Demographics
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Demographics of Flushing
by Rachel Furr
Even though New York City is known as the melting pot, one neighbourhood in particular exemplifies this idea. The demographics of Flushing, Queens represent many different races, ethnicities, immigrant groups, and countries. Flushing is home to Chinese, Koreans, Vietnamese, Indians, Pakistanis, Afghans, Mexicans, Central Americans, Greeks, Italians, Irish and African-Americans. In return, the culture, the food, the language, and the religion of all these different people influence Flushing and create a diverse and colourful neighbourhood.
In the beginning, Flushing was mainly a white, middle-class neighbourhood composed of Jewish, Irish, Italian, and German immigrants. In 1960, the population of Flushing was 97 percent non-Hispanic white. The housing of downtown Flushing was a mixture of multifamily apartment building and low-density units. Further from downtown, the number of single- or two-family homes increased. Today, however, Flushing looks completely different. Now, Flushing is often referred to as the “second” or “satellite” Chinatown or “Little Taipei.” However, unlike Old Chinatown, a single ethnic group does not dominate Flushing. Between 1970 and 1990, the non-Hispanic white population dropped 31 percent while the total population increased five percent. By 1990, whites made up only 24 percent of the population while Asians made up 41 percent. Among these Asians, 41 percent were Chinese, 38 percent were Korean, and 15 percent were Indian. Flushing’s Chinese immigrants come from three major regions: Taiwan, Mainland China, and Hong Kong. Although only 16 percent of immigrants from Taiwan live in New York City, they are very visible in Flushing. Although the Taiwanese heavily influence Flushing’s commercial development, the area is also filled with Korean, Indian, Pakistani, and Bangladeshi restaurants and stores.
According to the New York Times real estate, the total reported population of Flushing is 493,488. The breakdown of this population reveals a very racially and ethnically diverse neighbourhood. Approximately 50 percent of Flushing’s residents are white, seven percent are black, 32 percent are Asian, and 11 percent reported as other. In addition, 28 percent of the population is Hispanic. The white population is made up of previous waves of Russian, Greek, Italian, and Irish immigrants who have remained in the neighbourhood. Meanwhile, the Asian population consists of newer immigrants from China, Korea, Vietnam, India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, to name a few. In Flushing, the median age is 39.5, and the median family income is $58,231. Today, Flushing exists as an ethnically diverse middle class neighbourhood.
One of the most notable aspects of Flushing is the neighbourhood’s religious diversity. Flushing, Queens contains more than 200 places of religious worship within two and a half square miles. According to R. Scott Hanson, a professor at SUNY Binghamton, Flushing has become a model for religious pluralism in the United States. Flushing has a long history of religious tolerance. In 1657, a group of colonists issued a public notice criticizing efforts by the Dutch colonial government to force discrimination against Quakers. Known as the Flushing Remonstrance, it was one of the earliest arguments for religious freedom in the United States. Today, Flushing is home to several Hindu temples, two Sikh gurdwaras, several mosques, Japanese, Chinese, and Korean Buddhist temples, a Taoist temple, over 100 Korean churches, Latin American evangelical churches, Falun Gong practitioners, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and Mormons. Additionally, Flushing hosts some of the oldest churches and synagogues in New York City.
Flushing, Queens is one of the largest and most diverse neighbourhoods in New York City. Flushing hosts people of many different ethnic backgrounds and ancestries, such as Asian, Hispanic, Middle Eastern, European and African American. Once a white, middle-class neighbourhood, Flushing has changed drastically since 1970, as immigrants from South and East Asia as well as Latin America have flocked to the neighbourhood. Today, Flushing, where the population is 41 percent Asian, is known as the “second” Chinatown. Along with the ethnically diverse demographics of the neighbourhood, Flushing also boasts rich religious diversity. The concentration of hundreds of different places of worship makes Flushing unique in regards to religious freedom and tolerance. Flushing, Queens stands as a true example of what a “melting pot” looks like in action.
