Queens is a borough of New York City and a county of New York State. It was named for Catherine of Braganza, the Queen of England and wife of King Charles II of England.
Queens is in western Long Island. The East River separates it from Manhattan in the east and The Bronx in the north. Queens' only land boundary with another New York City borough is with Brooklyn in the south and west. Jamaica Bay separates most of Queens from its Rockaway Peninsula in the south. Nassau County lies to the east. Until 1899, Nassau County was part of Queens County.
About 2.4 million people live in Queens and it is the largest borough of New York City in size and second in population (after Brooklyn). According to the United States census, Queens is the most ethnically diverse county in the USA. That means that it has the most people from different kinds of places, religions, and ethnic groups of any place in the USA. Large parts of Queens are urban and an equal part is suburban.
Transportation
Queens is home to both of New York City's airports, LaGuardia Airport (LGA) and John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK). Queens is connected to the Bronx by three bridges: the Bronx Whitestone Bridge, the Throgs Neck Bridge and the Triborough Bridge. It is connected to Manhattan by two bridges and one tunnel: the Triborough Bridge, the Queensboro Bridge, and the Queens Midtown Tunnel.
Many controlled-access highways cross Queens, including I-495 (the Long Island Expressway), I-278 (the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway), and I-678 (the Van Wyck Expressway, pronounced Van Wike). Important state highways in Queens include the Grand Central Parkway, which becomes the Northern State Parkway when it crosses the Queens border into Nassau County.
Many New York City Subway lines go through Queens. The most famous is the Flushing Line, the 7 Train, which has the nickname "International Express" because it goes through many neighborhoods where many immigrants live. Other subway lines in Queens include the A Train, C Train, E Train, F Train, G Train, J Train, M Train, N Train, R Train, V Train, W Train, and Z Train.
Queens has a very large bus system that goes to all parts of the borough. Some bus routes go to Brooklyn, Manhattan, or the Bronx.
The Long Island Rail Road also has many stations in Queens. The Port Washington Line crosses northern Queens. There are busy stations at Woodside, Queens, Forest Hills, and Flushing. The central depot and main station for the railroad is in the neighborhood of Jamaica.
Sport & Recreation
The New York Mets of the National League of Major League Baseball play in Citi Field in Queens. The U.S. Open, a famous and important tennis tournament, is played in Arthur Ashe Stadium in Flushing Meadows Park south of the baseball stadium.
Neighborhoods
Queens has dozens of neighborhoods and named areas. These include:
Addisleigh Park
Arverne
Astoria
Auburndale
Baisley Park
Bay Terrace
Bayside
Bayswater
Beechhurst
Bellaire
Belle Harbor
Bellerose
Blissville
Breezy Point
Briarwood
Broad Channel
Cambria Heights
College Point
Corona
Ditmars / Steinway
Douglaston
Dutch Kills
Edgemere
Elmhurst
Far Rockaway
Floral Park
Flushing
Forest Hills Gardens
Forest Hills
Fresh Meadows
Glen Oaks
Glendale
Hamilton Beach
Hillcrest
Hollis Hills
Hollis
Holliswood
Howard Beach
Howard Park
Hunters Point
Jackson Heights
Jamaica
Jamaica Estates
Kew Gardens Hills
Kew Gardens
Laurelton
Linden Hill
Lindenwood
Long Island City
Little Neck
Malba
Maspeth
Middle Village
Morris Park
Murray Hill
Neponsit
New Hyde Park
Oakland Gardens
Ozone Park
Pomonok
Queens Village
Queensboro Hill
Queensbridge
Ravenswood
Rego Park
Richmond Hill
Ridgewood
Rochdale
Rockaway Beach
Rockaway Park
Rockaway Point
Rosedale
Saint Albans
Seaside
South Jamaica
South Ozone Park
Springfield Gardens
Sunnyside
Utopia
Whitestone
Willets Point
Woodhaven
Woodside
References
Other websites
County seats in New York (state)