Foodscapes

Foodscape: Flushing/Whitestone

by NYC Food Policy Editor
written by NYC Food Policy Editor

Flushing/Whitestone Foodscape

About Foodscapes

Access to affordable and nutritious food is one of the cornerstones of good health. Without this, individuals—and communities—are at a higher risk of food insecurity and serious chronic diseases, including obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. To improve the health of New Yorkers, we must recognize that each neighborhood has a distinct food environment.

Purpose

These Foodscape reports provide a community-level snapshot of a community’s food environment, including data on healthy and unhealthy food consumption, food access, and diet-related diseases. Additionally, the reports detail a comprehensive guide of the many food-related resources available to residents within their neighborhoods to support them in eating healthier. The Hunter College New York City Food Policy Center has compiled this information from various sources, presenting it in a user-friendly format to help NYC residents and communities better understand their local foodscapes.

*All data from Community Health Profiles includes Auburndale, Bay Terrace, College Point, East Flushing, Flushing, Queensboro Hill and Whitestone

*All data from DATA2GO includes Flushing, Murray Hill & Whitestone

Zip codes include: 11351, 11354, 11355, 11356, 11357, 11358, 11359, 11365, 11367

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

DEMOGRAPHICS:

  • Total Population: 263,039 (3.08% of NYC population) (1)
  • Population by Race and Ethnicity of Flushing/Whitestone and New York City (1)
    • Flushing/Whitestone: 16% Latino | NYC: 29% Latino
    • Flushing/Whitestone: 2% Black | NYC: 22% Black
    • Flushing/Whitestone: 26% White | NYC: 32% White
    • Flushing/Whitestone: 54% Asian/Pacific Islander | NYC: 15% Asian
    • Flushing/Whitestone: 2% Other | NYC: 2% Other
  • Flushing/Whitestone Population by Age: (1)
    • 0-17 years: 17%
    • 18-24 years: 7%
    • 25-44 years: 28%
    • 45-64 years: 30%
    • 65+ years: 18%
    • Flushing/Whitestone: 84.7 years (2) | NYC: Life Expectancy: 82.1 years (2)
  • Born Outside the US: 
    • Flushing/Whitestone: 57% (1) | NYC: 37% (1)

NEIGHBORHOOD ACCESS TO HEALTHY FOOD:

  • Supermarket to Bodega Ratio: One (1) supermarket in Flushing/Whitestone to 6 bodegas (1)
  • Meal Gap (# of meals needed per year for food security): 5,543,537 (2)
  • Food Insecurity: 
    • Flushing/Whitestone: 11.3% of residents (2)| NYC: 15.4% of residents (2)
  • Residences that Lack a Kitchen: 
    • Flushing/Whitestone: 0.8% of housing units (2)| NYC: 0.8% (2)
  • Households Receiving SNAP Benefits: 
    • Flushing/Whitestone: 12.9% of households (2)| NYC: 22.4% of households (2)
  • Walking Distance to Fresh Fruits and Vegetables: (4)
    • Includes data from Flushing/Clearview (Zipcodes: 11354, 11355, 11356, 11357, 11359, 11360)
      • 5 minutes or less: 36% (Compared to 49% New York City-wide)
      • 5-10 minutes: 17% (Compared to 18% New York City-wide)
      • 10 minutes or more: 47% (Compared to 32% New York City-wide)

FOOD CONSUMPTION:

  • At Least One Serving of Fruits or Vegetables Per Day (percent of adults): 
    • Flushing/Whitestone: 95% (1) | NYC: 87% (1)
  • No Fruits and Vegetables Yesterday: 
    • Flushing/Whitestone: 5% of adults (2) | NYC: 12.9% of adults (2)
  • One or More 12-ounce Sugary Drinks Per Day (percent of adults): 
    • Flushing/Whitestone: 16% (1) | NYC: 23% (1)

HEALTH AND DISEASE STATUS:

  • Adults Reporting Their Own Health as “Excellent,” “Very Good” or “Good” (percent of adults): 
    • Flushing/Whitestone: 71% (1) | NYC: 78% (1)
  • Obesity (percent of adults): 
    • Flushing/Whitestone: 13% (1) | NYC: 24% (1)
  •  Childhood Obesity (percent of public school children in grades K through 8): 
    • Flushing/Whitestone: 15% (1) | NYC: 20% (1)
  • Diabetes (percent of adults): 
    • Flushing/Whitestone: 8% (1) | NYC: 11% (1)
  • Hypertension (percent of adults): 
    • Flushing/Whitestone: 22% (1) | NYC: 28% (1)

ECONOMIC AND LIVING-CONDITION STRESS, CONTRIBUTORS TO FOOD INSECURITY:

  • Median Household Income: 
    • Flushing/Whitestone: $59,608 (2) | NYC: $63,132 (2)
  • Poverty (percent of households with incomes below poverty): 
    • Flushing/Whitestone: 15.9% (2) | NYC: 19.7% (2)
  • Unemployment (percent of people ages 16 and older): 
    • Flushing/Whitestone: 2.5% (2) | NYC: 4.5% (2)
  • Extreme Housing Burden (percent of renters): 
    • Flushing/Whitestone: 40.8% (2) | NYC: 29.5% (2)

EXERCISE AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY BURDEN

  • Air Pollution (micrograms of fine particulate matter per cubic meter): 
    • Flushing/Whitestone: 7.3 (1) | New York City-wide: 7.5 (1)
  • Bicycle Network Coverage (percent of streets with bike lanes): 
    • Flushing/Whitestone: 3% (1) | New York City-wide: 10% (1)
  • Pedestrian Injury Hospitalizations (per 100,000 people): 
    • Flushing/Whitestone: 24 (1) | New York City-wide: 23 (1)
  • Any Physical Activity in the Past 30 Days (percent of adults): 
    • Flushing/Whitestone: 69% (1) | New York City-wide: 73% (1)

FLUSHING/WHITESTONE SUMMER MEALS: 

To ensure everyone has access to nutritious meals, the Department of Education’s Meal Hubs were created in response to COVID-19 and have expanded service to all children and adults across the five boroughs. Sites serve grab-and-go meal service for adults and children and no one is turned away. No registration or identification is required.

During the summer of 2020, over 400 Meal Hubs operated from 7:30am-11:30am for children and families and 11:30am-1:30pm for adults. Starting September 29, 200 Meal Hubs continue to provide grab-and-go meal service for all New Yorkers on Monday-Friday between 3-5pm.

Please check the DOE website for updates and search for Free Meals at the select public school buildings here or text “NYCFOOD” or “COMIDA” to 877-877.

FLUSHING/WHITESTONE COMMUNITY GARDENS: 

FLUSHING/WHITESTONE GREENTHUMB GARDENS:

There are over 600 GreenThumb community gardens across the city, and any resident can join a garden. Find the most up-to-date list of gardens using GreenThumb’s searchable Garden Map. (5)  

  • Evergreen Community Garden: 47-32 Colden St

FLUSHING/WHITESTONE SCHOOL GARDENS:

  • HS 263 Flushing International High School: 144-80 Barclay Ave
  • PS 244 The Active Learning Elementary School: 137-20 Franklin Ave
  • PS 209 Clearview Gardens: 16-10 Utopia Pkwy
  • PS 32 State Street: 171-11 35th Ave
  • PS 219 Paul Klapper: 144-39 Gravett Rd
  • IS 281 East-West School of International Studies: 46-21 Colden St
  • PS 255 @Townsend Harris High School: 149-11 Melbourne Ave
  • PS 20 John Bowne: 142-30 Barclay Ave
  • PS 193 Alfred J. Kennedy: 152-20 11th Ave
  • HS 285 World Journalism Preparatory: A College Board School: 34-65 192nd St
  • PS 22 Thomas Jefferson: 153-33 Sanford Ave
  • PS 4 P004Q @P179Q: 196-25 Peck Ave
  • JHS 194 William Carr: 154-60 17th Ave
  • PS 107 Thomas A Dooley: 167-02 45th Ave

FLUSHING/WHITESTONE FARMERS’ MARKETS: 

To ensure the below farmers’ markets are open, please call or check the listed websites for the most up-to-date information.

Many farmers’ markets accept cash, SNAP/EBT, debit/credit, WIC and Senior FMNP coupons. They may also offer Health Bucks for EBT users — for every $5 spent in EBT, customers receive a $2 Health Buck coupon to purchase additional fruits and vegetables. For an updated list of farmers’ markets near you (including days/hours of operation) visit nyc.gov/health and search “farmers markets” or text “SoGood” to 877-877.

FLUSHING/WHITESTONE OFFICIAL SNAP ENROLLMENT SITES IN NYC – HUMAN RESOURCES ASSOCIATION (HRA):

Data is updated on a continuous basis in collaboration with the Hunter College NYC Food Policy Center’s Neighborhood Food Resource Guides.

*It is possible to apply for SNAP benefits online at https://www.ny.gov/services/apply-snap

FLUSHING/WHITESTONE PANTRIES AND SOUP KITCHENS:

Data is updated on a continuous basis in collaboration with the Hunter College NYC Food Policy Center’s Neighborhood Food Resource Guides.

*Food pantry and soup kitchen hours subject to change, and requirements may be needed to register for food pantries. Call a specific location for more information before going for the first time. 

FLUSHING/WHITESTONE RETAIL FOOD STORES:

*This list below includes all retail food stores from a Google Maps Places API search with keyword search terms “bakery, cafe, convenience store, deli, food, grocery, supermarket.” 

Data is updated on a continuous basis in collaboration with the Hunter College NYC Food Policy Center’s Neighborhood Food Resource Guides.

PARKS IN FLUSHING/WHITESTONE:

To ensure the below businesses and organizations are open, please call or check the listed websites for the most up-to-date information.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:

Last updated: 3/30/21

REFERENCES:

  1. Hinterland, K, et al. “Community Health Profiles 2018, Queens Community District 7: Flushing and Whitestone.” Community Health Profiles 2018, Queens Community District 7: Flushing and Whitestone, 2018, pp. 1–20.
  2. “Data2Go: Flushing, Murray Hill & Whitestone.” data2go.Nyc, Measure of America of the Social Science Research Council and Helmsley Charitable Trust, https://data2go.nyc/map/?id=407*36047015900*ahdi_puma!undefined!ns*!other_pop_cd_506~ahdi_puma_1~sch_enrol_cd_112~age_pyramid_male_85_plus_cd_20~median_household_income_puma_397~median_personal_earnings_puma_400~dis_y_perc_puma_102~poverty_ceo_cd_417~unemployment_cd_408~pre_k_cd_107!*air_qual_cd~ahdi_puma*family_homeless_cd_245#10/40.8273/-73.9586. 
  3. “Annual Vital Statistics Data Show Fewer Premature Deaths and Fewer Births in New York City in 2017.” NYC Health, The City of New York.
  4. “A Foodscape of Flushing/Clearview.” New York City Food Policy Center at Hunter College, Mar. 2017, https://www.nycfoodpolicy.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/FS403_2017.pdf. 
  5. “Green Thumb Garden Map.” NYC Parks, https://greenthumb.nycgovparks.org/gardensearch.php.

Article Image: “New York City (NYC) Neighborhood Maps – By Borough – Queens.” NYCdata, Baruch College Zicklin School of Business, https://www.baruch.cuny.edu/nycdata/population-geography/maps-boroughs.htm.

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