSee also: Category:People from Queens, New York and List of people from New York City Many famous people grew up or lived in Queens. For example, Donald Trump became the 45th and later the 47th President of the United States. He was born in Jamaica Hospital Medical Center and raised in Jamaica Estates. Former First Lady Nancy Reagan lived in Flushing when she was a child. Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th President, lived at Sagamore Hill in Oyster Bay before the area became part of Nassau County. Queens has been home to many musicians, such as 50 Cent, Cyndi Lauper, LL Cool J, Nicki Minaj, and Tony Bennett. Actors like Adrien Brody and Zoe Saldaña were also born or raised there. The borough has produced famous athletes, including basketball player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and tennis player John McEnroe. In popular cultureQueens is a popular place for stories and characters. Famous comic book heroes like Peter Parker / Spider-Man and Frank Castle/The Punisher from Marvel Comics are said to be from Queens. A well-known TV character, Archie Bunker from All in the Family, lived on a pretend street called 704 Hauser Street in Astoria. The sitcom The King of Queens happens in Queens, and the main characters live in Rego Park. The movie Somewhere in Queens, starring Ray Romano, is set there too. The Cemetery BeltMain article: Rural Cemetery Act Queens has several big cemeteries. These include St. Michaels, Luthern, Calvary, Cypress Hill, Mt. Olivet, and Mt. Zion. Together with some in Brooklyn, they are called The Cemetery Belt. These quiet places hold many people’s remains. Calvary is the largest cemetery in the United States. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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