Filipino Community • New York & New Jersey
Filipino Community in New York & New Jersey
~94,000 Filipinos in NYC + 152,000 in New Jersey · Woodside Queens: Little Manila Avenue since 1976 · NYP new grads: $126,000 · NYSNA 2026: immigrant worker protections won · $1.6M federal grant for permanent Woodside Filipino community center
Last updated: March 2026 • All Filipino City Guides →
Why NYC-NJ?
New York’s major hospital systems offer some of the highest nursing salaries in the country. New York-Presbyterian pays new graduate nurses approximately $126,000 per year — and experienced nurses reach $148,000 at 20 years. The 2026 NYSNA contract at NYP, Mount Sinai, and Montefiore included 12%+ raises over three years, enforceable staffing ratios, and — significantly for Filipino immigrants — explicit protections for immigrant nurses and patients. No other state has this contractually.
New Jersey offers a different equation: lower cost of living than Manhattan or Brooklyn, large suburban Filipino communities in Bergenfield and Edison, and salaries that remain strong (RWJBarnabas averages ~$111,900/year). Many Filipino families live in NJ and either work in NJ hospitals or commute to NYC — a classic Filipino-American strategy in this metro.
The Philippine Nurses Association of New York (PNANY) was founded in 1929 — one of the oldest Filipino professional organizations in America. The community has been here that long, and it shows.
Where Filipinos Live in the NYC-NJ Metro
Woodside, Queens — Little Manila
The heart of Filipino New York. Woodside’s Roosevelt Avenue between 64th and 74th Streets — with the 7 train stops at 69th Street and 74th Street — is the most concentrated Filipino dining, shopping, and social corridor on the East Coast. In June 2022, NYC officially co-named the intersection of 70th Street and Roosevelt Avenue “Little Manila Avenue.” An estimated 50,000–70,000 Filipinos live in Woodside; Queens is home to approximately 52% of all NYC Filipinos. The community was built by Filipino nurses recruited to Elmhurst Hospital in the 1970s who settled nearby and drew family and friends behind them.
Elmhurst / Jackson Heights / Flushing (Queens)
Adjacent to Woodside along the 7 train corridor. Filipino restaurants, grocery stores (Sariling Atin at 89-12 Queens Blvd, Seafood City near Flushing), and community organizations extend into Elmhurst and Jackson Heights. Flushing has a Seafood City location at 136-51 37th Ave. Queens Village (Our Lady of Lourdes), Jamaica, and Ozone Park have Filipino parishes and community organizations, with Jamaica hosting the IAAINY (Ilocano American Association) building and FAHSI social services.
Bronx / Staten Island / Brooklyn
Smaller but growing Filipino populations in the Bronx (Kingsbridge area, near St. Philip Neri) and Staten Island (Tottenville). Brooklyn’s Filipino presence is largely historic — the original Filipino enclave in NYC was outside the Brooklyn Navy Yard at Sands and Washington Streets, documented as early as 1927. Today Brooklyn has Filipino parishes (Our Lady Help of Christians, Midwood) but no neighborhood concentration equivalent to Woodside.
Jersey City, NJ (Hudson County)
Hudson County (24,840 Filipino Americans) includes Jersey City — home to PAFCOM (the largest Filipino nonprofit in NJ), Philippine Plaza Veterans Memorial Park (2nd St. & Manila Ave.), and a dense Filipino Five Corners district along Manila Avenue. Filipino-majority parishes include Our Lady of Mercy, Our Lady of Victories, and Saint Aloysius. Two Jollibee locations serve the community. More affordable than Manhattan, 15–20 minutes by PATH train.
Bergenfield / Hackensack / Teaneck (Bergen County, NJ)
Bergen County has the largest Filipino concentration in NJ (28,078). Bergenfield is the informal “Little Manila of Bergen County” — 18.4% Filipino (ACS 2022) (5,062 residents by 2016), with Washington Avenue lined by Filipino restaurants including Bamboo Grill (#1 Filipino restaurant in NJ per NJ.com 2025), Kawali Island Grill, and Kapampangan’s Best. Teaneck has the Filipino American Society of Teaneck (FAST) and St. Anastasia Church. Bergen County is suburban, middle-class, with good school districts — the classic NJ Filipino family destination.
Edison / Piscataway (Middlesex County, NJ)
Middlesex County (18,134 Filipino Americans) is central NJ’s Filipino hub, anchored by Edison with its Filipino parishes (St. John Paul II / Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Filipino Mass 4th Sunday), Jollibee on US-1, and Filipino groceries on Oak Tree Road. The Filipino American Association of Central New Jersey (FAACNJ) serves this corridor.
Cultural Life
Faith & Parish Life
The Simbang Gabi sa Konsulado at the Philippine Center (556 Fifth Ave, Manhattan) has run for 37 consecutive years as of 2025, with 103 sponsoring Filipino-American organizations in the most recent series. The Filipino Catholic Apostolate of the Archdiocese of New York (established 1995, chaplain Fr. Rizalino Garcia) coordinates through 20+ parishes in Brooklyn and Queens alone, plus parishes across four NJ dioceses.
Key parishes
St. Sebastian (58-02 Roosevelt Ave, Woodside) — the primary Filipino parish in NYC; ~4,000 weekly attendees, roughly 25% Filipino (ACS 2022). Filipino Mass every 4th Sunday at 3:30 PM; Wednesday evening Our Lady of Perpetual Help Novena at 7 PM. This Wednesday novena is a quiet institution — for working Filipinos who cannot make Sunday Mass, it provides a midweek devotional and social touchpoint. Corpus Christi (31-30 61st St, Woodside) — second Filipino parish in Woodside, Filipino Mass 4th Sunday at 3:00 PM. St. Patrick, Long Island City — Tagalog Mass 1st Sunday; birthplace of NYC’s annual Sinulog-Santo Niño tradition, which started in a Cebuano immigrant’s Woodside home and moved to this parish. St. Sebastian, Bergenfield NJ — monthly Tagalog Mass, active Filipino Apostolate. St. Anastasia, Teaneck NJ — anchor of the Teaneck Filipino community since 1979, when the parish helped found FAST. In Monmouth County alone (Diocese of Trenton), nine parishes host the full nine-night Simbang Gabi rotation each December — a model of community-knitting that moves families from church to church across the novena.
Iglesia ni Cristo has approximately 14 congregations in the District of New York, plus four in NJ (Elizabeth, Jersey City, Nutley, Piscataway). The Bayanihan Filipino SDA Church (60-02 138th St, Flushing) is the flagship Filipino Seventh-day Adventist congregation. The First Filipino-American United Methodist Church (110 Hancock Ave, Jersey City) — founded 1996 — is the most established explicitly Filipino Protestant congregation in NJ.
Karaoke, Food & Social Life
Karaoke in Little Manila
Kusina Pinoy Bistro (69-16 Roosevelt Ave) — the most reliably active karaoke and live music venue on the strip. Tuesday–Wednesday: live acoustic; Thursday: Comedy & Karaoke Night; Saturday–Sunday: live full band. Manila nightlife feel, curbside patio with DJ booth. Kabayan Bistro Lounge & Banquet (69-09 Roosevelt Ave) — full-service banquet and lounge, private events. In NJ, Pamilya Restaurant (189 N. Washington Ave, Bergenfield) offers weekend karaoke. Filipino karaoke in Woodside is restaurant-style — the mic travels around the room — not the KTV booth format.
The Woodside restaurant scene
Ihawan (4006 70th St) — the iconic Filipino BBQ institution since 1995. Pork and chicken skewers, kamayan feasts on banana leaves, crispy pata. The New York Times has called it essential. The anchor of Little Manila’s food scene. Renee’s Kitchenette & Grill (69-14 Roosevelt Ave) — one of the oldest in Woodside, since 1992; sinigang, dinuguan, sisig, oxtail kare-kare, halo-halo. Tito Rad’s Grill (49-10 Queens Blvd) — large, lively, good for groups; grilled tuna jaw, kare-kare. Kusina Pinoy Bistro (69-16 Roosevelt Ave) — kamayan, calamares gigantes, younger crowd. Kabayan (69-12 Roosevelt Ave and 4912 Queens Blvd) — daing na bangus, dinuguan, tortang talong. For suburban NJ: Bamboo Grill (54 S. Washington Ave, Bergenfield) — #1 Filipino restaurant in NJ per NJ.com 2025. Mama Fina’s House of Filipino Sisig (Hackensack) — #4 in NJ, sisig specialist.
Filipino grocery
Phil-Am Food Mart (7002 Roosevelt Ave, Woodside) — the oldest Filipino grocery in New York, family-owned since 1976. At the heart of Little Manila at 70th and Roosevelt. Everything from bagoong to buko pandan, patis to longganisa. Sariling Atin (89-12 Queens Blvd, Elmhurst) — grocery in front, turo-turo eatery in back; everyday Filipino shopping. Red Ribbon Bakeshop (65-02 Roosevelt Ave, Woodside) — Filipino cakes and pastries; also in Brooklyn and Jersey City. Seafood City — Flushing location (136-51 37th Ave) for full Filipino supermarket experience. Johnny Air Mart (214 Ave A, Manhattan East Village) for Manhattan-based Filipinos.
Basketball & social organizations
Approximately 10 Filipino basketball leagues operate in the NYC metro, part of ~100 across the U.S. Filipino Basketball Association of New York (FBA-NY) is the only year-round Filipino basketball league in the metro, focusing on youth development. Filipino Heritage Night at Madison Square Garden (annual, spring) — organized by NaFFAA-NY, honored the 200,000-strong Filipino-American community in 2024; pre-game stand-up comedy, DJ party, then Knicks game. The Filipino School of New York & New Jersey (founded 2008) teaches Philippine folk dances, languages, and cultural traditions. Little Manila Queens Bayanihan Arts (littlemanilaqueens.org) runs annual block parties and community arts programming that keeps the neighborhood’s identity alive.
Festivals
Philippine Independence Day Parade (Madison Avenue, 38th–27th St, first Sunday of June) — 35th annual in 2025. Billed as the largest Philippine Independence Day parade outside the Philippines, with 135+ floats, marching bands, and expected attendance of 100,000+. Organized by PIDCI (pidci.org). Fiesta in America (American Dream Mall, East Rutherford NJ, mid-August) — 29+ years running, self-described as the biggest annual indoor Filipino event in the United States; free admission, ~13,000 direct attendees plus 120,000 weekend mall visitors. Philippines Fest NYC (Woodside, Roosevelt Ave, September) — grass-roots street fair organized by Filipino small business owners; described as the first Filipino street fair originating in NYC. PAFCOM Philippine-American Friendship Festival (Jersey City, June) — 35th edition in 2025, 15,000+ attendees; the civic heart of Jersey City’s Filipino community.
NCLEX & Nursing Pathway: New York and New Jersey
NYC-NJ is the most complex NCLEX market in the country — two different states with two different CGFNS products, opposite rules on English exams and SSN, and a salary ceiling that can reach $148,000 at top union hospitals. Know the differences before you start.
New York NCLEX — The #1 Mistake Filipino Nurses Make
New York does NOT use the standard CGFNS CES Professional Report ($485). New York requires the CGFNS Credentials Verification Service (CVS) for New York State ($425) — a completely different product. Buying the CES instead of the CVS means rejection and starting over — buying both costs ~$910 in CGFNS fees alone. This is documented as the #1 error internationally educated nurses make when applying to New York. It is the first thing to get right.
New York NCLEX step by step
Step 1 — NY mandated trainings. NYSED requires two online courses before applying: Infection Control (~$15) and Child Abuse Identification and Reporting (~$15). Total ~$30. These are NY-specific requirements not found in most other states.
Step 2 — CGFNS CVS for New York State ($425). CGFNS collects transcripts and license verification from your Philippine nursing school and PRC, transmits directly to NYSED. Processing: approximately 7 business days once documents are received; document collection from Philippine schools takes 4–8 weeks by mail.
Step 3 — Submit application to NYSED ($143). File Online Form 1 (Application for Licensure — RN). No SSN required — NYSED allows the SSN field blank for nurses without a U.S. Social Security Number. No English proficiency exam required — NYSED considers passing the English-language NCLEX as sufficient. Optional: Limited Permit (Form 5, additional $35) allows you to practice under supervision while waiting for full results.
Step 4 — Wait for ATT. NYSED official estimate: 6–8 weeks after all documents received. Real-world reality: 3–8 months. NYSED is the most notorious processing bottleneck in the country. There is no real-time dashboard. Some nurses choose “NCLEX testing tourism” — flying to Vietnam, Thailand, or Guam for faster test dates — at additional cost. This is the main drawback of the NY pathway.
Step 5 — Register with Pearson VUE and take NCLEX-RN ($200). ATT valid 75–90 days once issued.
Total NY cost estimate: CVS $425 + mandatory courses $30 + NYSED application $143 + NCLEX $200 = ~$798 without VisaScreen. Add VisaScreen ($740, required for EB-3 immigration, not the license itself) = ~$1,538 total. Compare to California (~$2,175+). NY is significantly less expensive for the licensure phase.
New Jersey NCLEX — Different Rules
NJ uses the standard CGFNS CES Professional Report ($485) — different from NY’s CVS. A nurse applying to both states needs both products ($425 + $485 = $910 in CGFNS fees).
NJ requires an English proficiency exam for Filipino nurses. Unlike NY, the Philippines is NOT on NJ’s English exemption list. You will need TOEFL iBT (minimum 83 overall, 26 Speaking) or IELTS Academic (minimum 6.5 overall) or OET (Grade C+). Add $200–$255 to your cost estimate.
NJ requires a Social Security Number — nurses still in the Philippines cannot typically complete the NJ application remotely. The dominant strategy: apply to NY first (no SSN required), take NCLEX, arrive in the U.S., get your SSN, then endorse your NY license into NJ within weeks. NJ application fee: $225.
Hospital salaries (NYC)
NewYork-Presbyterian: New grad BSN ~$126,000; Year 10 ~$137,300; Year 20 ~$148,100. Strong NYSNA union. Mount Sinai Health System: New grad ~$123,300; Year 20 ~$148,100 (tied highest in NYC). NYU Langone Health: New grad ~$120,000; Year 10 ~$130,000. Montefiore Medical Center: New grad ~$118,800; Year 20 ~$146,100. Northwell Health: New grad ~$121,300 (Lenox Hill). NYC Health + Hospitals (Elmhurst, Bellevue, etc.): Average ~$98,000–$100,000; the NYSNA 2023 contract produced the largest salary increase in H+H nurse history, with pay parity raises of $16,000+ in year one. The 2026 NYSNA contract at NYP, Mt. Sinai, and Montefiore won 12%+ raises over 3 years, enforceable staffing ratios, and explicit immigrant worker protections.
Hospital salaries (NJ)
RWJBarnabas Health (Robert Wood Johnson, Cooperman Barnabas, Clara Maass, Newark Beth Israel) — average RN ~$111,900/year (27% above national average). RWJBarnabas has recruited Filipino nurses for decades; Cooperman Barnabas (formerly Saint Barnabas, Livingston) has one of the longest histories of Filipino nurse employment in NJ. Hackensack Meridian Health — average RN ~$108,222/year; HPAE reached a 2025 contract with enforceable safe staffing ratios. NJ average RN: approximately $107,334/year.
Filipino nursing organizations
Philippine Nurses Association of New York (PNANY) — pnanewyork.org. Founded 1929 — one of the oldest Filipino professional organizations in the United States. 300+ active members; runs health fairs with free screenings in underserved Queens neighborhoods; co-hosted the first International Educated Nurses Policy Summit with national PNAA. Key first contact for newly arrived Filipino nurses navigating NYSED and NYC hospitals. Philippine Nurses Association of New Jersey (PNANJ) — pnanj.org; 2025 Annual Picnic at Liberty State Park (August 23); 2025 Annual Gala (September 20) with Nursing Legacy Awards and healthcare trafficking awareness. 1199SEIU — covers non-RN healthcare workers at many NYC hospitals; its Training and Employment Fund provides tuition assistance ($750+/year) and citizenship/English language programs for immigrant members. Maria Castaneda of 1199SEIU organized Filipino nurses at Saint Barnabas in the 1980s and helped win the Immigration Nursing Relief Act of 1989, which granted permanent residency to thousands of Filipino nurses on temporary visas.
Job Market & Careers
Healthcare is the dominant career pathway, but NYC’s economy offers breadth no other city can match. Finance (Wall Street, fintech), media, hospitality, civil service, and the tech sector all have established Filipino-American presence. The Philippine American Chamber of Commerce (philamchamber.org) — serving Filipino and American businesses for over 90 years — connects established professionals to Philippines-U.S. trade networks. The Greater New York Filipino American Chamber of Commerce (gnyfilamchamber.org) is more community-facing, focused on Filipino small business owners and entrepreneurs in the metro.
Filipino American Lawyers Association of New York (FALANY — falanewyork.org) serves Filipino legal professionals and provides community legal programming. The Association of Philippine Physicians of New York (PMANY) connects Filipino physicians in the metro. For immigration-related legal help, AFIRE-equivalent advocacy exists through multiple Queens-based immigrant rights organizations.
Cost of Living
Manhattan is expensive. A one-bedroom in Midtown runs $3,500+/month. But Filipino nurses don’t live in Midtown — they live in Woodside ($2,000–$2,700/month for a 1BR), Jackson Heights ($1,800–$2,400), or across the river in Jersey City ($1,900–$2,500). The salary-to-cost ratio still favors NYC over California’s Bay Area: a nurse earning $126,000 at NYP living in Woodside is doing better than a nurse earning $130,000 in Oakland paying Bay Area rent.
Bergen County NJ offers the best value: a nurse couple earning $200,000+ combined can afford a home in Bergenfield or Teaneck ($400,000–$600,000) with good schools, close to Filipino community and hospitals, and a 45-minute commute to Manhattan via NJ Transit. Many Filipino families have made exactly this calculation.
Schools & Education
NYC public schools serve large Filipino student populations in Queens (PS 11 in Woodside, IS 5, and multiple high schools in the area). NJ’s Bergen County school districts (Bergenfield, Hackensack, Teaneck, Ridgewood) are among the best in the state. Filipino campus organizations are active at CUNY Queens College, St. John’s University, Fordham, NYU, and Rutgers NJ. The Filipino School of New York & New Jersey (founded 2008) teaches Philippine folk dance (Sayawan Na! program), Philippine languages, and cultural history. NaFFAA NY co-hosts civic education workshops with community organizations across the metro for Filipino youth.
Community Organizations & Provincial Associations
NaFFAA New York — $1.6M federal grant for Woodside community center
In November 2024, NaFFAA New York secured $1.6 million in Federal Community Project Funding for a permanent Filipino American Community Center in Woodside, Queens — the largest federal grant ever awarded to a Filipino organization in New York, secured through Congresswoman Grace Meng. The funding was signed into law February 3, 2026. An additional $1 million was secured in February 2026, bringing total federal support to over $2.6 million. Woodside’s Filipino community has long needed a dedicated permanent space. It’s coming. naffaany.org.
FAHSI — Filipino American Human Services (Jamaica, Queens)
Founded 1993. The primary social services nonprofit for Filipino New Yorkers. Programs: immigration/citizenship assistance, family counseling, youth development, senior programs, computer literacy for domestic workers, health workshops. Located at 185-14 Hillside Ave, Jamaica, Queens — in the building owned by the Ilocano American Association (IAAINY, founded 1983–84), whose property ownership in Jamaica is the most significant example of Ilocano institutional permanence outside Hawaii. The arrangement — an Ilocano organization’s building becoming the headquarters of the broader Filipino community’s social safety net — says something about how pan-Filipino identity works in practice.
PAFCOM (New Jersey)
Philippine American Friendship Community, Inc. — the largest Filipino nonprofit in NJ. Founded 1990, based at 387 Fulton Ave, Jersey City. Annual Philippine-American Friendship Day parade and festival (June, Jersey City, 15,000+ attendees, 35th edition in 2025). Social services for youth, elderly, disabled, and families in need. Receives Community Development Block Grant funding. pafcomnj.org.
Other key organizations
Philippine Center New York (556 Fifth Ave, Manhattan) — the Philippine Consulate, Mission to the UN, cultural agencies, and Kalayaan Hall (auditorium, seats 150) all under one roof. Every major Filipino community event in NYC is held here or involves this building. The Philippines is the only country with a diplomatic presence on Fifth Avenue. FANHS Metro New York Chapter (fanhsmetrony.org) — founded 1990, the institutional memory of the Filipino community in NYC; active during Filipino American History Month (October). Little Manila Queens Bayanihan Arts (littlemanilaqueens.org) — grassroots arts collective preserving Filipino identity in Woodside as the neighborhood gentrifies; co-produced “Little Manila Queens: Mabuhay!” at MoMA PS1 (2024). Philippine Independence Day Council Inc. (pidci.org) — organizes the annual Madison Avenue parade, 35 years and growing. PACC (philamchamber.org) — Philippine American Chamber of Commerce, 90+ years of Philippines-US business relations.
Provincial/hometown associations: Filipino Americans in NYC-NJ do not cluster by regional language. There is no “Ilocano neighborhood” in Queens, no Visayan enclave in Jersey City. The community identity is pan-Filipino first. The IAAINY building ownership in Jamaica is the most visible exception — real Ilocano organizational infrastructure — but even that building primarily serves the broader Filipino community through FAHSI’s social services.
Philippine Consulate General New York: 556 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10036. Phone: (212) 764-1330. Hours: Mon–Fri, 9:00 AM–4:30 PM. Services: passport, civil registry, dual citizenship (RA 9225), legalization, NBI clearance, GSIS/SSS/Pag-IBIG coordination, OFW assistance. Jurisdiction: NY, NJ, CT, MA, PA and most of New England. newyorkpcg.org.
NYC-NJ History: Filipino Roots Run Deep
Most Filipino New Yorkers know Woodside as their community’s anchor. Far fewer know that the first Filipino enclave in New York City was in Brooklyn — directly outside the Brooklyn Navy Yard’s Sands Street gate.
The Manila Karihan on Sands Street (1927)
The 1939 WPA Guide to New York City documented it explicitly: “Around Sands and Washington Streets is a colony of Filipinos; native food, extremely rare in the eastern part of the United States, is served in a Filipino restaurant at 47 Sands Street.” The Manila Karihan (the word “karihan” is Tagalog for a casual canteen) was operating by at least 1927, serving Filipino Navy sailors who could walk out the Sands Street gate of the Brooklyn Navy Yard and find a taste of home. Filipino merchant mariners — approximately 8,000 were in the U.S. Merchant Marine by the 1930s, legally allowed to work on U.S. vessels as U.S. nationals — also gathered here. The Merchant Marine Act of 1936 effectively discharged most Filipino mariners, and urban renewal in the 1950s destroyed the entire Sands Street neighborhood. The Filipino community dispersed. Woodside came later, built by nurses, not sailors.
The earliest Filipino organizations
The Filipino Knights of Rizal New York Chapter was organized in 1923 — the first documented Filipino American organization in the tri-state area. A Filipino Women’s Club was organized in 1927. The Philippine Nurses Association of New York was founded in 1929. These organizations predate the nursing wave by decades; the community’s roots are in the pensionados (scholarship students at Columbia, NYU, and Fordham) and the merchant marine and Navy sailors of the 1920s.
The veterans legacy
On August 4, 1942, a New Jersey federal judge administered the oath of allegiance to 14 Philippine Scouts — wounded at Bataan, evacuated, naturalized at Fort Dix, New Jersey. This was one of the earliest documented Filipino military-civic events in the Northeast. Lieutenant General Edward Soriano, the highest-ranking Filipino American military officer in U.S. history, has a family story that runs through New Jersey: his father Fred was a Philippine Scout corporal who survived the Bataan Death March, was taken prisoner, and later retired from the Army as a major. Edward eventually reached three-star general, commanding I Corps and Fort Lewis. Father to son: Bataan survivor to three-star general.
The only WWII Filipino veterans memorial in the entire U.S. Northeast is in Cherry Hill, New Jersey (202 Park Blvd) — the Bataan Death March Memorial, site of annual Araw ng Kagitingan (Day of Valor) ceremonies organized by the Philippine Consulate General New York. In Jersey City, Philippine Plaza Veterans Memorial Park (2nd St. & Manila Ave., founded 1992) has been the primary gathering place for Filipino veterans events in the metro — Bataan Day (April 9), Memorial Day, and Veterans Day. NJ’s VFW Post 1063 is named for Private Tomas Claudio, the first Filipino to die overseas in a U.S. military conflict — killed on June 29, 1918, at Château-Thierry, France, in World War I.
In April 2025, the Philippine Consulate General New York held a Congressional Gold Medal ceremony at the Philippine Center. Petty Officer Arthur Grabiner, 99 years old, received his medal in person. He served aboard the USS Laurens. The Rescission Act has never been formally repealed. The advocacy continues.
Fort Hamilton and the Woodside nursing wave
Fort Hamilton (Bay Ridge, Brooklyn) is the only active military installation in NYC, serving approximately 50,000 veterans, retirees, and military families across the metro area. Filipino Americans with any military affiliation — active duty, Reserve, veteran, or military family member — can access Fort Hamilton for commissary, exchange, and support services. For a community where the nursing-to-military family pipeline creates many households with at least one military connection, this is worth knowing. The Woodside community itself was built starting in the 1970s by Filipino nurses recruited to Elmhurst Hospital — they settled near St. Sebastian Church (an Irish parish that welcomed them), and the restaurants, grocery stores, and organizations grew around them. PNANY, founded in 1929, was already there waiting.
Climate: NYC-NJ vs. the Philippines
New York winters are real but not as brutal as Chicago’s. January average: 33°F (1°C) — above freezing most days, though wind chill brings it lower. Snow falls 25–30 inches annually. Humid summers (July average 84°F / 29°C) can feel like Manila, which Filipino New Yorkers often find familiar and even comforting. Spring in Woodside — cherry blossoms on the side streets, Filipino restaurants opening their windows — is genuinely beautiful.
New Jersey winters are slightly more moderate than NYC (more inland, less lake effect) and summers can be hot and humid. Bergen County and Middlesex County regularly hit 90°F+ in July. Filipino families adapt well — the Philippines has hot, humid summers, and New Jersey humidity feels like home.
Essential gear: a good winter coat (North Face, Canada Goose, or Uniqlo Ultra Light Down for milder days), waterproof boots for slush season (January–March), and layers. Year two is easier than year one. Filipino families who’ve been here 20+ years barely notice anymore.
Practical Information
Philippine Consulate General New York
556 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10036 (Philippine Center Building, 3 blocks south of Rockefeller Center). Phone: (212) 764-1330. Hours: Mon–Fri, 9:00 AM–4:30 PM. Services: passport, civil registry, dual citizenship (RA 9225), legalization, NBI clearance, visa, GSIS/SSS/Pag-IBIG coordination, OFW assistance, overseas absentee voting. Consular outreach to communities across the Northeast — check newyorkpcg.org for schedule. Jurisdiction covers NY, NJ, CT, MA, PA and parts of New England.
Getting around
The 7 train (Flushing Line) connects Woodside (69th St and 74th St–Jackson Heights stops) directly to Times Square and Midtown in 20–25 minutes. No car needed for city living. New Jersey: PATH train from Bergenfield/Hackensack areas to Hoboken/33rd Street Manhattan (45–60 min); NJ Transit bus and rail for Edison/Middlesex County. Driving in Bergen County is common for hospital commutes.
Remittance
Iremit, LBC, Western Union, and Kabayan Remit all have Woodside and NJ locations. Phil-Am Food Mart (7002 Roosevelt Ave) is a community hub for remittance services. Wise and Remitly offer competitive online rates. Goldilocks products (polvoron, ensaimada, mocha cake) are available at Phil-Am Food Mart and other Filipino groceries even without a standalone Goldilocks storefront in the metro.
First contacts when you arrive
PNANY (pnanewyork.org) — for Filipino nurses navigating NYSED and NYC hospitals. FAHSI (fahsi.org, Jamaica Queens) — social services, immigration assistance. NaFFAA NY (naffaany.org) — civic umbrella, nonprofit capacity-building, Woodside community center (coming soon). Philippine Center New York (556 Fifth Ave) — consular services, community events at Kalayaan Hall. St. Sebastian Church (58-02 Roosevelt Ave, Woodside) — Filipino Mass 4th Sunday, Wednesday novena. Phil-Am Food Mart (7002 Roosevelt Ave) — on your first day in Woodside, go here. You will feel at home.
Data Sources
U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (2022 5-Year Estimates) • Community organization websites and direct verification • Local school district enrollment data • Zillow and Apartments.com (rent estimates) • Glassdoor and BLS Occupational Employment Statistics (salary data) • Redfin (home price data). Community population estimates reflect available Census language data combined with organization-reported figures. Read our full research methodology →