What is Queens? We wonder, too

Farriella, Christie M,, Freelanc

The Unisphere is what comes into many people’s minds when they hear the word “Queens.” But, clearly, there’s more to the borough than an old relic.

Queens College recently hosted the first-ever “Quintessentially Queens” conference to examine what makes the borough unique. We asked several people with intimate knowledge of the borough to discuss what it means to be Queens today — and where the most diverse part of the city is headed:

Whether it’s the booming art community in Ridgewood or the always-edgy Socrates Sculpture Park in Long Island City, the borough has a rich cultural scene.

Tom Finkelpearl, executive director of the Queens Museum, which is ready to unveil its multimillion renovation and expansion, believes “Queens is in an upward spiral.”

But the borough has long struggled with a reputation as a cultural underachiever.

“The problem with Queens is that it does not have a big overall identity,” he said.

“Our mission is to represent all of Queens.

“I am super optimistic that the basic idea of Queens as the melting pot of culture is the future of all cities. We are sort of the avant garde of cultural inclusion.”

Upcoming exhibitions at the museum include the work of artists from China and Mexico — a nod to the borough’s diverse population.

It will also revisit Andy Warhol’s “Thirteen Most Wanted Men,” which shocked visitors to the 1964-65 World’s Fair.

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Jonathan Bowles likes what he sees in the future of Queens

“This next decade may be the time for Queens to rise,” said Bowles, executive director of the Center for an Urban Future. “Queens is an aspirational borough.”

Bowles said the borough continues to be a place where middle-class families can find an affordable home and where entrepreneurs can take a chance.

It may have the most balanced economies of all the boroughs, he said, noting jobs are spread across various sectors almost evenly such as health care, retail, transportation and food service.

“In an age where a lot of New Yorkers are frustrated with the explosion of national chain stores, Queens offers something unique. Go to any neighborhood in Queens and find a number of businesses you won’t find anywhere else in the city.”

He admitted the environment is competitive and rents have gone up, presenting an obstacle for new businesses.

“The real challenge is making sure more of the borough’s great entrepreneurs become great medium- and large-size businesses.”

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Andrew Beveridge says Queens will be home to a growing number of Spanish-speaking immigrants.

“Hispanic groups are growing very rapidly,” the Queens College professor says.

Beveridge said, “That population is very, very diverse. That’s sunisphereort of the headline.”

Much attention has been focused on the booming Asian population, but more Hispanic and South Asian immigrants are choosing Queens as their home.

Immigrants from Ecuador, Colombia and the Dominican Republican rank in the top six groups in Queens. China still holds the No. 1 spot, but its overall share is slipping.

Guyana and India are also in the top five, according to Beveridge, who crunched data from the 2010 Census and American Community Survey.

The changes have had a stabilizing impact on the borough’s middle-class status.

“People have this notion that a new group moves in and ‘There goes the neighborhood,’ ” said Beveridge. “That really has not been true in Queens.”

lcolangelo@nydailynews.com

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