Group 6
From Decoding New York
Outline
Jackson Heights
1. History, Planned Community
a. Queensboro Corporation, E. A. MacDougall. "Though not explicitly stated in promotional material, it was widely known at the time that only white Anglo-Saxon Protestants were welcome in Jackson Heights, as was the case with such other middle-class suburban developments as Forest Hills Gardens and Garden City," (JHBG).
2. Diversity
a. Began in 1960s
b. Jackson Heights now called most diverse community in the world by some
3. Immigrants and ethnic groups shape Jackson Heights
a. Restaurants
b. Religious Institutions
4. Here v. There a. Hispanic population
b. What countries particularly?
c. Book vendor selling only Spanish books
d. Indian population
e. Indian food
f. Indian clothing stores
5. Evolution
a. Whiteness of neighborhood before 1960s
b. What happened to the old residents?
c. Is the neighborhood still in flux, or has change generally slowed down?
6. What’s Real
a. Are the ethnic restaurants owned by people of that ethnicity? And the customers?
7. Economy
a. To what extent is the neighborhood gentrified? What threat does gentrification pose to businesses and way of life?
Jackson Heights Sources:
Jackson Heights Beautification Group. http://www.jhbg.org/
Lessinger, Johanna. From the Ganges to the Hudson: Indian Immigrants in New York City. New Immigrants Series, 1996
Karatzas, Daniel. Jackson Heights: A Garden in the City. Jackson Heights Beautification Group, 1990
Folder of historical reference material available at the Jackson Heights Library.
Census data.
Astoria
1. Settlement
a. Community began in early 1700's with Dutch and Germans
b. 1890's- Czech, Irish and Italian immigration
c. 1960's- ethnic Greeks from Greece, Albania and Cyprus
d. 1990's- very diverse immigration from eastern Europe, the Middle East, South America and Asia
2. Cultural Imprint
a. Irish immigrants built Catholic churches which are being used by Catholic South Americans today
b. Greeks built bakeries, restaurants and cafes
c. Many organizations and sports clubs have been founded by immigrant groups to maintain cultural ties
3. Geography
a. Western border is the East River
b. Southern border is Broadway
c. Eastern border is Woodside
d. Served by N and W subway lines
4. Trivia
a. Named after millionaire John Jacob Astor
b. The Costanza's and the Bunker's lived in Astoria
c. contains New York City's oldest beer garden
d. Tony Bennet, Whitey Ford, David Schwimmer and Christopher Walken were all born in Astoria
5. Here v. There
a. Has the Greek population tailored Astoria to resemble Greece, or is Astoria mostly unique?
b. Everything painted blue and white
c. Greek signs
d. Greek newspapers
e. Greek food
f. Have new groups gone to the same lengths to tailor the neighborhood?
6. Evolution
a. Pre-1960s, Pre-Greek Astoria. How did they come? Who came? When?
b. 1960s- mid 1990s: Greek Astoria. What happened to the old population?
c. 1990s- : new immigrants in Astoria. How have they changed the neighborhood?
d. “Today, the immigrant pool includes Russians, Arabs, Middle Europeans, South Asians, East Asians, Latin Americans and young Midwesterners who think they have discovered Europe in the coffeehouses and bakeries. Few neighborhoods, even in New York City, have such ethnic diversity,” (Jackson).
7. What’s Real?
a. How do Greek residents feel about new immigrants?
b. Can Astoria still rightly be called a Greek neighborhood?
c. Who lives where in Astoria? Are there ethnic enclaves within Astoria, or is the neighborhood genuinely diverse?
8. Economy
a. How quickly are mega-franchises opening up and do local business owners regard them as a threat?
b. Has Astoria struck a balance between big franchises and local business?
c. Are certain groups more economically dominant?
Astoria Sources:
Greater Astoria Historical Society. http://www.astorialic.org/
Terzi, Arhonto. Astoria: Living and Interacting with the Greeks of New York. Thesis (M.A.), Hunter College Department of Anthropology, 1989
Jackson, Nancy. If You’re Thinking of Living in Astoria. NY Times, 19 November 2003 <http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=980CE5D9173EF93AA25753C1A9659C8B63>
Shepard, Richard F. Astoria, a Greek Isle in the New York City Sea. NY Times, 15 Nov 1991, <http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?index=1&did=116058037&SrchMode=1&sid=7&Fmt=10&VInst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName=HNP&TS=1175031622&clientId=13093>
Oser, Alan S. Astoria's New Odyssey of Growth. NY Times, 20 April 1997, <http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?index=0&srchmode=1&sid=7&vinst=PROD&fmt=12&startpage=-1&vname=HNP&did=117352998&scaling=FULL&pmid=43896&vtype=PQD&fileinfoindex=share1%2Fpqimage%2Fhnirs1%2F20070327174030499%2F26711%2Fout.pdf&rqt=309&TS=1175031774&clientId=13093>
Census data.
Possible topics of discussion and comparison
a. Diversity v. Ethnical dominance
b. Are the two neighborhoods primarily diverse, or primarily Greek and Hispanic with diversity?
c. Compare how residents and business owners classify the neighborhoods. Does one seem more accepting generally than the other?
d. How far along is gentrification? Is it inevitable?
Sources
Karatzas, Daniel. Jackson Heights: A Garden in the City. Jackson Heights, N.Y. : Jackson Heights Beautification Group, 1990.
Jackson Heights Beautification Group (JHBG), http://www.jhbg.org/
Fioravante, Janice. "Diversity Stokes a Planned Community". NY Times, 1 December 1996. <http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F02E4DE1F3DF932A35751C1A960958260>
http://www.nyc.gov/html/nextstopnyc/html/neighborhoods/jackson_heights_main.shtml
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackson_Heights,_Queens
http://www.myastoria.com/history/
Kim, Janet. "Close-up on Astoria". Village Voice, 3 January 2003. <http://www.villagevoice.com/nyclife/0302,kim,41008,15.html>
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astoria,_Queens
Demographics, spoken languages by zip code, and population diversity, www.nyc.gov
Oasis Overhead maps for the study of the region, http://oasisnyc.net/OASISMap.asp?name=OASIS+Map&Left=1010910&Bottom=208830&Right=1020689&Top=218609&xMin=&xMax=&yMin=&yMax=&Action=zoomin&tool=&EXPRESSWAYS_METRO_LABELS=&EXPRESSWAYS_METRO=&LOT_LABELS=&LOTS=on&BUILDINGS=&SType=1&Address=&Boro=Select&bblBoro=Select&Block=&Lot=&cntyboro=Select&zip=&Neighborhood=Select&CD=Select&zoomwidth=1.85&METRO_REGION_PLACE=on&COUNTIES_BNDY_LABELS=on&STREETS=on&NYC_ST_LABELS=on&BRIDGES=on&PARKS=on&NJ_STATE_PARKS=on&NYS_PUBLIC_LAND=on&OPEN_SPACE=on&GARDENS=on&playgrounds=on&streetgreen=on&CEMETERIES=on&PIERS=on&RESIDENTIAL=on&RESIDENTIAL2=on&MIXED=on&NJ_FOREST=on&LIVING_MEMORIALS=on&NATURAL_AREAS_POLY=on&refresh.x=20&refresh.y=10 http://oasisnyc.net/OASISMap.asp?name=OASIS+Map&Left=1006524&Bottom=219867&Right=1008333&Top=221676&xMin=&xMax=&yMin=&yMax=&Action=zoomout&tool=&COUNTIES_BNDY_LABELS=on&EXPRESSWAYS_METRO_LABELS=&EXPRESSWAYS_METRO=&WILDLIFE_REFUGE_LABELS=&wildlife_refuge=&FEDERAL_LAND_LABELS=&federal_land=&AQUIFER=&WETLAND_FWA=&WETLAND_TIDAL=&SType=1&Address=&Boro=Select&bblBoro=Select&Block=&Lot=&cntyboro=Select&zip=&Neighborhood=Select&CD=Select&x=301&y=335&zoomwidth=0.34&METRO_REGION_PLACE=on&STREETS=on&NYC_ST_LABELS=on&BRIDGES=on&PARKS=on&NJ_STATE_PARKS=on&NYS_PUBLIC_LAND=on&OPEN_SPACE=on&GARDENS=on&playgrounds=on&streetgreen=on&CEMETERIES=on&LOTS=on&PIERS=on&RESIDENTIAL=on&RESIDENTIAL2=on&MIXED=on&NJ_FOREST=on&LIVING_MEMORIALS=on&NATURAL_AREAS_POLY=on
Example of demographic immigration information from infoshare, http://www.infoshare.org.proxy.wexler.hunter.cuny.edu/
