FOREST HILLS, LONG ISLAND

Forest Hills, Long Island

Forest Hills is a neighborhood located in the central part of the borough of Queens, Long Island, New York. It is part of Queens Community Board 6. The neighborhood is surrounded by Rego Park to the north, Flushing Meadows Park, the Grand Central Parkway and Kew Gardens to the east, Middle Village to the west, and Forest Park to the south.

Forest Hills is also home to a mix of upper-middle to upper-class residents, the latter of whom often live in the neighborhood's prestigious Forest Hills Gardens. As of the 2000 census, there were 41,417 people residing in the area. The population density was 27,396 people per square mile. Elevation is 59 feet.

In the early 20th century, the area was mainly a farmland until the new Queensboro Bridge spurred developer Cord Meyer to buy local farms. The Cord Meyer Development Company gave the land of Forest Hills its present name. The former and merged names include Whitepot and Newtown. The Russell Sage Home Foundation was one of Cord Meyer's first customers. Margaret Olivia Slocum Sage, founder of the Russel Sage Foundation purchased 142 acres of land from the Cord Meyer Company. The Foundation started with a humane vision of quality housing for the masses, but hard-nosed econometrics soon took over and plots became affordable only for the wealthy. In recent time, there are number of Tudor homes in particular areas of Forest Hills outside of the Gardens.

Well-known people living in Forest Hills include Hank Azaria (actor), Walter Becker (musician), Burt Bacharach (actor), The Ramones (band), Paul Simon (singer), David Leonard (guitarist), Art Garfunkel (singer), and Donna Karan (fashion designer). The racial-makeup of the neighborhood comprises of 73.1% White, 20.1% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 1.62% African American, 0.12% Native American, 2.39% from other races, and 2.61% from two or more races.

Forest Hills is served by the New York City Department of Education. It is considered as one of the safest neighborhoods in Queens. As always, one must stay alert especially at night. It's a bad idea to walk alone in Forest Park at night or in its more isolated areas. Metropolitan Avenue is known for antique shops. Shops on Queens Boulevard are varied. The new Stop & Shop is the best local supermarket, but is cemented over in a small mall. The Austin Street is the main shopping drag which has abundance of boutiques and small shops. Chain stores also intersperse the strip from Ascan to 69th Place, such as Barnes &amp Noble at 70th Avenue. Forest Hills also contains areas of private houses with little commerce, including the Gardens area; dense commercial districts full of stores and large apartment complexes; and streets with the six-story brick apartment buildings common throughout Queens. Architectural design meets the best international standards. Private home appearance blends well with the lay out of public spaces. The Station Square excels in the Tudor style and has a picturesque appeal.