FLUSHING, LONG ISLAND

Flushing, Long Island

Flushing is an urban neighborhood located in the borough of Queens, Long island, New York. It is part of Queens Community Board 7. The neighborhood is surrounded by Shea Stadium on the West, Francis Lewis Boulevard on the East, Jewel Avenue on the South and Willets Point Boulevard. As of the 2000 census, more than half of its population is Asian American with the largest ethnic Chinese community in the New York metropolitan area. Flushing is the second-largest Chinatown in United States. There are 7 subways or the LIRR at Flushing Main Street and step into the crowds. Downtown Manhattan is just 30 minutes away, which is such an important consideration for people and for firms who move in to this part of the United States. The sidewalks pulse with people of all nationalities but predominantly East Asians, specifically Chinese and Koreans. Signs in Chinese are at least as prominent as those in English. Elevation is 85 feet.

In 1645, the area was first settled by Europeans under charter of the Dutch West India Company and was named after the city of Vlissingen, in the southwestern Netherlands, the main port of the company. Then, it was inhabited by British colonists and one of them was a farmer named John Bowne, who defied the prohibition of the governor, Peter Stuyvesant, and held Quaker meetings in his home. Flushing was occupied by British troops for most of the revolution. During the 20th century, the neighborhood became a forerunner of Hollywood, when the young American film industry was still based on the East Coast and Chicago. The crime rate in Flushing has dropped significantly since the 1990s, reflecting the city-wide decrease in crime. However, gang warfare has become a big problem in the downtown Flushing area, resulting in a string of stabbings, shootings, and murders, such as Wendy’s Massacre on Main Street.

Notable people living in Flushing include James A. Bland (singer and composer), Erik Estrada (actor), Lewis Mumford (writer), Martin Scorsese (director), James D. Wetherbee (astronaut), and Mic Geronimo (rapper). Schools in Flushing offers good educational programs and encourage each student to attain their goal. In fact, one of the most respected colleges of the City University of New York (CUNY) is located here. The Flushing branch of the Queens Borough Public Library is the largest branch library in the entire New York City. The library has developed into an expensive community resource and houses an auditorium for public events. Flushing is also known for its selection of authentic ethnic restaurants. Its overwhelming fame in the riches and variety of Chinese and Korean food overshadows some remarkable achievements in offering mouth-watering specialties and heady aromas from the sub-continent of India. The Flushing Mall has lots of small shops that sell everything including Hong Kong fashion, jewelry, art, toys, and cell phones. Housing in Flushing is mostly in the form of apartment blocks. Individual homes tend to be large enough to hold more than one family and are often conjoint in semi-detached manner that can accommodate fair-sized groups of individuals.