Astoria Heights, Queens

Astoria Heights is a district in the New York City borough of Queens. It is bounded by Hazen Street and Astoria to the West, La Guardia Airport to the East, Bowery Bay to the North, and Astoria Boulevard and the Grand Central Parkway to the South. It is mostly a quiet neighborhood of 1 and 2 family private homes.

The [http://www.rikerhome.com/ Riker-Lent Homestead] is near the north end at 78-03 19th Road. Built around 1655 by Abraham Riker under a patent from Nieuw Nederland's last governor, Peter Stuyvesant, it is believed to be the oldest remaining dwelling in New York City still used as a residence. [ [http://www.rikerhome.com/history/overview.htm The Lent-Riker-Smith Homestead: History] , accessed December 25, 2006. "The facts confirm that this dwelling is the oldest dwelling in New York City that is still a dwelling."] There is an adjacent family cemetery. The Smiths, who bought the house in 1975, have been restoring it for many years. Tours are given from usually in mid-September by the [http://www.queenshistoricalsociety.org/ Queens Historical Society]

Before Prohibition, there were dance halls, picnic areas and amusement park rides at North Beach, near what is now the airport.

Ragtime composer Scott Joplin is buried across the Grand Central Parkway at St. Michael's Cemetery which occasionally holds ragtime concerts.

The Rikers Island Bridge to New York City's main prison, Rikers Island, runs from the north end of Hazen Street. Technically, Rikers Island is in the Bronx since New York City took it over from Long Island City in 1884, after it had annexed the South Bronx but before it consolidated Queens. However, like Astoria Heights, Rikers Island gets its mail from the East Elmhurst (11370) station of the Flushing Post Office.

If you walk or drive from Astoria along Ditmars Boulevard, you will notice that the street numbers suddenly jump 25 or so blocks. This is because the streets in Astoria within the former city of Long Island City lean east of north whereas Astoria Heights streets, in the former town of Newtown, lean west of north.

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