Koreatown Queen

Koreatown’s roots trace back to the Flushing neighborhood in the borough of Queens, New York City. From there, it has experienced swift expansion eastward along Northern Boulevard, encompassing Queens neighborhoods such as Murray Hill, Auburndale, Bayside, Douglaston, and Little Neck.

Development of Flushing’s Koreatown

In the 1980s, Flushing witnessed a significant influx of Korean immigrants, many of whom initially found employment in the medical sector or were Korean international students seeking professional or entrepreneurial opportunities in New York City. They began to establish a presence on Union Street in Flushing, particularly between 35th and 41st Avenues. This area quickly developed into a vibrant hub featuring a wide array of establishments including restaurants, karaoke (noraebang) bars, manicure and pedicure salons, grocery markets, educational centers, bookstores, banks, offices, consumer electronics vendors, apparel boutiques, and other commercial enterprises. It was during this period that the concept of a Koreatown in Flushing began to take shape.

Koreatownscape

As the Korean community in Queens grew both in terms of wealth and population, there was a natural progression eastward along Northern Boulevard. Koreans began purchasing homes in more affluent and less congested neighborhoods in Queens, as well as in adjacent Nassau County, particularly in the early 21st century. This expansion paved the way for the emergence of an American Meokjagolmok, or Korean Restaurant Street, centered around the Long Island Rail Road station in Murray Hill, Queens, offering a taste of Korean culinary culture without the need to travel to Seoul itself. This eastward movement was partly driven by the limitations posed by the expansive Flushing Chinatown to the west, which presented a significant barrier to westward expansion.