While much of Flushing is associated and identified with Main Street, there is much more to the neighborhood than a single Asian district. Flushing is the largest urban area in Queens, stretching all the way from Flushing Meadows Park to Utopia Parkway of Auburndale, and is extremely diverse in its population. As part of Community Board #7, the fifth largest and most populous community board in the city, Flushing faces issues such as continued population growth, housing, parking, traffic, and land development.
The total population of Flushing is estimated to be 245,749. Most of the population is adults, with an estimated 81.6% aged 18 and over. There is also a sizable number of the elderly, an estimated 17.3%. In terms of race, the dominant population is white, with 45.9%. Asians are a close second at 43.6%. Of this percentage, 25.1% are Chinese and 10.6% are Korean. Other Asian races such as Japanese, Filipino, and Vietnamese have numbers at or below 1%. Hispanics and blacks are in the minority, with 16.7% and 2.7%, respectively.
These numbers are revealing, especially of the neighborhood demographics beyond Main Street. There are a wide variety of peoples living in Flushing and it is important to keep in mind that there is no single race or culture that is representative of all who live there. It is necessary to be aware of the different cultures that are present when reporting on a neighborhood so that underlying sensitivities can be explored, and local conflicts can be placed in the proper context.
The educational statistics for Flushing show that 30.9% of residents have a high school diploma, while 21.3% have a bachelor’s degree and 10.9% have a graduate or professional degree. There are 37 public schools in Flushing, under District 25. There are a large number of elementary and middle schools, but only five high schools, which includes Flushing High School and Townsend Harris. In terms of high education there is CUNY Queens College and CUNY School of Law.
Although there is an increased number of college graduates nationwide, the statistics for Flushing show that a sizable portion of its residents only go up to high school. Taken in conjunction with the large number of foreign-born residents and immigrants, a number of reasons such as cultural barriers, lack of assimilation, low income, and pressure to work may be possible causes for the low number of college graduates.
An economic perspective reveals that 14.9% of households earn a combined income of $100,000 to $149,999, putting a decent part of Flushing in the middle class bracket. However in areas such as downtown Flushing where there is a concentration of foreign-born residents the income bracket tends to be lower. Local businesses consist mostly of service and retail outlets. There are a large number of Chinese and Korean restaurants in downtown Flushing, as well as several small clothing and specialty stores.
There are an estimated 93,271 housing units in Flushing, 23.6% of which were built during the 1950s. Real estate prices have risen since the late 1990s. According to Community Board Needs research, there has been an increase in illegal apartments and housing. One-bedroom apartments are being used to house entire families. Basements and cellars are also illegally rented out frequently.
Many of the issues in Flushing can be related to its ever-burgeoning population. There is only so much housing, jobs, and transportation that Flushing can adequately provide. Even with rising real estate prices, the increasing amount of immigrants moving into Flushing leads to a demand for more housing that cannot be readily met, leading to the occurrence of illegal housing. Traffic and parking is a perpetual problem, especially in downtown Flushing. The intersection of Main Street and Roosevelt Avenue is the third busiest in all of New York City, behind Times Square and Herald Square. Although Flushing has a large number of bus lines, it has only one subway line: the 7, which starts and ends on Main Street. An estimated 85,000 commuters use the 7 line daily since there is little other alternative to travel into the city. Congestion is a serious problem in Flushing and like other related problems such as pollution, can most directly be linked to the population surge.