By Chris Fuchs
During the last 10 years, College Point has seen striking increases in both its Hispanic and Asian-American population, diversifying a community that for decades consisted predominantly of non-Hispanic whites, the 2000 census figures show.
Since 1990, the number of non-Hispanic whites in College Point, a tight-knit community at the northeastern tip of Queens, has dropped markedly by almost 5,000, to 14,400, the 2000 census figures show.
At the same time, the overall population has remained in virtual stasis, rising by a mere 273 people to 25,598, an indication that College Point’s population has been buoyed by Asians and Hispanics, according to the latest census figures.
“The growth in these neighborhoods translates into Hispanic and Asian growth,” said Dr. Andrew Beveridge, a demographer at Queens College, who is studying the census figures. “Actually, there is very rapid growth — suburban sprawl — which means people are still leaving New York for Central New Jersey and Long Island.”
In 1990, nearly 77 percent of College Point was comprised of white, non-Hispanics, compared with 56 percent in the 2000 census, the figures show.
Boroughwide, 44 percent of Queens’s total population of more than 2.2 million is white, according to the 2000 census figures. Some 25 percent is Hispanic or Latino — a designation that can apply to any race — 17.5 percent is Asian and 20 percent is black. For the first time in the 2000 census, respondents were permitted to classify themselves as multi-racial or belonging to “some other race,” which boosted the overall figures to over 100 percent since some respondents appeared in more than one category.
In street interviews with a dozen College Point residents Monday morning, most said they had noticed more diversity in their community over the last decade. In particular, they said there had been unmistakable surges in the populations of Hispanics and Asians, an observation confirmed by the census figures.
Over the last 10 years, the Hispanic population grew by 2,300 to 5,824, making up nearly 23 percent of the community. At the same time, the Asian population in College Point nearly doubled, increasing to 4,289 and now comprising 16 percent of the community, the census figures show.
In both the 1990 and 2000 census, the black population in College Point hovered around 1.5 percent, though Despite the nominal increase in the overall population of College Point, residents said they believe that their community has become more congested, has been overrun by a patchwork of newly constructed homes, and has become too commercialized.
Millie Pezzino, an immigrant from the Dominican Republic, has owned Millies Hair Salon on College Point Boulevard, a strip of 1950s-style stores in the heart of College Point, for four years. A former resident of College Point, Pezzino moved to Whitestone five months ago, in search of an elusive quietness that she said she once knew in College Point.
“Now, I would say it’s better for business unlike the way it used to be,” Pezzino said. “Four years ago, when I moved in, it was a lot quieter. I used to travel to Jackson Heights and people were like, ‘Where is College Point?’ Now you say College Point, and everybody knows.”
Today, there are virtually no empty storefronts on College Point Boulevard, a sign of the community’s business prowess, said Willard Rose Jr., a real-estate broker at Weber and Rose Realty Inc. in College Point. With the arrival of national chains like Target and BJs, residents have long feared a downturn in business along College Point Boulevard, a prediction that so far has proven false, he said.
“You always hear the story, ‘Oh, Home Depot’s coming, it’s going to kill all the stores,’” he said. “The stores either died years ago or they’re making a living in spite of Home Depot. The conveniences are what people shop for on the main streets of America today.”
At community meetings and out on the street, it is not uncommon to hear College Point referred to as a “ town.” Apart from its commercial character, there is indeed an indisputable suburban presence here. Many residents are wary of revealing their age, but will eagerly tell you that they have lived here all their lives. For a substantial number, that translates into 40 or 50 years.
A few residents who were interviewed Monday said the small-town feel of College Point has faded, especially during the last 10 years. “I notice a change all right,” said one woman, a resident of 54 years, who refused to give her name. “When I was little growing up here, you knew everybody. Now you don’t know anybody.”
Rose, the broker, also grew up in College Point. He was born here in 1941, and left for Merrick, L.I., in 1974 to raise his family. In 1991, however, he moved back to College Point, after learning firsthand that suburbia was not all it was made out to be.
“Quality of life is what people used to go out to Suffolk and Nassau counties to obtain,” he said. “But they’re finding that there is no life when they’re spending an hour and a half commuting each way. So you start to ask yourself is there really something better out there?”
Reach reporter Chris Fuchs by e-mail at Timesledgr@aol.com or call 229-0300, Ext. 156.
