Queens, New York
Queens County, in western Long Island, is a county located in the U.S. State of New York.
It is coterminous with the borough of Queens in New York City. Established on November 1, 1683 when counties were established in New York, it was named for the queen consort, Catherine of Braganza, wife of Charles II. As of 2000, the population is 2,229,379. Its county seat is the district of Jamaica6, a neighborhood of New York City.
History
Originally, Queens County included the adjacent area now comprising Nassau County. It was an original county of New York State, one of twelve created in 1683. By 1870 Queens County consisted of six towns: Newtown, Flushing, Jamaica, North Hempstead, Hempstead, and Oyster Bay. In 1870, the city of Long Island City was incorporated, consisting of what had been the Village of Astoria and some unincorporated areas in the Town of Newtown. Long Island City, Newtown, Flushing, Jamaica, and the Rockaway Peninsula of the Town of Hempstead became the borough of Queens in Greater New York on January 1, 1898. The part of Queens County that was not annexed to New York City, consisting of the towns of North Hempstead and Oyster Bay and all of the Town of Hempstead except the Rockaway Peninsula, was constituted as the new Nassau County in 1899.
Law and government
Like the other counties which are contained within New York City, there is no county government, but county courts and some other officials such as the district attorney (public prosecutor) do exist.
Geography
Queens County consists of the northwestern part of Long Island and a few smaller islands, most of which are in Jamaica Bay and form part of Gateway National Recreation Area.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 461.7 km² (178.3 mi²). 282.9 km² (109.2 mi²) of it is land and 178.8 km² (69.0 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 38.73% water.
Economy
The economy of Queens is based on tourism, industry, trade, and a growing outside population. Queens has two of the busiest airports in the world, John F. Kennedy International Airport, located in Jamaica, and La Guardia Airport, in Flushing. Queens is increasingly attracting film studios--a return of an industry that had departed decades earlier--notably the Kaufman Studios in Astoria, where a number of television shows are made. Western Queens is becoming an artistic hub, including the Noguchi Museum, Socrates Sculpture Park, Museum of African Art, and (temporarily) the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA QNS).
The Queens Museum is further east, in Flushing Meadow Park. Shea Stadium, home of the New York Mets baseball team, is just north of the park.
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there are 2,229,379 people, 782,664 households, and 537,690 families residing in the county. The population density is 7,879.6/km² (20,409.0/mi²). There are 817,250 housing units at an average density of 2,888.5/km² (7,481.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the county is 44.08% White, 20.01% Black or African American, 0.50% Native American, 17.56% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 11.68% from other races, and 6.11% from two or more races. 24.97% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 782,664 households out of which 31.5% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.9% are married couples living together, 16.0% have a female householder with no husband present, and 31.3% are non-families. 25.6% of all households are made up of individuals and 9.7% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.81 and the average family size is 3.39.
In the county the population is spread out with 22.8% under the age of 18, 9.6% from 18 to 24, 33.1% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 12.7% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 35 years. For every 100 females there are 92.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 89.6 males.
The median income for a household in the county is $42,439, and the median income for a family is $48,608. Males have a median income of $35,576 versus $31,628 for females. The per capita income for the county is $19,222. 14.6% of the population and 11.9% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 18.8% are under the age of 18 and 13.0% are 65 or older.
Famous People from Queens
Sports and other attractions
Queens is the home of the New York Mets baseball team, the US Open tennis tournament, and Aqueduct Racetrack. Just over the Queens line, in Nassau County, is Belmont Park Race Track, the home of the Belmont Stakes.
Neighborhoods in Queens
External link
Referenced By
1- Brighton Beach Line | 50 Cent | Abe Reles | Al Sharpton | Alfred C. Sharpton Jr. | Alfred Charles Sharpton Jr. | Alfred Sharpton | Brewster Aeronautical Corporation | Brian Hyland | Brighton Beach Line | Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers | Brooklyn Queens Expressway | Calvary Cemetery | Catherine Genovese | Christopher Walken | Clarence Williams | Company Flow | Corona, Queens | Dennis Tito | Ehrich Weiss | Ethel Merman | Feynman | Flushing Meadows | Flushing Meadows Park | Fran Drescher | Frank Rizzo (Jerky Boys) | Harry Houdini | Hell Gate | Hell Gate Bridge | Houdini | Hudini | J. P. Pitoc | Ja Rule | Jacob Riis | Jerky Boys | John McEnroe | John Paul Pitoc | Joseph Cornell | Kitty Genovese | Kool G Rap | LIRR | List of New York City parks | List of nuclear accidents | List of zip codes in New York | Long Island City | Long Island City, New York | Long Island Motor Parkway | Long Island Parkway | Long Island Rail Road | Long Island Railroad | Los Angeles Dodgers | Louis Armstrong | Louis Armstrong and His Orchestra | Lucy Liu | Lucy Lu | Macy's | Martin Scorcese | Martin Scorsese | New York City Marathon | New York Connecting Railroad Bridge | Nuclear accidents | Nuclear disaster | Organized Konfusion | Paul Castellano | Penn Station | Pennsylvania Station | Peter Jurasik | R.H. Macy & Co. | R.H. Macy Co. | R.H. Macy and Co. | R.P. Feynman | R. H. Macy & Co. | R. H. Macy Co. | R. H. Macy and Co. | Ray Romano | Richard Feynman | Richard Feynmann | Richard P. Feynman | Rufus King | Run-D.M.C. | Run-DMC | Run D.M.C. | Run DMC | S-Rockaway Shuttle | S- Rockaway Shuttle | Saint John's University | Satchmo | Shangri-Las | The Shangri-Las | The Shangrilas | Throggs Neck | Throgs Neck | Throgs Neck, Bronx | Young MC
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