Forest Park is a quaint and hilly neighborhood in a very desirable section of Queens surrounding one of the largest parks in New York City. Home buyers looking for a feeling of being in the country in the city won’t be able to do much better than this elegant neighborhood.
“It’s one of the largest parks in New York City. It’s very big and there’s a field for every sport you can think of. In the woods and on the trails, you’re going to see wildlife you don’t think of when you think of New York City.” So says Chatter Singh, a longtime Queens resident and licensed real estate agent with Keller Williams Liberty Realty. Forest Park is the green space he’s describing. The park is over 500 acres, 400 of which are wooded and, in addition to full time locals like hawks and pheasants, the park hosts over 100 species of migrating birds every year. In May, you can check out the “Warbler Wave” as hundreds of brightly colored songbirds stop by during migration.
Residents of Forest Park are lucky because every home in this small hilltop hamlet is within a few blocks of the park and many have views across the East River to the Manhattan skyline. In the few blocks north and south of the park that comprise this community, you’ll find colonial revival and Victorian row houses, ivy-covered mansions on large lots and prewar brick high rises. Vibrantly colored colonial revival row houses with wooden siding and several bedrooms on the steps of the park are currently selling for around $1.5 million. Parkside, seven-story prewar condo buildings offer two- and three-bedroom units for under $400,000 with low maintenance fees. Pretty old detached Victorian row houses with gambrel roofs can be found for well under $1 million. On the north side of the park, a five-bedroom brick mansion is listed at $2.7 million.
Forest Park is too small for its own schools, so students attend those in adjacent neighborhoods. PS 66 Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Elementary School is 120 years old. The Richardsonian Romanesque-style building is on the National Register of Historic Places, and the school’s ethos of reading as a way of life has kept it in the top 1% of city schools in all metrics, according to the New York City Department of Education.
Most of the commercial activity is three blocks south along Jamaica Avenue in Woodhaven or a few blocks north into Forest Hills, although there is a small commercial hub where Woodhaven Boulevard intersects Myrtle Avenue near the center of Forest Park. Here, you’ll find Don Tequila Urban Cantina, a Mexican restaurant and local watering hole, two gas stations, an urgent care and a few other small businesses. If you’re in the mood for a walk or a pint or both, Neir’s Tavern is about as old school NYC as you can find. This 1829 pub is a favorite of location scouts for NYC film productions and New Yorkers near and far. On the edge of Forest Park and Forest Hill to the north, the Cinemart Cinemas shows independent films and runs its own café. Two supermarkets lie just north of the park, as well.
The J train along Jamaica Avenue and the E/F near the Kew Gardens courthouse are both walking distance from Forest Park and two expressways intersect at Union Turnpike just a few blocks west.
Vincent Koo
EXP Realty
(929) 552-9370
89 Total Sales
2 in Forest Park
$299K - $535K Price Range
Jessica Akde Elmazi
Compass Greater NY LLC
(888) 904-8014
223 Total Sales
2 in Forest Park
$200K - $520K Price Range
Jagmeet Bedi
Compass
(855) 934-0730
111 Total Sales
1 in Forest Park
$300,000 Price
Marlanea Sopp
LAFFEY REAL ESTATE
(347) 796-3735
16 Total Sales
1 in Forest Park
$999,000 Price
Dawn Frojen
Keller Williams Realty Empire
(888) 861-4543
17 Total Sales
1 in Forest Park
$450,000 Price
Devi Yee
LA Rosa Realty New York LLC
(833) 728-1406
76 Total Sales
1 in Forest Park
$260,000 Price
| 1 - Low Crime, 10 - High Crime | Forest Park | US |
|---|---|---|
| Homicide | 4 | 4 |
| Sexual Assault | 4 | 4 |
| Assault with Weapon | 4 | 4 |
| Robbery | 3 | 4 |
| Burglary | 3 | 4 |
| Motor Vehicle Theft | 3 | 4 |
| Larceny | 2 | 4 |
| Crime Score | 1 | 4 |
Source: WhatIsMyCrimeRisk.com
On average, homes in Forest Park, Queens sell after 113 days on the market compared to the national average of 54 days. The median sale price for homes in Forest Park, Queens over the last 12 months is $310,000, down 3% from the median home sale price over the previous 12 months.
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Diverse suburbia in eastern Queens near JFK Airport and sprawling parks
