Forest Hills

The neighborhood.

Forest Hills is central Queens' village in the city: tree-lined, highly educated, and anchored by the landmark Forest Hills Gardens — a privately planned 1909 Tudor-style enclave on 175 acres, designed by Grosvenor Atterbury with landscaping by Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. The Gardens Corporation still owns the streets and enforces strict covenants; ~900 homes on curving, non-numbered streets like Seasongood Road.

Greater Forest Hills wraps around it: grand 1920s–30s co-op buildings along Queens Boulevard, the Austin Street dining and shopping strip, the 71st Avenue transit hub, and the Forest Hills Tennis Stadium — home of the US Open until 1977, now a major concert venue.

Housing stock & prices.

Co-op-dominant: 13,440 co-op units versus 4,675 single-family homes. The grand pre-war elevator co-ops along Queens Boulevard are the value story; the Gardens holds Tudor, Colonial Revival, and Mediterranean single-family homes inside its covenant community.

PropertyShark's September 2026 type splits: co-ops $350K, houses $1.3M, condos $1M (thin 21-transaction sample). Blended medians around $390–478K describe the co-op market — houses are a separate universe. Gardens houses trade well above the $1.3M median (one Greenway Terrace listing hit $3.85M in May 2026).

Getting around.

One of the best commutes in Queens: the E/F/M/R at 71st Avenue–Forest Hills, with the E and F running express — about 17 minutes to 5th Ave/53rd St. The LIRR's Forest Hills station reaches Grand Central in 15 minutes. Realistic Midtown door-to-door: 30–45 minutes by subway, 25–35 via LIRR.

Walkability.

Walk Score 92 (walkscore.com) — "Walker's Paradise," the 65th most walkable neighborhood in New York. The Austin Street corridor handles daily life on foot, and the leafy Forest Hills Gardens streets are genuinely pleasant to walk, though the enclave sits a 10-15 minute stroll south of the 71st Avenue subway. Car ownership runs higher here than in Astoria or LIC — many families keep a car, and Gardens houses come with driveways and garages.

Schools.

District 28, and one of the strongest school profiles in Queens. P.S. 101 School in the Gardens (Niche A, GreatSchools 8 — 88% math, 82% reading proficiency) and P.S. 144 Col. Jeromus Remsen (Niche A, GreatSchools 8) lead the elementaries; P.S. 196 posts 96% math proficiency. J.H.S. 190 Russell Sage (Niche A-, top 25% of New York middle schools per SchoolDigger) feeds into Forest Hills High School (Niche A-, SAT 1210). Schools are a primary driver of home prices here.

Local favorites.

• Eddie's Sweet Shop. A century-old soda fountain on Metropolitan Ave (est. 1925) — marble counter, original wooden booths, homemade ice cream, cash only. The oldest ice cream parlor in NYC and a true neighborhood institution.
• Station Square. The ceremonial gateway to Forest Hills Gardens — a landmark plaza with the clock tower where the private enclave meets the LIRR station. The prettiest block in Queens.
• Forest Park. 798 acres bordering Forest Hills to the south — golf course, historic carousel, hiking trails, and the largest park in Queens. The backyard the Gardens never needed.
• MacDonald Park. A small neighborhood park at Queens Boulevard and 70th Avenue — playground, basketball, and a local gathering spot steps from the subway.

Living here.

• Forest Hills Tennis Stadium. The former US Open home — the Beatles and Dylan played here — now a major concert venue.
• Austin Street. The dining and shopping heart: restaurants, cafes, and boutiques.
• Schools (District 28). PS 144 (8/10), JHS 190 Russell Sage, and Forest Hills High School (SAT 1210) — among the strongest in Queens. Forest Park borders the south.

Best for.