The omission of Astoria’s historic Greektown from New York City’s official Immigrant Enclaves Map has sparked criticism from Greek-American leaders, who say the exclusion overlooks generations of contributions by one of the city’s most prominent immigrant communities.
The map, released by the administration of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, identifies 30 immigrant neighborhoods across the five boroughs, including Little Africa, Koreatown, Little Bangladesh, Little Yemen, Little Egypt, Little Guyana, Little Haiti, Little India, Little Palestine and Little Mexico.
However, it does not include Astoria, long recognized as the cultural heart of Greek America, where generations of Greek immigrants established churches, schools, community organizations, businesses, restaurants and charitable institutions.
The New York City Immigrant Enclaves map featuring 30 city neighborhoods.
The map also drew criticism for omitting other historic ethnic neighborhoods, including Little Italy, as well as traditional Irish and Jewish communities.
AHEPA (American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association) Empire State District 6 Governor Konstantinos G. Prentzas said he was “deeply disappointed” by the exclusion of Astoria and its historic Hellenic-American community.
“It is especially troubling because we have also witnessed similar treatment toward Little Italy and the Italian-American community,” Prentzas said.
“These historic neighborhoods are not simply locations on a map. They represent generations of sacrifice, faith, family, hard work, entrepreneurship and devotion to the American Dream.”
He said Greek Americans helped create jobs, strengthen neighborhoods, serve in the U.S. Armed Forces, support education and contribute significantly to New York City’s civic, economic and cultural life.
“We cannot rewrite history, and we cannot erase history,” Prentzas said. “We have a responsibility to preserve it, honor it, teach it and share it with future generations.”
Calling the omission “more than a minor oversight,” he said it disregards the sacrifices, achievements and legacy of generations of Greek immigrants and their descendants, adding that the same recognition should be extended to every historic ethnic community that helped build New York City.
Senate candidate, Greek-American Pamela Michos also criticized the omission, describing it as “outrageous, but unfortunately not unexpected”.
“The history and contributions of Greek Americans cannot be erased,” Michos said, adding that the community has preserved its language, faith and traditions through successive generations of immigrants.
She described Astoria’s absence from the map as “deeply offensive and unacceptable” and urged City Hall to correct what she called a significant historical omission.
Mayor Says Map Will Be Updated
Following widespread criticism, particularly from Italian-American organizations over the exclusion of Little Italy, Mayor Mamdani said changes would be made to the map.
His office confirmed that Little Italy will be added, noting that the map was originally created in 2023. It remains unclear whether Astoria’s Greektown or other historic ethnic neighborhoods will also be included in the revised version.
