LAGUARDIA AIRPORT
Geographic Setting
Perched on the northwestern shoreline of Queens, LaGuardia Airport (LGA) occupies a commanding position on the western edge of Flushing Bay, with Astoria to the west, East Elmhurst to the south, and College Point to the east. It lies just off Grand Central Parkway, flanked by Marine Air Terminal Road to the west and Runway 13/31 stretching dramatically toward the bay. From the air, its compact 680-acre footprint resembles a peninsula of runways and terminals surrounded by water—bounded by the bay’s tidal inlets and the Bowery Bay Wastewater Plant on one side and the neighborhood grid of East Elmhurst on the other.
Unlike sprawling JFK farther south, LaGuardia sits intimately within the cityscape. Planes pass low over Ditmars Boulevard and Bowery Bay, while the nearby Hell Gate Bridge and Triborough (RFK) Bridge frame views of the Manhattan skyline. Its location, barely eight miles from midtown, makes it the most urban of New York’s airports—a gateway woven directly into the city’s fabric.
Etymology and Origins
LaGuardia Airport takes its name from Fiorello H. LaGuardia, New York City’s reformist mayor (1934–1945), whose determination to create a modern municipal airport transformed a modest airfield into one of the world’s premier aviation centers. Originally, the site was home to North Beach Airport, opened in 1929 on reclaimed land along Flushing Bay. North Beach had replaced the nearby Glen Curtis Airport, which served early airmail routes and flying schools.
The turning point came in 1934, when Mayor LaGuardia—returning from a flight from Chicago—famously refused to disembark at Newark Airport, insisting that his ticket said “New York.” His protest sparked a campaign to establish an airport within city limits. Construction began in 1937 under his administration and the Works Progress Administration (WPA), transforming the old North Beach airfield into New York Municipal Airport–LaGuardia Field, which opened to great fanfare on October 15, 1939.
The Neighborhood
1930s–1940s: The Art Deco Airport of the Future
LaGuardia Field was a masterpiece of Depression-era engineering and design. Built on landfill extending into Flushing Bay, it featured two intersecting runways, streamlined terminals, and elegant public spaces that embodied the optimism of the age. Its crown jewel was the Marine Air Terminal, completed in 1940, designed in the Art Deco style by William Delano and Chester Aldrich. The circular terminal, with its marble rotunda and massive mural—Flight, painted by James Brooks—celebrated the romance of aviation and the dawn of the global air age.
Initially serving Pan American Airways’ flying boats, which took off directly from Bowery Bay to destinations across the Atlantic, LaGuardia soon became the busiest commercial airport in the United States. Its proximity to Manhattan made it the preferred choice for businessmen and politicians; elegant travelers dined in the terminal’s restaurants while gazing out at the bay. During World War II, the airport supported military transport operations and aircraft testing, reinforcing its strategic importance.
Mid-20th Century: Jet Age Expansion and Neighborhood Impact
As air travel exploded in the 1950s and 1960s, LaGuardia underwent continual expansion. New terminals were added—Terminal B (Central Terminal) in 1964, Terminals C and D for Eastern and Delta Airlines shortly thereafter—and runways were extended to accommodate larger aircraft. The opening of JFK Airport (1963) diverted most international flights southward, leaving LaGuardia to specialize in domestic routes and short-haul service.
Its convenience remained unmatched, but the surrounding neighborhoods of East Elmhurst and Astoria Heights bore the cost: constant aircraft noise, traffic congestion, and air pollution. Community activism in the 1960s and 1970s led to noise abatement programs, home soundproofing, and stricter flight regulations. Despite these tensions, the airport remained a symbol of accessibility—an airfield in the heart of the city, bringing the world within minutes of Manhattan.
Late 20th Century: Aging Infrastructure and the Call for Renewal
By the 1980s and 1990s, LaGuardia’s once-celebrated terminals had grown dated and overcrowded. Travelers joked that it resembled “a third-world airport,” yet its central location ensured its indispensability. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which had operated the airport since 1947, launched piecemeal renovations, including modernized concourses and expanded roadways. The Marine Air Terminal, threatened with demolition, was saved by preservationists and designated a New York City Landmark in 1980 and a National Historic Landmark in 1982, restoring its mural and Art Deco detailing to former glory.
Through all its growing pains, LaGuardia retained its role as the city’s quick gateway—favored by business travelers and politicians alike. For many, its proximity to Manhattan outweighed its shortcomings: one could leave Midtown and be at the gate within half an hour, a rarity in world aviation.
21st Century: Rebirth of a Gateway
In 2015, after decades of critique, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced a sweeping $8 billion redevelopment plan to completely rebuild LaGuardia “without ever closing it.” The project—undertaken by the Port Authority and private partners—replaced the outdated terminals with a unified, light-filled complex integrating modern infrastructure, advanced security systems, and public art.
The new Terminal B, opened in phases between 2020 and 2022, features soaring glass bridges, landscaped plazas, and a central hall connecting to Terminals C and D (rebuilt for Delta Airlines in 2023). The airport’s design now emphasizes sustainability, with stormwater management systems, electric ground vehicles, and energy-efficient architecture. Its modernized road network and AirTrain links (currently in development) promise smoother access from across the city.
The transformation has been hailed as one of the most ambitious infrastructure renewals in U.S. aviation history—a complete reinvention of a once-maligned facility into a model of 21st-century design. The Marine Air Terminal, preserved and restored, remains as a living monument within this futuristic landscape—a bridge between the glamour of the flying-boat era and the streamlined efficiency of modern air travel.
Spirit and Legacy
LaGuardia Airport’s story is inseparable from New York’s own: bold ambition, pragmatic reinvention, and perpetual motion. From its Art Deco origins to its 21st-century rebirth, it reflects the city’s ability to modernize without erasing its heritage. The Marine Air Terminal’s mural still captures that vision—the eternal flight of humanity toward the horizon.
New York City
Use this custom Google map to explore where every neighborhood in all five boroughs of New York City is located.
The Five Boroughs
One of New York City’s unique qualities is its organization in to 5 boroughs: Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, The Bronx, and Staten Island. These boroughs are part pragmatic administrative districts, and part vestiges of the region’s past. Each borough is an entire county in New York State - in fact, Brooklyn is, officially, Kings County, while Staten Island is, officially Richmond County. But that’s not the whole story …
Initially, New York City was located on the southern tip of Manhattan (now the Financial District) that was once the Dutch colony of New Amsterdam. Across the East River, another city was rising: Brooklyn. In time, the city planners realized that unification between the rapidly rising cities would create commercial and industrial opportunities - through streamlined administration of the region.
So powerful was the pull of unification between New York and Brooklyn that three more counties were pulled into the unification: The Bronx, Queens, and Staten Island. And on January 1, 1898, the City of New York unified two cities and three counties into one Greater City of New York - containing the five boroughs we know today.
But because each borough developed differently and distinctly until unification, their neighborhoods likewise uniquely developed. Today, there are nearly 390 neighborhoods, each with their own histories, cultures, cuisines, and personalities - and each with residents who are fiercely proud of their corner of The Big Apple.
