Astoria, Queens borders Long Island City at 36th Avenue and stretches from the East River to 49th Street, which marks the start, as the community board points out, of the Woodside Houses, a public development. (The debate over borders may never be settled, but the area is roughly 3.5 square miles.)

In the 1830s, Stephen Halsey, a fur trader, named his new neighborhood across the East River after a friend and fellow trader, John Jacob Astor. Because of the ferry service that Mr. Halsey started, the village slowly grew; mansions went up around 12th Street, some of which remain.

The Steinway family opened a piano factory and, starting in the 1870s, it had a bustling community of workers. The plant inspired the name of a busy local street (and, later, a subway station). A housing boom in the early 20th century brought in the broad ethnic mix for which Astoria is known.

While Astoria has long been known for Greek and Italian residents, it has also attracted migrants from all over the world. Its streets reflect a  variety of cultures and traditions; more than 15 street festivals are already scheduled for 2014, including the Epitaphios Procession of thousands of candle-bearing Greek Orthodox worshippers on Good Friday and a parade and carnival celebrating the Feast of Saint Anthony in June.

To get an overview of the population size in Astoria over time feel free to look at the chart.