Neighborhood in Queens, NY officially named ‘Little Manila’

Spontaneous line dancing at the official ceremony naming a neighborhood in Woodside, Queens, New York “Little Manila.” SCREENGRAB

Some 200 Filipinos turned out in the neighborhood of Woodside, Queens, New York on Sunday, June 12 to celebrate the official co-naming of  the intersection of Roosevelt Avenue and 70th Street “Little Manila Avenue.”

The neighborhood had long been dubbed Little Manila for the many Filipino stores, restaurants and services that began proliferating in the 1970s, especially near the 69^th Street Woodside subway stop. Nurses and health workers also began residing in the area to be near Elmhurst Hospital.

Street corner in Woodside, Queens, New York co-named “Little Manila.” INSTAGRAM

The co-naming ceremony featured waved cultural performances, and attendees also waved Philippine flags (June 12 was Philippine Independence Day). Group dancing spontaneously broke out at the end of the ceremony.

A community group that painted a mural on the corner of 69th Street and Roosevelt Avenue in 2020 honoring Filipino front-line health care workers during the pandemic launched a successful petition to the city council for the Little Manila designation.