Queensite (inhabitant of Queens)

People from the borough of Queens usually refer to themselves as from their particular neighborhood, such as Forest Hills, Kew Gardens or Flushing. “Queensite” has been cited in print since at least 1944, has made books such as Labels for Locals (1997), and has been used frequently in the Queens Tribune, but many New Yorkers believe that “Queensite” is an awkward and improper label. A person from Queens has also infrequently been called a “Queenser.”
 
The names of inhabitants of other boroughs include “Bronxite” (the Bronx), “Brooklynite” (Brooklyn), “Manhattanite” (Manhattan) and “Staten Islander” (Staten Island).
   
 
Wikipedia: Adjectivals and demonyms for cities
New York New Yorkers (“Gothamites”/“Knickerbockers”)
• The Bronx Bronxites, Bronxers
• Brooklyn Brooklynites (archaic: “Trolley Dodgers”)
• Manhattan Manhattanites
• Queens Queensites
• Staten Island Staten Islanders
 
Wikipedia: Queens
Queens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City, the largest in area and the second-largest in population. Since 1899, Queens has had the same boundaries as Queens County, which is now the second most populous county in New York State and the fourth-most densely populated county in the United States. Queens, as well as neighboring borough Brooklyn, sits on the west end of geographic Long Island. Queens is the most ethnically diverse urban area in the world with a population of over 2.2 million, 48% of whom are foreign-born, representing over 100 different nations and speaking over 138 different languages.
 
If each New York City borough were an independent city, Queens would be America’s fourth most populous city, after Los Angeles, Chicago, and Brooklyn. Queens has the second-largest and most diversified economy of all the five boroughs of New York City. Long Island City, on the Queens waterfront across from Manhattan on the East River, is the site of the Citicorp Building, the tallest skyscraper in New York City outside Manhattan and the tallest building on geographic Long Island.
(...)
Queens was established in 1683 as one of the original 12 counties of New York and was named for the Queen consort, Catherine of Braganza (1638–1705), the Portuguese princess who married King Charles II of England in 1662.
 
Google Books
The World Ends at Hoboken
By Mel Heimer
New York, NY: Whittlesey House, McGraw-Hill Book COmpany, Inc.
1944
Pp. 128-129:
These half men, half what-is-its make halfhearted attempts at gardening and forming civic groups, but, on the whole, I guess a Queens man or woman is happiest with a flagon of beer at his elbow, an easy chair, and Fred Allen on the radio. What this adds up to, what kind of a citizen this makes the Queensite, I do not know. Nor care.
 
Google Books
8 May 1954, The Billboard, “Queens Tops In N. Y. State RSROA Contests,” pg. 58, col. 3:
Queensites showed exceptional artistic strength and the Easterns fared well in speed.
 
Google Books
Up Against New York:
A Handbook for Survival in the City
By John Berenyi
New York, NY: Morrow
1971
Pg. 53:
Brooklyn, which could be considered the United States’ fourth largest city, has a revered identity. Everybody talks about Brooklynites, while one never hears of a Bronxnik, a Staten Islander, or a Queensite.
 
Google Books
Queens, a Pictorial History
By Vincent F. Seyfried
Norfolk, VA: Donning Co.
1982
Pg. 11:
One can speak of New Yorkers, Bronxites, and Brooklynites, but the word Queensite does not exist. The Queens resident has a strong loyalty to his own community and never thinks of himself as a New Yorker.
 
13 March 1994, Newsday (Long Island, NY), “Queens, Borough and Neighborhood” by Stanley Cogan, pg. NOPGCIT:
Unfortunately, there is one major issue of Queens life that too few, perhaps a very few, Queensites “think borough.”
   
Google Books
Labels for Locals:
What to call people from Abilene to Zimbabwe
By Paul Dickson
Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster
1997
Pg. 190:
Queens, New York. Queensite, according to Theodore Doehner, former Queens librarian.
 
New York (NY) Times
F.Y.I.
By COLIN MOYNIHAN
Published: September 19, 1999
Queenslanders?
Q. There are well-known names for inhabitants of four boroughs: Manhattanites, Brooklynites, Bronxites and Staten Islanders. But what are residents of Queens called?
 
A. There has never been a popular name to describe those residents, said Dr. Jon Peterson, a professor of history at Queens College who has taught the history of the borough. ‘‘People in Queens think of themselves in terms of their neighborhoods,’’ Dr. Peterson said, noting that when the boroughs were created in 1898, Queens lacked the natural boundaries of Manhattan and Staten Island and the pre-existing identities of Brooklyn and the Bronx. Queens incorporated a group of independent towns, and those separate identities are still reflected in today’s postal zones. To this day, letters must be addressed to Flushing or Astoria, rather than simply to Queens.
 
“Part of the issue might be awkward phrasing,’’ Dr. Peterson said. ‘‘Something like Queensites or Queensians just doesn’t sound right.’‘
   
New York (NY) Daily News
Boro Bites
BY DICK SHERIDAN
Thursday, May 25, 2000
(...)
Queens still has its share of 24-hour eateries, but they are slowly becoming rare. Therefore, we consider it our solemn duty to highlight the remaining ones that offer hungry Queensites a bright welcome, a warm seat and a decent cup of coffee whether it’s 4 in the afternoon or 4 in the morning.
   
Google Books
21st Century American English Compendium:
A Portable Guide to the Idiosyncrasies, Subtleties, Technical Jargon, and Conventional Wisdom of American english
Third Revised Edition
By Marvin Rubinstein
Rockville, MD: Schreiber Pub.
2006
Pg. 459:
Queens (NY) Queensite
   
New York (NY) Times
F. Y. I.
By MICHAEL POLLAK
Published: March 23, 2008
From Queens, for Short
Q. There are simple names to describe residents of the other boroughs: Manhattanites, Bronxites, Brooklynites, Staten Islanders. Why isn’t there a word to describe Queens residents?
 
A. Well, there is one, as awkward as it may sound: Queensites. Though rarely spoken, it shows up in Queens newspapers from time to time, said Claudia Gryvatz Copquin, author of a new book, “The Neighborhoods of Queens” (Yale University Press).
 
The lack of a common identifying word may be related to the borough’s fragmented nature, Ms. Copquin said in an e-mail message. “Residents of Queens identify more with their particular neighborhoods than with the borough itself,” she said.
 
Google Books
AIA Guide to New York City
By Norval White, Elliot Willensky and Fran Leadon
New York, NY: Oxford University Press
2010
Pg. 748:
From a strong sense of pride and identification with the outlying suburbs, residents never refer to themselves as “Queensites” but rather as living in Jamaica, or Flushing, or Forest Hills, or St. Albans.
   
Queens Tribune
Aug. 11, 2011
Queens Day At Coney
By Barbara Arnstein
Beginning this week, thrill-seekers from Queens can receive 50 percent off a regular unlimited-ride wristband at Coney Island’s Luna Park on Wednesdays through the new “Ride with Borough Pride” promotion. For the rock bottom price of $13, Queensites can get four hours of unlimited access to all 19 attractions at Luna Park.