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Don't forget about Glen Oaks, Floral Park, Bellerose, Little Neck, Bay Terrace, Hollis Hills and Oakland Gardens.
I agree that those areas aren't exactly "urban." I know they are in Queens so it's NYC, but it's not what you think of when you hear the word urban; however, that part of Queens has some of the best schools in NYC. It's a great place to raise a family.
I also really like Western Queens which is more urban in feel. Most of Queens is pretty safe also. Anyway, Jackson Heights is a good area, as well as Astoria, Woodside, Sunnyside. Those plus the ones mentioned in this threads. Oh yeah, and Middle Village, Maspeth, Glendale- but again those have more of a suburban feel as well.
I agree that those areas aren't exactly "urban." I know they are in Queens so it's NYC, but it's not what you think of when you hear the word urban; however, that part of Queens has some of the best schools in NYC. It's a great place to raise a family.
I also really like Western Queens which is more urban in feel. Most of Queens is pretty safe also. Anyway, Jackson Heights is a good area, as well as Astoria, Woodside, Sunnyside. Those plus the ones mentioned in this threads. Oh yeah, and Middle Village, Maspeth, Glendale- but again those have more of a suburban feel as well.
That's why I put them. I thought the original poster was looking for that when he asked about crime and education. I like almost every area of the borough, including the ones that you mentioned.
That's why I put them. I thought the original poster was looking for that when he asked about crime and education. I like almost every area of the borough, including the ones that you mentioned.
Well, he also said urban.. and those areas are leaning a lot more to suburban, rather than urban.
Floral Park, Queens is still pretty safe in terms of assault and other crimes, and it has gone upscale. But since crime follows money, there are a lot more burglaries.
Also, it is becoming more urban looking because it seems like the new home owners prefer concrete to lawns. The new home owners also seem to care more about showing off their flashy BMW's and Lexus cars by ripping up their lawns and building driveways that look like landing strips. The flowers and trees that used to give Floral Park, Queens its quiet, serene beauty are quickly vanishing.
It's getting more cookie cutter and urban looking--in an ugly way. I've seen more than ten mature (and gorgeous) backyard trees, 50 bushes and all sorts of gorgeous plants and flowers vanish from the yards around me during the past decade. The new owners prefer tall ugly plastic fences instead of bushes, and extended homes instead of yards. Eventually, they miss the yards they ruined or eliminated, and spend thousands of dollars ripping out the bushes in front of their homes so they can install a front porch that they never sit on. That's the insanity of having more money than common sense.
It's sad because Floral Park, Queens is becoming a lot less lush and "floral" every year. The newcomers don't realize that trees and bushes provide protection from strong winds, and that they SIGNIFICANTLY cool houses and streets during the summer. They also provide privacy from nosy onlookers so you can relax in your backyard in privacy and they act as a noise shield--buffering noise from the streets. They don't seem to mind the higher heating and cooling bills that their treeless, oversized houses run up. Most of the negative changes in Floral Park, Queens have to do with quality of life rather than crime. There's more noise, a heck of a lot more traffic on what used to be quiet side streets, and a significant loss of "leafy green Long Island style" beauty--unless you prefer cement and tall plastic fences to trees and flowers, that is.
The "good side" of progress.... there is not a lot of crime from residents (although outsiders cruise the neighborhood looking for houses to rob) unless you consider it a crime to hear leaf blowers going ten times a day because every neighbor hires ten landscapers using gas leaf blowers spewing the emissions of ten new cars to groom their tiny lawns. It's not a crime, but it should be one.
The serene, green beauty of Floral Park, Queens is giving way to oversized, gaudy looking McMansions, attracting new home owners who are more interested in flipping their houses than living in them, and all of the other evil negatives that go hand in hand with rising home prices. I hate the way they squeeze a huge house on a tiny lot. It looks like a person stuffed into a too tight pair of jeans! It's plain offensive and doesn't look attractive at all, but I guess the money sure looks good in the developer's bank account.
By the way, the property tax in Floral Park Queens runs around $7,000--not cheap but not as expensive as the Long Island side of Floral Park.
So, there you have it. Floral Park used to be an extremely safe, quiet, green paradise with low property taxes and houses sold at a reasonable price. It's quickly becoming overcrowded, more urban looking and ugly--with more property-related crime. The schools are still pretty good, though. Keep your fingers crossed that this "progress" stops and Floral Park reverts to its old-fashioned charm and low-profile.
Last edited by cityhybrid; 12-11-2014 at 08:26 AM..
Reason: spelling
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