Jackson Heights, Queens that bisects the neighborhood. John C. Jackson built the road across what is now Jackson Heights in 1859. The Jackson Avenue name is retained by this major road in a short stretch between Queens Plaza and Queens–Midtown Tunnel in Long Island City. The place was not particularly high, but the name "heights" showed that the place was originally meant to be exclusive. Until 1916, the area was called "Trains Meadow", but contrary to the name, there were very few trains in the area. It is suspected that it was corrupted from "drain". The first land purchase of was completed in
Jackson Heights, Queens the United States of any county (roughly 75,000). The 2015 documentary "In Jackson Heights" portrays Jackson Heights as a microcosm of the American melting pot. The demographics of Jackson Heights were affected by three events: the 1965 Immigration Reform Act, which allowed working-class immigrants to be with their families in the U.S.; the 1968 Fair Housing Act, which upheld fair housing; and an event in 1990 where Julio Rivera, a gay man, was stabbed to death, which gave way to the Gay and Lesbian Anti-Violence Project. The population is composed of over 60% foreign-born residents as of 2010 United States