Jackson Heights, Queens
Jackson Heights is a neighborhood in the northwestern part of the borough of Queens in New York City. Jackson Heights is neighbored by North Corona to the east, Elmhurst to the south, Woodside to the west, northern Astoria (Ditmars-Steinway) to the northwest, and East Elmhurst to the north and northeast. Jackson Heights has an ethnically diverse community, with half the population having been foreign-born since the 2000s. The New York Times has called it "the most culturally diverse neighborhood in New York, if not on the planet." According to the 2010 United States Census, the neighborhood has a population of 108,152.
Jackson Heights | |
|---|---|
Neighborhood of Queens | |
Little India on 74th Street in Jackson Heights | |
Location within New York City Note: red area overlaps with East Elmhurst. | |
| Country | United States |
| State | New York |
| City | New York City |
| Borough | Queens |
| Community District | Queens 3 |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 108,152 |
| Ethnicity | |
| • Hispanic | 56.5% |
| • Asian | 22.0 |
| • White | 17.2 |
| • Black | 2.0 |
| • Other/Multiracial | 2.3 |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (EST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| ZIP Code | 11372 (primary) & 11370 (though often regarded more as part of East Elmhurst) |
| Area codes | 718, 347, 929, and 917 |
| Website | www |
The site of Jackson Heights was a vast marsh named Trains Meadow until 1909 when Edward A. MacDougall's Queensboro Corporation bought 325 acres (132 ha) of undeveloped land and farms.
The Queensboro Corporation named the land Jackson Heights after John C. Jackson, a descendant of one of the original Queens families and a respected Queens entrepreneur. Further development arose through the development of transit, and "garden apartments" and "garden homes" soon became prevalent in Jackson Heights. During the 1960s, Jackson Heights's white middle-class families began moving to the suburbs, and nonwhite residents began moving in.
Jackson Heights retains much of its residential character. It also has numerous commercial establishments clustered around 37th Avenue, as well as along several side streets served by subway stations. Much of the neighborhood is part of a national historic district called the Jackson Heights Historic District, which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999. Part of the neighborhood was placed on a New York City historic district of the same name in 1993.
Jackson Heights is in Queens Community District 3 and its ZIP Code is 11372. The zip code 11370 is co-named with East Elmhurst. It is patrolled by the New York City Police Department's 115th Precinct. Politically, Jackson Heights is represented by the New York City Council's 21st and 25th districts.