Long Island City has made its name as an distinct neighborhood in several respects. That it has the world’s largest fortune cookie company is but a taste of how the Queens’ westernmost neighborhood is a haven for up-and-coming artists, boasting the greatest concentration of art spaces in any of the neighborhoods in the five boroughs. Some of the most prominent art galleries include 5 Pointz, sporting edgy masterpieces on its facade from graffiti artists, and MoMA PS1, the oldest non-profit center in the country. At the same time, Long Island City is as much a banker’s center as it is an artist commune, with Citigroup’s building towering over the surrounding residences. With a diverse population—over 50% Hispanic, 21% Asian, 16% African-American, and 11% white—and straddling the cultural line between Queens and Manhattan, Long Island City is a complex combination of several demographics, making it a unique crossroads of New York City.
Long Island City went from being a home to Algonquin Native Americans to a sparsely inhabited Dutch enclave in the 1640s. By the 19th century, New Yorkers who wanted to escape the crowds of urbanism moved into Astoria. Half a century later, part of Astoria splintered off and renamed itself Long Island City. As of lately, the neighborhood has begun to make a mark in New York City real estate by expanding its residential developments. The Queens neighborhood will expect an empire of new construction particularly along Center Boulevard that will transform the neighborhood skyline, with luxury condos holding from 200 to 800 apartments.
