Elmhurst, Residential district in Queens, United States
Elmhurst is a residential district in Queens, New York, that stretches over a large rectangle bounded by Grand Avenue, the Long Island Expressway, Woodhaven Boulevard, and the Long Island Rail Road tracks. The main artery is Queens Boulevard, which runs east to west and is surrounded by numerous cross streets lined with small retail outlets, restaurants, and mid-rise apartment blocks.
Puritan settlers from Massachusetts founded this place in 1652 under the name Middleburgh, making it one of the earliest permanent settlements in Queens. In the years after World War II, the population structure changed fundamentally as many earlier residents moved away and immigrants from Latin America, Asia, and Europe arrived.
The area divides into several smaller quarters, including Broadway-Flushing near the rail lines and Elmhurst East, where Asian restaurants and shops concentrate. In the streets north of Queens Boulevard, bilingual signs and small shops serving different immigrant groups stand out.
Several subway lines stop at different points and offer direct connections to downtown Manhattan in less than half an hour. Most restaurants and shops open daily, with many establishments staying accessible into the evening and seeing heavier crowds on weekends.
Archaeologists found burial sites near St. Mark's Church that point to a free African American community in the early 19th century. This discovery from 2011 expands the understanding of the early social history of the district beyond the founders of European origin.
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