Is Jackson heights nice now?

It has beautiful prewar apartments, although many are walkups. Aside from some hustle-bustle on the main shopping streets, the only complaint I've ever heard was lack of parks, and of parking.

It has never had the reputation for being not-nice, to my knowledge.

What don't you get?

Everyone and these pre war buildings. Doesn't the Bronx have that too? Both are ghetto despite the building stock.
Why not the Bronx then?

Loud music playing all times. People who steal the shopping cart. My uncle used to live there. There used to be a lot of drugs and hookers on Roosevelt Ave. That is nice I guess. A fellow co-worker has a kid who is police officer assigned to the area -- it's drunk domestic disputes at like 10:00 AM.

Because the pre-war buildings in Jackson Heights were planned as a community, the first such in New York. They are not just randomly placed, they are laid out on a continuous grid, somewhat akin to Forest Hills. I have to think you haven't spent any real time there if you don't get this.

It's pretty nice when you get away from Roosevelt and some of the city's best Indian food! The Bronx is alive and well, just a bit more removed.

The BX is a dump by and large. Jackson Heights is slummy also.

As someone who recently bought in Western Queens (but in Sunnyside/Woodside), here is what I think you are missing: there is no alternative. If you are looking to buy with a budget of $250k-$500k for a 1BR or 2BR, which great neighborhoods are you looking at? Your choices seem to be: parts of Harlem (some are remote/bad), the Bronx (no nicer), Staten Island (no subway), Jersey (no subway), upper manhattan (longer commute from midtown than 74th St/Broadway station), far Brooklyn (longer commute from midtown than 74th St/Broadway station) or other neighborhoods in Western Queens (except LIC and Astoria which are above the price range). No good alternatives. The price in Jackson Heights is going up because the cost of most (inhabitable/financially stable) apartments within 30 minutes of midtown/lower Manhattan now have a minimum value which is greater than the cost of those apartments - regardless of neighborhood. And Jackson Heights really isn't a terrible neighborhood in terms of feeling unsafe, it just feels less developed and lower income than some other neighborhoods IMHO.

http://nyti.ms/1S0Pzpc

Block by block NYT'S on Jackson Heights..above.

What has changed in the past 7 + years that made Jackson Heights completely undesirable to desirable?

Newspapers almost always quote brokers who always have something to sell you. It's like asking a barber if you need a haircut.

Queens is definitely getting frothy if barbers are selling homes in Jackson Heights.

Here is a NY Times piece on a couple buying in Jackson Heights:

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/24/realestate/jackson-heights-queens-diverse-and-evolving.html?_r=0

"After realizing they could not afford to buy a place in Prospect-Lefferts Gardens..."

What changed between 2007 and now is not necessarily Jackson Heights. I think that it is more that "emerging" neighborhoods in Brooklyn, near the path in Jersey and Astoria/LIC in Queens have now emerged. Ten years ago, this couple would have just bought in Brooklyn rather than comparing Jackson Heights favorably to Flatbush.

i read this already. It inspired me to look at places in Jackson Heights. I didn't like it. It also has quite a few stops on the subway. the fact that it isn't cheap either...

...which I think is kind of the point. NAR and the media convincing fools that some crumby place is good all of a sudden because no can afford anything in bk and manhattan unless you make over 300k a yea

That is the history of NYC; good places going "bad" and then becoming good again . Historically things change when people are priced out one area and seek affordable housing elsewhere Who listens to NAR??? I remember telling my Uncle Leo I was moving to the Lower East Side (1982). He looked at me and said, my parents clawed there way out of there....It's all relative as Einstein said :)

Uncle Leo!

Relative to what? Yea I guess if you lived in some country where you had no electricity and speak no English then yes a Jackson Heights or a Lower East Side is pretty good.

But if you know English and can afford to buy and own a car then those places are just glorified lower middle class nabes with section 8 thugs

Jackson Heights has a huge housing stock many of which are large coop that are still very affordable. The streets are tree-lined and there is a beautiful historic district.

the price appreciation action is CRAZY. what are people printing money now? it's like some are expecting 20% appreciation to flip their apts within the year! where's this crazy money coming from?

Need to live near the subway , otherwise it's hard to get around