Formerly a township and a village of Queens county, New York, U.S.A., on Long Island, at the head of Flushing Bay, since the ist of January 1898 a part of the borough of Queens, New York City. Flushing is served by the Long Island railroad and by electric lines. It was settled in 1644 by a company of English non-conformists who had probably been residents of Flushing in Holland, from which the new place took its name. Subsequently a large number of Quakers settled here, and in 1672 George Fox spent some time in the township. Before the War of Independence Flushing was the country-seat of many rich New Yorkers and colonial officials.