Elmhurst
Thursday February 28, 2008
It's old hat to hear that Queens is the most diverse borough, home to more immigrants from more countries than anywhere else in the U.S. (and maybe the world). But it gains a new meaning when you walk the heart of Elmhurst along Broadway from Roosevelt Avenue to Queens Boulevard and then over to Grand Avenue and the neighborhood's southern border. It really is the most diverse neighborhood of them all. And the great number of shops and restaurants makes it very clear than in more sedate climes like Briarwood.
Elmhurst has come a long way in the last 20 years. It's now more than ever a desirable place to live with lots of subways, but also one that's under a lot of stress from overcrowding and antiquated infrastructure. Here's what you need to know about real estate, history, and more in our new neighborhood profile of Elmhurst.
What do you like (or hate) about Elmhurst? What was it like in the 1960s? Please share in the comments.
Ethnic diversity, proximity to Manhattan, and
employment opportunities are just a few of the many attributes of Elmhurst, home of my birthplace:Horace Harding Hospital,(now St. John’s)in 1956. My wife Vemy and I raised our two kids there and they had many nice friends, grew up knowing people of different cultures, and were well prepared to face the real world as productive citizens.
Real estate values have fluctuated according to the overall economy, but you can’t lose investing in a home or rental property in Elmhurst. We bought our first home there in 1985, a 2-family frame house built in 1911. It was located one block west of Queens Blvd. near the old Elmwood Theater, approximately 1000 feet from the Grand Ave. subway entrance.
We never had a vacancy in the downstairs apartment, we might get 30 or more applications whenever we advertized, and we could pick and choose whichever tenants we liked best. We lived there for sixteen years,
then moved to a single family home and rented out the entire house in Elmhurst. The rent we collected more than paid for the house over the years, including the mortgage and city taxes, which were very reasonable.
Elmhurst has changed a lot over the years, but for me the most significant development has been the tremendous proliferation of new apartment construction, rentals as well as condos. With prices in Manhattan hovering around $2000 a month for a studio apartment,
many more affluent younger people are opting for Elmhurst as an affordable and relatively tranqil alternative to overcrowded and overpriced Manhattan real estate.
To me, Elmhurst represents the best of both worlds, a bustling multi-ethnic conglomerate of world-wide cultures, and a comfortable and convenient neighborhood in which to raise a family.
Hi, I live on Broadway right off Queens Blvd and the most disappointing feature is no super market in walking distance. As a native New Yorker and someone who has lived in other parts of Queens all my life I have never lived in a neighborhood that I couldn’t walk to a real super market. I have to lug my shopping from my job in New York City..soon I will retire and this will be a problem. Cannot buy good veal, good bread, product choice is limited to KamLum or the NY market. diane
People love Elmhurst! However, this nice neighborhood is going to be distroyed by a homeless HIV/AIDS shelter!!
Fight the elmhurst homeless shelter
The Bloomberg Administration is sending 29 homeless men and women to live in a converted 3-family house in the middle of a residential street in Elmhurst. There will be a rally at 86-18 58th Avenue on Saturday July 11 at 11am to protest this decision. Please come and show your support for the people of 58th Avenue.
http://queenscrap.blogspot.com/2009/07/bloomberg-dumps-homeless-shelter-in.html
Daily News:
http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/queens/2009/07/02/2009-07-02_elmhurst_residents_rip_nonprofits_plans_for_a_hivaids_shelter.html