Located in the northwest corner of Queens, Astoria is a neighborhood noted for its diversity, close proximity to Manhattan, and European feel. It boasts a population of 154,000, many of whom are immigrants. Once considered a mostly Greek neighborhood, Astoria has seen an increasing Arab population as well an influx of young college professionals who have changed the feel and rent rates of the neighborhood. Despite its location just across the East River from Manhattan, Astoria hasn’t urbanized in the same way as parts of Brooklyn such as DUMBO and Brooklyn Heights. Instead, Astoria maintains a residential feel with its sprawl of low-rise buildings.

The northwest corner overlooking the East River toward Randall’s Island was originally called Hallet’s Cove. In the early 19^th Century, it became a popular recreational destination for Manhattan’s wealthy. Fur trader Stephen Halsey, in order to get financial support from millionaire John Jacob Astor, renamed the area after Astor. During the 19^th Century, the area saw population growth spread from the river inland.

Astoria has always been a destination for immigrants. An influx of German immigrants in the 19^th Century included Henry Steinway, who founded the world-renowned piano company Steinway & Sons in Astoria, transforming part of the neighborhood into a manufacturing village. Echoing the immigration patterns of the rest of the city, Astoria welcomed Irish immigrants in the late 19^th Century and Italian immigrants in the early 20^th Century. Following the end of immigration quotas in 1965, the neighborhood’s Greek population quickly rose to become the prominent Greek neighborhood of New York City. In recent years Astoria has seen an increasing Arab population.

One walking in Astoria would not realize that it’s located just across the East River from Manhattan. Notably, Astoria has relatively few buildings taller than five stories. Most residential streets feature lawn-less brick houses or apartments two to three stories in height, though some houses have plastic cladding. Major commercial roads feature the same three to four story brick apartment building with storefronts at the street level, though new clothes stores on Steinway Street are popping up in their own separate one-story buildings. Walking along Ditmars Boulevard, one notices the number of finer restaurants and cafes, a sign of the neighborhood’s changing demographics. Astoria has several parks and playgrounds, which coupled with sidewalk trees gives a more residential, open atmosphere.

Transportation in Astoria is most noticeably marked by the elevated BMT Astoria Line, which casts eternal shadow on 31^st Street up until the Astoria-Ditmars Boulevard Station. The line is serviced by the N and Q trains, which run into Manhattan and then Brooklyn. Bus service is also popular, especially the M60 Select Bus Service which runs from the Upper West Side to LaGuardia Airport through Astoria. Both the N Train and the M60 appear to be crowded, even during off-peak hours. Besides mass transit, many of the residents own cars; however, finding parking can sometimes be a challenge. The Grand Central Parkway runs through Astoria, allowing easily access to Upper Manhattan, the Bronx, or the rest of Queens and Long Island.

Health and education in Astoria are satisfactory compared to other parts of New York City. Mt. Sinai Hospital operates its Queens branch in Astoria, and many specialists and urgent care centers exist next to stores along major roads such as Steinway Street and 31^st Street. In terms of education, 84.2% of residents have graduated high school, and 42.9% have graduated college with at least a bachelor’s degree. Public education in Astoria is run by the New York City Department of Education, with several elementary and middle schools visible when walking through the neighborhood. Parochial and private schools enjoy popularity as well from the Greek Orthodox, Catholic, and Muslim populations. Notable high schools include Long Island City High School, which is located in Astoria instead of Long Island City; St. John’s Preparatory High School, a Catholic high school; the Young Women’s Leadership School, an all-girls private school; St. Demetrios High School, the only Greek Orthodox high school in New York City; Frank Sinatra High School, a performing arts high school; and the Baccalaureate School for Global Education, rated by U.S. News and World Report as the best high school in New York City.

Astoria has a relatively low violent crime rate: according to NYPD data on criminal complaints, there have been 3 murder complaints and 5 rape complaints in the past year in Astoria. However, while the violent crime rate is low the theft rate is higher than the New York City average. In the past year 125 burglary complaints have been filed, 0.0008117 per capita per annum, almost twice as high as the city average of 0.0005255 per capita per annum. Similarly, complaints for grand larceny auto and petit larceny are higher than the city average. One resident attributes it to the gentrification of the neighborhood. “With the rich folk, there’s less violence. It’s pretty safe, and people don’t die. Now that the richer people are moving in, criminals from other neighborhoods are visiting to steal from them.” The resident recalled a personal story. “One time we forgot to lock the car door. It was 4 AM and I woke to see out my window that somebody was near our car. It turns out they opened our unlocked door, didn’t find anything of value, and just moved on to another one. People in this neighborhood should lock their cars at all times.” Residents agree, however, that Astoria is a safe neighborhood overall.

New York City is considered one of the most diverse cities in the world, with its population separated into neighborhoods which each tend to cater toward one ethnic group. Astoria, however, it itself considered to be a diverse neighborhood by itself. According to the 2010 Census (which separates Astoria into three neighborhoods: the small “Old Astoria”, the southern “Astoria”, and the northern “Steinway”), the demographic breakdown of Astoria and Steinway are as follows: Astoria: 49.2% White, 4.5% Black, 16.2% Asian, 1.4% Other, 2.2% Mixed, 26.5% Hispanic; Steinway: 65.6% White, 1.8% Black, 10.5% Asian, 0.8% Other, 1.9% Mixed, 19.4% Hispanic. Looking at the numbers, one notices the low percentage of black residents, noticeable when one walks in Astoria and sees mostly Whites and Hispanics, with some Asians. With regards to age, Astoria leans more toward young adults than children. The demographics by age are as follows: Astoria: 16.5% under 20, 43.5% 20-39, 26.6% 40-65, and 11.3% 65 and older; Steinway: 16.2% under 20, 40.8% 20-39, 29.5% 40-64, and 13.6% 65 and older. This may indicate the gentrification of the neighborhood, but it may also indicate the immigration of adults from other countries. According to census data, 66% of Astoria residents and 70.5% of Steinway residents live in a family household.

However, the numbers don’t portray the diversity of the neighborhood as well as actually walking through it. Starting on Broadway and Steinway Street, one finds the Broadway Branch of the Queens Library. There the library workers display some diversity: most, if not all of them are women, but they’re White, Black, Arab, and Asian, ranging from young adult to almost retirement age. The foreign language section of the library features books in Chinese, Greek, Korean, Hindi, Russia, Spanish, and Arabic. Notably, there are twice as many books in Arabic as there are books in Greek. Walking north along Steinway Street, one sees the new stores and boutiques offering formal dresses, semi-formal dresses, brand-name sneakers, along with several Brazilian salons. One is tempted to label this part of Astoria “superficial”. Besides clothes stores, lower Steinway has an unusually high number of toy stores in an age of electronic entertainment. When asked whether Disney Princesses or Marvel Heroes were the best selling, one storeowner replied, “Minecraft”, indicating that sales of toys are indeed connected to video games.

Further up Steinway the stores fade from fashion and transition to Middle Eastern food stores, service stores, and a surprisingly high number of hookah lounges. Women are less likely to be seen hanging on the sidewalk compared to men, who spend free time talking in Arabic or English. One storeowner, bored by the little traffic during the day, makes conversations while selling cumin. Here there aren’t single-story standalone stores. Instead stores are located at the ground level of three-story brick residential buildings. To the side, one sees a mosque before crossing the Grand Central Parkway. Further up the street, Steinway Street itself becomes more residential and stores almost disappear. To the side in Ditmars Park, one can find older Greek men playing bocce, an Italian game. White, Black, and Arabic mothers watch their kids play in the playground. One resident noted that her daughter sometimes made new friends from strangers and the mom herself made new friends out of the daughter’s playmates’ mothers.

Turning right on Ditmars Boulevard, one passes the Steinway Reformed Church and St. Irene of Chaysovalantou Church. In a bakery, a seemingly non-Greek dark skinned employee speaks to his boss in Greek, while children who just celebrated First Communion eat at Loukoumi Taverna with their families. Turning around 180 degrees back to Ditmars Boulevard and Steinway Street, Astoria immediately gains a European feel with cafes and open front restaurants, including Greek restaurants. These eventually transition to less-pricey eateries toward 31^st Street, where the neighborhood’s Italian side shows. Walking under the BMT Astoria Line, one can see South American food, Chinese food, and a halal cart going south. In a park near the Grand Central Parkway, one can see mostly black teenagers playing basketball and several high school students escaping to the park after class. Along the entire journey passersby come from a plethora of ethnic groups and cultures barely suggested by just the demographic data.

Despite the diversity, there appears to be little tension between different ethnic groups. Instead, conflicts arise from a different division: income and class. In recent years Astoria has followed the trend of Brooklyn and has slowly become gentrified. Young professionals, unable to afford Manhattan rent, move to the relatively cheaper Astoria and drive the rent up. As a response the neighborhood reacts by introducing pricier restaurants. As one resident said, “There are more joggers, more fitness centers, and more “trendy” stores.” She however notes that rent control will prevent an immediate displacement of the older inhabitants for a while. Meanwhile high-rise projects in the south intend to offer gorgeous views of the East River and Manhattan; of course these apartments most likely won’t be affordable for working class families, leading to opposition to these projects. In another decade or two, Astoria may or may not gentrify in the footsteps of Williamsburg and Park Slope before it.

As a residential neighborhood with amazing diversity and a unique history, Astoria is one of the best-recognized neighborhoods of Queens. It is not just a Greek neighborhood but it is a special subset of diversity in a borough known for diversity in neighborhoods. Astoria offers low crime, excellent education, and easy access to Manhattan for currently affordable rent. It is a neighborhood with a unique culture that may eventually be replaced due to decreasing birthrates and increasing young professional arrivals.