It is bounded to the south by Jackson Heights and Corona, to the north and east by Bowery Bay, and to the west by Woodside and Ditmars Steinway.

From colonial times to the early 1900s, the area now known as East Elmhurst was a vast marsh named Trains Meadow.

[19] In September 2021, remnants of Hurricane Ida severely flooded the neighborhood of East Elmhurst and all surrounding areas.

After surveying hurricane damage in New Jersey, President Joe Biden flew to East Elmhurst and toured one of the many residential common driveway inundated by the storm.

Near the 87th Street alleyway, Biden met with local representatives and residents, and he delivered remarks on the response to Hurricane Ida in Queens.

[20] The boundaries of East Elmhurst, as with most other New York City neighborhoods, are imprecise and often disputed,[21] but the name generally applies to the area directly south of LaGuardia Airport.

[28] During the 1950s and 1960s, the area was home to many African American musicians, civil rights leaders, professionals, and athletes[29] including Malcolm X, Dizzy Gillespie, Nat Adderley, Louis Armstrong, Jimmy Heath, Frankie Lymon, Charlie Shavers, Ella Fitzgerald, and Willie Mays.

numerous New York Mets such as Ed Charles[30] and Tommie Agee called East Elmhurst home.

East Elmhurst is the childhood home of former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder and Queens Borough President Helen Marshall.

[32] Politically, East Elmhurst is represented by parts of the 21st (Francisco Moya), 22nd (Tiffany Cabán), and 25th Districts (Shekar Krishnan) in the New York City Council.

East Elmhurst is home to Vaughn College of Aeronautics and Technology located at 86–01 23rd Avenue, abutting Grand Central Parkway.

The tabloid-style newspaper was a weekly publication which included many notable columnists that highlighted the social and political activities of the African American communities of Corona and East Elmhurst and the Borough of Queens.

There are no New York City Subway stations nearby, but MTA Regional Bus Operations' Q19, Q23, Q33, Q47, Q48, Q49, Q66, Q69, Q72, and M60 SBS buses serve East Elmhurst.

[68] Engine Co. 316 fire station is located at 27–12 Kearney Street and serves the eastern part of East Elmhurst.

[69][70] Another fire station, Engine Co. 307/Ladder Co. 154, is located at 81–19 Northern Boulevard in Jackson Heights and serves the western part of East Elmhurst.

[58] The East Elmhurst, Jackson Heights, and North Corona area has a high population of residents who are uninsured.

[58] The concentration of fine particulate matter, the deadliest type of air pollutant, in the district is 0.0073 milligrams per cubic metre (7.3×10−9 oz/cu ft), lower than the city average.