b'Astorias history is long and varied. FromBridge and RFK Bridge that replaced water the 17th century, early farmsteads alongtraffic. Later, the N and W Subway lines the waterfront grew into bustling hamlets,provided alternative public transport links and in the early 19th century, wealthyand recently, Astoria was added to the NYC Manhattanites began building theirFerry routeupgrading its connectivity mansions in the areasome of which stillwith Manhattan and the rest of the city.stand today.Other notable moments for Astoria Officially founded in 1839, Astoria Villageduring the 20th century included the 1910 (named after business magnate Johnfounding of New York Citys oldest beer Jacob Astor) continued to expand asgarden, Bohemian Hall. Astoria also played commercial growth brought Germana significant role in the early American immigrants to the area. One of them wasfilmmaking industry, and many hit TV Heinrich Engelhard Steinweg, patriarchseries are still filmed at the Kaufman of the Steinway family and founder ofAstoria Studios. Famous names born in Steinway & Sons piano company. Inthe neighborhood include Tony Bennett, 1853, the family constructed a factory inDee Snider, Christopher Walken and northern Astoria, followed by a sawmill Cyndi Lauper. It was also the birthplace and foundry, as well as a streetcar line,of xerographythe dry photocopying before eventually establishing Steinwayprocess after which Xerox is named.Village for the factory workers.Clues to this past can be found all over Both Astoria and Steinway villages wereAstoria, and one doesnt have to look incorporated into Long Island City in 1870,very hard to find them. Street names, and remained an independent munici- architectural gems, cultural institutions pality until becoming part of the City ofand more all survive today to chronicleGreater New York in 1898. The remainingthis richly layered part of the city.farms were replaced with a street grid and tract housing to accommodate the citysAstoria is one of New York Citys oldest growing number of residents. In the earlyand most authentic neighborhoods. The 20th century, Astoria was connected toarea reflects the citys broad diversity, Manhattan by train and car via large-scaleas a place where cultures overlap and infrastructure projects, like the Hell Gateintermingle. The waterfront, leafy streets 7 History'