History
Flushing was formed in 1645 as one of the first of many Dutch colonies on Long Island. Now, Flushing is a neighborhood in the borough of Queens, and it is one of the largest and most diverse neighborhoods in New York City. It consists of not only the second largest “Chinatown” in the city but also many other Asian ethnicities, as well as people of Hispanic, Middle Eastern, European, and African ancestry. Though in the beginning, Flushing was far less diverse.
Flushing was originally claimed by the Netherlands, however it had many English colonists, most notably John Bowne. His adamant defense for Quaker meetings led to a reformation that set the precedence for religious freedom in this area, and his house still can be visited today. His work was the foreground for the eventual religious pluralism that Flushing would become known for. It is estimated that there are over 200 places of worship in an area of only 2.5 miles. The diversity is best exemplified when one takes note that the Dutch colonial epoch Quaker Meeting House, St. George’s Episcopal Church, the Free Synagogue of Flushing, St. Mel Roman Catholic Church, St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church (the largest Greek Orthodox Church in the United States), and the Muslim Center of New York all flourish within Flushing. Soon after John Bowne’s work, the English took New Amsterdam (now New York City) from the Dutch, and Flushing was one of the original towns that made up Queens county. As a result of Flushing’s proximity to Manhattan, it became a densely populated area, and this led to the diversity that we can see today. Though the census reports that Caucasian and Asian Americans make up over 80% of the demographics of Flushing, further examination shows a more accurate picture. Northern Flushing is known for having a large number of Greeks, Italians, and Jews; all living in extremely close proximity to one another. Southern Flushing is a concentration of Indian, Pakistani, Afghan and Bangladeshi markets, while centrally Flushing is home to European Americans and Hispanic Americans, however is best known for its massive number of Asian Americans.
The Flushing Chinatown was more or less a product of the 7-train erection, as a large number of Korean and Chinese put up shop beneath the train and spread down Main Street, completely taking over Flushing’s business center. Now Flushing’s Chinatown continues to grow rapidly, and could potentially become the largest Chinatown in the city in a matter of years.
Another more famous neighborhood in Flushing is the Waldheim Neighborhood, which is known to house the majority of Queens’ German Americans. This neighborhood was built between 1875 and 1925, and it’s high quality architecture and location within the city has made it home to numerous high profile residents, including the creator of Hellmann condiments as well as the founder of Steinway Pianos.
With such immense diversity one would expect it to be a consistently high density area, however Flushing is one of the few neighborhoods in the city where a low density, residential character can be found that provides a reminder of the storied past of the city. While preservationists are working hard to keep it that way, Flushing is just as susceptible to the overcrowding of urban areas as everywhere else. So even though today Flushing remains one of the most culturally diverse areas in America, it will be interesting to see how this overcrowding affects that diversity.
Alex Linde
