Queens is one of New York City's most unique and exciting boroughs, yet many living in Brooklyn or Manhattan turn their noses up at it. It's a fantastic place to visit, with plenty to offer. Here are some things you didn't know about Queens.

1. 10 Things You
Didn’t Know About
Queens
By Ari Kellen

2. It’s really big
• With 2.3 million residents, Queens
has just 400,000 less people than
Chicago
• If it seceded from the
rest of New York, it
would be the fourth
largest city in the US

3. It’s actually
named after
a queen
• Queens is named after
Catherine of Braganza
• Her husband,
Charles II, was
King of England
when the British
took New York
from the Dutch

4. It’s the !
final !
resting !
place of !
Harry !
Houdini
• Machpaleh Jewish
cemetery is the site of
Houdini’s grave
• A popular mecca for
Halloween revelers
and aspiring
magicians

5. It’s home to New
York’s best
surfing
• The Rockaways is
arguably New York’s
best beach
• New York’s only good
surfing spot

6. It’s the most
diverse
place in !
the world
• The 2000 Census
counted 138
languages spoken in
the borough
• A lot of the languages
spoken in Queens
can’t be heard
anywhere else in the
world
• Some experts estimate
that number to actually
be around 800

7. It’s got
amazing
food
• Queens’ ethnic diversity
means it’s home to lots of
unique foods
• Delicious and authentic
hole-in-the-wall spots
serving food you can’t find
anywhere else in the city

8. It’s got some amazing
pianos too • Astoria-based Steinway &
Sons, founded in 1853, still
has its factory in Queens
• Been in the same location
for 100 years

9. It’s home to a major !
film studio
• Kaufman Astoria Studios is an historic
movie studio
• Classic films and TV shows such as
“Animal Crackers”, “Goodfellas” and
“Sesame Street” have all been filmed
there
• Home to New York’s only backlot

10. It’s the site of an
abandoned Civil
War fort
• Fort Totten Park is
home to a US Army
fort built in 1862
• Now a fantastic park
popular with residents of
Bayside

11. It’s the
hometown of
lots of famous
musicians
• The Ramones
• Louis Armstrong
• 50 Cent
• Nicki Minaj
• Tony Bennett
• Cyndi Lauper
• Gene Simmons and Paul
Stanley from Kiss
• Simon & Garfunkel