Is Broadway the border betweeen Astoria and LIC?

[TBRays]

I was chatting with a friend and had to explain to him the border between Astoria and LIC ends on Broadway but he say's it's Between 34 and 36 ave. I said to him hell no! I ask why do you say that and he says a real estate agent explained it to him long ago.  I tell him the real estate agents always spread the borders further out and labels parts of Woodside as Astoria and parts of LIC as Astoria. Then I asked an old timer and he say's from 34 ave and beyond it's Dutch Kills followed by LIC.  So who's right??

[JoeyC]

On lower streets it is.  You are right.   People who live along  Broadway, even as far south as 37th avenue, usually say they are in/from  Astoria.  It is LIC though.  One side is, one side of Broadway isn't.  Example,  Bel Aire Diner is Astoria, gas station across street is LIC.   That is  being technical though, if you go by zip codes.    Well, maybe official if we go by zip code.             

[megc]

There is no generally acknowledged border between Astoria and LIC - some say Broadway, some say 30th Ave, some say 36th Ave. I'm sure there are other opinions. I don't trust real estate agents with this question - they will answer it in a way that benefits them professionally (understandable), even if it seems a bit off.  Personally, I consider 36th Ave to be the border but a half dozen people will say I'm wrong. C'est la vie.

[pineapple]

I lived on 42nd St btwn Broadway and 34th Ave and my zipcode was 11103 and my Councilmember Vallone.  Solidly Astoria.  I moved up the block on 42nd St btwn 34th Ave and 35th Ave and my zipcode is now 11101 and my Councilmember is Van Bramer.  Now I live in LIC.

[liddlemar]

I thought it was past 35th avenue considered LIC then again sometimes I get mail and it says LIC and I live on 25th avenue

[Starwind51]

It's a state of mind.  If you're bucolic you live in Astoria, if you're urban chic you live in LIC.  Same address.

[sorabji]

when i moved here the broker told me that astoria ended at some town in oregon, and that long island city ended where you stopped looking for it. i swear i saw it in key west.   

[astoria-for-life]

This has been brought up before on this site. I have read the above responses and some of you are almost right, and some not so much.  (Let me just add, since I was young, I was curious about my neighborhood and this was fueled by listening to old timers in my family talking about the past.This grew in to a hobby of mine and I used to spend a lot of time exploring areas and researching in Queens Central Library in Jamaica. Thanks to the Internet I no longer have to leave my house to pursue my hobby!) Anyway, the facts (as I know them) are as follows- In the year 1898 New York was consolidated into one city. Brooklyn before was one city, and where we live was a city too - Long Island City. Long Island city encompased much of what we now call Astoria, but Astoria was but a hamlet INSIDE of LIC.- same as Ravenswood, Duchkills, Steinway, etc. What is now considered by most folks as "LIC" was simply in the past just "downtown" LIC. To put it simple (real estate agents be damned- they know nothing) We all still live in Long Island City. To be a nit picker the real original Astoria does not even exist (for the most part anymore). About 80% of the original hamlet of Astoria was bulldozed under when the city built the "Astoria houses" Thats where the Hamlet of Astoria originally was. The only thing left for history buffs are 9th st. 12th st. and 14th sts. (and the old houses here are going down fast.) I would love to entertain further conversations because this is my hobby /passion.

[mcdirk]

I agree with Megc, I have always considered 36th Avenue to be the real dividing line, and that's probably even a bit too far North.

[StephanieL]

In response to astoria-for-life's post, even though my building is firmly in what's now considered Astoria, all the official building documents (I'm in a co-op) have the address as "Long Island City".  It was built in 1938, so I bet at that time everything was still all considered LIC.  I use LIC as my mailing address, but I get mail that says Astoria on it as well.

[sorabji]

This does not really clarify anything, but I thought it was interesting.
This picture of the 36th Avenue subway station is from June, 2000:
http://wanderlic.com/2000/slides/000624_DSC00003.JPG
The sign pointing to the Ditmars-bound track indicates that "Astoria" is thattaway (north), suggesting that in 2000 the MTA did not consider 36th Avenue to be part of Astoria.
Fast forward to January, 2010, and a picture of the exact same spot shows "Astoria" gone from the signage:
http://www.payphone-project.com/news/archives/DSC04666.jpg
…indicating, perhaps, that the MTA expanded its definition of Astoria to include 36th Ave., and maybe 39th Ave. as well -- proving nothing, but kinda interesting.
I don't regard anybody's designation of Astoria or LIC as official, be it the MTA, the USPS, or century-old maps. The USPS officially regards anything in the 1110# zip codes as "Long Island City," including a big chunk of what most people would consider Sunnyside. I don't regard their designation as altogether accurate, but I don't let it bother me, either.
As far what is versus what was Astoria or LIC, things change, but nostalgia can be fun. When friends and I meet at Gilbey's I like to say "Meet me at The Clover," since that bar was named The Clover for decades, up through the mid-1990s, before it was Gibney's, and then Gilbey's (it was actually "Gibley's" for one day).
If historical precedent was inviolable then some of us would be swimming in Sunswick Beach, swilling beers at the Clover, and getting Slurpees at the House of the Driver (now a 7-11) on Northern Boulevard. 
If you ask me, I think we should call this area AsLIC.
 

[TBRays]

That's some pretty cool info Sorabji and astoria for life but Sorbaji I digress with changing the areas name to AsLic just pronouncing it will get us ridiculed ;)

[kempsternyc]

AsLIC.

 
HAHAHAHAHA!!!!!......
 
It may be the gay in me....but I know how to sound that out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[rg]

There is no border, as others have said it's about perception, mostly.
For postal purposes, most of what people consider "Astoria" is really Long Island City.

[Starwind51]

If you ask me, I think we should call this area AsLIC.

Try liking LICA !

[noel877]

"Old Astoria" is in the 27th Ave and 1st Street area. I think almost everyone agree that from this point, around 30th Ave all the way up to Ditmars area, it is clearly Astoria.
 
I think most would agree though that Astoria and LIC borders on 34th Ave. but I think Real estate agents always extend Astoria borders around 36th Ave.

[James Maxx]

Its 34th Avenue.  Please don't listen to Real Estate Agents they just use Astoria or LIC depending what the clients like.  Newer people prefer LIC because its more hip.  Astoria is more traditional/old school.

I lived in Astoria all my life and prior to the 1990s you would never hear anyone say, Long Island City.  Even as far out as 39th Avenue.  When gentrification came in and the street hookers disappeared, LIC became cool.

[Starwind51]

                                 


                                This photo (from the Astoria Ugly website) proves 30th Ave is in Long Island City.


                                                     And I've proven Astoria/LIC is wherever you think it is.

[sweetdreamsnyc]

years ago I lived on 47th and Broadway..some utility bills came addressed to me in LIC and some in Astoria

Same thing now.. in the lower 30's between 30 and 31st Ave..some utilities say LIC some Astoria


I think this is because many moons ago(lol) queens was just broken up into big parts.. Jamaica, flushing or LIC ..something like that anyway ;)

[lic-mensch]

I've lived in 11101 for 35 years, and had the same mailman for the first 20, he always said the border was 34th ave according to his postal training of the 1970's.