The Visible and Hidden Landscapes of Flushing

From The Peopling of New York City

If you could travel back in time and show residents of Flushing, Queens what their neighborhood would look like in the year two thousand and eight, they would be astonished. Not only has Flushing undergone much change in terms of the ethnicities that have immigrated to the town but it has also undergone serious economic expansion. Common thoughts of Flushing in the year two thousand and eight include visions of a well developed, booming business district overwhelmingly run by citizens of Chinese or Korean ethnicity. However, seldom do individuals realize that Flushing also has many hidden communities operating alongside the developed Chinese and Korean business district.

The Chinese and Korean Community

Thriving corner of Main St. and Roosevelt Ave.

The area that is known as downtown Flushing acts as the core and heart of the neighborhood. Located in this area are streets such as Main Street, Roosevelt Avenue, Union Street and Bowne Street. Over the last three decades, these areas have been bought by affluent Chinese developers and built into high-density streetscapes to accomodate the rapid business development. The area surrounding Main Street has become so dominated by the Asian ethnicities that it is often referred to as one of NYC's "satellite Chinatowns" by scholars. For example, Min Zhou states, “Chinese restaurants and shops, interspersed with greengroceries, drugstores, and fast food restaurants, give the area an unmistakable look of Chinatown” (2001, 160). This “Chinatown” look has become noteworthy of Flushing that many people have a hard time understanding that there is more to Flushing than the Main Street/Roosevelt Avenue area.

Chinese and Korean development along Main St.

The core of Flushing features an enclave streetscape which according to Ines Miyares portrays a “single national group [that] dominates the landscape” (2004, 157). As one can see in the pictures of Main Street, there is no doubt that the Flushing core is dominated by the Asian population. When entering Flushing’s core, one becomes instantly thrust into a location filled with Asian restaurants, retail shops, ethnic banks, businesses and languages. The consolidation of this economic dominance has brought both economic success and racial tensions for the Flushing neighborhood. While the area is booming as a regional economc and transportation core, the dramatic changes and development have also caused numerous problems. The problems associated with the core of Flushing will be discussed more thoroughly throughout the website however they include language barriers, racism, and debate over new developments.

The Close-knit Jewish Community

A group of Jewish men cross Main St.

In Southern Flushing, there is a huge Jewish community encompassing Main Street from Union Turnpike all the way to Melbourne Avenue. This huge community is not as prominent of the Asian community in downtown Flushing, but they do hold a strong presence in lower Flushing.

The South Asian Community

A Halal grocery store; Before the intersection of Main Street and Franklin Avenue

Continuing upward in Flushing, right before you hit the downtown core, you will see the East Indian community all clustered within a two to three block radius that starts before the intersection of Franklin Avenue and Main Street. With its Afghani and Middle East restaurants and the Al-Aziz Grocery, and Halal stores, and Shiv Shakti Peeth (Hindu Temple), this area is home to Pakistanis, Afghanis, Bangladeshis, and Indians. This less common view of Main Street provides a wider outlook on the multiple ethnic landscapes that make up Flushing.

The Growing Hispanic Community

A day laborer stares into the street as the sun rises, waiting to be picked up for work; Corner of Northern Blvd. and 150 Pl.

But what makes Downtown Flushing run smoothly today is not just the dominant Chinese and Korean groups, but also the low waged Hispanic population. Hispanic workers labor in the backrooms of restaurants, fruit markets, grocery stores and many other Asian owned stores. In the periphery of Flushing, as observed by Smith and Logan, “A small but significant Hispanic population appears daily on the streets of Flushing, making up casual pools, mainly consisting of Hispanic men waiting around to be picked up for day jobs” (2006, 65). This can be seen in the mornings on Northern Boulevard, Parsons Boulevard, Union Street, and Main Street. Within Flushing, there are also small clusters of Hispanic owned supermarkets and restaurants that are overshadowed by the vast Asian immigrant economy but they serve the consumer needs of an important segment of Flushing's population. Thus within the downtown core, there is a growing Hispanic population that supports the economic vibrance of Flushing.

The Shrinking Communities

Two racial groups have historically made up Flushing's population prior to the late 1970s -- the African American population and the non-Hispanic white population.

The Non-Hispanic White Community

Residential Neighborhood

Northern Flushing is a stark contrast to the downtown core. This area is characterized by single family homes that resemble suburban communties. Here is where Flushing's remaining non-Hispanic White population concentrate. Unlike their Asian counterparts who live in downtown Flushing, these residents live a quiet suburban life, away from all the traffic congestion and high rise buildings.

The African American Community

A small African American population remains in downtown Flushing. We learned that the municipal parking lot in the center of downtown Flushing was once home to a sizable African American community. Urban renewal in the 1950s bulldozed the homes and replaced the community with a municipal parking lot that now serves thousands of Flushing residents, employees, and visitors daily. The Macedonia AME church located right next to the municipal parking lot on Bowne Street is not only a symbol of Flushing's African American history but continues to be a vocal and active community institution.