Kew Gardens is a charming little neighborhood of curved streets in central Queens. It is similar in many ways to the larger and more expensive Forest Hills. It is diverse and middle class. There are many garden apartment buildings and co-ops, some single and multi-family homes, and a Long Island railroad station. The neighborhood is densely populated, yet green and airy, with tree-lined streets and access to adjoining Forest Park.
Limits
Kew Gardens is where all the main points of Queens seem to intersect. It meets Forest Hills to the north along the Union Turnpike. To the east is Briarwood, on the other side of Van Wyck Parkway. South of Maple Grove Cemetery and 85th Avenue is much larger Richmond Hill.
Transport
Residents go to the Union Turnpike and Queens Boulevard for the E and F trains that run through much of Queens. The LIRR station at Kew Gardens is in the center of the neighborhood and offers a shorter but more expensive trip to Manhattan’s Penn Station. It’s about 20 minutes.
The neighborhood has easy access to Van Wyck Parkway and Jackie Robinson Parkway. It is between JFK Airport and LGA Airport, just minutes away.
Shopping and city center
The small Kew Garden center around the train station may disappoint if you crave many types of restaurants, but Queens Boulevard and Forest Hills are close enough. What makes downtown the local independent Kew Gardens Cinemas.
Queens Borough Hall is also located in Kew Gardens, on Queens Boulevard.
Parks and Green Spaces
Forest Park is the backyard of Kew Garden. This large 538-acre urban park offers sports fields, a running track, summer concerts, hiking and horseback riding trails, and a city golf course.
Maple Grove Cemetery is another green space quietly open to the public. The lush cemetery attracts walkers, and the Friends of Maple Cemetery hosts events on its grounds throughout the year.
Story
The neighborhood developed in the early 20th century and was named after the Kew Gardens botanical gardens on the outskirts of London. The opening of the subway line along Queens Boulevard in 1936 stimulated the construction of large apartments and cooperative buildings.
The murder of Kitty Genovese in 1964 brought negative notoriety to Kew Gardens. News reports at the time claimed that no neighbors responded to his pleas for help. His story is used in textbooks as an example of anonymity and apathy in urban settings. Its history, however, is largely the exception to life in a safe neighborhood neighboring Kew Gardens.
Neighborhood basics
- Queens Library in Richmond Hill: 118-14 Hillside Avenue, Richmond Hill, NY
- Parking: Difficult in the city center and there are parking restrictions on many of the residential streets.
- Post Office: 8330 Austin St, Kew Gardens, NY
- Hospital: Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, 8900 Van Wyck Expy, Jamaica, NY, 718-206-6000
- Police Station: 102nd Precinct, 87-34 118th Street, Richmond Hill, NY, 11418, 718-805-3200
- Community Board 9
- Schools: Some public elementary schools are located in Kew Gardens, and all public middle and high schools are located in the surrounding areas. PS 99, PS 51, PS 56, PS 90, Junior High Schools 217 and 190, Middle School 137, Richmond Hill High
- Postal code: 11415
