|
|
|
Place Name
|
Queens
|
|
Place Status (Type)
|
borough
|
|
Population
|
1,951,598 (1990)
|
|
Location
|
Queens County, New York (NY), United States, North America
|
|
Latitude
|
40°39'N
|
|
Longitude
|
73°50'W
|
Queens
, borough of N.Y. city (
c.147 sq mi/381 sq km; 1990 pop.
1,951,598), on the W portion of L.I., SE N.Y., coextensive with Queens
co.; 40°39'N 73°50'W. Having the largest area of the city's
boroughs, it extends from the junction of the East R. and L.I. Sound in
the N, across L.I. to Jamaica Bay and the Atlantic Ocean in the S. It
is connected with Manhattan by the Queensboro Bridge, the
Queens-Midtown Tunnel, RR, and subway tunnels; with the Bronx and
Manhattan by the Triborough Bridge; with the Bronx by the Hell Gate RR
bridge, and by the Bronx-Whitestone and Throgs Neck bridges. The
borough has c.200 mi/322 km of waterfront. It
is industrialized in L.I. City; there and at Sunnyside are extensive RR
yards. Astoria, Flushing, Queens Boulevard, Rego Park, and Jamaica
(seat of St. John's Univ.) are industrial and commercial centers,
though Jamaica has declined in the 1990s. Among the many residential
communities are Flushing (Queens Col. is here), Forest Hills, and Kew
Gardens. The Rockaways, on a peninsula bet. Jamaica Bay and the
Atlantic Ocean, is a popular beach area. The 1st settlements in the
area were made by the Dutch in 1635. Queens co. was organized in 1683,
the main settlements were Flushing, Jamaica, and Newtown (later
Elmhurst). Several bldgs. of the 17th and 18th cents. remain. One of
the 1st commercial nurseries in the country was est. c.1737, and the
community's collection of trees still includes several rare species.
In the Amer. Revolution, Br. troops held the area after the battle of
L.I. (1776). The W portions of Queens co. voted to join N.Y. city in
1898; Nassau co. became the new name for the E sect. In the 20th cent.,
growth was spurred with the opening of the Queensboro Bridge (1909) and
a RR tunnel (1910). After World War II there was a great increase in
housing construction. Queens is the site of LaGuardia Airport and JFK
Internatl. Airport. The 2d-most populous borough in N.Y. city, Queens
has become the most ethnically diverse co. in the U.S., with large
pops. of new immigrants. Early film studios in Astoria have been
restored for TV and film production. Two N.Y. World's Fairs
(1939-1940; 1964-1965) were held in Flushing Meadow Park. Also in the
borough are Aqueduct racetrack and Shea Stadium, home of the N.Y. Mets
(baseball), and the U.S. Open tennis tournament is held here annually.
Parts of Jamaica Bay and the Rockaway Peninsula (including former U.S.
Fort Tilden) are included in the Gateway Natl. Recreation Area. Settled
by the Dutch 1635, est. as a borough of N.Y. city 1898.
|
