About New York
Queens County,
New York,
is one of 62 counties in New
York State. Queens County is better known as just
“Queens”, one of the five boroughs of New York City.
The British and the Dutch established 17th and 18th century
communities in the area that is now Queens. It was named after
an English Queen, Catherine
of Braganza, and the Portuguese wife of Charles II. Queens
is 110 square miles in area, more than any other county of
Long Island. Queens is a flat plain with scenic hills on its
east and west borders. Rivers, bays and salt marshes mark its
northern and southern borders.
It is the ninth largest county population in the nation and
was ranked first in the state for population growth during the
1990’s, when the percent change from 1990 to 2000 was 14.2%.
Population in 2000 was 2,229,379 according to the U.S.
Census and is estimated at 2,237,216 for 2004.
While Queens has many “neighborhoods” the U.S. Post
office divides it up into “cities”: Long
Island City, Jamaica,
Flushing
and Far
Rockaway. Most neighborhoods have no solid boundaries and
at times residents are left guessing as to which neighborhood
they live in.
Queens County, New York is home for two of the world’s
busiest airports,
LaGuardia
and JFK
International. JFK’s neighbor is the Jamaica
Bay Wildlife Refuge, a 9000-acre wildlife refuge that is
nationally and internationally renowned as a prime birding
spot. Thousands of water, land and shorebirds stop here during
migration. More than 325 species have been recorded in Queens
during the last 25 years.
Western Queens County, NY is becoming an artistic hub,
including the Noguchi Museum, Socrates Sculpture Park, Museum
for African Art, and the American Museum of the Moving Image.
Queens is increasingly attracting film studios. This is a
return of an industry that had departed the area decades
earlier, most notably the Kaufman Studios in Astoria, Queens,
where a number of network television shows are made.
York College, part of the City University of New York (CUNY)
system, was the first to be funded in 1967 by CUNY. Noted for
its Health Sciences Programs, the Northeast Regional Office of
the (FDA) Food and Drug Administration is located on the York
campus in Queens. Also in Queens is one of the CUNY Senior
Colleges, Queens College, offering degree programs to the
Masters level, and one of six CUNY system Community Colleges:
Queensborough Community College. Perhaps the best known in
Queens, NY is St. John's University. Founded in 1870 by the
Vincentian Fathers, St. John's currently has an enrollment of
over 19,000 students from across the United States and around
the world.
Queens, New York is a borough of choices. Art, history,
music and sports are some of the attractions for those who
live here or visit. Queens County, NY was recently named the
most diverse county in the nation. From the Amazing Mets and
Shea Stadium to Flushing Meadows Park, Queens was the site of
both the 1939 New York World's Fair, the 1964 New York World's
Fair and the annual U.S. Open tennis tournament. |
