1. SE Queens has always had a large population of affluent blacks, particularly in Laurelton and Addesleigh Park.
2. A disproportionate share of the white population in Queens are senior citizen "empty nesters," whose nabes are now being repopulated by immigrants from other countries (especially east and south Asia).
3. The few young white folks who live in many parts of Queens are immigrants themselves, especially from Russia, Poland, Romania, and the Middle East (yes, Arabs are counted as "white" in the census, and their are many in Astoria and Long Island City).
1. SE Queens has always had a large population of affluent blacks, particularly in Laurelton and Addesleigh Park.
2. A disproportionate share of the white population in Queens are senior citizen "empty nesters," whose nabes are now being repopulated by immigrants from other countries (especially east and south Asia).
3. The few young white folks who live in many parts of Queens are immigrants themselves, especially from Russia, Poland, Romania, and the Middle East (yes, Arabs are counted as "white" in the census, and their are many in Astoria and Long Island City).
One large factor that is not mentioned is the impact of Haitians in Queens. There are two classes of Haitians in America, the first wave that fled Papa Doc in the sixties and the later 'boat people'. In NY they are called 'Queens Haitians" and 'Brooklyn Haitians'. The Queens Haitians are nearly all professionals as are their now grown children. There is a higher percentage of doctors in this group than in any other ethnic group that I know. They love their big, art-filled houses, their Benz', their whiskey and their partying. It is they who have lifted the numbers.