Kew Gardens Hills, Queens

Kew Gardens Hills is a middle-class neighborhood in the middle of the New York City borough of Queens. Kew Gardens Hills is not to be confused with the nearby Kew Gardens neighborhood. The "Hills" in the neighborhood's name comes from the fact that its western portion is hilly, especially along the vicinity of Union Turnpike, while the eastern portion is somewhat flatter.

History

Kew Gardens Hills evolved from six farms that were sold to developers in the 1920s. The developers changed the name from "Queens Valley" to "Kew Gardens Hills" in 1939, to associate the neighborhood with the prestigious Kew Gardens neighborhood to the north. The houses in the neighborhood were built around 1940 after the farms were divided. It was initially a neighborhood of one-family houses with a smaller number of two-family houses, most of which were built by a real estate developer named Gross Morton.

Geography

Kew Gardens Hills is located in Queens Community District 8 and its ZIP Codes are 11367 and 11365. It is patrolled by the New York City Police Department's 107th Precinct. Politically, Kew Gardens Hills is represented by the New York City Council's 24th District.

Demographics

As of the 2010 United States Census, the neighborhood had a population of 37,479. The racial makeup of the neighborhood was 45.9% White, 12.4% African American, 0.1% Native American, 22.6% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 0.4% from other races, and 1.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 16.6% of the population.

Education

Kew Gardens Hills contains several public and private schools, and is home to the Queens College, part of the City University of New York system. The Queens Public Library's Kew Gardens Hills branch is located at 72-33 Vleigh Place.

Transportation

The neighborhood is served by the MTA's Q20A, Q20B, Q44 SBS, Q46 local bus routes, and the QM1, QM5, QM6, QM31, QM35, QM36 express bus routes. The E, F, and R trains at the Kew Gardens–Union Turnpike station are also nearby.

Notable people

Notable residents have included comedian Jerry Seinfeld, who grew up in the neighborhood, and Paul Simon, half of the folk-singing duo Simon and Garfunkel, who also grew up in the neighborhood.