Astoria is a neighborhood in the northwestern corner of the borough of Queens in New York City. Located in Community Board 1, 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).
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Origin of the name
Originally, Astoria was known as Hallet's Cove, but was renamed after John Jacob Astor, who never set foot in the neighborhood, in order to persuade him to invest $2,000 in the neighborhood. His share only amounted $500 to the neighborhood, but the name stayed. A bitter battle over naming the village was finally won by supporters and friends of Astor who had become the wealthiest man in America by 1840 with a net worth of over $40 million. Astor did live in "Astoria" (his summer home), built in Manhattan on what is now East 87th Street near York Avenue, from which he could see across the river the new Long Island village named in his honor.
Ethnic heritage
Astoria was first settled by the Dutch and Germans in the first half of the 17th century. The next wave of immigration came in the 1890s when Czech, Irish and Italian immigrants moved to Astoria. By the 1920s, Irish immigrants founded many of the neighborhood's Catholic parishes – Our Lady of Mount Carmel, St. Patrick's, St. Mary's, Immaculate Conception, Most Precious Blood, and St. Joseph's. Most of these churches continue to serve the Catholic community, which now includes recent immigrants from Latin America and Eastern Europe. Astoria also contains a large number of people who claim Maltese ancestry. The 1960s saw a large number of ethnic Greeks from Greece, Albania and Cyprus. The Greek cultural imprint can be seen in the numerous Greek restaurants, bakeries, taverns and cafes, as well as several Greek Orthodox churches. Astoria has the largest number of people outside Greece with Greek heritage. Approximately 30-35% of Astoria's more than 140,000 residents claim Greek ethnicity. Beginning in the mid-1970s, the neighborhood's Arab population grew from earlier Lebanese immigrants, to include peoples from Egypt, Tunisia, Yemen and Morocco. Eventually, Steinway Street between 27th Avenue and Astoria Boulevard saw the establishment of many Arabic shops, restaurants and cafes, and has accordingly become known as "Little Cairo." Astoria's Latino population has seen significant growth since the early 1990s, including a significantly large population of Brazilians. South Asian immigrants predominantly from Bangladesh also constitute a sizable population in Astoria specially around 32nd Street and 34th Avenue.
Geography
There is some debate as to what constitutes the geographic boundaries of Astoria. The neighborhood was part of Long Island City (LIC) prior to the latter's incorporation into the City of New York in 1898, and much of it is still classified as LIC by the USPS. The area south of Astoria was called Ravenswood, and traditionally, Broadway was the considered the border between the two. Today, however, many residents and businesses south of Broadway identify themselves as Astorians for convenience or status, since Long Island City has historically been considered an industrial area, and Ravenswood is now mostly a low-income neighborhood. The eastern section of Astoria, with Steinway Street as its main thoroughfare, is sometimes referred to as "Steinway" and considered to be a separate neighborhood. Astoria is served by the N and W subway lines – formerly called the BMT – which run along an elevated track above 31st Street. Subway stops 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 minor commercial strip which is a prominent Bengali area with traditional restaurants and shops. 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 areas; 31st Street; and Steinway Street (named for Heinrich Engelhard Steinweg, founder of the Steinway & Sons piano factory[1]), a major commercial street with many retail stores, and a very prominent Middle Eastern section between Astoria Boulevard and 28th Avenue referred to as "Little Egypt".
Places of interest
- 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 also contains the largest of New York City's public pools which was also the former site of the U.S. Olympic trials.
- The Hell Gate Bridge and New York Connecting Railroad viaduct rise high above Astoria.
- The oldest beer garden in New York City, Bohemian Hall, was founded in 1910 when Astoria was largely Irish, Italian, Bohemian (Czech), and Slovak.[2]
Astoria in popular culture
The neighborhood has often been featured in television and film, either as Astoria or as a setting for another location in New York City. In the 1970s television sitcom All in the Family, Archie Bunker and his family lived at the fictional address 704 Hauser Street in Astoria.[3] The block of 37th Street between Ditmars Boulevard and 23rd Avenue is sometimes referred to as "the Seinfeld Street." In the Seinfeld television show, this street is occasionally seen in external establishing shots as the block where George Costanza's parents live. The television series Cosby, starring Bill Cosby, Phylicia Rashad and Madeleine Kahn (not to be confused with the earlier series The Cosby Show) was set in Astoria and was filmed there, at the Kaufman Astoria Studios on 35th Avenue.[4] Two notable Robert De Niro films were filmed on location in Astoria – Goodfellas and A Bronx Tale. While the latter was set in the Bronx, most of the exterior scenes were filmed in Astoria as well as the nearby neighborhood of Woodside. The high school featured in the film is William Cullen Bryant High School on 31st Avenue, and the church used in the film is St. Joseph's on 30th Avenue. Other films shot in Astoria include Five Corners (1987), starring Jodie Foster,[5] and the 1950s noted civil defense instructional film Duck and Cover. Astoria was the setting for the book, A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints, later made into a film starring Robert Downey Jr. and Rosario Dawson, about the filmmaker's experiences growing up in the neighborhood during the 1980s. The 2006 movie was filmed at various locations around Astoria. Astoria is also the final resting place of New York City mobster Frank Costello as well as ragtime composer and musician Scott Joplin. Both Costello and Joplin are interred at St. Michael's Cemetery. The church hosts annual public events and concerts to celebrate Joplin's musical legacy, including a Joplin retrospective.[6]
Education
Schools
New York City Department of Education operates Astoria's public schools.
Libraries
Queens Borough Public Library operates the Astoria Branch, the Broadway Branch, and the Steinway Branch.
Notable people from Astoria
Born and raised in Astoria
- JoAnn Falletta, orchestra conductor, Music Director of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra and the Virginia Symphony Orchestra, and Artistic Advisor to the Honolulu Symphony
- Whitey Ford, star pitcher of the New York Yankees.[7]
- George Maharis, actor and comedian best known for his work on Route 66.[8]
- Christopher Walken, Oscar-winning actor.[9]
Born in Astoria
- Alvey A. Adee (1842-1924), United States State Department official and chief U.S. diplomat during the Spanish-American War.
- Tony Bennett (1926-), Grammy winning singer.[9][10]
- John Frusciante, Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist
- George Gibbs (1815-1873), geologist who contributed to the study of the languages of the indigenous peoples of Washington Territory, was born in Astoria.[11]
- Jack Kelly (1927-1992), actor
- Nick Kenny (1895-1975), poet and newspaper columnist
- Patrick McGoohan (1928-), actor
- Ethel Merman (1908-1984), legendary Broadway actress and singer.[9]
- Al Oerter (1936-2007), Olympic discus throw 4-time gold medalist.[12]
- Melanie Safka (1947-), Singer-songwriter.[13]
- David Schwimmer (1966-), actor
Other past and present residents
- Ted Alexandro, comedian.[14]
- Dan Allen, comedian
- Albert R. Broccoli, producer of the James Bond films (childhood)
- Adrien Brody, Oscar winning actor (childhood)
- Maria Callas, opera singer (childhood) [15]
- Chester Carlson invented xerography at his Astoria laboratory in 1938[16]
- Christian Finnegan, comedian
- Cyndi Lauper, Grammy winning singer (childhood)
- Sam Lipsyte, writer (current resident)
- Dito Montiel, author and filmmaker who wrote and directed the film A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints, based on his memoir of the same name, about growing up in Astoria
- William Steinway, son of the founder and owner of Steinway & Sons, influential in building much of Astoria
External links
General information
Articles and news
- Article from the Greater Astoria Historical Society explaining the Queens street numbering system
- Listing and schedule of community board meetings in Queens
- Astoria Times newspaper online
- Western Queens Gazette newspaper online
Government resources
- 114th Precinct of the New York Police Department
- NYC Board of Education assessment of Astoria public schools
Community interest sites
Pictures
- New York Photography - Astoria, contemporary black-and-white and color photographs.
- Astoria, Queens in Pictures, vintage and historical photographs of the neighborhood.
References
- ^ Street Necrology of Astoria, accessed December 31, 2006)
- ^ Bohemian Hall History. Retrieved on 2006-07-20.
- ^ 'All in the Family' - the TV Sitcom, BBC.co.uk, accessed December 31, 2006
- ^ "Cosby". IMDB.com.
- ^ "Five Corners". IMDB.com.
- ^ St. Michael's Cemetery:Events Page. Retrieved on 2007-08-01.
- ^ Berkow, Ira. "ON BASEBALL; Ford Highlight Film Started Early", The New York Times, August 17, 2000. Accessed November 3, 2007. "Vivid in my memory is Stengel's shrug, palms up at his sides, gesturing in response to the mixture of cheers for Ford and boos for his removal. It was a display of sympathy for the kid from Astoria, Queens, who just a few years earlier was playing in street stickball games, and now under a national spotlight and World Series pressure had pitched so beautifully."
- ^ "Stars of TV's 'Route 66' working on opposite coasts.", Albuquerque Journal, November 16, 2003. Accessed November 30, 2007. "George Maharis was born Sept. 1, 1928, in Astoria, N.Y."
- ^ a b c Jackson, Nancy Beth. "If You're Thinking of Living In/Astoria; Accessible, Affordable and Highly Diverse", The New York Times, October 19, 2003. Accessed October 17, 2007. "Local celebrities in addition to Mr. Bennett include Christopher Walken and the late Ethel Merman."
- ^ Photos: Tony Bennett in Astroia, Newsday, September 13, 2006.
- ^ (1963) Who Was Who in America, Historical Volume,1607-1896. Chicago: Marquis Who's Who.
- ^ Litsky, Frank. "Al Oerter, Olympic Discus Champion, Is Dead at 71", The New York Times, October 2, 2007. Accessed November 19, 2007. "Alfred Oerter Jr. was born Sept. 19, 1936, in Astoria, Queens, and grew up on Long Island, in New Hyde Park. At Sewanhaka High School, he was a sprinter and then a miler."
- ^ Spelling, Ian. "Melanie's new songs lend their vigor to her old hits", The New York Times, October 12, 2007. Accessed December 20, 2007. "Born Melanie Safka in Astoria, N.Y., Melanie won over tens of thousands of fans at the legendary Woodstock concert..."
- ^ "Funny Pages", Queens Tribune. Accessed October 23, 2007. "A part of Astoria funnyman Ted Alexandro could be seen in the July issue of “Maxim” magazine."
- ^ Petsalis-Diomidis, Nicholas (2001). The Unknown Callas: The Greek Years. Amadeus Press. ISBN 1-57467-059-X.
- ^ Chester's Dream: The Genesis of the Modern Photocopier, Industrial Market Trends, April 9, 2001
