The New York City Department of Transportation (NYC DOT) on Thursday launched a limited sale of authentic “Welcome to Queens” street signs, celebrating the city’s most diverse borough through its monthly sign drop initiative.
Only 50 of the hand-crafted signs—produced by the DOT’s Maspeth-based Sign Shop—are available for purchase through the CityStore website, the official store of the City of New York. Each sign is priced at $100, with a limit of one per customer. Proceeds will benefit the city’s general fund.
“New York’s greatest strength is its diversity, and no borough better reflects this diversity than Queens,” said NYC DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez. “Queens truly is the World’s Borough, home to residents from more than 120 countries across the globe.”
The release marks the second borough-specific drop since NYC DOT began its monthly sign sales in June 2024. The first commemorated Pride Month with Christopher Street/Stonewall Place signage. Other recent drops include signs for Gay Street, Wall Street, Broadway, and East 161st Street and Shea Road in honor of baseball’s opening day.
DCAS Commissioner Louis A. Molina noted the symbolic value of the Queens signs, which are featured on the newly redesigned CityStore website. “As the most diverse place on the planet with a rich history that goes back centuries, these signs give New Yorkers a chance to take home a piece of that story—their story—while supporting the city they love,” Molina said.
Queens was established in 1683 as one of the original 12 counties of the Province of New York. Today, more than 47% of its population is foreign-born, and over 100 languages are spoken across the borough. Queens is home to LaGuardia and JFK airports, the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, the New York Mets, and historic sites of both the 1939 and 1964 World’s Fairs.
The NYC DOT Sign Shop, which employs 32 workers, produces over 70,000 signs annually, supplying New York’s network of more than one million signs across 6,000 miles of streets. The CityStore, operated by the NYC Department of Citywide Administrative Services, serves as a retail outlet for official city memorabilia, with all proceeds supporting municipal operations.
The “Welcome to Queens” signs are available now while supplies last at CityStore.
