Richmond Hill

Richmond Hill embraces opposites. The neighborhood is part of NYC, but the southern end touches JFK Airport and a corner of the Jamaica Bay wildlife preserve. A contrast of hip and historic is also evident – the landmarked Republican Club and a quilting society coexist with kids who hook up gigantic stereos to their bicycles. The neighborhood contains many children and diverse families. Most residents are of European, African, or Asian decent (and frequently a mix of those). On top of this, Richmond Hill is home to many other immigrants as well. For example, Guyanese residents who are known for the powder-flinging Phagwah festival. Richmond Hill’s varied inhabitants are served by the Liberty Avenue and Lefferets Boulevard commercial drags, which offer a mix of large chains and mom and pop specialty stores. The southern end of Richmond Hill is accessible via the A line, while the northern end is serviced by the E, J, Z trains. And don’t forget that JFK has flights to everywhere in the world. The varied influences of Richmond Hill can also be seen in the neighborhood’s housing. Beautiful, unrestrained architecture from the Victorian era and early 1900s fills some parts, while taller apartment complexes and row houses exist elsewhere. Most modern developments there are a little less charming due to cheaper construction and fewer grand details. However, protective down-zoning preserves parts of the neighborhood from over-development and means that many homes are still originals from the 1920s and 30s. Apartment sales listings are scarce, but a wide variety of single and multi-family homes are available. The median sales price is about $500-600K, but buildings can be found for under $200K for the persistent buyer. Renting is inexpensive – median for a studio is $900/mo and $1200/mo for a 1Br.