By Angela Montefinise

While several ethnic groups in Queens have experienced large growth spurts over the past 10 years, there are some that have remained relatively small in number but essential in creating the most ethnically diverse place on the planet.

These ethnic groups, from Dutch to Swedish and from Swiss to Vietnamese, may not have clear dominant communities — like the Chinese do in downtown Flushing and Hispanics do in Corona — but according to City Planning Population Division Director Joseph Salvo, they play a large role in the dynamics of the borough.

During a press conference in May, Salvo told the Tribune, “The ethnic differences in Queens go way beyond solid groups. The people in Queens are often descendents of those who came to America for a better life, and once they got it, moved to Queens for a more peaceful, suburban lifestyle.”

According to the 2000 Census, several races and ancestries claim less than one percent of the total Queens population, which was counted at 2,229,379. Those groups include Vietnamese, Arab, Cuban, Czech, Danish, Dutch, French, French Canadian, Hungarian, Lithuanian, Norwegian, Portuguese, Scotch-Irish, Scottish, Slovak, Swedish, Swiss, Ukrainian, and Welsh. Salvo said, “This is what makes Queens so interesting. There’s a little bit of everything, even if it is just a little bit.”

The Queens Vietnamese population, which was counted at 3,268, is the largest in all of the City, according to Census figures, as is the Swedish population, which was counted at 3,079. Most Vietnamese tend to live in middle class neighborhoods like Flushing and Bayside, while many Swedes live in Western Queens.

Large numbers of Queensites who identify themselves as Scottish, Swedish, Czech, Filipino and Trinidadian live in Western Queens, and are members of the First Presbyterian Church in Newtown, which was built in 1652 and is the oldest church in Elmhurst. Many Dutch Queensites also live in Western Queens, and are members of the Dutch Reform Church, which is a historic landmark.

Most of Queens’ Arab residents live in Jackson Heights, Long Island City and Elmhurst, while most Swiss live in Eastern Queens, in Douglaston and Bayside.

The number of Cubans in Queens has been kept down by the Communist government’s restrictions, but the 12,793 that have made it into the borough tend to live in Western Queens, which is evident by Cuban stores that line the streets in Jackson Heights and Corona.

Eastern Europeans, such as the Ukrainians, Slovaks, Czechs and Lithuanians, congregate in Western Queens and in Forest Hills, Rego Park and Ozone Park, and have tight connections with the Russian community.

The French tend to stay in Queens Village and Southeast Queens, according to Census records, while Norwegians and the Welsh are spread out all over the borough. Salvo said, “No two places in Queens are alike. It’s truly an amazing place, and it’s the rich mix of cultures that make it that way.”

Queens’ ethnic diversity doesn’t end at the borough’s borders. It is carried across its bridges and spans through Manhattan into the City Council chamber, where Queens elected officials spice up the City’s melting pot.

The 14 men and women who represent the City’s most diverse borough in the Council are a diverse group themselves, tracing their roots to a variety of homeports, and speaking a variety of different languages:

— Liz Goff and Angela Montefinise