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Bay Terrace-Clearview features waterfront homes, Fort Totten park access, and a quiet suburban character. Strong schools and proximity to the Cross Island Expressway serve families.
Bay Terrace-Clearview features waterfront homes, Fort Totten park access, and a quiet suburban character. Strong schools and proximity to the Cross Island Expressway serve families.
Did you know?
Fort Totten was built during the Civil War to defend the eastern approach to New York Harbor — its massive stone walls were designed to withstand cannon fire.
Who’s your neighbor?
Housing cost
$632 / sq ft
Commute
Weekday mornings · leaving 7:30–9:00
- FromBay Terrace-Clearview
- ToNear Bryant Park
Family scores
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Trade-offs
Stands out
- Safety98/100
Fewer reported crimes, traffic injuries and serious housing violations per resident
- Air & Child Health97/100
Cleaner air and better child-health measures
- Schools83/100
Strong results at the public and charter schools serving it
To weigh
- Family-Friendly Vibe11/100
Fewer families with children than most
- Transit15/100
Longer weekday-morning trips to the city's main job centers
Each score compares it with NYC's other residential neighborhoods.
What these scores don't measure: how a block feels on foot, what's changing on it, and whether a particular school suits your child. Walk it at school drop-off time, and check the zoned school for the exact address before you sign a lease.
Your family’s read
How does Bay Terrace-Clearview fit your family?
An agentic read of this neighborhood — including safety and cost of living — tailored to your priorities, family size, budget, and commute.
Analyze for My FamilySchools & early education
Schools5 schools
Bay Terrace and Clearview share a compact roster of public schools — P.S. 169 Bay Terrace and P.S. 184 Flushing Manor anchor the zoned options, while magnet and alternative programs like Circle Academy and BELL Academy add some variety in approach. One private option, Interdisciplinary Center Northside, rounds out the mix. The bench is thin but works for a neighborhood with relatively few school-age kids.
Browse all early-ed in this neighborhoodLiving here
Parks & Playgrounds3 places
Bay Terrace-Clearview offers three playgrounds — Bay Terrace Playground, Playground Twenty One, and Willets Point Playground — serving a predominantly residential, owner-occupied neighborhood. They're solid, well-kept spots that work well for families in the area, though you're not going to find a massive park or waterfront green space here. It's more of a quiet, residential feel than a playground hub, but what's there is dependable for everyday play.
Nearest large park: Alley Pond Park · ~50 min walk (1.9 mi)
Transportation39 stops
Bus service is the lifeline here — you're on the Q76 along Francis Lewis Boulevard, the Q12 and Q13 slicing up and down Bell Boulevard, and several Cross Island Parkway routes that get you toward the Whitestone or Throgs Neck bridges. There's no subway in Bay Terrace proper, so the 39 stops scattered across the neighborhood are what connect you to the 7 train at Willets Point or onward to the city. It's a commuter's reality: you won't walk to the train, but the bus network is dense enough that you won't wait long.
Restaurants49 places
Bay Terrace-Clearview punches above its weight for a residential pocket, with a solid mix of independent restaurants and familiar chains clustered along Bell Boulevard and Francis Lewis Blvd. You'll find a deep bench of Italian spots — Gigi's Pizzeria, Pane d' Italia, and Concettina anchoring the options — plus a strong Chinese presence including Baybridge Szechuan and Legend of Taste. The usual suspects are here too: Five Guys, Chipotle, Panera Bread, and an IHOP for those late-night pancake runs. It's not a destination dining scene, but the locals have reliable standbys.
Groceries2 places
There's a Stop & Shop on 26th Avenue that covers the big weekly shop — it's the anchor here. Beyond that, you're looking at a small local option on Utopia Parkway. For a more varied selection, many families head to nearby Bayside or Whitestone, which means hopping in the car rather than walking. The selection is thin on the ground locally, but the essentials are covered.
Coffee Shops3 places
For caffeine runs, Bay Terrace keeps it straightforward — a Dunkin' on Bell Boulevard handles the grab-and-go crowd, while the Starbucks near Barnes & Noble pulls double duty as a sit-down workspace. The pickings are thin beyond those two anchors, with a single independent spot rounding things out. If you're hunting for third-wave pour-over culture, you'll need to venture further afield.
Things to Do14 places
Bay Terrace-Clearview leans heavily into aquatics — there's a deep bench of pools scattered across the neighborhood, plus a beach option for summer days. Martial arts studios give families a couple of solid choices for structured movement, and there's a dance studio in the mix too. A movie theater and soccer field round things out, though enrichment options beyond a summer camp are thin on the ground here.
Daycare & informal care
Bay Terrace-Clearview's Pre-K options are entirely school-based — five public Pre-K sites clustered around the area's elementary schools. That's a lean roster for families, but the programs are solid and free, which takes the pressure off monthly childcare budgets. Drop-off can get backed up on the side streets near P.S. 169 and P.S. 209, so families with young kids learn to time their mornings strategically.
Family Resources5 places
Bay Terrace and Auburndale libraries anchor the residential core here, serving as quiet public workhorses for study groups and story hours. For active kids, there's a solid trio of playgrounds — Bay Terrace Playground off 23rd Avenue, Playground Twenty One near 21st Avenue, and Willets Point Playground off Utopia Parkway — giving families decent options without overwhelming choice. The civic footprint is modest but reliable.
Healthcare10 places
Healthcare options in this stretch of Bayside are pediatrician-heavy, with a half-dozen private practices clustered along Bell Boulevard and Cross Island Parkway — parents have real choices here for primary pediatric care. Dental care follows a similar pattern with a handful of private practices in the same corridors. The trade-off: there's no hospital within the immediate neighborhood, and urgent care is sparse nearby, so families typically travel a bit farther for emergency or after-hours needs. For routine pediatric and dental needs, though, the bench is solid.
Compare with nearby neighborhoods
Best schools in Bay Terrace-Clearview
Schools in Bay Terrace-Clearview
5
Early education in Bay Terrace-Clearview
5
Frequently Asked Questions
- Is Bay Terrace-Clearview a good neighborhood for families?
- Bay Terrace-Clearview scores 64/100 for families on Motley — ahead of most NYC neighborhoods. The Family Fit score blends six parts: how many families live there, schools, affordability, weekday-morning transit time to job centers, safety, and air quality and child health.
- What are the pros and cons of Bay Terrace-Clearview for families?
- For families, Bay Terrace-Clearview stands out for fewer reported crimes, traffic injuries and serious housing violations per resident; cleaner air and better child-health measures; and strong results at the public and charter schools serving it. What to weigh: fewer families with children than most, and longer weekday-morning trips to the city's main job centers. Each score compares it with NYC's other residential neighborhoods. They don't measure how a block feels on foot or whether a particular school suits your child, so walk it before you decide.
- Is Bay Terrace-Clearview safe?
- Bay Terrace-Clearview scores 98/100 on safety — ahead of most NYC neighborhoods. We build the score from NYPD crime complaints, pedestrian and cyclist injuries, and serious (Class C) housing violations, each counted per 1,000 residents.
- How are the schools in Bay Terrace-Clearview?
- Bay Terrace-Clearview has 5 schools mapped inside its boundary and scores 83/100 for schools — ahead of most NYC neighborhoods.
- How do middle and high school admissions work from Bay Terrace-Clearview?
- Middle school: families in Bay Terrace-Clearview apply in 5th grade through the citywide middle school application. District 25's 18 middle school programs admit by method: 14 unscreened, 3 zoned and 1 screened. High school: one citywide application in 8th grade lets a family rank programs anywhere in the city, and the eight specialized high schools admit on the SHSAT alone.
- Is Bay Terrace-Clearview affordable?
- Bay Terrace-Clearview scores 71/100 for affordability on Motley — more affordable than most NYC neighborhoods.
- Which borough is Bay Terrace-Clearview in?
- Bay Terrace-Clearview is a neighborhood in Queens, New York City.
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