Corona

couldn't wait to leave. Corona has changed a lot in recent years. Archie Bunker would toss in his grave. They have torn down so many single and two-family houses to build multi-family Fedder houses and even Fedder buildings. There is no real sense of community. The place is rundown, very overcrowded, and chaotic. I wouldn't say it's unsafe, but a woman should not wonder around dark streets later at night, as she may get comments, catcalls, and the occasional creep following her.

Corona is a lower middle-class neighborhood that is located between Flushing and Jackson Heights. It is extremely diverse; it has a predominately Hispanic population, with small percentages of African Americans, Italians, and Asians. While the neighborhood has improved dramatically over the past few decade, it still has a reputation of being unsafe. Still, it definitely has gotten better and more young professionals are turning to Corona and its neighboring towns because of its low housing prices and convenient access to the subway. The 7 train runs right through the heart of Corona.

The Langston Hughes Library and the Black Heritage Reference Center are two great places to visit - particularly with kids, so that you can teach them about history. Flushing Meadows Corona Park is one of the largest parks in New York City. It was shown in many movies, including Men in Black, and was the site of two world's fairs. This huge park includes Citi Field (formerly Shea Stadium), the tennis center where the U. S. Open is held, the Hall of Science, a museum, an ice skating rink, and a wildlife center. Corona is also a culturally important neighborhood because musical icons from Louis Armstrong to the Beatnuts have lived here.

This is a lower middle class area where the guy from King of Queens is supposed to live. If you are out in this area, you should stop by the Corona Plaza, which is central to the residential neighborhood and representative of the chaos that goes on in Manhattan. There has been a huge decrease in crime here in recent years, and the many of the residents here claim the Dominican Republic as their nationality.
Fun facts: the lyrics “goodbye to Rosie, the queen of Corona” was a reference to this neighborhood (and not the beer), and this is the wasteland that F. Scott Fitzgerald described in The Great Gatsby as the “valley of ashes.”