Elmhurst is a suburb of New York City, in the Borough of Queens. Its physical area is bordered in the north by Rooseveldt Avenue in Jackson Heights, in the north east by Corona, in the east by Jackson Boulevard, in the south east by Rego Park, in the south by the Long Island Expressway and south west by Middle Village, to the west by the New York Connecting Railroad and Maspeth and in the north west by Woodside.
The city is served by three international airports – John F Kennedy International, La Guardia and Newark International; and Westchester County Airport.
History:
Elmhurst was originally the home of indigenous Indians, but they were driven away by an influx of settlers from Maspat (later to be known as Maspeth), an already established colony not too far away. In 1652 Dutch settlers established a small village which they named both Middleburgh and Middenburgh as an extension to the already existing New Amsterdam, in the area called New Netherland. In 1664, when the British arrived and took control of the area, they changed the name of Middleburgh to Nieuwe Stad (or New Town) in order to preserve the heritage of the Dutch settlers. For purposes of simplification, the settlement became known as Newtown and, in 1896, was eventually renamed Elmhurst and became a part of Queens. In 1898, now a part of the City of Greater New York, Elmhurst began to flourish and became a very fashionable neighborhood, mainly because of the development of residential housing by the Cord Meyer Development Company which lasted until 1910.
Economy:
Being a part of New York City, the economy of Elmhurst relies greatly on the City's employment capabilities, a fact endorsed by the growing population of up and coming City workers who are moving into the area, especially because the crime and drug use rates continue to fall and are no longer considered to be a problem.
The local economy is driven by the Queens Center, a huge and highly profitable mall which houses 150 stores, including JC Penny and Macy's. It is estimated that this mall has the highest profit margins per square foot in the United States - by more than triple the national average. The Queens Place Mall adds to the employment opportunities in Elmhurst, which is also known for its having a large number of furniture stores.
Tourism:
Being an integral part of New York City, Elmhurst has close access to everything the Big Apple has to offer.