Outline

I.Culture

 1.  Diverse Population:
    •  In the 1950s there was an influx of immigrants in Jackson Heights leading to the varied ethnic population seen today including: Chinese, Koreans, Philippines, Italians, Jewish, Polish, Irish Indians, Bengalis, Pakistanis, Mexicans, Columbians and Puerto Ricans. However the most popular are the South Asian and Hispanic communities.
 2.  Ethnic Stores
    •  Patel Brothers is largest chain of Indian groceries, and it attracts other south Asians from different communities.
    •	Pacific Supermarket is one of the most popular Chinese groceries market that has many varied products.
    •	Despana Brand Food is a grocery store that tries to bridge the American and Spanish cultures together.
 3.  Ethnic Food
    •	"Pio Pio" is best Peruvian restaurant in Queens. 
    •	Jackson Diner is the most popular Indian Restaurant in Queens. 
    • "Natives" a famous Colombian restaurant has hosted several Latin celebrities, as well as concerts, and even Presidents.
 4. Attractions
    •	Eagle Theater is one of the first Indian movie theaters in New York City.
    •	Little India is a block representing the different aspects of the Indian culture including sari, jewelry, music and grocery  stores.
 5. Signs of Hybrid Culture
    •	Khan Baba’s Halal Chinese Buffet demonstrates the mixture of Chinese and South Asian cultural aspects.

II.Environment

 1. Location
    •	Intersected by major roadways like Northern Boulevard, BQU, Junction Boulevard and Roosevelt Avenue. The Roosevelt Avenue is one of New York City’s 15 busiest railroad stations. Trains R, E, F, 7, V AND G all run in the train stop.

2. Housing

    • In 1994, a 36-block area of Jackson Heights was declared a New York City Landmark Historic District
    •	Garden City Apartments is a residential co-op that provides a private garden for the residents. However, the residents are in charge of taking care of the garden and their residential property.
    • In addition to Jackson Heights' cooperative apartment buildings, the Queensboro Corporation built two- and one-family "English Garden" homes
    •Rentals in the Jackson Heights Historic District range from about the low $1,000s to the $2,000s depending on size. Co-ops and condos range from $150,000s for studios to $700,000 and up for "classic seven" apartments. Houses range from $650,000 to the mid $1,000,000s.

 3. Community Centers
    •	Jackson Beautification Group community organization of people who live and work in Jackson Heights and care enough to help make Jackson Heights one of the best neighborhoods in Queens and New York City. JHBG is a nonprofit organization.
    •	Western Jackson Height Alliance is a community organization that works together to improve the quality of life in the neighborhood. Residents to ensure that the neighborhood would be safe, livable and sustainable formed it.

III. Economy/ Commerce

 1. Visitors
    •  Popular dining destination - ethnic restaurants attract billions of people from all over New York 
         a.   Jackson diner - authentic Indian cuisine
         b.   Pio Pio - best Peruvian cuisine
         c.   Barzola - famous for its batidos (shakes)
    •	Ethnic stores (Clothing, Music, Electronics, etc.) attracts customers
         a.  "Little India" - people can find Indian clothing for special occasions, such as weddings, and be updated on the latest   Bollywood movies and music 
         b.  Latin American Bazaar (Roosevelt Avenue) - shops cater to immigrants' needs (easy money transfer, international  phone cards, 220- volt appliances)
    •	Ethnic grocery stores have regular customers 
         a.   Patel Brothers - Largest chain of Indian groceries
         b.   Los Paisanos - Hispanic grocery store 
    •	Film shoots (ex. “Maria Full of Grace”)
 2. Incomes
    •	Average Household Income - $ 48,495
    •	Average Family Income - $ 40,052
    •	Average Non-family Income - $ 40,866
 3. Real Estate market boom
 4. Gray Market (Underground Economy) 
    • Bootleg DVDs and CDs

IV. Demographics

 1. Languages Spoken
    •  Including: Spanish, Italian, Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Hindi, Gujarathi, Urdu, Russian, French, Portuguese, German,  Greek, Thai, Tagalog, Arabic
 2. Ethnicities
    •  56% Hispanic, 17% Asian, 3% Black, 21% White, ~3% Other
 3. Ancestry
    •  7.8% Mexican,  9.9% Colombian, 8.7% Ecuadorian, 1.8% Peruvian, 3.6% Puerto Rican, 5.9% Dominican, 2% American, 4.8% Indian, 5.3% Chinese, 3.8% Irish, 3.4% Italian…
 4. Sex
    •  Female 49.5%, Male 50.5%
 5. Religion
    •  Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, etc.

V. History

    • Like most of Queens, Jackson Heights remained sparsely-populated farmland in the 19th century, while Brooklyn and Manhattan grew into dense urban centers. But the opening of the Queensboro Bridge in 1909 transformed the borough into a viable commuter suburb.
    • Edward MacDougall's Queensboro Corporation bought a 325-acre parcel of land in the former township of Elmhurst. 
    • MacDougall then recruited leading architects to design rustic-looking row houses and ornate apartment complexes built around spacious, lushly-planted interior courtyards. These buildings remain some of the most beautiful housing in the city.
    • Styles were borrowed from everywhere—Tudor, Spanish, Italianate, and Art Deco.

Famous People in History

    • Comedians - Don Rickles 
                       - John Leguizamo 
    • Photographer - Alfred Eisenstadt
    • Alfred Moshe Butts - inventor of Scrabble

SOURCES

1.“Jackson Heights, NY Neighborhood News” 1 Dec.2007 <http://jacksonheightsnyc.blogspot.com/2007/01/pio-pio-better-than-other-food.html>

2. “Photos of Jackson Heights Historic District” 1 Dec.2007 <http://queens.about.com/od/photogalleries/ss/jh_coops.htm>

3."Community Greens: Jackson Heights." 12 Nov. 2007 <http://www.communitygreens.org/ExistingGreens/jacksonheights/jacksonheights.htm>

4. "Jackson Heights Beautification Group." 12 Nov. 2007 <http://www.jhbg.org/history/history.html>

5. "Jackson Heights NYC." 12 Nov. 2007 <http://www.jacksonheightsnyc.com/>

6. "New York City Search." 11 Nov. 2007 <http://newyork.citysearch.com/feature/37418/lay.html>

7. "New York City Search." 13 Nov. 2007 <http://newyork.citysearch.com/feature/37418/history.html>

8. "Photos of Jackson Heights." 23 Nov. 2007 <http://queens.about.com/od/photogalleries/ss/jh_coops.htm>

9. "Western Jackson Heights Alliance." 1 Dec. 2007 <http://www.wjha.org/>.