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Cambria Heights offers well-maintained single-family homes with a strong African-American community identity. Quiet, suburban streets and proximity to southern Queens parks.
Cambria Heights offers well-maintained single-family homes with a strong African-American community identity. Quiet, suburban streets and proximity to southern Queens parks.
Did you know?
Cambria Heights was one of the first suburban neighborhoods in Queens to be settled by middle-class Black families in the 1950s and 60s.
Who’s your neighbor?
Housing cost
$607 / sq ft
Commute
Weekday mornings · leaving 7:30–9:00
- FromCambria Heights
- ToNear Bryant Park
Family scores
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Trade-offs
Stands out
- Affordability95/100
Lower costs than most
- Safety87/100
Fewer reported crimes, traffic injuries and serious housing violations per resident
- Air & Child Health63/100
Cleaner air and better child-health measures
To weigh
- Family-Friendly Vibe1/100
Fewer families with children than most
- Transit7/100
Longer weekday-morning trips to the city's main job centers
- Schools27/100
Weaker results at the public and charter schools serving it, or fewer of them
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 Cambria Heights 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
Schools8 schools
Cambria Heights keeps a solid roster of public schools anchored by P.S. 176 Cambria Heights on 235 Street, the neighborhood's main elementary. The 116 Avenue corridor is where things get interesting — Benjamin Franklin High School for Finance & Information Technology sits alongside the Institute for Health Professions and Mathematics, Science Research and Technology Magnet High School, giving families a genuine cluster of specialized public options. A couple of private alternatives, including Sacred Heart Catholic Academy and Word Christian Academy, add variety without overwhelming the mix.
Browse all early-ed in this neighborhoodLiving here
Parks & Playgrounds4 places
Cambria Heights keeps things low-key with four playgrounds spread across the neighborhood — Cambria Playground and Delphin H. Greene Playground are the anchors, with East Springfield and Laurelton Parkway West adding options on the fringes. It's not a park-heavy area in the traditional sense (think grand lawns or waterfronts), but the playground coverage is solid for a residential pocket this size. Families won't be searching far for a swing set, though you'd head elsewhere for the kind of green space that demands a whole afternoon.
1 playground within a 10-min walk
Nearest large park: Cunningham Park · ~65 min walk (2.5 mi)
Transportation40 stops
Cambria Heights is a bus-first neighborhood — the Q5, Q85 and a handful of local routes along Francis Lewis Boulevard, Linden Boulevard and 120th Avenue keep residents moving, but there's no subway station in the area. Getting to Manhattan means catching a bus to the nearest line (the J/Z at Sutphin or the F at Kew Gardens), then settling in for a commute that easily stretches past an hour. It's not a dealbreaker for drivers, but families relying on transit should factor that into the daily rhythm.
Restaurants39 places
Linden Boulevard runs through Cambria Heights with a deep bench of Caribbean and Jamaican options — several bakeries, jerk spots, and home-style plate restaurants anchor the strip. You'll find a solid BBQ presence, a few Tex-Mex and Creole counters, and a handful of casual cafes and delis mixed in. The chain selection is thin (just your standard fast-food lineup), but what's there leans heavily into local, independently-owned fare that gives the area its distinct flavor.
Groceries5 places
Grocery runs in Cambria Heights are straightforward but car-dependent — you'll find a solid lineup along Linden Boulevard, including a couple of Food Bazaar locations and an Associated Supermarket that cover the weekly shop without much fuss. There's also an organic option and a few independents rounding things out, though if you need specialty items or a bigger produce spread, folks typically head to neighboring Floral Park or Valley Stream. For a quiet, owner-heavy corner of Queens, the basics are covered.
Coffee Shops3 places
Coffee options are sparse in Cambria Heights — you're mostly looking at a couple of chains rather than a cafe scene. Dunkin' on Linden Blvd handles the morning run crowd with speed and consistency, and it's the only chain from the standard list that shows up here. Tim Hortons is nearby in Elmont if you need a backup, but don't expect third-wave roasters or laptop-friendly spots — what's here serves the quick coffee crowd, not the linger-and-work crowd.
Things to Do2 places
Things to do in Cambria Heights leans toward the active and athletic, with a local park offering sports fields and a martial arts studio in the area. Beyond those two options, families will find themselves traveling to neighboring neighborhoods for the bulk of kids' enrichment—movie theaters, swim lessons, and music classes aren't immediately around the corner here. The pickings are slim for now, though the existing spots tend to serve the community well.
Daycare & informal care2 places
For families with little ones, Cambria Heights offers a respectable mix — four pre-K programs and a couple of daycares cluster along the main corridors, giving you options without spreading yourself too thin. The public school pre-K slots at P.S. 176 and P.S. 147 Ronald McNair tend to fill fast come spring, so registering early is key. Morning drop-off can get backed up on Linden Boulevard, so mapping your route before day one helps. Private and parochial options add variety if you're looking for something beyond the district programs.
Family Resources3 places
Cambria Heights keeps things simple on the civic front — there's one solid public library on Linden Boulevard that handles the basics, and a pair of playgrounds (Delphin H. Greene and East Springfield) that give kids somewhere to run. This isn't a neighborhood overflowing with community centers or family programming, but the anchors here are reliable and well-used by the families who are here. For a quieter, owner-heavy pocket of Queens, it covers the essentials without much fluff.
Healthcare7 places
There's one hospital anchor serving Cambria Heights — Campus Magnet High School — though families should verify which facilities accept their insurance network. The neighborhood has a decent spread of pediatricians and dentists clustered along Linden Boulevard and the Elmont border, so well-child visits and routine dental care are handled locally without a trek. The gap worth noting: there's no urgent care option actually within Cambria Heights, so any after-hours or non-emergency urgent needs mean heading to neighboring Elmont or farther afield.
Compare with nearby neighborhoods
Best schools in Cambria Heights
Schools in Cambria Heights
8
- Benjamin Franklin High School for Finance & Information Technology
- CAMBRIA CENTER-GIFTED CHILD
- Health, Arts, Robotics, and Technology High School
- Institute for Health Professions at Cambria Heights
- Mathematics, Science Research and Technology Magnet High School
- P.S. 176 Cambria Heights
- P.S./M.S. 147 Ronald McNair
- WORD CHRISTIAN ACADEMY
Early education in Cambria Heights
6
Frequently Asked Questions
- Is Cambria Heights a good neighborhood for families?
- Cambria Heights scores 46/100 for families on Motley — near the middle of the pack citywide. 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 Cambria Heights for families?
- For families, Cambria Heights stands out for lower costs than most; fewer reported crimes, traffic injuries and serious housing violations per resident; and cleaner air and better child-health measures. What to weigh: fewer families with children than most; longer weekday-morning trips to the city's main job centers; and weaker results at the public and charter schools serving it, or fewer of them. 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 Cambria Heights safe?
- Cambria Heights scores 87/100 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 Cambria Heights?
- Cambria Heights has 8 schools mapped inside its boundary and scores 27/100 for schools — toward the lower end citywide.
- How do middle and high school admissions work from Cambria Heights?
- Middle school: families in Cambria Heights apply in 5th grade through the citywide middle school application. District 29's 23 middle school programs admit by method: 13 unscreened, 4 charter lottery, 4 zoned and 2 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 Cambria Heights affordable?
- Cambria Heights scores 95/100 for affordability on Motley — more affordable than most NYC neighborhoods.
- Which borough is Cambria Heights in?
- Cambria Heights is a neighborhood in Queens, New York City.
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