Forest Hills is a mostly residential neighborhood in the central portion of the borough of Queens in New York City. It is adjacent to Corona to the north,

Rego Park Rego Park is a neighborhood in the borough of Queens in New York City. Rego Park is bordered to the north by Elmhurst and Corona, to the east and south by Forest Hills, and to the west by Middle Village. Rego Park's boundaries include Queens ...

and

Glendale Glendale is the anglicised version of the Gaelic Gleann Dail, which means ''valley of fertile, low-lying arable land''. It may refer to: Places Australia * Glendale, New South Wales ** Stockland Glendale, a shopping centre *Glendale, Queensland, ...

to the west,

Forest Park A forest park is a park whose main theme is its forest of trees. Forest parks are found both in the mountains and in the urban environment. Examples Chile * Forest Park, Santiago China *Gongqing Forest Park, Shanghai * Mufushan National Fores ...

to the south, Kew Gardens to the southeast, and

Flushing Meadows–Corona Park Flushing Meadows–Corona Park, often referred to as Flushing Meadows Park, or simply Flushing Meadows, is a public park in the northern part of Queens, New York City. It is bounded by I-678 (Van Wyck Expressway) on the east, Grand Central Par ...

to the east. The area was originally referred to as "Whitepot".About Forest Hills
at QueensNewYork.com The current name comes from the Cord Meyer Development Company, which bought in central Queens in 1906 and renamed it after Forest Park. Further development came in the 1920s and 1930s with the widening of Queens Boulevard through the neighborhood, as well as the opening of the

New York City Subway The New York City Subway is a rapid transit system owned by the government of New York City and leased to the New York City Transit Authority, an affiliate agency of the state-run Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA). Opened on October 2 ...

's Queens Boulevard Line. Forest Hills has a longstanding association with tennis: the

Forest Hills Stadium A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...

hosted the U.S. Open until 1978 and the

West Side Tennis Club The West Side Tennis Club is a private tennis club located in Forest Hills, Queens, Forest Hills, a neighborhood in the New York City Borough (New York City), borough of Queens. The club has 38 tennis courts in all four surfaces (clay court, H ...

offers grass courts for its members. The area's main commercial street, Austin Street, contains many restaurants and chain stores. Forest Hills is located in Queens Community District 6 and its ZIP Code is 11375. It is patrolled by the New York City Police Department's 112th Precinct. Politically, Forest Hills is represented by the

New York City Council The New York City Council is the lawmaking body of New York City. It has 51 members from 51 council districts throughout the five Borough (New York City), boroughs. The council serves as a check against the Mayor of New York City, mayor in a may ...

's 29th District.

History

Queens Boulevard west of Yellowstone Boulevard

Development

The development of adjacent

, a park on the southern end of Forest Hills, began in 1895. Starting in 1896, the landscape architecture firm of Olmsted, Olmsted & Eliot was contracted to provide a plan for the park. In 1906, the Cord Meyer Development Company, headed by Brooklyn attorney Cord Meyer, bought abutting land made up of six farms (those of Ascan Bakus, Casper Joost-Springsteen, Horatio N. Squire, Abram V. S. Lott, Sarah V. Bolmer, and James Van Siclen). The company then renamed the aggregate "Forest Hills", after Forest Park. Single-family homes, designed by architects such as Robert Tappan and William Patterson, were constructed on these 600 acres. The roads of Forest Hills were laid out by 1910. The present-day Ascan Avenue in Forest Hills is named after Ascan Bakus. Margaret Sage, the founder of the

Russell Sage Foundation The Russell Sage Foundation is an American non-profit organisation established by Margaret Olivia Sage in 1907 for “the improvement of social and living conditions in the United States.” It was named after her recently deceased husband, rail ...

, bought of land from the Cord Meyer Development Company in 1908. This land was to be used for "Forest Hills Gardens", a development at the southern side of Forest Hills. Grosvenor Atterbury, a renowned architect, was given the commission to design Forest Hills Gardens. The neighborhood was planned on the model of the garden communities of England, with its own inn, garage, and post office. It also included narrow, winding roads to limit through traffic. As a result, there are many

Tudor-style Tudor Revival architecture (also known as mock Tudor in the UK) first manifested itself in domestic architecture in the United Kingdom in the latter half of the 19th century. Based on revival of aspects that were perceived as Tudor architecture ...

homes in Forest Hills. The more sprawling ones are located in Forest Hills Gardens, but most are located in the section loosely bounded by 68th Avenue on the north; 72nd Road on the south; 108th Street on the west; and Grand Central Parkway on the east. The construction of this area used a prefabricated building technique. Each house was built from approximately 170 standardized precast concrete panels, fabricated off-site and positioned by crane. The houses were mostly constructed between 1910 and 1917. The

Long Island Rail Road The Long Island Rail Road , often abbreviated as the LIRR, is a commuter rail system in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, stretching from Manhattan to the eastern tip of Suffolk County, New York, Suffolk Co ...

opened a station in Forest Hills in 1911, and the Queens Boulevard trolley line opened two years later. The LIRR station was built with a brick courtyard, a clock tower, and arch-filled underpasses, fitting in with the Forest Hills Gardens section of the neighborhood. Since the railroad and trolley both connected to Manhattan, the presence of these two transportation options spurred development in Forest Hills.

Growth

In 1914, the

moved from Manhattan to Forest Hills Gardens. They constructed the

Forest Hills Tennis Stadium The West Side Tennis Club is a private tennis club located in Forest Hills, a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens. The club has 38 tennis courts in all four surfaces (clay court, Har-Tru, grass court and hardcourt), a junior O ...

, a stadium with approximately 13,000 seats, in 1923. The U.S. Open and its predecessor national championships were held there until 1978, making Forest Hills synonymous with tennis for generations. Forest Hills also had a golfing presence for a short time. The Queens Valley Golf Club started constructing a golf course in the neighborhood in 1922 and it was open by 1924. However, the club was closed in 1938 so that developers could build housing atop the site of the course. Queens Boulevard was widened in the 1920s. Planning for a Queens Boulevard subway line started around this time. There were proposals for two stations in Forest Hills: an express station serving all trains on 71st Avenue, and a local station at 75th Avenue. During the late 1920s, in anticipation of the arrival of the subway, land was bought by developers and was built up. Zoning laws were changed to allow fifteen-story apartment buildings to be built, and made the neighborhood of Forest Hills a more desirable place to live, especially as it was an express stop. Queens Borough President George Harvey predicted that the introduction of the subway to Forest Hills would turn Queens Boulevard into the " Park Avenue of Queens." Excavation for the line started in 1931, and the two subway stops in Forest Hills opened in 1936 along with six other stations on the Queens Boulevard line. The population nearly doubled in the late 1920s, going from 9,500 residents in 1927 to 18,207 residents three years later. By 1940, after the subway opened, the population had increased to 32,500 residents. By this time, development had largely stopped due to World War II, and about 25 empty lots in Forest Hills Gardens were developed after the war. At the same time, the single-family houses in Forest Hills were being razed to create new apartment buildings. The land in Forest Hills Gardens was fully developed by the 1960s, but there would still be empty lots in Forest Hills itself until the mid-1990s.

Later history

In 1972, residents protested against Forest Hills Houses, a proposed public housing development with three 24-story buildings at 62nd Drive and 108th Street. It was part of Mayor John Lindsay "scatter-site" plan to construct public housing in neighborhoods that had none (as opposed to concentrating public housing in poor neighborhoods). White middle-class residents believed that the public housing would depreciate the community's quality of life because poor residents would move into the housing. Advocates for the project accused residents of racism, since the proposed development's residents would be mostly people of minority races. Lindsay garnered significant opposition due to the controversy surrounding Forest Hills Houses. Mario Cuomo, a lawyer and the future Governor of New York, was assigned to mediate the dispute and succeeded in halving the size of the project. The New York City Housing Authority ultimately implemented a rigorous screening process for prospective residents of Forest Hills Houses, with quotas for elderly and poorer tenants. During the 1970s and 1980s, the neighborhood became more racially diverse. Discriminatory covenants for prospective Forest Hills Gardens residents were lifted, and immigrants from Iran, India, Israel, and the Soviet Union started residing in Forest Hills.

Demographics

Based on data from the

2010 United States Census The United States census of 2010 was the twenty-third United States national census. National Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2010. The census was taken via mail-in citizen self-reporting, with enumerators servin ...

, the population of Forest Hills was 86,364, an increase of 1,318 (1.5%) from the 85,046 counted in 2000. Covering an area of , the neighborhood had a population density of .Table PL-P5 NTA: Total Population and Persons Per Acre – New York City Neighborhood Tabulation Areas*, 2010
Population Division – New York City Department of City Planning, February 2012. Accessed June 14, 2016. The racial makeup of the neighborhood was 58.3% (48,822) White, 2.5% (2,086) African American, 0.1% (63) Native American, 24.2% (20,233)

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.0% (22) Pacific Islander, 0.4% (373) from other races, and 2.1% (1,719) from two or more races. Hispanic or

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 12.4% (10,410) of the population.Table PL-P3A NTA: Total Population by Mutually Exclusive Race and Hispanic Origin – New York City Neighborhood Tabulation Areas*, 2010
Population Division – New York City Department of City Planning, March 29, 2011. Accessed June 14, 2016. The entirety of Community Board 6, which comprises Forest Hills and Rego Park, had 115,119 inhabitants as of NYC Health's 2018 Community Health Profile, with an average life expectancy of 85.4 years. This is higher than the median life expectancy of 81.2 for all New York City neighborhoods. Most inhabitants are middle-aged and elderly adults: 31% are between the ages of 25–44, 28% between 45–64, and 19% over 64. The ratio of young and college-aged residents was lower, at 16% and 5% respectively. As of 2017, the median household income in Community Board 4 was $75,447. In 2018, an estimated 26% of Forest Hills and Rego Park residents lived in poverty, compared to 19% in all of Queens and 20% in all of New York City. One in seventeen residents (6%) was unemployed, compared to 8% in Queens and 9% in New York City. Rent burden, or the percentage of residents who have difficulty paying their rent, is 50% in Forest Hills and Rego Park, lower than the boroughwide and citywide rates of 53% and 51% respectively. Based on this calculation, , Forest Hills and Rego Park is considered to be high-income relative to the rest of the city and not

gentrifying Gentrification is the process of changing the character of a neighborhood through the influx of more affluent residents and businesses. It is a common and controversial topic in urban politics and planning. Gentrification often increases the econ ...

Land use

Church in the Gardens UCC 50 Ascan Av jeh

The southern part of Forest Hills contains a particularly diverse mixture of upscale housing, ranging from single-family houses, attached townhouses, and both low-rise and high-rise apartment buildings. South of the

, the Forest Hills Gardens area is a private community that features some of the most expensive residential properties in Queens County. Until the 1970s, it was subject to

restrictive covenant A covenant, in its most general sense and historical sense, is a solemn promise to engage in or refrain from a specified action. Under historical English common law, a covenant was distinguished from an ordinary contract by the presence of a se ...

s which, while containing no explicit economic, social or racial restrictions, effectively excluded "working-class people", as noted by Eric P. Nash in his 2002 ''New York Times'' book review of ''A Modern Arcadia''. Forest Hills Gardens was named "Best Community" in 2007 by ''

Cottage Living ''Cottage Living'' was an American lifestyle and decorating magazine published by Southern Progress Corporation, a subsidiary of the Time Inc. History and profile ''Cottage Living'' was started in 2004. Its first issue, September/October 2004, a ...

'' magazine. The adjacent Van Court community also contains a number of detached single-family homes. There are also attached townhouses near the Westside Tennis Center and detached frame houses near Metropolitan Avenue. The north side of Forest Hills is home to the Cord Meyer community, which contains detached single-family homes. Teardowns and their replacement with larger single family residences has had a significant impact on the architectural integrity of the area. However, the Bukharian Jewish community, whose members have settled in the area in large numbers since the late 1990s, advocating the changes say the bigger homes are needed for their large extended families. On the northwestern edge of Forest Hills, on 62nd Drive and 108th Street immediately adjacent to the Long Island Expressway, is the

Forest Hills Co-op Houses The Forest Hills Co-operative Houses are located on an site at 108-03 62nd Drive on the border of the Queens neighborhoods of Forest Hills and Corona in New York City, United States. History Unlike the rest of the surrounding neighborhood, th ...

, a New York City Housing Authority low-income housing project. Its construction provoked controversy among the residents in the more prestigious areas of Forest Hills when it was constructed in the early 1970s. The southeastern portion of Forest Hills contains Forest Hills South, a complex of 7

Georgian Georgian may refer to: Common meanings * Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country) ** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group ** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians **Georgian scripts, three scrip ...

apartment buildings centered around a private English garden, which was formerly a mapped portion of 113th Street prior to the complex's construction in 1939. This enclave was designed by Philip Birnbaum. Philip Birnbaum and

Alfred Kaskel Alfred Kaskel (1901–1968) was an American real estate developer and hotelier, best known for founding Doral Hotels and Resorts, Doral Construction, and Carol Management, which developed, owned, and managed a number of hotels, apartment buildings ...

also designed and constructed numerous apartment buildings scattered throughout Forest Hills. These include the Grover Cleveland, the Van Buren Apartments, the Thomas Jefferson, the Maplewood, the Richard Apartments, the Stephen Apartments, the James Madison, the Cedar Apartments, the Howard Apartments, the James Monroe, the Nathan Hale, the St. Regis, the Roanoke, and the Kennedy House. Birnbaum and Kaskel's buildings largely remain standing, and are distinguished by their spacious lobbies, interior courtyards with fountains, curved brick corner terraces, and sunlit exposures. Other notable high-rise apartment buildings include the Continental (on 108th Street), the Pinnacle, Parker Towers, the Windsor and a 17-story luxury condo building completed in 2014, the Aston.

Points of interest

Forest Hills was once the home of the U.S. Open tennis tournament. The event was held at the

before it moved to the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in

Flushing Meadows Park Flushing may refer to: Places * Flushing, Cornwall, a village in the United Kingdom * Flushing, Queens, New York City ** Flushing Bay, a bay off the north shore of Queens ** Flushing Chinatown (法拉盛華埠), a community in Queens ** Flushing ...

, about away. When the Open was played at the tennis stadium, the tournament was commonly referred to merely as ''Forest Hills'', just as All-England Lawn Tennis Association Championships are referred to simply as

Wimbledon Wimbledon most often refers to: * Wimbledon, London, a district of southwest London * Wimbledon Championships, the oldest tennis tournament in the world and one of the four Grand Slam championships Wimbledon may also refer to: Places London * ...

. In the 2001 motion picture, '' The Royal Tenenbaums'',

Luke Wilson Luke Cunningham Wilson (born September 21, 1971) is an American actor known for his roles in films such as '' Bottle Rocket'' (1996), '' Rushmore'' (1998), ''My Dog Skip'' (2000), ''Legally Blonde'' (2001), ''The Royal Tenenbaums'' (2001), ''Id ...

's character plays a tennis match at the West Side Tennis Club in Forest Hills. A pivotal scene in

Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featur ...

's 1951 film '' Strangers on a Train'', in which the main character (played by Farley Granger) is a professional tennis player, features a lengthy championship game at the Club, with distinctive shots of the surrounding community. The Tennis Stadium, which hosted numerous music concerts including The Beatles after the U.S. Open departed for Flushing Meadows, resumed hosting music concerts during the summer of 2013 when the British rock band Mumford & Sons played there to an overflowing crowd. Stadium officials have said they will now host as many as six music or cultural events at the Stadium each season. Austin Street is a busy, modern street with shops, cafes, restaurants, and other stores that acts as the center of Forest Hills. It has become a place people visit from other neighborhoods because of its charm. Two monuments are erected in Forest Hills Gardens: a tribute to the victims of World War I, the "Great War"; and the mast of the ''

Columbia Columbia may refer to: * Columbia (personification), the historical female national personification of the United States, and a poetic name for America Places North America Natural features * Columbia Plateau, a geologic and geographic region in ...

'', the winner of the

America's Cup The America's Cup, informally known as the Auld Mug, is a trophy awarded in the sport of sailing. It is the oldest international competition still operating in any sport. America's Cup match races are held between two sailing yachts: one f ...

yacht races in both 1899 and 1901. The Church-in-the-Gardens, St. Luke's Episcopal Church, and United States Post Office are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Police and crime

Forest Hills and Rego Park are patrolled by the 112th Precinct of the NYPD, located at 68-40 Austin Street. The 112th Precinct ranked 6th safest out of 69 patrol areas for per-capita crime in 2010. The area's low crime rate is attributed to its seclusion and reputation as a "suburb within the city". , with a non-fatal assault rate of 14 per 100,000 people, Forest Hills and Rego Park's rate of violent crimes per capita is less than that of the city as a whole. The incarceration rate of 102 per 100,000 people is lower than that of the city as a whole. The 112th Precinct has a lower crime rate than in the 1990s, with crimes across all categories having decreased by 91.5% between 1990 and 2018. The precinct reported 0 murders, 18 rapes, 41 robberies, 53 felony assaults, 69 burglaries, 403 grand larcenies, and 37 grand larcenies auto in 2018.

Fire safety

Forest Hills contains a New York City Fire Department (FDNY) fire station, Engine Co. 305/Ladder Co. 151, at 111-02 Queens Boulevard.

Health

, preterm births and births to teenage mothers are less common in Forest Hills and Rego Park than in other places citywide. In Forest Hills and Rego Park, there were 66 preterm births per 1,000 live births (compared to 87 per 1,000 citywide), and 4.6 births to teenage mothers per 1,000 live births (compared to 19.3 per 1,000 citywide). Forest Hills and Rego Park have a low population of residents who are uninsured. In 2018, this population of uninsured residents was estimated to be 11%, slightly lower than the citywide rate of 12%. The concentration of

fine particulate matter Particulates – also known as atmospheric aerosol particles, atmospheric particulate matter, particulate matter (PM) or suspended particulate matter (SPM) – are microscopic particles of solid or liquid matter suspended in the air. The ter ...

, the deadliest type of air pollutant, in Forest Hills and Rego Park is , equal to the city average. Ten percent of Forest Hills and Rego Park residents are smokers, which is lower than the city average of 14% of residents being smokers. In Forest Hills and Rego Park, 19% of residents are obese, 7% are diabetic, and 20% have

high blood pressure Hypertension (HTN or HT), also known as high blood pressure (HBP), is a long-term medical condition in which the blood pressure in the arteries is persistently elevated. High blood pressure usually does not cause symptoms. Long-term high bl ...

—compared to the citywide averages of 20%, 14%, and 24% respectively. In addition, 11% of children are obese, compared to the citywide average of 20%. Ninety-three percent of residents eat some fruits and vegetables every day, which is higher than the city's average of 87%. In 2018, 82% of residents described their health as "good", "very good", or "excellent", higher than the city's average of 78%. For every supermarket in Forest Hills and Rego Park, there are 5 bodegas. Long Island Jewish Forest Hills is located in Forest Hills.

Post office and ZIP Code

Forest Hills is covered by ZIP Code 11375. The United States Post Office operates the Forest Hills Station at 106-28 Queens Boulevard and the Parkside Station at 10119 Metropolitan Avenue.

Education

Forest Hills and Rego Park generally have a higher percentage of college-educated residents than the rest of the city . The majority of residents (62%) have a college education or higher, while 8% have less than a high school education and 30% are high school graduates or have some college education. By contrast, 39% of Queens residents and 43% of city residents have a college education or higher. The percentage of Forest Hills and Rego Park students excelling in math rose from 42% in 2000 to 61% in 2011, and reading achievement rose from 48% to 49% during the same time period. Forest Hills and Rego Park's rate of elementary school student absenteeism is less than the rest of New York City. In Forest Hills and Rego Park, 10% of elementary school students missed twenty or more days per school year, lower than the citywide average of 20%. Additionally, 91% of high school students in Forest Hills and Rego Park graduate on time, more than the citywide average of 75%.

K–12 schools

Our Lady Queen of Martyrs Forest Hills jeh

Public schools

Forest Hills contains the following public elementary schools which serve grades PK–5 unless otherwise indicated: * PS 101 School In The Gardens * PS 144 Col. Jeromus Remsen School * PS 174 William Sidney Mount * PS 175 Lynn Gross Discovery School * PS 196 Grand Central Parkway * PS 220 Edward Mandel * PS 303 The Academy for Excellence through the Arts (grades PK–4) The following public middle schools serve Forest Hills: * JHS 157 Stephen A. Halsey (grades 6–9) * MS 167 Metropolitan Expeditionary Learning School (grades 6–12) * JHS 190 Russell Sage (grades 6–8) There are no zoned high schools in New York City. The following high schools in Forest Hills serve grades 9–12: * Forest Hills High School *

Queens Metropolitan High School Queens Metropolitan High School (QMHS) is a public high school in Forest Hills in Queens, New York. It is generally referred to simply as "QMHS," "Metro", or just "'Queens Metro" by the students. It is on the south side of Metropolitan Avenue in ...

Private schools

Private schools in Forest Hills include two Catholic schools (Our Lady of Mercy and Our Lady Queen of Martyrs) and

The Kew-Forest School The Kew-Forest School is an independent, co-ed, college preparatory school for students in grades Pre-Kindergarten-Grade 12. The school was established in 1918 primarily for residents of Forest Hills and Kew Gardens, Queens, New York. Notable a ...

, an independent school. Also located in Forest Hills is Yeshiva Gedolah Lubavitch, an ultra orthodox Chabad high school and branch of Tomchei Temimim.

Colleges

Bramson ORT College Bramson ORT College was a nonprofit private two-year college in New York City. Its main campus was located in Forest Hills, Queens, with a satellite campus in Brooklyn. It was affiliated with ORT America, a volunteer organization that is the u ...

was an undergraduate college operated by the American branch of the Jewish charity World ORT. Its main campus was in Forest Hills, with a satellite campus in Brooklyn. It closed in February 2017 after failing to meet standards set by the New York State Education Department Board of Regents and losing its accreditation. Touro College/NYSCAS has a branch location in Forest Hills.

Plaza College Plaza College is a private for-profit college in Forest Hills, New York. It was founded in 1916 and originally located in Long Island City, Queens, before moving to Jackson Heights in 1970, and its current location in 2014. The Jackson Heights fa ...

, a small regionally-accredited college offering associates and bachelors degrees, is also located in Forest Hills.

Libraries

The Queens Public Library operates two branches in Forest Hills. The Forest Hills branch is located at 108-19 71st Avenue, while the North Forest Park branch is located at 98-27 Metropolitan Avenue.

Transportation

Public transportation

The following MTA Regional Bus Operations bus routes serve Forest Hills: *: to Elmhurst or Old Howard Beach or Hamilton Beach (via Woodhaven Boulevard) *: to Elmhurst or

Howard Beach Howard Beach is a neighborhood in the southwestern portion of the New York City borough of Queens. It is bordered to the north by the Belt Parkway and Conduit Avenue in Ozone Park, to the south by Jamaica Bay in Broad Channel, to the east by 1 ...

(via Woodhaven Boulevard) *: to

East Elmhurst East Elmhurst is a residential neighborhood in the northwest section of the New York City borough of Queens. It is bounded to the south by Jackson Heights and Corona, to the north and east by Bowery Bay, and to the west by Woodside and Ditmars ...

(via 108th Street, Austin Street, and 69th Avenue) *: to Corona via Middle Village (via 62nd Drive (to Corona), 63rd Road (to Forest Hills), 63rd Drive, Penelope Avenue, Eliot Avenue) *: to Elmhurst or

Arverne Arverne is a neighborhood in the New York City borough (New York City), borough of Queens, on the Rockaway, Queens, Rockaway Peninsula. It was initially developed by Remington Vernam (land developer), Remington Vernam, whose signature "R. Vernam" ...

(via Woodhaven/Cross Bay Boulevard) *: to

Woodside Woodside may refer to: Places and buildings Australia *Woodside, South Australia, a town *Woodside, Victoria, a town Canada *Woodside National Historic Site, the boyhood home of William Lyon Mackenzie King *Woodside, Nova Scotia, a neighborho ...

Rockaway Park Rockaway Park is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens. The area is on the Rockaway Peninsula, nestled between Jamaica Bay to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the south. The neighborhood of Rockaway Beach lies on its eastern b ...

(via Woodhaven/Cross Bay Boulevard) *: to

Jamaica, Queens Jamaica is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens. It is mainly composed of a large commercial and retail area, though part of the neighborhood is also residential. Jamaica is bordered by Hollis to the east; St. Albans, Springfi ...

or Williamsburg, Brooklyn (via

Metropolitan Avenue Metropolitan Avenue is a major east-west street in Queens and northern Brooklyn, New York City. Its western end is at the East River in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and the eastern end at Jamaica Avenue in Jamaica, Queens. The avenue was construct ...

) *: to South Jamaica, Queens or

East Midtown, Manhattan Midtown Manhattan is the central portion of the New York City borough of Manhattan and serves as the city's primary central business district. Midtown is home to some of the city's most prominent buildings, including the Empire State Buildi ...

(via Queens Boulevard) *: to

Electchester Pomonok is a working class neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens. This large public housing development in South Flushing was built in 1949 on the former site of Pomonok Country Club. The name comes from a Native American word for ...

(via 69th Road/Jewel Avenue) *: to Elmhurst or

Queens Village Queens Village is a mostly residential middle class neighborhood in the eastern part of the New York City borough of Queens. It is bound by Hollis to the west, Cambria Heights to the south, Bellerose to the east, and Oakland Gardens to the north ...

(via

Horace Harding Expressway Quintus Horatius Flaccus (; 8 December 65 – 27 November 8 BC), known in the English-speaking world as Horace (), was the leading Roman lyric poet during the time of Augustus (also known as Octavian). The rhetorician Quintilian regarded his ' ...

) *: express to

Midtown Manhattan Midtown Manhattan is the central portion of the New York City borough of Manhattan and serves as the city's primary central business district. Midtown is home to some of the city's most prominent buildings, including the Empire State Buildin ...

(via 69th Road/Jewel Avenue,

Sixth Avenue Sixth Avenue – also known as Avenue of the Americas, although this name is seldom used by New Yorkers, p.24 – is a major thoroughfare in New York City's borough of Manhattan, on which traffic runs northbound, or "uptown". It is commercial ...

) *: express to

(via LeFrak City, Sixth Avenue) *: express to

Lower Manhattan Lower Manhattan (also known as Downtown Manhattan or Downtown New York) is the southernmost part of Manhattan, the central borough for business, culture, and government in New York City, which is the most populated city in the United States with ...

(via Queens Boulevard, LeFrak City, Water Street, Church Street) *: express to Midtown Manhattan (via Yellowstone Boulevard, Sixth Avenue) *: express to Midtown Manhattan (via Woodhaven Boulevard, Sixth Avenue) *: express to Midtown Manhattan (via Queens Boulevard, Sixth Avenue) *: express to Midtown Manhattan (via LeFrak City, Third Avenue) *: express to Midtown Manhattan (via Yellowstone Boulevard, Third Avenue) *: express to Midtown Manhattan (via 69th Road/Jewel Avenue, Third Avenue) *: express to Midtown Manhattan (via Woodhaven Boulevard,

Madison Avenue Madison Avenue is a north-south avenue in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, United States, that carries northbound one-way traffic. It runs from Madison Square (at 23rd Street) to meet the southbound Harlem River Drive at 142nd Stre ...

) The following

stations serve Forest Hills: * () * () * () * () The neighborhood also has two

commuter rail stations: the Forest Hills station and the Kew Gardens station.

Road

The main thoroughfare is Queens Boulevard. The street's width and complexity have led to a large number of pedestrian deaths, earning it the moniker "Boulevard of Death".

is known for its antique shops. The commercial heart of Forest Hills is a mile-long stretch of Austin Street between Yellowstone Boulevard and Ascan Avenue: the latter thoroughfare was named in 1909 by developer Frederick Backus for his own father, Ascan Backus, II.

Parks and recreation

Forest Hills is bordered by two of the largest parks in Queens managed by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation: the

, which is the site of two World's Fairs (in

1939 This year also marks the start of the Second World War, the largest and deadliest conflict in human history. Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 1 ** Third Reich *** Jews are forbidden to ...

and

1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarch ...

) and the iconic

Unisphere The Unisphere is a spherical stainless steel representation of the Earth in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in the New York City borough of Queens. The globe was designed by Gilmore D. Clarke as part of his plan for the 1964 New York World's ...

; as well as the

. Within Forest Hills, parks and playgrounds include the Yellowstone Municipal Park – Katzman Playground (located on Yellowstone Boulevard, between 68th Avenue and 68th Road); the Annadale Playground (located on Yellowstone Boulevard, between 64th Road and 65th Avenue); the Willow Lake Playground (located off the Grand Central Parkway, between 71st and 72nd Avenues); the Ehrenreich-Austin Playground (located on Austin Street, between 76th Avenue and 76th Drive); and the Russell Sage Playground (located on 68th Avenue, between Booth and Austin Streets). Access to Flushing Meadows-Corona Park is restricted due to the fact that the Grand Central Parkway bisects the neighborhood and the park proper. Pedestrian access exists over the Grand Central Parkway at the Horace Harding Expressway, 64th Avenue, Jewel Avenue, and 72nd Road. A former entrance at 78th Avenue, leading to Willow Lake and providing pedestrian access to Kew Gardens Hills has been shuttered since 2001.

In popular culture

Forest Hills was featured as the home setting for the comic book superhero

Spider-Man Spider-Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appeared in the anthology comic book '' Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962) in the ...

, where under the alias Peter Parker he grew up at 20 Ingram Street (). In the comics the home was depicted as a modest, two-story boarding house run by his Aunt May.Kempton, Sally. "Spiderman's icDilemma: Super-Anti-Hero in Forest Hills", '' The Village Voice'', April 1, 1965. The Ramones originated in Forest Hills. The band was recognized with the designation in 2017 of Ramones Way at 67th Avenue and 110th Street, in front of Forest Hills High School. Simon and Garfunkel both graduated from Forest Hills High School in 1958. The duo performed at Forest Hills Stadium in 1966, 1967, 1968, and two nights in 1970. Paul Simon returned once again to Forest Hills Stadium in 2016 during his Homeward Bound farewell tour.

Billy Eichner Billy Eichner (; born September 18, 1978) is an American comedian, actor, producer, and screenwriter. He is the star, executive producer, and creator of Funny Or Die's ''Billy on the Street'', a comedy game show that aired on truTV. The show ea ...

wrote the parody song "Forest Hills State of Mind" about neighborhood.

Notable people

* Jacob Arabo (born 1965), jewelry and watch designer who founded

Jacob & Co Jacob & Co. is an American privately held jewelry and wristwatch retailer founded in 1986 by diamond designer Jacob Arabo. Its flagship boutique and corporate headquarters are located in Manhattan, New York City. History After graduating early ...

. * Awkwafina (born 1988), rapper and actress * Hank Azaria (born 1964), actor and voice artist * David Baltimore (born 1938), Nobel Prize-winning virologist * Walter Becker (1950-2017), half of the musical duo ''

Steely Dan Steely Dan is an American rock band founded in 1971 in New York by Walter Becker (guitars, bass, backing vocals) and Donald Fagen (keyboards, lead vocals). Initially the band had a stable lineup, but in 1974, Becker and Fagen retired from live ...

'' *

Andrew Bergman Andrew Bergman (born February 20, 1945) is an American screenwriter, film director, and novelist. His best-known films include '' Blazing Saddles'', '' The In-Laws'', '' The Freshman'' and ''Striptease''. Early life Born to a Jewish family, Ber ...

(born 1945), screenwriter (''Blazing Saddles'', ''The In-Laws''), writer/director (''The Freshman'', ''Honeymoon In Vegas''), novelist (Jack LeVine mystery series) and playwright (''Social Security'', ''Honeymoon In Vegas''). * Jimmy Breslin (1929-2017), journalist * Joseph Bowler (born 1928), artist and illustrator * Daniel Bukantz (1917–2008), Olympic fencer *

Michael A. Burstein Michael A. Burstein (born 1970) is an American writer of science fiction. Background Michael A. Burstein was born in New York City, and grew up in Forest Hills in the borough of Queens. He attended Hunter College High School in Manhattan ...

(born 1970), science fiction writer * Dale Carnegie (1888–1955), self-improvement lecturer and author of '' How to Win Friends and Influence People'' lived at 27 Wendover Rd in Forest Hills. * David Caruso (born 1956), actor in ''

CSI: Miami ''CSI: Miami'' (''Crime Scene Investigation: Miami'') is an American police procedural drama television series that ran from September 23, 2002 until April 8, 2012 on CBS. Featuring David Caruso as Lieutenant Horatio Caine, Emily Procter as Dete ...

'', and ''

NYPD Blue ''NYPD Blue'' is an American police procedural television series set in New York City, exploring the struggles of the fictional 15th Precinct detective squad in Manhattan. Each episode typically intertwines several plots involving an ensemble c ...

'' * Candy Darling (1944–1974), Warhol superstar who appeared in a number of his films *

John R. Dilworth John Russell Dilworth (born February 14, 1963) is an American animator, actor, writer, director, storyboard artist, producer and the creator of the animated television series ''Courage the Cowardly Dog''. His work has mainly appeared on PBS, CBS, ...

(born 1963), animator and creator of

Cartoon Network Cartoon Network (often abbreviated as CN) is an American cable television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. It is a part of The Cartoon Network, Inc., a division that also has the broadcasting and production activities of Boomerang, Car ...

's '' Courage the Cowardly Dog'' *

Sergei Dovlatov Sergei Donatovich Dovlatov (russian: link=no, Сергей Донатович Довлатов; 1941 1990) was a Soviet journalist and writer. Internationally, he is one of the most popular Russian writers of the late 20th century. Biography ...

(1941–1990), Russian short–story writer and novelist; in 2014, the corner of 63rd Drive and 108th Street was given an honorary designation in his name. *

Walter Egan Walter may refer to: People * Walter (name), both a surname and a given name * Little Walter, American blues harmonica player Marion Walter Jacobs (1930–1968) * Gunther (wrestler), Austrian professional wrestler and trainer Walter Hahn (born 19 ...

(born 1948), singer-songwriter ("

Magnet and Steel "Magnet and Steel" is a hit single written and performed by Walter Egan, released in March 1978. It was the first and biggest hit on Egan's second solo LP, ''Not Shy''. It reached number eight on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and number nine i ...

") *

(born 1978), comedian, actor, and host of '' Billy on the Street'' * Geraldine Ferraro (1935–2011), member of U.S. House of Representatives, television personalityClines, Francis X
"In Training for a Run on the Political Stage"
''The New York Times'', February 19, 1997. Accessed July 5, 2016. "She commutes here on alternate weeks for five nights of shows, traveling from Forest Hills, Queens, where she lives with her husband, John A. Zaccaro." * Art Garfunkel (born 1941), singer-songwriterMartin, Douglas
"About New York; Just Simon in the Park, to Garfunkel's Disappointment"
''The New York Times'', August 14, 1991; accessed June 2, 2009. "Soon, he and Paul Simon, two sons of Forest Hills, Queens, who became bards of the 60's, would stride to the shimmering center of a vast Central Park stage, and a generation growing overweight and apart would for a few fleeting hours feel forever young." * Ernie Grunfeld (born 1955), former player and general manager of the Washington Wizards * Alan Hevesi (born 1940), disgraced former Comptroller of New York *

Steve Hofstetter Steven Ira Hofstetter (born September 11, 1979) is an American stand-up comedian and podcast host. , his YouTube channel has accumulated over 709,000 subscribers and 195,000,000 views. Hofstetter starred in the FS1 special ''Finding Babe Ruth'', ...

(born 1979), comedian/radio personality * John V. Hogan (1890–1960), radio pioneer * John Francis Hylan (1848–1936),

Mayor of New York City The mayor of New York City, officially Mayor of the City of New York, is head of the executive branch of the government of New York City and the chief executive of New York City. The mayor's office administers all city services, public property ...

(1918–1925) *

Ethel D. Jacobs Ethel D. Jacobs (March 18, 1910 - November 9, 2001) was a prominent American Thoroughbred racehorse owner/breeder who was a three-time leading owner in North America. Married to U.S. Racing Hall of Fame trainer Hirsch Jacobs, Ethel Jacobs us ...

(1910–2001), thoroughbred horse owner and breeder, wife of Hirsch Jacobs * Hirsch Jacobs (1904–1970), thoroughbred jockey, husband of

* Donna Karan (born 1948), fashion designer * Helen Keller (1880–1968), lecturer, author, fundraiser, activist *

Alan King Alan King (born Irwin Alan Kniberg; December 26, 1927 – May 9, 2004) was an American actor and comedian known for his biting wit and often angry humorous rants. King became well known as a Jewish comedian and satirist. He was also a serious ac ...

(1927–2004), actor/comedian * Andrea King (1919–2003), actress * David Krumholtz (born 1978), actor *

Gary Kurfirst Gary Kurfirst (8 July 1947 – 13 January 2009) was an American music promoter, producer, manager, publisher, and record label executive. Kurfirst founded Radioactive Records, whose acts included Live, Black Grape, Ramones, Big Audio Dynamite, ...

(1947–2009), concert promoter and record producer *

Michael Landon Michael Landon (born Eugene Maurice Orowitz; October 31, 1936 – July 1, 1991) was an American actor and filmmaker. He is known for his roles as Little Joe Cartwright in ''Bonanza'' (1959–1973), Charles Ingalls in ''Little House on the Pr ...

(1936–1991), actor known for his roles on ''

Bonanza ''Bonanza'' is an American Western television series that ran on NBC from September 13, 1959, to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 432 episodes, ''Bonanza'' is NBC's longest-running western, the second-longest-running western series on U ...

'' and '' Little House on the Prairie'' *

Harvey J. Levin Harvey Joshua Levin (July 1, 1924 – April 30, 1992) was an American economist. He was university research professor in the Department of Economics at Hofstra University (1989–92), Augustus B. Weller Professor of Economics at Hofstra (1964– ...

(1924–1992), internationally recognized pioneer of communications economics, holder of Long Island's first professorial chair * Jack Lew (born 1955), United States Secretary of the Treasury from 2013 to 2017 * Trygve Lie (1896–1968), first Secretary-General of the United Nations, serving from 1946 to 1952 *

Carol Lynley Carol Lynley (born Carole Ann Jones; February 13, 1942 – September 3, 2019) was an American actress known for her roles in the films ''Blue Denim'' (1959) and '' The Poseidon Adventure'' (1972). Lynley was born in Manhattan to an Irish ...

(1942–2019), actress best known for her role in '' The Poseidon Adventure'' * Jack McAuliffe (1866–1937), world lightweight boxing champion *

Chieli Minucci Chieli Minucci (born April 17, 1958) is an American guitarist who co-founded the band Special EFX. Career His father, Ulpio Minucci, was a concert pianist and composer who wrote the music to the 1955 song " Domani." Chieli Minucci started Spec ...

(born 1958), jazz musician *

Min Xiao-Fen Min Xiao-Fen () is a Chinese-American pipa player, vocalist, and composer known for her work in traditional Chinese music, contemporary classical music, and jazz. Life Min Xiao-Fen studied with her father, Min Jiqian (闵季骞), a music profess ...

(born 1961),

pipa The pipa, pípá, or p'i-p'a () is a traditional Chinese musical instrument, belonging to the plucked category of instruments. Sometimes called the "Chinese lute", the instrument has a pear-shaped wooden body with a varying number of frets rang ...

player and vocalist * Michele "Big Mike" Miranda (1896–1973), consigliere of the Genovese crime family and one of the most powerful New York gangsters in the 1950s and 1960s * Lore Noto (1923–2002),

Off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

producer * Carroll O'Connor (1924–2001), actor, best known for his role as Archie Bunker on '' All in the Family'' *

Marco Oppedisano Marco Oppedisano (born November 20, 1971 in Brooklyn, New York) is an American guitarist and composer whose compositions focus on the innovative use of electric guitar in the genre of electroacoustic music. His musique concrète/acousmatic music ...

(born 1971), composer and guitarist * Rick Overton (born 1954), actor and comedian *

Susan Polgar Susan is a feminine given name, from Persian "Susan" (lily flower), from Egyptian '' sšn'' and Coptic ''shoshen'' meaning "lotus flower", from Hebrew ''Shoshana'' meaning "lily" (in modern Hebrew this also means "rose" and a flower in general), ...

(born 1969), chess grandmaster * The

Ramones The Ramones were an American punk rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first true punk rock group. Despite achieving a limited commercial appeal in the United ...

, seminal punk rock band: ** Dee Dee Ramone (1951–2002), bassist and songwriter of the Ramones ** Joey Ramone (1951–2001), lead singer and songwriter of the Ramones **

Johnny Ramone John William Cummings (October 8, 1948 – September 15, 2004), better known by his stage name Johnny Ramone, was an American musician who was the guitarist and a founding member of the Ramones, a band that helped pioneer the punk movement. ...

(1948–2004), guitarist of the Ramones **

Tommy Ramone Thomas Erdelyi (born Tamás Erdélyi; January 29, 1949 – July 11, 2014), known professionally as Tommy Ramone, was a Hungarian American record producer and musician. He was the drummer for the influential punk rock band the Ramones for ...

(1952–2014), drummer and record producer of the Ramones * Wilhelm Reich (1897–1957), psychiatrist known for his theories of

Orgone Orgone () is a pseudoscientific concept variously described as an esoteric energy or hypothetical universal life force. Originally proposed in the 1930s by Wilhelm Reich, and developed by Reich's student Charles Kelley after Reich's death in 1 ...

energy * Renée Richards (formerly Richard Raskind; born 1934), tennis player *

Branch Rickey Wesley Branch Rickey (December 20, 1881 – December 9, 1965) was an American baseball player and sports executive. Rickey was instrumental in breaking Major League Baseball's color barrier by signing black player Jackie Robinson. He also creat ...

(1881–1965), Major League Baseball executive * Thelma Ritter (1902–1969), actress * Ray Romano (born 1957), actor-comedian, best known for '' Everybody Loves Raymond'' *

Dave Rubinstein David Rubinstein, also known as Dave Insurgent (September 5, 1964 – July 3, 1993), was an American singer and co-founder of the New York-based hardcore punk band Reagan Youth. Rubenstein founded the band with guitarist Paul Bakija when both w ...

(1964–1993), punk rock musician * Chris Rush (1946–2018), stand-up comedian *

Renato Russo Renato Russo (born Renato Manfredini, Jr., March 27, 1960 – October 11, 1996) was a Brazilian singer and songwriter. He was the lead singer of the alternative rock band Legião Urbana. A Brazilian film depicting his life and career was rele ...

(1960–1996), Brazilian bandleader * Joan Shawlee (née Fulton; 1926–1987), actress *

Michael Simanowitz Michael Simanowitz (August 10, 1971 – September 2, 2017) was a Democratic New York State Assembly member from the borough of Queens. Election to New York State Assembly Simanowitz was a resident of the Electchester housing cooperative, ...

(1971–2017), member of the

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. *

Todd Strauss-Schulson Todd Strauss-Schulson (born June 24, 1980) is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, editor, and cinematographer, best known for directing the comedy film '' A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas'' (2011), the horror comedy film '' The F ...

(born 1980), film director, screenwriter, producer, editor, and cinematographer * Debbie Wasserman Schultz (born 1966), member of the U.S. House of Representatives for . *

Paul Simon Paul Frederic Simon (born October 13, 1941) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and actor whose career has spanned six decades. He is one of the most acclaimed songwriters in popular music, both as a solo artist and as half of folk roc ...

(born 1941), singer-songwriter * Fred Stone (1873–1959), actor * Tatiana Troyanos (1938–1993),

mezzo-soprano A mezzo-soprano or mezzo (; ; meaning "half soprano") is a type of classical female singing voice whose vocal range lies between the soprano and the contralto voice types. The mezzo-soprano's vocal range usually extends from the A below middle C ...

known for her work at the Metropolitan Opera *

Bob Tufts Robert Malcolm Tufts (November 2, 1955 – October 4, 2019) was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher who played for the San Francisco Giants and Kansas City Royals between 1981 and 1983. Early life Tufts was born in Medford, Massac ...

(1955-2019), Major League Baseball pitcher *

Jeff Wayne Jeffry Wayne (born 1 July 1943) is an American-British composer, musician and lyricist. In 1978, he released ''Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds'', his musical adaptation of H. G. Wells' science-fiction novel ''The War of ...

(born 1943), musician known for his musical version of ''The War of the Worlds'' *

Katharine Weber Katharine Weber (born November 12, 1955) is an American novelist and nonfiction writer. She has taught fiction and nonfiction writing at Yale University, Goucher College, the Paris Writers Workshop and elsewhere. She held the Visiting Richard L. T ...

(born 1955), novelist, author of five novels, including ''Triangle'' and ''True Confections''. * Leslie West (1945–2020), of the hard rock band Mountain *

Anthony Weiner Anthony David Weiner (; born September 4, 1964) is an American former politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 1999 until his resignation in 2011. A member of the Democratic Party, he consistently carried the district with at l ...

(born 1964), politician *

Adolph Alexander Weinman Adolph Alexander Weinman (December 11, 1870 – August 8, 1952) was a Germany-born American sculptor and architectural sculptor. Early life and education Adolph Alexander Weinman was born December 11, 1870 at Durmersheim, near Karlsruhe, Germ ...

(1870–1952), sculptor * Henry Willson (1911–1978), Hollywood agent * Jack Wyatt (1917–2008), host of

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

's '' Confession'';

Episcopalian Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of the l ...

priest *

Gideon Yago Gideon Yago (born February 19, 1978) is a writer and former correspondent for MTV News and CBS News though he is most recognized for his contributions to MTV. Background Yago was born in Madison, Wisconsin to a German-born, Roman Catholic mother ...

(born 1978), journalist, former correspondent at MTV and CBS News *

Manuel Ycaza Manuel Ycaza (born Carlos Manuel De Ycaza; February 1, 1938 – July 16, 2018) was a Panamanian American jockey who led the way for Latin American jockeys in the United States. De Ycaza began riding ponies at age six and by age fourteen was ridi ...

(1938–2018), jockey inducted into the

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* Pia Zadora (born 1953), actressMitchell, Henry
"Pia"
'' The Washington Post'', March 26, 1983. Accessed April 24, 2022. "'My mother was wardrobe mistress for the New York City Opera, and what with my father a musician too, I was surrounded by classical music through my childhood in Forest Hills and I was supposed to be preparing for a career in opera.'"

Notes

References

External links

Forest Hills Neighborhood Profile
About.com {{Authority control Central Asian American culture in New York (state) Jewish communities in the United States Jews and Judaism in Queens, New York Neighborhoods in Queens, New York Russian communities in the United States Russian-American culture in New York City Russian-Jewish culture in New York City Uzbekistani-American culture Russell Sage Foundation