Bayside, Queens

Bayside
Neighborhoods of Queens
Bell Boulevard in Bayside looking north from Northern Boulevard
Country	United States
State	New York
City	New York City
County/Borough	Queens
Named for	Place name of the Native American Lenape
Population (2010)
• Total	44,100
Ethnicity
• White	46.9%
• Black	2.6%
• Hispanic	11.6%
• Asian	37.3%
• Other	0.3%
Economics
• Median income	$95,114
ZIP code	11360, 11361, 11364
Area code(s)	718, 347, 917, 646, 516

Bayside is an upper middle class neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens. CNN Money ranked Bayside as one of the most expensive housing markets nationally when analyzing comparable detached homes throughout the United States. Despite its large housing stock of free-standing homes, it nationally ranks high to very high in population density. These homes give the neighborhood a similar feel to other wealthy Queens neighborhoods such as Douglaston and Little Neck. The neighborhood is part of Queens Community Board 11.

Bayside's history dates back to 2000 B.C.E., when the Matinecock Native American tribe first settled there. In the late 17th century, the area was settled by English colonists. By the middle of the 18th century, early settlers left their homes in Flushing and developed a farming community, Bay Side. During the Revolutionary War, the Bayside-Little Neck area suffered from raids by whaleboatmen from the Connecticut shores. In the 19th century Bayside was still mostly farmland. Middle 20th century urban sprawl in New York City, with the help of more convenient and accessible transportation, led to its development.

During the 1920s, many actors and actresses, such as Rudolph Valentino, lived in Bayside. At the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century Bayside saw an influx of people associated with the theater and movie industries. The town was then established as a colony for stage and screen stars. When rumors ran rampant through the acting community that Bayside would be the location of a new movie and production studio, many actors purchased homes in anticipation of an easy commute to the studio. However, this rumored studio never materialized. When Hollywood emerged as the capital of the movie industry during the 1920s, many actors left Bayside to pursue careers in California.