From the time of the inception of the ZIP Code system until 1998, the postal zones of Queens and western Nassau County—whose secession from Queens County in 1899 did not affect postal routes—were organized based on which main post office routed the neighborhood's postal mail.
For example, Fresh Meadows postal mail was routed through the main post office in Flushing, and Fresh Meadows' ZIP Codes 11365 and 11366 were both labeled as "Flushing".
At the urging of the citizens of Queens and with the support of Congressman Gary Ackerman, ZIP Codes are also named after the main post office they serve.
The original ZIP Codes themselves are still used by the USPS for mail delivery purposes.
[1][2][3] Queens neighborhoods may have one of the following ZIP Code prefixes, which are classified under the following main post offices:[4]