Astoria
Astoria is a unique part of the borough that is growing rapidly. Especially its night life and dinning has given Queens' residents second thoughts about going to Manhattan for a fun night out. Astoria has the biggest Greek community outside of Athens as well as a large number of Arabs.
Astoria is located in Community District 1 and covers the Northwestern corner of Queens. Astoria is home to multiple retail shopping corridors, a significant industrial enclave, movie studios and several power plants along the east river.
The neighborhood's primary retail hubs are located along Ditmars Boulevard, extending from under the elevated N and W trains along 31st street to the east and west and along Steinway Street, the longest continuous retail strip in Queens. Steinway Street is almost all commercial. Its retail core - extending from 36th Avenue to Grand Central Parkway - is attracting a growing number of national chain stores. Other major retail hubs in Astoria, including Broadway and 30th Avenue, intersect Steinway Street.
Local Organizations
Central Astoria Local Development Coalition
The CALDC is a nonprofit neighborhood preservation organization in existence since 1979. Its mission is to conduct activities designed to combat neighborhood deterioration through government and privately funded programs which assist and advocate for business organizations, tenants and owners of small residential buildings and provide cultural enrichment.
Steinway Street BID/Merchants Association
The Steinway Street Business Improvement District encompasses all 300 business located on Steinway Street from 28th Avenue to 35th Avenue. National chain stores such as Victoria's Secrets, The Gap, Benetton, and Express are side by side with local family owned shops some of them fixtures on the street for some fifty years. Everything from home furnishings, antiques, electronics, jewelry, eyewear, hardware, to clothing and shoes for every age group and taste can be found within these five blocks for the ultimate shopping experience.