former village, now in N Queens borough of New York City, SE N.Y.; chartered 1645, inc. into Greater New York City with Queens in 1898. Although chiefly residential, Flushing has gained importance as a trading and manufacturing center. It was chartered (as Vlissingen) by the Dutch West India Company to English settlers, who anglicized the name. It is the seat of Queens College of the City Univ. of New York and the Queens Botanical Gardens. The Bowne House (1661) and the Quaker meetinghouse (c.1696) are landmarks of the colonial period. Flushing Meadow (now a park) was the site of two New York World's Fairs (193940, 196465) and temporary headquarters of the United Nations (194649). Shea Stadium, home of the New York Mets (baseball), is there, as is the site of the U.S. Open (tennis) championships.
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