There are plenty of reasons to love Queens, NYC’s largest borough. One of its many gems is the neighborhood Jackson Heights, with its easy commute to Midtown Manhattan, charming residential streets, and lively main avenues. Formerly farmland, the area became home to thecountry’s first “garden apartments” in the 1920s.
Visitors can expect to find a vibrant and diverse area with many historical buildings. Best of all, budget-minded renters and homebuyers won’t be disappointed. As of November 2021, median asking prices for rentals ($2,100) and sales ($395,000) were much less than the borough’s overall numbers — not to mention Brooklyn’s and Manhattan’s medians.
Jackson Heights Rentals Under $2500 on StreetEasyArticle continues below
Jackson Heights
91-09 Roosevelt Avenue
$2,400No Fee
Studio |
1
Jackson Heights
87-07 35th Avenue
$2,200No Fee
1 |
1
Jackson Heights
35-64 89th Street
$2,150No Fee
1 |
1
Jackson Heights
33-53 70th Street
$1,595No Fee
Studio |
1
Jackson Heights
35-56 89th Street
$2,250No Fee
1 |
1
Jackson Heights
35-53 86th Street
$1,800No Fee
Studio |
1
Jackson Heights
37-49 81st Street
$2,150No Fee
1 |
1
Jackson Heights
37-51 79th Street
$1,900No Fee
Studio |
1
Jackson Heights
37-50 83rd Street
$1,650No Fee
Studio |
1
Jackson Heights
35-34 95th Street
$2,265No Fee
2 |
1
Jackson Heights
34-27 74th Street
$2,000No Fee
1 |
1
Jackson Heights
35-20 Leverich Street
$2,100No Fee
1 |
1
Jackson Heights Historic District
One of many garden apartment buildings in Jackson Heights. (Getty Images)
The bustling arteries of Roosevelt and 37th Avenues are well known, but Jackson Heights’ bucolic historic district is a hidden surprise. Here, each garden apartment complex rings the block’s perimeter, encompassing vast interior courtyards. That means every resident has a window overlooking the garden! The exteriors have lush greenery too. One can walk down any street and see something blooming — even in winter. With towering century-old trees, these streets are quiet and shady.
Jackson Heights Homes Under $650K on StreetEasyArticle continues below
Jackson Heights
33-44 93rd Street
$310,000
1 |
1
Jackson Heights
88-10 34th Avenue
$395,000
1 |
1
Jackson Heights
37-27 86th Street
$649,999
2 |
1
Jackson Heights
77-12 35th Avenue
$469,000
1 |
1
Jackson Heights
33-24 93rd Street
$329,000
2 |
1.5
Jackson Heights
35-31 85th Street
$600,000
3 |
1
Jackson Heights
35-50 85th Street
$378,000
1 |
1
Jackson Heights
35-38 75th Street
$400,000
1 |
1
Jackson Heights
91-08 32nd Avenue
$400,000
2 |
1
Jackson Heights
35-11 85th Street
$315,000
1 |
1
Jackson Heights
35-30 82nd Street
$400,000
1 |
1
Jackson Heights
35-22 80th Street
$385,000
1 |
1
What Types of Apartments Are in the Historic District?
The buildings in the historic district encompass various architectural styles: Tudor, Georgian Revival, Italianate, and more. The apartments are generously sized with 10- to 12-foot ceilings and amenities like sunrooms, fireplaces, and Juliet balconies. “One of the best things about the housing stock,” says Karatzas, “is how it runs the spectrum from luxurious — units that take up an entire floor with their own private elevator — to modest walkups.” Learn more about different apartment types.
Many boast period details like dumbwaiters, root vegetable garden boxes, and a servant’s bedroom and bath past the kitchen. Also unique: All of the historic apartment buildings have names — many modern ones, too, in keeping with tradition — and you will hear residents refer to living in “Hampton Court” or “the Berkeley” rather than giving an address. The gardens also range in styles from manicured parks to European-inspired landscaping.
Can you see the gardens without living there?
While these historic buildings are private, the Jackson Heights Beautification Group hosts a Jackson Heights Historic Weekend every June, when the gardens are opened free to the public. Events include walking tours, lectures, and exhibits that feature archival photos, blueprints, newspaper clippings, and original real estate ads.
Of course, you’ll find new residential buildings in Jackson Heights too. Roosevelt Parc, for example, offers tenants spectacular vistas of the neighborhood and the Manhattan skyline.
Queens Rentals Under $2500 on StreetEasyArticle continues below
Astoria
31-46 45th Street
$2,000No Fee
1 |
1
Long Island City
38-38 29th Street
$2,350No Fee
1 |
1
Jackson Heights
87-07 35th Avenue
$2,200No Fee
1 |
1
Sunnyside
41-11 47th Avenue
$2,000No Fee
Studio |
1
Elmhurst
40-18 Hampton Street
$1,995No Fee
Studio |
1
Ditmars-Steinway
20-53 26th Street
$2,500No Fee
2 |
1
Maspeth
60-18 54 Place
$2,500No Fee
2 |
1
Woodside
41-15 60th Street
$2,400No Fee
1 |
1
Sunnyside
47-20 42nd Street
$2,500No Fee
1 |
1
Sunnyside
47-25 40th Street
$1,900No Fee
Studio |
1
Ditmars-Steinway
21-77 28th Street
$2,400No Fee
1 |
1
Astoria
11-34 30 Road
$2,400No Fee
1 |
1
Jackson Heights Has a Thriving Food Scene
You’ll find at least a dozen French Renaissance-inspired buildings in Jackson Heights, Queens. (Getty Images)
Jackson Heights offers a globe-spanning array of food, from samosas and Thai curry to Korean fried chicken and tacos.
For those who like to cook, markets and mom-and-pop grocers are abundant, catering to a broad range of tastes and cuisines. And everything is reasonably priced, or as locals like to say, “Queens prices.”
Jackson Heights also hosts a farmers’ market on Sundays. It’s located on 34th between 79th and 80th, in front of I.S. 145 Joseph Pulitzer, a middle school serving nearly 2,000 students.
Queens Homes Under $600K on StreetEasyArticle continues below
Elmhurst
94-30 59th Avenue
$399,800
2 |
1
New Hyde Park
268-31 82nd Avenue
$375,000
1 |
1
Corona
51-11 99th Street
$400,000
1 |
1
Forest Hills
110-11 Queens Boulevard
$425,000
1 |
1
Forest Hills
102-30 Queens Boulevard
$388,888
2 |
1
Jackson Heights
33-44 93rd Street
$310,000
1 |
1
Woodside
65-15 38th Avenue
$480,000
2 |
1
Forest Hills
110-21 73 Road
$395,000
1 |
1
Jackson Heights
88-10 34th Avenue
$395,000
1 |
1
Forest Hills
111-45 76th Avenue
$417,000
2 |
1
Rego Park
63-47 Booth Street
$585,000
2 |
2
Astoria
44-14 Newtown Road
$349,000
Studio |
1
Quirky Historical Landmarks
Alfred Mosher Butts, the inventor of Scrabble, lived in Jackson Heights. The Community Methodist Church, on the corner of 35th Avenue and 81st Street, records the game being played there. If you look up while standing outside, you’ll see the street sign bears scoring numbers under each letter of the street name, as if the letters were Scrabble tiles, in a tribute to Butts.
The Leveriches were among the oldest families in the neighborhood, having settled here in 1662, according to Karatzas. The Leverich Cemetery family burial plot is hidden down a winding alley. It’s now under the care of JHBG and Hibridos Art Collective, which hosts weekly activities open to the community.
It’s an Easy Commute to Midtown Manhattan
With five subway lines (E, F, M, R, 7) to choose from — including two express options — there are always trains running. The reliable Jackson Heights station rarely experiences shutdowns. But when they do happen, the city provides alternatives like additional bus routes. On the average weekday, commuters can zip to east Manhattan in about 10 minutes and midtown in 20. Several bus lines also serve the subway station; three can take you to LaGuardia Airport in less than 15 minutes, including the Q70 express. No neighborhood in Manhattan can beat that! Discover more affordable Queens neighborhoods for renters.