Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Nah, For the most part Whitestone is really not decaying. I remember it being more family oriented and friendly when I was a kid, The only new difference is the new residents that are moving in are a little more reserved and less neighborly. Maybe it is because a lot of wealthy foreigners are buying there and their English skills aren't refined yet. A lot of people there keep to themselves.
I lived in the Beechhurst area of Whitestone for close to 20 years with my parents and it is has always been one of your best Queens neighborhoods. My mom and dad bought the house in the mid 80's and it was a nice place for me to live and grow up. From my house I had bridge views and the house over looked the water.
I was zoned for Bayside High school back in the mid 80's and it was a good school at the time. It is no longer a decent school because a lot of kids get bussed in from Jamaica. If you want to move to Whitestone and you have kids, this is the only thing to think about. The elementary schools are great though.
The only problems we ever had were car thefts and car break-ins, because the Whitestone and Throgs Neck Bridge were so close by. Car thieves from the Bronx have an easy get away.
I hate Mc Mansions and builders are buying up old houses and knocking them down and building million dollar houses. I like the older homes because they have more character. However, the Mc Mansions there are over the top and some can actually look like Italian villas. The look and character of Whitestone is changing profusely because of this. Some of these Mc Mansions look rediculous because they are so big and are so close to the houses next to them. They make the blocks look crowded.
The crappy Queens link someone put was showing 154th street in Whitestone which is in the elite area of Whitestone (Beechhurst) and that is basically one of the only blocks that is not so nice, because there are strips of businesses and some factories along that long street. It is a small industrial part. The rest of the neighborhood is pretty much untouchable and un-affordable to the middle class.
The only change I have seen is that the ethnic make-up is changing. It used to be mostly Italians, Jewish and Irish people. Now a lot of wealthy foreigners are moving in. I also noticed a lot of Greeks with money are moving in too.
I moved to Long Island with my husband a year ago and to be honest I wish I could go back to Queens and live in Whitestone/Beechurst. Unfortunately the houses are so expensive we couldn't afford any. Even handyman specials are going in the high $600,000-$700,000 range there.
^ Yeah, I moved to Whitestone with my family in the mid-90s. It was a nice place to grow up, but the character of the neighborhood has changed with an influx of middle-class immigrants moving in and construction companies tearing down old houses to build those dreaded McMansions. It's probably what will happen to our house once my parents move out.
I wouldn't say it's crappy, though. Just less intimate than the old days.
Last edited by ladidadada; 10-13-2010 at 11:58 PM..
Hi ladidadada,
My mom has the house up on the market right now (she is downsizing) and I know whats coming. I bet a million dollars that the house will be torn down. It is a normal cape cod style home and almost all the houses on the block are McMansions. Her house looks so tiny next to them.
She has already had 2 builders show interest in it to do a tear down.
I makes me sad to think my childhood home will be gone. I made sure I took lots of pictures for memories, lol.
.......
The only problems we ever had were car thefts and car break-ins, because the Whitestone and Throgs Neck Bridge were so close by. Car thieves from the Bronx have an easy get away.........
LOL. This is exactly what people in Throg's Neck and Country Club,Bronx say about their neighborhoods.The car thieves from Queens have an easy get away back to Queens over the bridges.
After the family across the street moved, the builders came in and had a McMansion built in its place within six months. It was insane! And sad, too, because the house they tore down was a classic Cape Cod house built by the father of the old woman who used to live there. (Her children sold the place.) I wish it weren't so, but it seems the McMansions are here to stay.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
It's probably what will happen to our house once my parents move out.
