Astoria Neighborhood Guide

Astoria Real Estate Stats

An Abbreviated History of Astoria

The Lenape Native Americans occupied the land of Astoria before the Halletts moved in around 1659. William Hallett was a businessman who amassed over 2,200 acres of land on Long Island and Astoria and named it Hallett’s Cove. Soon after, Hallett’s Cove was renamed Astoria, in a failed attempt to get John Jacob Astor, the wealthiest man in the US in the mid 19th century, to invest in the neighborhood. Although Astor only invested $500 into the neighborhood (the equivalent of about $17,500 today), the name remained. In 1869, economic growth in the US brought many immigrants from Germany who settled in Astoria between 35th and 50th streets and developed their own German village. These early immigrant roots remain to this day, with several streets named after villagers like the Steinways and Ditmars. After WW2, much of Astoria’s population was made up of Italian and Greek immigrants. One third of all Greeks who moved to New York City settled in Astoria and by the mid-1990s, they accounted for slightly less than half of the neighborhood’s population. Other groups that followed included Columbians, Chinese, Guyanese, and Koreans. This mixture of ethnicities is what makes Astoria one of the most vibrant and interesting New York City neighborhoods.

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What to expect

Astoria Landmarks and Cultural Institutions:

A NEIGHBORHOOD TOUR

This beautiful 65 acre park located on the west side of Queens is home to the largest swimming pool in New York City. Astoria Park also has beautiful views of the Manhattan skyscrapers and offers a variety of activities including two playgrounds, an outdoor track, bocce court, six tennis courts, an athletic field, and three baseball diamonds.

Athens Square Park is the perfect representation of the strong Greek American roots in Astoria. In the 1990s, when Astoria’s Greek residents made up nearly half of the neighborhood, many community gatherings took place at this park. Regular dance performances including traditional Greek line dances, Turkish belly dancing, and many other lively events are offered at Athens Square Park.

Formerly the Triborough Bridge, the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge connects Astoria to the Bronx and Manhattan via three parts, the East River Suspension Bridge, the Harlem River Lift Bridge, and the Bronx Kill Crossing. Construction on this bridge began on Black Friday in 1929 and was then ceased due to the Great Depression until FDR’s new deal financed the continued construction. The bridge is an attractive part of Astoria’s waterfront and is best viewed from Astoria Park. On November 19th, 2009, the Triborough Bridge was renamed the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge in honor of the former New York senator who was assassinated while running for president in 1968, just five years after his brother, John F. Kennedy’s assassination.

Once an abandoned riverside landfill, Socrates Sculpture Park was transformed by Artist Mark Di Suvero into an open studio and exhibition space for artists. This park is now an internationally known outdoor art museum and part of the New York City public park system. Over 1,000 artists have their work showcased on these 5 acres of waterfront land, making the park a center for cultural programming.

Founded and designed by the celebrated American artist, Isamu Noguchi, The Noguchi Museum displays pieces representative of Noguchi’s life’s work. Today, the Isamu Noguchi Foundation and museum work to build Isamu Noguchi’s legacy by displaying and furthering the understanding of his work. The museum holds an active exhibition and public program schedule, as well as educational programs, preservation, and research projects.

The Museum of The Moving Image was built in 1988 and occupies one of the thirteen buildings that used to comprise the former Astoria studio complex in the early 1920s. These buildings were the center of filmmaking in the U.S. before the industry moved west to Hollywood. Today, the Museum of The Moving Image offers screenings in several theaters and screening rooms and contains a gallery that presents audiences with video art. The museum holds a range of production workshops, tours, and screenings that are enjoyed by tens of thousands people each year.

All Notable New Yorker photos courtesy of Wikipedia via Wikimedia Commons. Photo of Christopher Walken by Pierre Vogel; Photo of Ethel Merman by ABC Television Uploaded by We hope at en.Wikipedia; Photo of Jesse Eisenberg by Gage Skidmore; Photo of Chamique Holdsclaw by US Department of Labor; Photo of Iris Apfel by MiamiFilmFestival; Photo of Tony Bennett by Bob Elyea; Photo of Bob Elyea by CBS Television