The diversity claim, substantiated
Jackson Heights (and the immediately surrounding zip codes) has been measured as the most linguistically diverse urban area on Earth — over 160 languages are spoken within a few square miles. This is the result of layered waves of immigration: the neighbourhood was built in the early 20th century as a planned garden-apartment community, then became a first stop for South Asian immigrants in the 1960s and 1970s, then Latin American communities particularly from Colombia and Ecuador in the 1970s and 80s, with newer arrivals from Tibet, Nepal, Mexico, and elsewhere in the decades since.
The food
74th Street between Roosevelt and 37th Avenues is the main South Asian commercial strip — Indian sweet shops, Bengali halal restaurants, Nepali mo:mo (dumpling) stalls, and Tibetan eateries within a few storefronts of each other. Roosevelt Avenue itself, running under the elevated 7 train tracks, is dense with Colombian empanadas, Mexican taquerias, and Ecuadorian seafood. A single deliberate walk covering two or three blocks and two or three snacks costs under $20 and covers more culinary ground than most restaurants manage in a full menu.
Getting there
The 7 train to 74th Street–Broadway (Jackson Heights–Roosevelt Ave station) is the primary connection — about 25 minutes from Times Square. The E, F, M, and R trains also serve the area at the same station, making it one of the best-connected outer-borough neighbourhoods in the subway system.