Hallet's Cove was incorporated on April 12, 1839, and was later renamed for John Jacob Astor, then the wealthiest man in the United States, in order to persuade him to invest in the area.

Astoria is colloquially referred to by several nicknames: "Actoria" highlighting the neighborhood's significant population of actors, drawn by its proximity to the Kaufman Astoria Studios, Silvercup Studios, and the Theater District; "The People's Republic of Astoria," referencing the neighborhood's reputation as a progressive political hub - as of 2023, it became the only district in the United States to elect Democratic Socialists of America representatives at municipal, state, and federal levels;[4] and "The Big Apple’s Fruit Basket" due to the thousands of fruit trees, particularly fig trees, cultivated in local yards.

[9] The peninsula was bordered to the north by Hell Gate, to the west by the East River, and the south by Sunswick Creek.

[11]: 84 In 1814 the area of Hallet's point became the site of Fort Stevens, a defensive work to protect Hell Gate from a potential British attack during the War of 1812.

[12] The coastal fort also had an inland defensive position, Castle Bogardus, to protect from a land attack.

[14] By 1815 the fort would be abandoned, but by 1836 a small village of 20 to 30 dwellings and an Episcopalian church was built, naming itself the aforementioned Hallet's Cove.

Hallet's Cove, incorporated on April 12, 1839,[15] and previously founded by fur merchant Stephen A. Halsey, was a noted recreational destination and resort for Manhattan's wealthy.

[16][17] The area was renamed for John Jacob Astor, then the wealthiest man in the United States with a net worth of more than $40 million, in order to persuade him to invest in the neighborhood.

[18] During the second half of the 19th century, economic and commercial growth brought increased immigration from German settlers, mostly furniture and cabinet makers.

The family eventually established Steinway Village for their workers, a company town that provided school instruction in German as well as English.

The area's farms were turned into housing tracts and street grids to accommodate the growing number of residents.

[29] Beginning in the mid-1970s, the neighborhood's Muslim population grew from earlier immigrants from Lebanon to also include people from Kosovo, Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro, Egypt, Syria, Yemen, Tunisia, Morocco, and Algeria.

A survey of an Astoria-area Bengali language newspaper estimated that, in an 18-month period until March 2001, 8,000 Bangladeshi people moved to the Detroit area.

[30] By the early 21st century, Astoria was one of the most ethnically diverse neighborhoods in Queens, with people from around 100 countries residing there as of 2015[update].

Today, however, many residents and businesses south of Broadway identify themselves as Astorians for convenience or status, since Long Island City has historically been considered an industrial area, and Ravenswood is now mostly a low-income neighborhood.

[34] Ravenswood is the name for the strip of land bordering the East River and Long Island City, and is part of Astoria.

It was situated around Sunswick Creek, which drained into the East River at the current location of Socrates Sculpture Park.

"[37] Ravenswood, unlike Astoria, never became a village; there was no disposition at any time to become independent as there was insufficient population or commercial activity to justify such a move.

Ravenswood remained an exclusive hamlet within the Town of Newtown until its absorption with the Village of Astoria and the hamlets of Hunters Point, Blissville, Sunnyside, Dutch Kills, Steinway, Bowery Bay and Middleton in Newtown Township into Long Island City in 1870.

The name also identifies the large electric power station established along the shore of the East River, just south of the Roosevelt Island Bridge.

3 or "Big Allis", was built by Con Edison in 1963–65 but, due to deregulation, has subsequently been owned by KeySpan, National Grid, and TransCanada.

Built around 1655 by Abraham Riker under a patent from Nieuw Nederland's last governor, Peter Stuyvesant, it is believed to be the oldest remaining dwelling in New York City still used as a residence.

The annual public tour was given usually in mid-September by the owners for the benefit of a local historical society, but has since ceased to occur.

However, like Astoria Heights, Rikers Island gets its mail from the East Elmhurst (ZIP Code 11370) station of the Flushing Post Office.

[24]: 14 The concentration of fine particulate matter, the deadliest type of air pollutant, in Astoria is 0.0078 milligrams per cubic metre (7.8×10−9 oz/cu ft), higher than the citywide and boroughwide averages.

[6] The United States Post Office operates five locations nearby: Astoria generally has a higher ratio of college-educated residents than the rest of the city as of 2018[update].

[68] Astoria's rate of elementary school student absenteeism is about equal to the rest of New York City.

[76][77] There are plans to build the Brooklyn–Queens Connector (BQX), a light rail system that would run along the waterfront from Red Hook in Brooklyn to Astoria.

[24]: 10  Bicycle lanes, built as part of the city's bike lane system, include marked space along Vernon Boulevard, 20th Avenue, 21st Street, 34th and 36th Avenues, and access to protected paths crossing the Triborough Bridge onto Randalls and Wards Islands.

[81] Astoria is the final resting place of New York City mobster Frank Costello as well as ragtime composer and musician Scott Joplin.