By The Times/Ledger
East from LIC is Elmhurst. Elmhurst is one of Queens' oldest towns, settled in 1652 by British colonists to replace a previous settlement at Maspeth that had been devastated by Indian raids. In 1898 when Queens became part of New York City, the name Elmhurst was adopted for the area because of the many elm trees in the vicinity.
At the end of the Second World War Elmhurst evolved from an almost exclusively white, middle-class suburban community with a large Jewish and Italian population to the most ethnically diverse neighborhood in the city. At last count immigrants from 112 countries settled there. It became home to the first enclosed shopping mall in Queens in 1973, Queens Center, 90-15 Queens Blvd., 592-3900, which today boasts over 74 stores, eateries and parking. Many of Elmhurst's landmarks were razed to accommodate the opening of the subway in 1936.
More info: Community Board 4, 760-3141.
