Astoria, Queens
Astoria is a neighborhood in the northwestern corner of the borough of Queens in New York City. Astoria is bounded by the East River and is adjacent to three other Queens neighborhoods: Long Island City, Sunnyside (bordering at Northern Boulevard), and Woodside (bordering at 50th Street).
While Astoria is traditionally Greek, immigrants from Italy, Ireland, Poland, Malta, Albania, Montenegro, Bosnia, Mexico, Ecuador, Colombia, Brazil, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Egypt, Morocco, Hungary, and Algeria have shown a rise in numbers.
Ethnic heritage
Astoria was first settled by the Dutch and Germans in the 17th century. Many Irish settled in the area during the waves of Irish immigration into New York City during the 19th and early 20th centuries.
Italians were the next significant immigrants in Astoria. Numerous Italian restaurants, delis, bakeries and pizza shops are found throughout Astoria, particularly in the Ditmars Boulevard area. The 1960s saw a large number of ethnic Greeks from Greece, and in 1974 Cyprus, giving Astoria the largest Greek population outside of Greece itself. The Greek cultural imprint can be seen in the numerous Greek restaurants, bakeries, tavernas and cafes, as well as several Greek Orthodox churches. Astoria’s South American and European population has seen significant growth since the early 1990s, including a large population of Brazilians, who reside in the 36th avenue area. Albanians, Bulgarians, and Bosnians have also shown a rise in numbers.
Transportation
Astoria is served by the E M R New York City Subway trains that stop at Steinway Street and 46th Street stations on the underground IND Queens Boulevard Line as well as the N Q trains which run along the elevated BMT Astoria Line above 31st Street.
Subway stops on the Astoria line are located at several east-west avenues, with the terminus at Ditmars Boulevard, which extends roughly eastward from Astoria Park to the Marine Air Terminal at LaGuardia Airport. The next major avenue south of Ditmars with a subway stop is Astoria Boulevard, which flanks the Grand Central Parkway and the Triborough Bridge. Below that is the 30th Avenue stop, then Broadway. Farthest south is 36th Avenue or Dutch Kills, a low-density commercial area that features traditional Bangladeshi restaurants and shops.
Additional Queens Info
Queens, the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City, is the most diverse place in the world with approximately 138 different languages spoken and an astounding 46% of residents born outside of the United States who collectively represent over 100 different nations.
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. It is also the location of the New York Mets baseball team, the US Open tennis tournament, Flushing Meadows Park, Kaufman Astoria Studios, Silvercup Studios, and Aqueduct Racetrack.
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