History
Sikhs arrived in New York from the early 20th century, with the community growing substantially after the 1965 Immigration Act. Queens — particularly Richmond Hill and South Ozone Park — became a major settlement zone for Punjabi Sikhs in the 1970s and 1980s. The Richmond Hill neighborhood of Queens developed one of the most concentrated Sikh communities in North America, with a Punjabi commercial district along Liberty Avenue. In 2020, the City of New York formally renamed 101st Avenue between 111th and 123rd Streets as Punjab Avenue, and 97th Avenue between Lefferts Boulevard and 117th Street as Gurdwara Street — a formal recognition of the community's historic presence.