| Elmhurst | |
|---|---|
| — Neighborhoods of New York City — | |
| Queens Boulevard, Macy's and Queens Center | |
| Country | United States |
| State | New York |
| County | Queens |
| Settlement (Dutch) | 1652 |
| Population (2000) | |
| • Total | 105,723 |
| Ethnicity | |
| • Hispanic or Latino | 43.1% |
| • Asian | 38.9% |
| • White | 13.6% |
| • Two or more races | 5.8% |
| • African American | 2.0% |
| ZIP code | 11373 |
| Area code(s) | 718, 347, 917 |
Elmhurst is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens. It is bounded by Roosevelt Avenue (Jackson Heights) on the north; Corona to the northeast; Junction Boulevard on the east; Rego Park to the southeast; the Long Island Expressway on the south; Middle Village to the south and southwest; and Maspeth and the New York Connecting Railroad on the west; and Woodside on the northwest. The neighborhood is part of Queens Community Board 4.
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The village was established in 1652 by the Dutch as Middenburgh (Middleburgh), and was a suburb of New Amsterdam (Nieuw Amsterdam) in New Netherland (Nieuw Nederland). The original settlers of Elmhurst were from the nearby colony of Maspat (now called Maspeth), following threats and attacks by local Indians.
When the British took over New Netherland in 1664, they renamed Middleburgh as New Town (Nieuwe Stad) to maintain the Dutch heritage. This was eventually simplified to Newtown. Among the English settlers in the present Elmhurst section of Newtown was Gershom Moore, in whose orchard a chance seedling produced the Newtown Pippin, Colonial America's most famous apple. Newtown was established as the Town Seat for the Township of the same name when it was established in 1683. The village was renamed Elmhurst in 1896 to identify the area with a new housing development, to avoid association with the larger Township and the Creek, and again to maintain the Dutch heritage. "Hurst" means "grove" or "woods" in Dutch.
Once Queens joined the City of Greater New York in 1898, Elmhurst developed into a fashionable district due to a housing development that was built by the Cord Meyer Development Company between 1896 and 1910, north of the Port Washington Branch railroad station. They expanded their holdings between 1905 and 1930, including Elmhurst Square, Elmhurst South, Elmhurst Heights, and New Elmhurst. Elmhurst also became home to the Grand Street LIRR station just west of the current Grand Avenue – Newtown (IND Queens Boulevard Line) station. The Grand Street LIRR station was served by the Main Line and the former Rockaway Beach Branch.
Prior to World War II, Elmhurst was an almost exclusively Jewish and Italian neighborhood. Following the war, Elmhurst evolved into what has been considered one of the most ethnically diverse neighborhoods in New York City.[1] By the 1980s, there were persons from 112 nations in residence. Despite the decline of crime compared to their peaks during the crack and heroin epidemics, crime remains a problem in the community. Other problems in local schools include low test scores and high truancy rates.
Religious sites include a Buddhist temple and pagoda on 45th Ave and a large Jain temple on Ithaca St. Hindu temples include the Bangladeshi Hindu Mandir on 44th Ave. and the Geeta Temple on Corona Ave. There is alo a Satya Narayan Mandir on Woodside Ave.
Five churches of historic vintage are still extant and in use, two of which have historical graveyards.
Elmhurst has two urban shopping malls: Queens Center and the smaller Queens Place Mall. Many furniture stores are adjacent to Grand Avenue on Queens Boulevard.
Elmhurst is part of New York City's Department of Education Region 4.[2] Schools in Elmhurst include:
Accessible subway stations are Woodhaven Boulevard, Grand Avenue – Newtown and Elmhurst Avenue, all served by the E M R trains of the IND Queens Boulevard Line. In addition, the IRT Flushing Line, served by the 7 <7> train, runs along Roosevelt Avenue, the north border of Elmhurst, with stations at 74th Street – Broadway, 82nd Street – Jackson Heights and 90th Street – Elmhurst Avenue. Buses include the Q53, Q88, Q11, Q21, Q38, Q58, Q59, Q29, and Q60. Elmhurst is bounded by the Long Island Expressway (Interstate 495) to the south with exits on Grand Ave., Woodhaven Blvd., and Queens Blvd. The neighborhood is also bounded by the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway to the west with exits on Queens Blvd. Queens Blvd., Woodhaven Blvd., Junction Blvd., Roosevelt Ave., and Broadway are major roads in the community. Elmhurst is connected to Manhattan and Jamaica by Queens Blvd. and is connected to J.F.K International Airport by Woodhaven Blvd. and to LaGuardia Airport by Junction Blvd.
Elmhurst's new Chinatown [3] is the second in Queens, in addition to the Flushing Chinatown. Previously a small area with Chinese shops on Broadway between 81st Street and Cornish Avenue, this newly evolved second Chinatown in Queens has now expanded to 45th Avenue and Whitney Avenue. In Chinese translation, Elmhurst is named 艾姆赫斯特 (ài mǔ hè sī tè-Mandarin translation). There are also many other Southeast Asian businesses and shops in the area, such as Malaysian, Indonesian, Thai, and Vietnamese. Hong Kong Supermarket and New York Supermarket serve as the largest Chinese supermarkets selling different food varieties to this Elmhurst Chinatown. [4][5] So far, the Asia Bank serves as the only Chinese bank and the main financial resource business for this thriving Chinatown.[6]
McDowell's, the fictional restaurant depicted in the 1988 film Coming to America, is located in Elmhurst. The filmmakers cosmetically altered an existing Wendy's restaurant for the week-long location shoot.
For many years Elmhurst was a familiar name due to the Elmhurst Gas Tanks (officially the Newtown Holder Station), a pair of large natural gas storage structures built in 1910 and 1921. Because the Long Island Expressway (LIE) frequently became congested in that area, "backup at the Elmhurst Gas Tanks" became a familiar phrase in radio traffic reporting. Being literal rather than legal landmarks, the gas holders were removed in 2001.[7][8]
The Elmwood Theatre, one of the largest in the city, was built in 1928 and seats 2200 people. It closed in 2002 and was purchased by the Rock Church.[9]
Wrestling Groups including Usa Pro Wrestling,The Long Island Wrestling Federation,Ultimate Championship Wrestling/Impact Championship Wrestling and Extreme Championship Wrestling ran shows at the Elks Lodge on Queens Blvd in Elmhurst from 1997-2003. The Elks Lodge is now the ethnically diverse New Life Fellowship Church, and New Life Community Development Corporation, a non-profit organization that oversees services including and an ESL (English as a Second Language) program for immigrants. Elmhurst has produced a number of NBA basketball players, including Smush Parker (Guard for L.A. Clippers).