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
Gordon Heights, New York Island, more than two miles away. While portions of these facilities are within the census tract and/or the fire department boundaries, neither is part of the Gordon Heights community, and the correct geography for Gordon Heights is an L-shaped outline (as shown in Google Maps and other sources). Gordon Heights had its beginnings in the early 1920s, when developer Louis Fife went to Black neighborhoods in New York City (Harlem, Brooklyn, and the Bronx) with the offer of land and a better life on Long Island. Land was offered as low as $10 down and $10 monthly or $10 weekly.