Decoding New York

From Decoding New York

Introduction

Manhattan

* Evolution

* What's Real

* Here v. There

* Economy

Flushing

* Evolution

* What's Real

* Here v. There

* Economy

Brooklyn 8th Avenue

* Evolution

* What's Real

* Here v. There

* Economy

Comparison

* Photo Gallery

* Sources

The inhabitants of Flushing have changed dramatically throughout its history. Some of the earliest settlers in the area were the Quakers during the 1600s, and remnants of their time in the area can still be found. The Bowne House on Bowne Street is the oldest house in Queens built in 1661 and made a museum in 1947. It owner John Bowne was a British settler who helped defend the rights of Quakers to practice their religion freely in the Dutch colony. Another famous house from the past is the Flushing Quaker Meeting House located on Northern Boulevard. As time passed Flushing was mostly characterized as a white middle class blue-collar neighborhood. Up until the 1970s, Greeks and Italians mostly inhabited Flushing. During the 1970s, New York went through severe economic struggles; this led to many residents leaving Flushing. With many living spaces available, the prices plummeted, making Flushing a prime spot for immigrants with little money to gravitate towards. At the time many immigrants were coming from Korea and China, and by 1980, Flushing’s population was mostly made up of these two groups. Many of the Chinese immigrants who came to Flushing spoke Mandarin and were of Taiwanese descent. In fact, 16% of all Taiwanese immigrants in America live in Flushing. The large amount of Mandarin speakers gave Flushing a slightly different feel than Manhattan’s Chinatown, which is mostly Cantonese. While Asian Americans make up 44% of Flushing today, there are other groups with significant numbers. These include African Americans and Hispanic Americans, many of who live in low-income apartments, as well as a number of European Americans who held over from past generations.