The Rise of Little Guyana: How Richmond Hill Became Queens’ Indo Caribbean Capital
The Rise of Little Guyana: How Richmond Hill Became Queens’ Indo Caribbean Capital
In 2021, New York City put up a “Little Guyana Avenue” sign at Liberty Avenue and Lefferts Boulevard in Richmond Hill, Queens. By then, the city’s own count showed nearly three Guyanese-born residents in neighboring South Ozone Park for every one in Richmond Hill. This documentary explains how a Victorian railroad suburb became the heart of the largest Guyanese community outside Guyana, and why that community kept moving.
The story begins in 1868, when Manhattan lawyer Albon Platt Man bought 400 acres of Queens farmland along the new South Side Railroad and hired planner Edward Richmond to lay out the streets. We trace Richmond Hill through Jacob Riis, author of How the Other Half Lives, and the Triangle Hofbrau beer hall. The Richmond Hill Republican Club, the Carnegie library on Hillside Avenue, and the Liberty Avenue and Jamaica Avenue elevated trains also feature. Then came the 1920s building boom that filled South Richmond Hill with wood-frame houses and basements.
The second half follows the Indo-Caribbean journey. It starts in 1838, when the Whitby and Hesperus brought the first indentured workers from India to British Guiana. It continues through Guyana’s independence, the Forbes Burnham and Cheddi Jagan era, and the 1980s emigration wave recorded in Guyana’s census. It then covers the 1965 Hart-Celler Act and the first “Little Guyana” at 14th Street in Manhattan. From there Guyanese families moved to Liberty Avenue at the end of the A train, where basement apartments helped them buy their first homes.
This is the story of an immigrant neighborhood that worked so well its families outgrew it.
Sources and further reading:
NYC Department of City Planning, The Newest New Yorkers (2000 and 2026 editions)
City Limits, “The Battle of Richmond Hill” (1998)
Historic Districts Council, Six to Celebrate: Richmond Hill
Guyana Chronicle (Vishnu Bisram, “The Emergence of ‘Little Guyana’ in America,” 2021; 2015 coverage of Roxanne Persaud)
Bureau of Statistics Guyana, 2012 Census Compendium
CIA World Factbook (Guyana, 2021)
Stabroek News, overview of Indian indentureship in Guyana, 1838–1917
The New York Times (2002 Schenectady report via the Baltimore Sun; 2013 report via Kaieteur News)
Hinduism Today / Hindu Press International
Brownstoner, “Queens Victorian: Richmond Hill in Brief”
Richmond Hill Historical Society
City Lore
Forgotten New York
Splice Today
The Neighborhoods (Substack)
QNS
Queens Chronicle
Queens Daily Eagle
Queens Gazette
Caribbean Life
PIX11
Columbia University, Hinduism Here
Sikh Heritage Education
New York State Assembly
NYC Mayor’s Office
New York State Board of Elections
CBS News
Redfin
Gadura Real Estate
source
About The Author
I have lost touch with my Guyanese roots.
Being away more than 20 years. Wasn’t aware they changed the festival to fagwa.
Watching this video, it made me more proud to be Guyanese…shout out to my GT peoples 🙌🏽🇬🇾🙌🏽🇬🇾🙌🏽🇬🇾🙌🏽🇬🇾
❤️1 People, 💛1 Nation, 💚1 Destiny
Naming streets with ethnic names shows that NYC is really a Racist City. "Divide and Conquer" is still in full effect.
I lived at 109 l16 st in Richmond hill in 1970 and was only colored person it was Italian and Irish
This documentary was thoroughly researched and well presented. I know of some of these facts, but have learnt a lot more; have gain quite a lot of knowledge about Liberty Avenue…Little Guyana.
Guyana are very hard working people and enterprising.
**Phagwah not Fagwah ** Mitai means sweet.
Lol…im boriqua.. been here 35yrs bai !!!! Respect to guyana for fixing up the neighborhood…..trini also stand up ….. u guys have to many cars..aint no more parking…but thats a story for another day 😂😂
Kudos, thanks and respect to ALL those who contributed to making this the largest diaspora outside GUYANA, almost 1 million counting in the illegals. ALBERT BALDEO, the father of LITTLE GUYANA, got us the subway elevator, fought for us, put us on the political map, the people put us on the economic map, and everyone made their contributions!
Very informative…the river is called the Corentyne…
Only Jesus Christ is God Amen ✝️🙏💯
1994, 113st between Liberty Ave & 107 Ave. It was a totally different place back then. I grew up with kids from Italy, Puerto Rico, Ireland, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Jamaica, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Asia and India. Centered along Liberty Avenue, stretching from around Woodhaven Boulevard to the Van Wyck Expressway near the A train terminal at Lefferts Blvd. Home to a large Guyanese population, alongside a large populations of Trinidadians and other Caribbean and South Asian groups.131st Street in Richmond Hill, Queens, was co-named #TrinidadAndTobago Street on August 20, 2023
Indians are progressive / nation builders whereever they set foot.
I lived in South Richmond Hill , 123rd st and 97th Ave;I moved out in 2007 after my 100 year old dad passed away.
I miss the shops and the food
My favorite was doubles.
The festival is not called “fagwa” it’s called “pagwah”, which is the Bhojpuri name for it
Great video outstanding keep up the good work
GOD bless America GOD country
Not a small country ?
Proud Guyanese who reside there in 1988 ..worked ,educate ,achieved and moved on ..Fantastic documentary with details..
I grew up right on the border of Richmond hill ozonepark 109st between Atlantic ave and 101st ave lived there from 1973-2006 when I sold I was the last Italian on my block it was all Guyanese Trinidad and Indian it was all Italian Irish and German when I grew up there
Great documentary !
108 th st
Great neighborhood I lived on 115th Street for ten years.