Find Your Next Apartment in Queens: A Guide to the Best Neighborhoods for Renters

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Queens is a diverse and vibrant borough in New York City, known for its cultural melting pot and abundance of green spaces. If you're looking to rent an apartment in Queens, there are a variety of neighborhoods to choose from, each with its own unique culture and charm.

​Here are the top 10 best neighborhoods to consider when renting an apartment in Queens:

1. Astoria: This neighborhood, although highly residential, also has a reputation for being known for its abundance of restaurants and bars, offering a diverse mix of cuisines. Astoria is also home to the Museum of the Moving Image and the Socrates Sculpture Park, making it a great place for culture lovers.   Because of its reputation for hip nightlife, expect to pay a bit more than some other parts of Queens, but still much less than living Manhattan. The commute to Times Square by subway is around 20 minutes.  If saving even more money is an issue, consider neighboring Elmhurst or Jackson Heights. 
2. Forest Hills: Known for its tree-lined streets and large houses, it is also convenient to a lot of great shopping, including the shopping malls of Elmhurst and Rego Park.  Forest Hills also has great public transportation making it easy to get to Manhattan for work.  Figure about only 30 minutes to Times Square.
3. Flushing: This neighborhood is known for its diverse mix of restaurants and shops, offering a variety of cuisines. It is home to one of NYC's largest China Towns (Flushing Main Street), The Sky View Mall and Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, which is the site of the US Open. About 50 minutes from Midtown, Flushing offers a bustling shopping district  (especially when you exit the train station), and suburban living as walk towards Kissena Park.  Depending on where you live, you're also only a short walk to Citi Field and pretty much right under LaGuardia (You sometimes feel like you can jump up and grab on to the places as they pass overhead.)    Expect to save lot's of money on rent in exchange for the 10-20 minutes of extra travel time. 
4. Sunnyside: This neighborhood is known for its friendly community and abundance of pubs and restaurants. Sunnyside is also home to the Sunnyside Gardens Historic District, a collection of townhouses built in the 1920s, making it a great place for architecture lovers.  The commute to Times Square by subway is around 20 minutes.   The area is surrounded by Hunters Point, Long Island City and Astoria, but has a reputation for being somewhat "quieter" and "less exciting" than those areas.  As a result, the rents tend to be somewhat cheaper even though it is so close to Midtown
5. Jackson Heights: This neighborhood is known for its diverse mix of restaurants and shops, offering a variety of cuisines, in fact, it is considered a major ethno-food enthusiast tourist spot and there's a vibrant night life scene.  Jackson Heights is also home to the Jackson Heights Historic District, a collection of garden apartments built in the 1920s, making it a great place for architecture lovers.  The commute to Times Square by subway is around 25 minutes.    Expect lot's of noise and horn honking under the train tracks, then if you walk a block or two away expect to find lot's of tree-lined streets with plenty of low and mid-rise apartment buildings for rent at a pretty good deal.  
6. Jamaica: This neighborhood is known for its diverse mix of restaurants and shops, offering a variety of cuisines. Jamaica is also home to the Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning, which has many cultural events and classes, making it great for culture lovers.  The commute time to Times Square by subway is between 50 minutes and an hour; however, don't worry about falling asleep on the train as it's the last stop.   The extra commute time is traded off by the possibility of finding places to live closer to or even under $2000 a month!
7. Long Island City: This neighborhood is known for its abundance of art galleries and museums, as well as its waterfront views of Manhattan. Long Island City is also home to the MoMA PS1, which is one of the largest contemporary art museums in the country, making it great for art lovers.  It's just across the river from Manhattan.   Once industrial, it is now the home to many new and under construction luxury high-rises as well as iconic views of the NYC skyline and an upscale dining and shopping district.   Due to its proximity to Midtown (just a 10 minute commute away) expect to pay a bit more than living in other parts of Queens, but still save loads of money in comparison to actually living in Manhattan. 
8. Rego Park: This neighborhood is known for its abundance of shops and restaurants making it great for shopping lovers.  Rego Plaza, with a gigantic Costco in the basement is definitely one shopaholic draw and the Queens Center Mall (which technically speaking is in Elmhurst) is just a short walk away.  All in all, it offers many houses, apartments and tree lines streets once you venture off the Queens Boulevard.  The commute to Times Square is around 40 minutes, so great proximity to the heart of Midtown!
9. Fresh Meadows: This neighborhood is known for its abundance of parks and playgrounds and is home to  Cunningham Park.  An escape from the city, Fresh Meadows has a relatively low cost of living compared to other parts of NYC.  The commute to Times Square is closer to an hour, but the extra time is often traded off with much lower rents and often more spacious living.
10. Ridgewood: This Brooklyn-straddling neighborhood is known for its historic architecture and abundance of shops and restaurants. It is also home to the Onderdonk House, which is the oldest Dutch Colonial stone house in New York City, making it great for history buffs.   In fact, it is home to 10 National Historic District.  Requiring a bit more of a lug (but still around 40 minutes from Times Square) housing is typically much cheaper than most of the surrounding neighborhoods in Brooklyn, Queens, and definitely Manhattan. 

Overall, Queens offers a wide variety of neighborhoods to choose from, each with its own unique culture and charm. Whether you're looking for a diverse, family-friendly area, a neighborhood with a strong sense of community, or a place with a lower cost of living, Queens has something to offer everyone. And with easy access to public transportation, you can get to Times Square in no time.

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