Forest Hills is a great place to raise a family. More affordable than some other areas, Forest Hills has Tudor-style homes, colonial homes, and tree-lined streets. Parks and various shops give these 68,759 residents options for evening and weekends. With a median home value of $482,348, 53% choose to rent their home in this dense urban area. Median rent is $1,766 and the median household income is $84,57. Taxes in Queens make this area more expensive than average. Residents here are required to pay three different types of income taxes. In addition to federal and state taxes, NYC residents pay a 3-3.8% tax of their gross income. This tax applies to residents and is not dependent on working in the city itself.

Astoria, population 91,900, is a dense urban area, where once again, most residents rent their homes (85%). Median home value towers at $756,703 with a median rent at $1,650. The average household income is just $68,025. Bordering Queens and Manhattan gives residents access to multiple public transportation options.

Kew Gardens is a more economical place for young professionals to live. The median home value is $397,475 with a median rent of $1,537. Residents here have an average household income of $71,148 and access to parks, shops, restaurants, and public transportation.

Rego Park scores an A on niche.com and places #44 in best neighborhood to live in New York City. Its median home value of $462,823 and median rent of $1,593 persuade 61% of residents to rent rather than own their home. Household income averages $66,907.

Long Island City, not to be confused with Long Island, is a community in Queens that boasts 47,309 people. Eighty-four percent of the residents here choose to rent their home as the median home value is $812,519. Monthly rent average is $1,788 for the median household income of $77,901.

Queens offers great evening dining, exciting outdoor activities, and “night on the town” options. Dining options might take you to Tacoway Beach for Mexican food or to The Bonnie for a cozy upscale pub fare. Outdoor activities could include Rockaway Beach. Located on Queens’ southern peninsula, this amazing place is the only place in New York that allows surfing legally. Visit Flushing Meadows Corona Park, Citi Field,Long Island Rail Road, Gantry Plaza State Park, Norwood Museum, the U.S. Open, or the Museum of the Moving Image. Tour the area by coach, by double decker bus, or by boat.

Public Transportation in Queens is accessible and convenient. Find your way to a bus stop or a metro station to board one of these popular transports: The 7 Subway Train, Q70 to LaGuardia, The L Train, Q53 Bus, Roosevelt Ave – Jackson Heights subway, Jamaica LIRR Station, MTA 179th St Subway Station, The 2 Train, LIRR Auburndale Station, or the MTA-Q25 Bus.

Neighborhoodscout.com documents that Queens is safer than 40% of U.S. Cities. Its total crimes reach 35,521 with 26,290 of them being property crimes and 9,231 of them being violent crimes.

Top Public Schools serving the Queens area are Stuyvesant High School, Townsend Harris High School, Bronx High School of Science, Engineering at the City College of New York, and Baccalaureate School for Global Education.

Top private schools include Jewish Institute of Queens, Our Saviour Lutheran School, MetroKids Preschool-Rego Park, SAR High School, and The Kew-Forest School.

Students attending private schools in Queens can anticipate paying a median annual tuition of $27,000. Most students attending both public and private schools are interested in attending Cornell University, Columbia University, and New York University.