Astoria, Queens

Encyclopedia : A : AS : AST : Astoria, Queens

The historic (and once-abandoned) Eagle Electric company warehouse in Astoria, now becoming a condominium development.

Astoria is a neighborhood in the northwestern corner of the borough of Queens in New York City. Astoria is next to Long Island City (bordering at 36th Avenue), Sunnyside (bordering at Northern Boulevard), and Woodside (bordering at 50th Street), along the East River. The neighborhood is located in Community Board 1.

Astoria has traditionally been known as a predominantly Greek neighborhood, with the largest concentration of Greeks outside Greece, and one with a concentration of restaurants and bakeries. Though many Greeks have moved, the Greek influence is still very present, especially through the many Greek restaurants, bakeries, tavernas and cafes. There are many dance clubs in the neighborhood as well. Astoria is world-renowned to Greeks all over the world. It is the epitome of a Greek enclave in America. It is known to Greek Americans and Greeks alike as "The Mecca." The greatest asset of the neighborhood is its proximity and easy accessibility to Manhattan. However, Astoria has seen an influx of many new immigrants (for example, from the Middle East, Bangladesh, India, the Philippines, Latin America, and Eastern and Southern Europe) and young Manhattan urbanites in recent years, making the neighborhood even more diverse.

There are several main thoroughfares/streets running east-west in Astoria, each of which has its own subway station on the N and W lines. Furthest north is Ditmars Boulevard, which remains very residential and has the largest population of Greeks. Moving south is Astoria Boulevard, which flanks the Grand Central Parkway on both sides (providing access to Manhattan and the Bronx via the Triborough Bridge, and to LaGuardia and Kennedy Airports and points further east on Long Island via the Grand Central). Next is 30th Avenue, also known as Grand Avenue, a lively commercial street with a wide range of restaurants, stores and cafes. Two avenues south is Broadway, also full of stores, restaurants and cafes. South of Broadway is where there is a less influx of Greek influence and more of a Latin/Bengali influence in terms of restaurants and people. Furthest south is 36th Avenue, a minor commercial strip. The primary streets running north-south are Vernon Boulevard along the East River, 21st Street, a major traffic artery with a mix of residential, commercial and industrial character; 31st Street, which carries the N and W subway lines on an elevated track; and Steinway Street (named for the Steinway & Sons piano factory), a major commercial street with many retail stores, and a very prominent Middle Eastern section between Astoria Boulevard and 28th Avenue.

Community

• Originally, Astoria was known as Hallet's Cove, but Astoria was renamed after the famous millionaire John Jacob Astor in order to persuade him to invest $2,000 in the neighborhood. He invested only $500 in the neighborhood, but the name stayed.
• Attractions in Astoria include the Kaufman Astoria Studios' Museum of the Moving Image, Isamu Noguchi Museum, and Socrates Sculpture Park. Astoria Park, along the East River, is Astoria's largest park and contains the Astoria Pool -- the largest of New York City's public pools.
• The Hell Gate Bridge and New York Connecting Railroad viaduct rise high above Astoria.
• In All in the Family, Archie Bunker and his family lived at the fictional address 704 Hauser Street in Astoria.
• Many Irish pubs are located in Astoria. And the oldest beer garden in New York City, Bohemian Hall, dating from about 1900, when, before the first Greek immigration, Astoria was largely Irish, Italian and "Bohemian"(now Czech).

Notable people from Astoria

• Tony Bennett, a famous jazz singer was born in Astoria in 1926.
• Maria Callas, a famous opera singer was born in Astoria in 1923.
• Chester Carlson invented xerography at his Astoria laboratory on October 22, 1938, making a copy of the words 10.-22.-38 ASTORIA.
• John Frusciante, guitarist for The Red Hot Chili Peppers was born in Astoria in 1970.
• Scott Joplin, the most famous of ragtime musicians is buried in Astoria.
• Jack Kelly, the actor who played Bart Maverick opposite James Garner and Roger Moore in the 1957 TV series Maverick, was born in Astoria in 1927.
• Patrick McGoohan, an Irish television and film actor, best known for starring in and creating The Prisoner, was born in Astoria on March 19, 1928.
• Ethel Merman, a famous Broadway actress and singer was born in Astoria in 1908.
• David Schwimmer, famous for playing Ross on Friends, was born in Astoria.
• William Steinway, son of the founder and owner of Steinway & Sons, lived in, and was influential in building much of Astoria.
• Christopher Walken, a famous film actor, was born and raised in Astoria.

External links

• [Yahoo Map]
• [Greater Astoria Historical Society]
• [Newspaper: Astoria Times]
• [Newspaper: Western Queens Gazette]
• [Astoria.org: Official Website]
• [NYC Board of Education assessment of Astoria public schools]
• [New York Police Department (NYPD) 114th Precinct]
• [Map of neighborhood boundaries in Queens]
• [Listing and Schedule of Community Boards in Queens]
• [Article from the Greater Astoria Historical Society that describes the logical but non-intuitive Queens street numbering system]
• [Astoria, NY] Astorians Discussion, Community Calendar, Activities & Groups

From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.