Home
About Astoria Queens, NY
Astoria Queens is a neighborhood which is located in the NorthWestern part of Queens New York. Astoria is a part of Long Island City and very close to Woodside, Sunyside, and runs along the east river. One of the best assets of living in Astoria is the accessibility to Manhattan, the Bronx, and Brooklyn. With major bridges and highways all within minutes you can access any of the other boroughs very qucikly.
This is causing real estate in Astoria to boom. To read more about the real estate in Astoria Queens check out our section at Astoria Queens Real Estate.
There are several other methods of transportation in addition to the bridges and highways. New York City is very popular for it’s train system. The N and W lines run across Astoria making stops at Ditmars Blvd, Astoria Blvd, 30th Avenue, Broadway, 36th Avenue, 39th Avenue, and finally Queens Plaza, which is the last stop in Queens before entering Manhattan.
The Q18, Q19, Q69,Q49,Q102,Q103, and Q101 are all buses which make stops in Astoria. If you don’t feel like taking a bus or train there is alays a cab, which you should be able to flag down within a few seconds. My personal advise would be to go for a nice scroll if the weather permits. There is so much scenary to enjoy.
Whether you are looking for a new pool to visit in the summer, pool hall, hotel or Astoria Federal Bank you will find it here.
One of the most popular attractions is Astoria Park. From there you can enjoy the skyscrapers in Manhattan, play sports, or just relax. The Museum of the Moving Image is a historical place displaying art, television, and digital media. Whether you are visiting for the first time or a long time resident this is a must see. Socrates Sculpture Park is a nice outdoor exhibition displaying artwork from around the world, and Kaufman Astoria Studios which you have seen even if you never heard of it as that is where the childrens favorite Seaseme Street is filmed.
Besides going around town, it is just as easy to leave the big apple.LaGuardia Airporta, which is the 2nd major airport in NYC is within 5 minutes of Astoria. From here you can go to Miami, Oregon, California or where ever you wish.
Origin & HIstory of Astoria
Astoria was named after John Jacob Astor. However, prior to obtaining it’s current name Astoria was know as Hallet’s Cove. Astoria was named after John Jacob Astor to persuade him to invest $2000 in the neighborhood. Although he only invested 1/4 of that the name remained. Another interesting fact is that John Jacob Astor never actually stepped foot in Astoria. He did have a residence in another location with the same name, but this was actually in Manhattan.
In the early 19th century residences were constructed between 12th and 14th Street. Later on this became known as Astoria Village. Currently it’s referred to as Old Astoria. In 1839 Hallet’s cove was founded by Steven Halsey. At this time this was a resort and recreational desitination for the wealthy, mostly from Manhattan.
In the later 1800’s both economic and commercial growth resulted in an increase in immigration. A large portion being German, many of them in the cabinet / furniture industries. One settler was Henry Steinway whom many both aware and unaware of Astoria are familiar with. In 1853 the Steinway Piano Company was founded. The steinways later built a sawmill and foundry, a streetcar and eventually Steinway Village which was a community for their workers at the time.
In 1870, Astoria as well as Steinway and several other villages were incorporated in Long Island City.
