Queens has been discovered over the years again and again...but most neighborhood are well known. Here are 5 neighborhoods in Queens that you haven't heard of, but should.
1. Briarwood
Photo Credit: © J. Roleke
Briarwood is a "hidden gem" of Queens because it has retained a low profile, despite its many positive features. In central Queens, north of Jamaica, south of Flushing, off the Grand Central, Briarwood is convenient to highways, E and F subways, and buses. Families abound. They come for the tree-lined, quiet streets, and schools. The neighborhood attracts successful immigrant families, but no one group predominates. You'll find Greeks, Pakistanis, Jews, Guyanese, Koreans, Ecuadorians, and the list goes on.
Housing is a mix of single- and multi-family houses and apartment buildings. A sustained construction boom since the early 2000s has added many more condos and apartment buildings.
Housing is a mix of single- and multi-family houses and apartment buildings. A sustained construction boom since the early 2000s has added many more condos and apartment buildings.
- Briarwood neighborhood profile
- Photos of Briarwood
2. Douglaston
Photo (c) John Roleke
Douglaston is as far away from Manhattan as you can get, but still live in New York City. The neighborhood is in the northeast corner of the borough, and sports the exclusive enclave of Douglas Manor, on a peninsula extending into Little Neck Bay. The larger Douglaston area is middle class with easy access to highways, bridges, and parks. The Douglaston LIRR station on the Port Washington line makes it a 30 minute or less commute to Manhattan.
3. Ridgewood
Photo (c) Dave Cook
Hipsters in Bushwick? What about Ridgewood? As gentrification has spread out from Williamsburg along the L subway line, Ridgewood, just over the border from Bushwick, is next in line. Will there be designer pizza and craft brew pubs in Ridgewood?
The neighborhood is working class with lots of multi-family row houses. These are beautiful brick buildings dating from the early 20th century with architectural touches they just don't make these days. Ridgewood even has the largest historic district in New York City.
The neighborhood is working class with lots of multi-family row houses. These are beautiful brick buildings dating from the early 20th century with architectural touches they just don't make these days. Ridgewood even has the largest historic district in New York City.
4. Broad Channel
(c) GMPickett
Do you love the water? Broad Channel is all water. It's a tiny neighborhood in the middle of Jamaica Bay, between the Rockaways and Howard Beach. It's the place to go if you want to be surrounded by water, even more than the Rockaways are surrounded by water. Many homes are built over waterways and have docks. It's hard to reach Broad Channel, there's not much to do, but you have no choice but to love the water.
5. Richmond Hill
Photo (c) John Roleke
Richmond Hill has Victorians. Richmond Hill has Forest Park. Richmond Hill has character in spades. But it's also like three neighborhoods in one. Just south of Forest Park, it's middle-class living with big homes and a bunch of beautiful Victorian-era houses. Further south, the neighborhood is more about rentals. At its southern border with South Ozone Park, Richmond Hill is the center of Guyanese life in New York with Liberty Avenue its thoroughfare.
