Flushing-Main Street
The final stop on the 7 line is Flushing-Main Street. As the 7 train makes its way into Downtown Flushing, the elevated structure crosses the Flushing Creek and then descends into a tunnel where it terminates under Roosevelt Avenue and Main Street. After passing through the residential communities of Sunnyside, Woodside, Jackson Heights, and Corona, bustling Downtown Flushing caps off the extensive variety of cultures and ethnic communities along the way.
Flushing is a major cultural, transportation, and commercial hub. In fact, the intersection of Main Street and Roosevelt Avenue is the third busiest in the city, after only Times Square and Herald Square. In addition to a subway and Long Island Rail Road connection, 18 different local bus routes serve Downtown Flushing. Located in north-central Queens, Flushing is a 45-minute subway ride or-20 minute Long Island Rail Road ride from Midtown Manhattan. Heading east, Flushing is only a short Long Island Rail Road ride away from the quiet neighborhoods of eastern Queens and important Long Island business centers like Great Neck and Port Washington. Fort Totten, an old civil-war era battlement that was converted into a park, is also only a 30-minute bus ride away.
Main Street is the heart of Flushing’s Chinese and Korean communities. Just as Canal Street is the lifeblood of Manhattan’s Chinatown, Main Street is the center of commercial and cultural life for the community. The street is always packed with pedestrians, food vendors, and commuters who shop at the hundreds of small businesses that line the street. The neighborhood’s post office, library, and at least a dozen local grocery stores can be found on Main Street. Some landmarks of the Chinese community in Flushing are the New World Mall and Taipan Bakery.
Throughout the last decade, Flushing has seen an increasing amount of investment from abroad as many firms and wealthier individuals based in eastern China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong turn to New York City as a good place to invest in real estate. New luxury developments, such as the SkyView Center, have sprung up along Main Street, Prince Street, and College Point Boulevard surrounding the 7 train’s terminus. The turn towards luxury housing in this overwhelmingly working-class and immigrant neighborhood culminated in the recent Flushing Rezoning. The project will redevelop a swath of industrial waterfront land along the Flushing Creek and convert the area into high-rise housing and commercial space.
-Max Scott
Next, check out the previous “End of the Line” pieces on the A and E trains!