This Queens neighborhood is ideally located — laidback, but with easy access to the city center. Can you say gyros? Astoria is historically Greek and there are tons of great ethnic restaurants here. This neighborhood is a good choice for families, and there are plenty of kid-friendly attractions.
Overview
Look down the neat rows of houses and tree-lined streets; Astoria looks like that typical suburban-type neighborhood of a big city that you keep seeing in movies. But don’t be deceived by its seemingly uneventful languor: there is more to Astoria, New York, than you can imagine. Here’s some random trivia: Astoria’s a native neighborhood of actors Christopher Walken and Jesse Eisenberg, and the final resting place of musician Scott Joplin and gangster Frank Costello.
Witnessing first European settlement back in the seventeenth century, familiar with both ups and downs, Astoria today is a thriving middle-class residential and commercial neighborhood. The influx of immigrants that the neighborhood witnessed since its foundation broadened its cultural limits almost unimaginably: try to point a culture that didn’t leave its print in Astoria. This area gave rebirth to the bootlegger culture of speakeasy bars and learned to combine cuisines from all over the world, most prominently Mediterranean and Middle Eastern.
Demographics
Half of the locals are white, the rest are mostly Asian and Latino, with quite a small representation of African Americans and other races. The ethnic arrangement is impressively diverse. Settled by the Germans and the Dutch, the area still has significant Scandinavian accentuation. Italian, Irish, Jewish, Greek, Maltese, and Arab communities all have their say in the creation of Astoria’s unique atmosphere. The population was slightly decreasing in the first decade of the century, but the area’s recent developmental boom started to attract new residents.
Entertainment
Astoria’s thriving dining and drinking scene opens the door to the culture of speakeasy bars – visit the LetLove Inn to get the perfect experience of cocktails, atmosphere, and live jazz. Seafood lovers ought to take a look into Taverna Kyclades, arguably the best Greek restaurant in the city.
For the food for the soul, record shops are abundant in the area – search through the vintage vinyl at HiFi Records to get the taste of Astoria, New York. Or else visit the Museum of the Moving Image for a dynamic intellectual pleasure of exploring the process of filmmaking.
Transportation
From New York subway to elevated Astoria Line, Astoria, New York is covered whether you need to get to Manhattan or out of town. The accessibility of Astoria is attained by neatly trimmed streets that give a real suburban feel to the pedestrians, and several miles of bike lanes that allow commute while keeping fit. For motorists, there are four major arteries including Vernon Boulevard, Steinway, 21st and 31st Streets. Add the Astoria ferry route to complete the picture – it’s just started running, so enjoy the innovation!
Finding Apartments in Astoria for Rent
Apartments and condos for rent in Astoria, New York, are the most popular type of property among the local residents, and there’s a good reason: the streets are quiet and green, charmingly suburban, without the commotion of a big city rush hour. Ditmars and Astoria Heights alike offer the best apartments for rent in Astoria – while idiosyncratically residential, they’re close to both commercial section of the neighborhood (hooray, no traffic jams!) and LaGuardia Airport. The area between 28th Avenue and Astoria Boulevard is predominantly Middle Eastern community, Ditmars Boulevard – Italian, and 36th Avenue – South American. If not live, visit the areas for the variety of local dining spots with unique ethnic ambiance. Shoppers would prefer apartments for rent near Steinway Street, full of retail shops of different scale.
