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Queens, New York: the Center of the Margin
A residential street in an urban neighborhood shows parked and moving cars from the 1970s, pedestrians on the sidewalk, brick buildings, and storefronts including a laundry service.
Where I’m From
Jim Cullen /

Queens, New York: the Center of the Margin

Growing up on the edge of America’s largest metropolis.
A view of residential and commercial buildings along 112th Street in the Corona neighborhood, Queens, New York, New York, in July 1963. (Photo by Walter Leporati/Getty Images)

I am a child of the great metropolis: I was born in New York City. However—and this is crucial—I came into the world on its periphery. 

I hail from Queens, which sits on the western edge of Long Island, or “Paumanok,” as it was known by the Algonquin peoples living there when Dutch and English settlers began colonizing it in the 17th century.

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Jim Cullen

Jim Cullen is the author of many books. He is currently completing a sequel to his best-known work, The American Dream, titled How It Worked. He lives in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York.

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