Customer Reviews

The Neighborhoods of Queens (Neighborhoods of New York City)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Great product for the price. A short history for each neighborhood is
followed by nostalgic yesteryear, and as it looks today images, of important areas or structures--lots of photos.
For example, a recent photo of Jamaica Avenue and 163 St--after the el was taken down, the exterior of the old
Valencia theatre as it is today and the AirTrain structure at LIRR's Jamaica Station.For ex-Richmond Hillites, you are treated to photos of Jahn's, RKO Keiths theatre, and an interior shot of Triangle Hofbrau.The "Queens Timetable" as an appendix, offers some 17 pages of major historical events that occured in Queens from 1609 to 2007.
There are a few things I would question as to accuracy. It is mentioned that a part of New Hyde Park is geographically part of Queens County. Nowhere could I find justification for this, but I suppose this is nit- picking. Each neighborhood has a street map and as an appendix, each has a complete demographic review.

I found the old photos enjoyable but the captions and maps wrong, at least for Douglaston and Little Neck. The authors moved Douglaston east a quarter mile to Marathon Pkwy and then moved part of Douglas Manor into Little Neck. A photo of Great Neck Estates misleads the viewer into thinking they are looking at the Douglas Manor waterfront. The biggest surprise is that Kenneth Jackson lent his name to such a poorly researched book!

Having grown up in Queens, I greatly looked forward to reading this account of its varied neighborhoods. I was disappointed to find that the authors made a half-baked effort in the maps they provided:
1. there is no indication where subways run under and above most of these neighborhoods;
2. there are very few landmarks shown on the maps and those that are given were selected for a reason known only to the authors (i.e., seem highly arbitrary)

Also, the history of at least one neighborhood, Jackson Heights, leaves out the fact that in the late 1970s/early 1980s it was known, according to Time magazine, as the "cocaine capital of the United States." This omission makes me wonder what other relevant information has been left out about the other neighborhoods.

Conclusion: while you'll get some information about each of Queen's 99 neighborhoods, don't expect it to be necessarily comprehensive or accurate.

As a proud son of Queens (Astoria & Floral Park) who has been away for many years I felt I had to get caught up with my home borough and this book does a good job of detailing the changes in America's most diverse County.

I would have liked more information about the many famous people who have to and from Queens.

"The Neighborhoods of Queens" is a most thorough compendium of history, statistics, maps, and pictures. I was born and grew up in Queens but have not lived there for four decades. Reading this book was educational as well as nostalgic for me. I enjoyed it very much.

This book is a nice little guide to the neighborhoods of Queens; it focuses more on history than on neighborhoods' current nature, but still gives some data about the neighborhoods today (especially in the back, which contains all manner of census data).

I did think the "Neighborhoods of Brooklyn" book was slightly more interesting, but that's only because Brooklyn's history is probably a bit more interesting - Brooklyn is older, and its neighborhoods have suffered more ups and downs than those of Queens.

After looking for months for a good book on the borough, finally came across this and now have to look no further. This book breaks down each of the neighborhoods within Queens and describes their history, landmarks, and culture. This borough certainly is one of the most diverse places on the planet. It was fascinating to see how many notable historical figures have ties to Queens. The maps were also first rate, providing specific boundaries for each neighborhood. If you are interested in learning more about Queens, look no further.

It's cool to see the things the way they were when I was a kid in Queens.

Given as a gift to a New Yorker who loved lore of parts of the city.