East Elmhurst is a residential neighborhood in the northwest section of the

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

borough A borough is an administrative division in various English language, English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History ...

Queens Queens is the largest by area of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located near the western end of Long Island, it is bordered by the ...

. It is bounded to the south by Jackson Heights and Corona, to the north and east by Bowery Bay, and to the west by Woodside and Ditmars Steinway. The area also includes

LaGuardia Airport LaGuardia Airport ( ) – colloquially known as LaGuardia or simply LGA – is a civil airport in East Elmhurst, Queens, East Elmhurst, Queens, New York City, situated on the North Shore (Long Island), northwestern shore of Long Island, bord ...

, located on the shore of Flushing Bay, LaGuardia Landing Lights Fields, and Astoria Heights (the latter two in ZIP Code 11370). East Elmhurst is part of Queens Community District 3 and its ZIP Codes are 11369, 11370, and 11371. The neighborhood is patrolled by the

New York City Police Department The City of New York Police Department, also referred to as New York City Police Department (NYPD), is the primary law enforcement agency within New York City. Established on May 23, 1845, the NYPD is the largest, and one of the oldest, munic ...

's 115th Precinct, though the airport is patrolled by the Port Authority Police Department. East Elmhurst and its southern neighbor Corona are often referred to jointly as "Corona/East Elmhurst".

History

From colonial times to the early 1900s, the area now known as East Elmhurst was a vast marsh named ''Trains Meadow''.

Urbanization Urbanization (or urbanisation in British English) is the population shift from Rural area, rural to urban areas, the corresponding decrease in the proportion of people living in rural areas, and the ways in which societies adapt to this change. ...

at the turn of the century was creating a New York City housing shortage and

urban sprawl Urban sprawl (also known as suburban sprawl or urban encroachment) is defined as "the spreading of urban developments (such as houses and shopping centers) on undeveloped land near a city". Urban sprawl has been described as the unrestricted ...

. In 1909, Edward A. MacDougall's Queensboro Corporation bought of undeveloped land and farms to the south and christened them Jackson Heights after John C. Jackson, a descendant of one of the original Queens families and a respected Queens County entrepreneur. The neighborhood formerly contained an amusement area along Bowery Bay Beach (later renamed ''North Beach''), which started operating in 1886. An amusement park called Gala Amusement Park was built by

William Steinway William Steinway, also known as Wilhelm Steinway (born Wilhelm Steinweg; March 5, 1835 – November 30, 1896), son of Steinway & Sons founder Henry E. Steinway, was a businessman and civic leader who was influential in the development of Astoria, ...

on the Bowery Bay in what is now present-day

. In the 19th century the area used to be called Frogtown before Steinway rebuilt the area. It was home to the East Coast's first

Ferris wheel A Ferris wheel (also called a big wheel, giant wheel or an observation wheel) is an amusement ride consisting of a rotating upright wheel with multiple passenger-carrying components (commonly referred to as passenger cars, cabins, tubs, gondola ...

and was known as the "

Coney Island Coney Island is a neighborhood and entertainment area in the southwestern section of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood is bounded by Brighton Beach to its east, Lower New York Bay to the south and west, and Gravesend to ...

of Queens." Gala Amusement Park was eventually shut down due to

Prohibition Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic b ...

. In 1929 it was razed and transformed into a private flying field named Glenn H. Curtiss Airport after the pioneer Long Island aviator, later called North Beach Airport. Starting in 1937, a

Works Progress Administration The Works Progress Administration (WPA; from 1935 to 1939, then known as the Work Projects Administration from 1939 to 1943) was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally educated) to car ...

project transformed North Beach Airport into LaGuardia Airport, which formally opened in 1939. The first houses were built in 1905. These residences were small frame houses located on lots, and some houses on the bay contained private beaches. The neighborhood's first commercial development came to Ditmars Boulevard during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. In 1929, Holmes Airport opened near the western section of East Elmhurst. Bordering St. Michaels Cemetery to the west, the airfield was also called the Grand Central Air Terminal and Grand Central Airport. Holmes Airport shut down in 1940, one year after LaGuardia Airport opened. Today, the site is part of the Bulova Corporate Center and residential homes that surround the area. The neighborhood saw an influx of African American residents in the 1960s and 1970s, as it was one of the few areas of the city where they could buy homes. In September 2021, remnants of Hurricane Ida severely flooded the neighborhood of East Elmhurst and all surrounding areas. After surveying hurricane damage in

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

, President

Joe Biden Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...

flew to East Elmhurst and toured one of the many residential common driveway inundated by the storm. Near the 87th Street alleyway, Biden met with local representatives and residents, and he delivered remarks on the response to Hurricane Ida in

Geography

The boundaries of East Elmhurst, as with most other New York City neighborhoods, are imprecise and often disputed, but the name generally applies to the area directly south of

. A more expansive definition considers East Elmhurst to be bordered by the Brooklyn Queens Expressway (BQE) and 70th Street on the west, Northern Boulevard on the south, and Flushing Bay on the north and east. According to the '' Encyclopedia of New York City'', the section west of Junction Boulevard and south of

Astoria Boulevard Astoria Boulevard is an important east–west commercial street in Astoria and East Elmhurst, Queens, New York City. It runs from 1st Street at the East River to the World's Fair Marina on Flushing Bay, where it merges with Northern Boule ...

is excluded from East Elmhurst.

Demographics

Based on data from the 2010 United States Census, the population of East Elmhurst was 23,150, an increase of 1,967 (9.3%) from the 21,183 counted in

2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...

. Covering an area of , the neighborhood had a population density of .Table PL-P5 NTA: Total Population and Persons Per Acre – New York City Neighborhood Tabulation Areas*, 2010
, Population Division –

Department of City Planning, February 2012. Accessed June 16, 2016. The racial makeup of the neighborhood was 4.7% (1,092)

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 25.4% (5,869)

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.2% (46) Native American, 4.4% (1,023) Asian, 0.1% (14)

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 0.6% (146) from other races, and 1.2% (269) from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino people of any race were 63.5% (14,691) of the population.Table PL-P3A NTA: Total Population by Mutually Exclusive Race and Hispanic Origin – New York City Neighborhood Tabulation Areas*, 2010
, Population Division –

Department of City Planning, March 29, 2011. Accessed June 14, 2016. According to the 2020 census data from

New York City Department of City Planning The Department of City Planning (DCP) is the department of the government of New York City responsible for setting the framework of city's physical and socioeconomic planning. The department is responsible for land use and environmental review, p ...

, there were between 20,000 and 29,999 Hispanic residents while each the White, Black, and Asian residents all were each less than 5000 residents. In 2011, the median move-in year for residents of one census tract in East Elmhurst was found to be 1974, the oldest of any of the more than 2,000 census tracts in the city.

Police and crime

East Elmhurst is patrolled by the 115th Precinct of the

NYPD The City of New York Police Department, also referred to as New York City Police Department (NYPD), is the primary law enforcement agency within New York City. Established on May 23, 1845, the NYPD is the largest, and one of the oldest, munic ...

, located at 92–15 Northern Boulevard. The 115th Precinct was ranked 20th safest out of 69 patrol areas for per-capita crime in 2010. Crime has declined significantly since the late 20th century when the area was known as the "cocaine capital" of New York City. The 115th Precinct has a lower crime rate than in the 1990s, with crimes across all categories having decreased by 82.5% between 1990 and 2018. The precinct reported 3 murders, 41 rapes, 248 robberies, 368 felony assaults, 195 burglaries, 653 grand larcenies, and 149 grand larcenies auto in 2018.

Arts and culture

Residents

During the 1950s and 1960s, the area was home to many African American musicians, civil rights leaders, professionals, and athletes including

Malcolm X Malcolm X (born Malcolm Little, later el-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz; May 19, 1925 – February 21, 1965) was an African American revolutionary, Islam in the United States, Muslim minister and human rights activist who was a prominent figur ...

Dizzy Gillespie John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie ( ; October 21, 1917 – January 6, 1993) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, composer, educator and singer. He was a trumpet virtuoso and improvisation, improviser, building on the virtuosic style of Roy El ...

Nat Adderley Nathaniel Carlyle Adderley (November 25, 1931 – January 2, 2000) was an American jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It ...

Louis Armstrong Louis Daniel Armstrong (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971), nicknamed "Satchmo", "Satch", and "Pops", was an American trumpeter and vocalist. He was among the most influential figures in jazz. His career spanned five decades and several era ...

Jimmy Heath James Edward Heath (October 25, 1926 – January 19, 2020), nicknamed Little Bird, was an American jazz saxophonist, composer, arranger, and big band leader. He was the brother of bassist Percy Heath and drummer Albert Heath. Biography Heath w ...

, Frankie Lymon,

Charlie Shavers Charles James Shavers (August 3, 1920 – July 8, 1971) was an American jazz trumpeter who played with Dizzy Gillespie, Nat King Cole, Roy Eldridge, Johnny Dodds, Jimmie Noone, Sidney Bechet, Midge Williams, Tommy Dorsey, and Billie Holiday. He ...

Ella Fitzgerald Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April25, 1917June15, 1996) was an American singer, songwriter and composer, sometimes referred to as the "First Lady of Song", "Queen of Jazz", and "Lady Ella". She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phra ...

, and

Willie Mays Willie Howard Mays Jr. (May 6, 1931 – June 18, 2024), nicknamed "the Say Hey Kid", was an American professional baseball center fielder who played 23 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). Widely regarded as one of the greatest players of ...

. During the late 1960s and early 1970s. numerous New York Mets such as Ed Charles and Tommie Agee called East Elmhurst home. East Elmhurst is the childhood home of former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder and Queens Borough President Helen Marshall. Jazz vocalist Norman Mapp also lived in East Elmhurst.

Nepali community

The intersection of 75th Street and 31st Avenue in East Elmhurst was co-named "Mount Everest Way" on March 9, 2019, to celebrate the Nepali American community in the western part of East Elmhurst, Jackson Heights, and Woodside areas.

Places of worship

* Our Lady of Fatima Roman Catholic Church, A Roman Catholic church in the western part of East Elmhurst * First Baptist Church, located along Astoria Boulevard * Masjid Abu Huraira, a mosque in the western part of East Elmhurst * St. Gabriel Roman Catholic Church, a Roman Catholic church in the eastern part of East Elmhurst * The Episcopal Church of Grace and Resurrection, on 32nd Avenue * The Korean Church of Queens, a Korean church in the northern part of East Elmhurst * SDMS Shiva Mandir, a

Hindu temple A Hindu temple, also known as Mandir, Devasthanam, Pura, or Kovil, is a sacred place where Hindus worship and show their devotion to Hindu deities, deities through worship, sacrifice, and prayers. It is considered the house of the god to who ...

in the eastern part of East Elmhurst. It is primarily attended by

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

Indo-Caribbean Americans Indo-Caribbean Americans or Indian-Caribbean Americans or Indo-West Indian American, are Americans who trace their ancestry ultimately to India, though whose recent ancestors lived in the West Indies or Caribbean, where they migrated beginning i ...

(especially Indo-Trinidadians and Tobagonians) and was one of the first Hindu temples in

, as well as one of the first Indo-Caribbean Hindu temples in the United States. It was founded in 1980 from the Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha of the West Indies Inc. group and its current building was inaugurated in 1987 with a congregation going back to the 1960s.

Notable landmarks and structures

Bulova Corp Center 75-20 Astoria Blvd jeh

* The

Marine Air Terminal The Marine Air Terminal (also known as Terminal A) is an airport terminal at LaGuardia Airport in Queens, New York City, United States. Its main building, designed in the Art Deco style by William Delano of the firm Delano & Aldrich, opened in ...

in LaGuardia Airport is a

New York City designated landmark The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) is the New York City agency charged with administering the city's Landmarks Preservation Law. The LPC is responsible for protecting New York City's architecturally, historically, and c ...

on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

. * Bulova Corporate Center was the original headquarters of the

Bulova Bulova is an American luxury timepiece manufacturing company that was founded in 1875 in New York City. Formally the Bulova Watch Company, it makes watches, clocks and accessories. History Founding Bulova was founded and incorporated as the J ...

Watch Company. It was redesigned as an office center, and contains the New York City Department of Correction headquarters. * The Lent Homestead and Cemetery is a historic house and cemetery in the Astoria Heights section of East Elmhurst. It was listed on the

in 1984. * St. Michael's Cemetery, a triangular cemetery surrounded by the

Brooklyn-Queens Expressway Interstate 278 (I-278) is an auxiliary Interstate Highway in New Jersey and New York in the United States. The road runs from US Route 1/9 (US 1/9) in Linden, New Jersey, northeast to the Bruckner Interchange in the New Yor ...

and

Grand Central Parkway The Grand Central Parkway (GCP) is a 14.61-mile (23.51 km) controlled-access parkway that stretches from the Triborough Bridge in New York City to the Queens– Nassau County line on Long Island. At the Nassau County line, it becomes t ...

Parks and recreation

* Louis C. Moser (formerly known as Bulova Park) Playground * Gorman Playground * LaGuardia Landing Lights Fields * Flushing Bay Promenade (renamed to Malcolm X Promenade) * Planeview Park *East Elmhurst Playground *There is also a park named " One Room Schoolhouse Park", named after the last one-room schoolhouse in Queens. The school was at Astoria Boulevard and 90th Street from 1879 to 1934; it became a playground in 1935 and a garden in 1992.

Government

Politically, East Elmhurst is represented by parts of the 21st ( Francisco Moya), 22nd ( Tiffany Cabán), and 25th Districts ( Shekar Krishnan) in the

New York City Council The New York City Council is the lawmaking body of New York City in the United States. It has 51 members from 51 council districts throughout the five boroughs. The council serves as a check against the mayor in a mayor-council government mod ...

. In the

New York State Legislature The New York State Legislature consists of the Bicameralism, two houses that act as the State legislature (United States), state legislature of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York: the New York State Senate and the New York State Assem ...

, East Elmhurst in the

State Senate In the United States, the state legislature is the legislative branch in each of the 50 U.S. states. A legislature generally performs state duties for a state in the same way that the United States Congress performs national duties at ...

is part of District 13 with Jessica Ramos as current senator. In the State Assembly, the lower half of the legislature, East Elmhurst is a part of District 34 (Assemblywoman Jessica González-Rojas) and District 35 (Assemblyman Jeffrion Aubry).

Education

Public schools

New York City Department of Education The New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE) is the department of the government of New York City that manages the city's public school system. The City School District of the City of New York (more commonly known as New York City Publ ...

operates District 30 public schools in the area. P.S. 127 Aerospace Science Magnet School is an elementary school for grades PK-8. East Elmhurst Community School serves students PK-3. Also in East Elmhurst is the application school, I.S. 227 Louis Armstrong Middle School (grades 5–8), for Queens residents. A small section of the neighborhood is zoned for a separate district in Whitestone, causing some children to attend P.S. 21 for elementary and J.H.S 185 for middle school.

Private schools

*Our Lady of Fatima School – a Catholic school for nursery to 8th Grade * Monsignor McClancy Memorial High School – a Catholic high school * Lexington School and Center for the Deaf – the oldest and largest school for the deaf in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

. The school is state-supported.

Colleges

East Elmhurst is home to Vaughn College of Aeronautics and Technology located at 86–01 23rd Avenue, abutting Grand Central Parkway.

Other

The Langston Hughes Community Library and Cultural Center, "conceived and designed by the residents of the Corona-East Elmhurst community", houses one of the most extensive collections of African American art and literature. A component of the

Queens Library The Queens Public Library (QPL), also known as the Queens Borough Public Library and Queens Library (QL), is the public library for the borough of Queens, and one of three public library systems serving New York City. It is one of the largest li ...

system, the Langston Hughes Community Library and Cultural Center, is located in Corona on Northern Boulevard. The Black Heritage Reference Center, a part of the Langston Hughes Community Library and Cultural Center, serves Queens with a comprehensive reference and circulating collection, totaling approximately 30,000 volumes of materials written about and related to Black culture.

Media

The ''Corona East Elmhurst News'', first published in 1959 by Kenneth and Corien Drew, was located on Astoria Boulevard. It ultimately became the Queens Voice and was published from 1959 to 2002. The tabloid-style newspaper was a weekly publication which included many notable columnists that highlighted the social and political activities of the African American communities of Corona and East Elmhurst and the Borough of Queens.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Public transit

There are no

New York City Subway The New York City Subway is a rapid transit system in New York City serving the New York City boroughs, boroughs of Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx. It is owned by the government of New York City and leased to the New York City Tr ...

stations nearby, but

MTA Regional Bus Operations MTA Regional Bus Operations (RBO) is the Public transport bus service, bus operations division of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority in New York City. The MTA operates local, limited-stop, express, and Select Bus Service (bus rapid transit ...

' Q19, Q23, Q33, Q47, Q48, Q49, Q66, Q69, Q72, and M60 SBS buses serve East Elmhurst. East Elmhurst Pillars on the Grand Central Parkway-3

Highways: *

* I-278 (

, eastern leg) Boulevards: * Ditmars Boulevard *

Northern Boulevard New York State Route 25A (NY 25A) is a state highway on Long Island in New York (state), New York, United States. It serves as the main east–west route for most of the North Shore (Long Island), North Shore of Long Island, running ...

* 94th Street (in East Elmhurst until Northern Blvd. going South; then it becomes Junction Boulevard from there). Pedestrian overpass: * 73rd Street Pedestrian Overpass Bridge – a pedestrian bridge over the

that connects

North in Astoria Heights to St. Michael's Cemetery and Q19 bus stop on Astoria Boulevard South. * There are two Flushing Bay Promenade pedestrian footbridges, one via 27th Avenue and the other via 31st Drive.

= Bike lanes

= In Queens Community District 3, 11% of roads have bike lanes. The bike lanes in East Elmhurst include: * 31st Avenue * 32nd Avenue * 81st and 82nd Streets * 88th Street * 27th Avenue to the Malcolm X Promenade Co-named streets: * Father Eugene F. Donnelly Corner is located on the corner of 80th Street and 25th Avenue next to Our Lady of Fatima Parish. It was named after Father Donnelly who served as parish priest to the Our Lady of Fatima Parish community in East Elmhurst for 42 years. The street co-naming event took place on September 21, 2013. * Marcellus Matricciano Way is located on the corner of 75th Street and 30th Avenue. It is a tribute to Marcellus Matricciano who was killed in the terrorist attack of September 11, 2001. * Mount Everest Way is located on the corner of 75th Street and 31st Avenue. Installed in 2019, it is a tribute to growing Nepalese community here in East Elmhurst and the surrounding neighborhoods of Jackson Heights and Woodside. * Emma Brandt Way is located on the corner of 74th Street and 30th Avenue. Installed in 2016, it honors longtime civic leader Emma Brandt, who was involved in many local organizations including the Elmhurst Hospital Advisory Board, the North Queens Homeowners Civic Association, and the Jackson Heights Beautification Group. *Arthur Hayes Way is located on the corner of 32nd Avenue and 104th Street. *Leverich Memorial Church Way is located on 32nd Avenue and 102nd Street near the Leverich Memorial Church. It was installed in 2009.

Airport

Post offices and ZIP codes

East Elmhurst covers three ZIP Codes: 11369 (East Elmhurst east of 85th Street), 11370 (East Elmhurst west of 85th Street and the sub-neighborhood of Astoria Heights), and 11371 (LaGuardia Airport). The

United States Post Office The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or simply the Postal Service, is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal serv ...

operates two locations in East Elmhurst: * East Elmhurst Station – 9107 25th Avenue * Trainsmeadow Station – 75–77 31st Avenue

Fire safety

East Elmhurst is served by two

New York City Fire Department The New York City Fire Department, officially the Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY) is the full-service fire department of New York City, serving all Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs. The FDNY is responsible for providing Fi ...

(FDNY) fire stations. Engine Co. 316 fire station is located at 27–12 Kearney Street and serves the eastern part of East Elmhurst. Another fire station, Engine Co. 307/Ladder Co. 154, is located at 81–19 Northern Boulevard in Jackson Heights and serves the western part of East Elmhurst.

Health

The

New York City Department of Health The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (also known as NYC Health) is the department of the government of New York City responsible for public health along with issuing birth certificates, dog licenses, and conducting restaur ...

has a 2018 community health report on the Queens Community Board 3 district which includes East Elmhurst, Jackson Heights, and North Corona. As of 2018,

preterm birth Preterm birth, also known as premature birth, is the Childbirth, birth of a baby at fewer than 37 weeks Gestational age (obstetrics), gestational age, as opposed to full-term delivery at approximately 40 weeks. Extreme preterm is less than 28 ...

s are about the same in the district as in other places citywide, but births to teenage mothers are more common. In the district, there were 86 preterm births per 1,000 live births (compared to 87 per 1,000 citywide), and 27.9 births to teenage mothers per 1,000 live births (compared to 19.3 per 1,000 citywide). The East Elmhurst, Jackson Heights, and North Corona area has a high population of residents who are uninsured. In 2018, this population of uninsured residents was estimated to be 28%, which is higher than the citywide rate of 12%. The concentration of fine particulate matter, the deadliest type of

air pollutant Air pollution is the presence of substances in the air that are harmful to humans, other living beings or the environment. Pollutants can be gases like ozone or nitrogen oxides or small particles like soot and dust. It affects both outdoor ...

, in the district is 0.0073 milligrams per cubic metre (7.3×10⁻⁹ oz/cu ft), lower than the city average. Thirteen percent of district residents are smokers, which is slightly lower than the city average of 14% of residents being smokers. In addition, 20% of residents are

obese Obesity is a medical condition, considered by multiple organizations to be a disease, in which excess body fat has accumulated to such an extent that it can potentially have negative effects on health. People are classified as obese when ...

, 13% are

diabetic Diabetes mellitus, commonly known as diabetes, is a group of common endocrine diseases characterized by sustained high blood sugar levels. Diabetes is due to either the pancreas not producing enough of the hormone insulin, or the cells of th ...

, and 29% have

high blood pressure Hypertension, also known as high blood pressure, is a long-term medical condition in which the blood pressure in the arteries is persistently elevated. High blood pressure usually does not cause symptoms itself. It is, however, a major ri ...

—compared to the citywide averages of 20%, 14%, and 24% respectively. 26% of children are obese, compared to the citywide average of 20%. Eighty-six percent of residents eat some fruits and vegetables every day, which is slightly lower than the city's average of 87%. In 2018, 72% of residents described their health as "good", "very good", or "excellent", lower than the city's average of 78%. For every supermarket in the area, there are 17 bodegas. The district also has two farmer's markets. The nearest large hospital in East Elmhurst is the

Elmhurst Hospital Center Elmhurst Hospital Center (EHC), also known as NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst, is a 545-bed public hospital in the Elmhurst, Queens, Elmhurst neighborhood of Queens in New York City. It is one of the 11 acute care hospitals of NYC Health + Hospi ...

in Elmhurst.

Incidents

In 2020, the neighborhoods of Corona, East Elmhurst, Elmhurst, and Jackson Heights were most affected by the

COVID-19 pandemic in New York City The first case of the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City was confirmed on March 1, 2020, though later research showed that the novel coronavirus had been circulating in New York City since January, with cases of community transmission confirme ...

. As of August 10, these communities, with a cumulative 303,494 residents, had recorded 12,954 COVID-19 cases and 1,178 deaths. COVID-19 cases in East Elmhurst ZIP Codes 11369 and 11370 were among the highest of any ZIP Code in New York City.

Notable people

Hurby Azor Hurby "Luv Bug" Azor (born 1965), also known as Fingerprints, is a Haitian musician and Hip hop music, hip-hop music producer. He is best known for discovering and producing the hip-hop trio Salt-N-Pepa and the rap duo Kid 'n Play. Early life ...

, musician and hip-hop producer *

Harry Belafonte Harry Belafonte ( ; born Harold George Bellanfanti Jr.; March 1, 1927 – April 25, 2023) was an American singer, actor, and civil rights activist who popularized calypso music with international audiences in the 1950s and 1960s. Belafonte ...

(1927–2023), singer-songwriter, actor, and activist * Clive Bradley, musician * Guy R. Brewer (1904–1978), politician * Ed Burke, jazz musician * Ed Charles, baseball player * Charles "Honi" Coles (1911–1992), actor and tap dancer, best known for his role as Tito Suarez in the film ''

Dirty Dancing ''Dirty Dancing'' is a 1987 American romance film, romantic drama film, drama Dance in film, dance film written by Eleanor Bergstein, produced by Linda Gottlieb, and directed by Emile Ardolino. Starring Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey, it tel ...

'' * Keith David, actor * Michael DenDekker, former member of the

New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Ass ...

* Ray Felix (1930–1991), professional basketball player who played in the NBA for the

New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the Na ...

* Bobby Hammond (born 1952), former

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offense ...

who played in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

for five seasons with the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...

and

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East ...

before starting a career as a coach * Steve Henderson, baseball player * P. J. Hill, former NFL running back * Eric Holder, 82nd

United States attorney general The United States attorney general is the head of the United States Department of Justice and serves as the chief law enforcement officer of the Federal government of the United States, federal government. The attorney general acts as the princi ...

* Langston Hughes, writer and activist * Kwamé, rapper * Eric B., rapper * Ron "Amen-Ra" Lawrence, record producer * Christopher Martin, rapper and actor * Christopher Reid, rapper, actor, and comedian *

Jackie Robinson Jack Roosevelt Robinson (January 31, 1919 – October 24, 1972) was an American professional baseball player who became the first Black American to play in Major League Baseball (MLB) in the modern era. Robinson broke the Baseball color line, ...

, baseball player *

Qubilah Shabazz Qubilah Bahiyah Shabazz (born December 25, 1960) is the second daughter of Malcolm X and Betty Shabazz. In 1965, she witnessed the Assassination of Malcolm X, assassination of her father by three gunmen. She was arrested in 1995 in connectio ...

(born 1960), second daughter of Malcolm X and Betty Shabazz *

, jazz trumpeter and songwriter *

Howard Stern Howard Allan Stern (born January 12, 1954) is an American broadcaster and media personality. He is best known for his radio show, ''The Howard Stern Show'', which gained popularity when it was nationally syndicated on terrestrial radio from 1 ...

(born 1954), host of ''

The Howard Stern Show ''The Howard Stern Show'' is an American radio show hosted by Howard Stern that gained wide recognition when it was radio syndication, nationally syndicated on terrestrial radio from WINS-FM, WXRK in New York City, between 1986 and 2005. The sho ...

''. *

Johnny Thunders John Anthony Genzale (July 15, 1952 – April 23, 1991), known professionally as Johnny Thunders, was an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He came to prominence in the early 1970s as a member of New York Dolls. He later formed the He ...

(1952–1991), of the

New York Dolls New York Dolls were an American rock music, rock band formed in New York City in 1971. Along with the Velvet Underground, the MC5, and the Stooges, they were one of the first bands of the early punk rock scenes. Although the band never achieved ...

. *

(1925–1965), African-American Muslim minister and human rights activist, whose home in East Elmhurst was firebombed in February 1965, a week before he was assassinatedHandler, M. S
"Malcolm X Flees Firebomb Attack; Wife and 4 Daughters Also Escape as Flames Sweep Brick House in Queens"
, ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', February 15, 1965. Accessed November 28, 2017. "Malcolm X, the controversial Black Nationalist leader, and his family escaped injury early yesterday when a firebomb attack wrecked the small brick house in which they lived in East Elmhurst, Queens."

References

{{authority control Neighborhoods in Queens, New York Populated coastal places in New York (state)