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Jamaica Estates-Holliswood features large Tudor and Colonial homes on winding, tree-lined streets. One of Queens' most affluent areas with strong schools and a suburban character.
Jamaica Estates-Holliswood features large Tudor and Colonial homes on winding, tree-lined streets. One of Queens' most affluent areas with strong schools and a suburban character.
Did you know?
Jamaica Estates' winding, tree-lined streets were deliberately designed to prevent through-traffic — the neighborhood was planned as an exclusive suburban enclave in 1907.
Who’s your neighbor?
Housing cost
$600 / sq ft
Commute
Weekday mornings · leaving 7:30–9:00
- FromJamaica Estates-Holliswood
- ToNear Bryant Park
Family scores
Show 5 moreShow fewer
Trade-offs
Stands out
- Affordability83/100
Lower costs than most
- Safety64/100
Fewer reported crimes, traffic injuries and serious housing violations per resident
- Air & Child Health64/100
Cleaner air and better child-health measures
To weigh
- Family-Friendly Vibe14/100
Fewer families with children than most
- Transit36/100
Longer weekday-morning trips to the city's main job centers
- Schools37/100
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 Jamaica Estates-Holliswood 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
Jamaica Estates-Holliswood offers a genuinely mixed landscape — six zoned public schools alongside seven private and parochial options. P.S./IS 178 Holliswood handles the neighborhood's K-8 public enrollment, while private choices range from Immaculate Conception Catholic Acad on Dalny Road to Mary Louis Academy (The) and the Queens Cheder on Croydon Road. There's also a Yeshiva University HS for Girls, plus a couple of UPK and daycare programs scattered through the area. The balance skews toward private and religious schools, so families relying solely on traditional zoned public options may find the selection limited.
Browse all early-ed in this neighborhoodLiving here
Parks & Playgrounds1 place
McLaughlin Playground is the main play spot here, a solid option for families in the area. Beyond that, Jamaica Estates-Holliswood leans more residential than park-heavy — you're mostly working with private yards and tree-lined streets rather than dedicated public green space. It's not a neighborhood where you'll stumble onto a playground at every corner, but the one option is dependable and well-maintained.
Nearest large park: Cunningham Park · ~3 min walk (0.1 mi)
Transportation38 stops
Jamaica Estates-Holliswood is car and bus territory — there's no subway here, so your commute to Manhattan starts with a bus ride, usually along Hillside Avenue or Union Turnpike, before transferring at Jamaica. The Q88 is the workhorse line running east-west, while routes along 188th Street and Francis Lewis Boulevard keep the network dense. It's a reliable system, but you'll feel the gap if you're used to walking to a station.
Restaurants31 places
Union Tpke and Hillside Ave deliver a utilitarian mix — a solid bench of pizza spots (several with kosher menus), Chinese takeout, and Caribbean-inflected grills, plus the usual fast-food suspects that line the commercial strips. There's a noticeable South Asian and Bangladeshi presence too, especially around the northern end near Hillside Ave. IHOP anchors one corner for that reliable sit-down breakfast, but overall this is more about quick bites and takeout than a dinner destination.
Groceries9 places
For the weekly shop, you'll definitely want wheels — this is a driving neighborhood. There's a decent cluster of ethnic grocers along Hillside Avenue and Union Turnpike, many with solid selections of Middle Eastern and South Asian staples, plus a couple of traditional supermarkets in the mix. It's not a desert, but the options skew toward specialty rather than one-stop-big-box, so two or three stops covers more ground than one.
Coffee Shops5 places
Hillside Avenue has a workable spread for your morning fix — you're looking at a mix of quick-service chains, a couple of casual cafes, and a Colombian spot that pulls double duty as a neighborhood hangout. It's not a third-wave scene, but there's enough variety to grab a cup without much backtracking. The fast-food options handle the rush-hour rush, while the smaller spots reward if you've got time to linger.
Things to Do10 places
Union Turnpike is where you'll find the bulk of kid activities here — a solid mix of martial arts studios (three of them), a couple of dance options, and a pair of tutoring centers. There's also a My Gym for little ones who need to burn off energy, plus a single music school and a swim spot to round things out. It's enrichment and athletics leaning slightly athletic, with enough variety that most kids can find their thing without crossing borough lines.
Daycare & informal care1 place
The childcare landscape here leans heavily toward Pre-K, with universal Pre-K sites scattered across the estates and just one dedicated daycare operation running a few locations. It's not a deep bench — you've got roughly half a dozen Pre-K options to choose from — but what's there covers the neighborhood's main pockets. Drop-off logistics really depend on which part of the estates you're closest to, so worth checking what's actually walkable from your block rather than assuming everywhere is reachable.
Family Resources2 places
Jamaica Estates-Holliswood has a thin but reliable set of public anchors for families. The Hillside Avenue library in Hollis is a well-established branch with regular programming, and McLaughlin Playground gives kids a proper place to run around outdoors. It's not overloaded with community centers or civic infrastructure, but what's here is well-maintained and consistent — the kind of dependable resource that makes weekend routines easy.
Healthcare8 places
Hospital care anchors the neighborhood with HSS Queens Outpatient Center on Union Turnpike and Jamaica Hillside Dialysis nearby on Hillside Avenue — solid options for families needing broader medical services. A couple of pediatric practices serve the area, and there's a decent spread of general dentists along Hillside Ave. The gap here is urgent care — families heading east toward Jamaica or further into Queens will need to look elsewhere for non-emergency after-hours care.
Compare with nearby neighborhoods
Best schools in Jamaica Estates-Holliswood
Schools in Jamaica Estates-Holliswood
8
Early education in Jamaica Estates-Holliswood
13
- Academy of Excellence Bell Park 7
- ACADEMY OF EXCELLENCE, BELLPARK
- All My Children
- All My Children Day Care (Mayfield)
- ALL MY CHILDREN DAY CARE AND NURSERY SCHOOL
- ALL MY CHILDREN DAY CARE AND NURSERY SCHOOL
- Books & Rattles,Inc/ The Learning Tree
- Haup UPK Program
- IMMACULATE CONCEPTION CATHOLIC ACAD
- IMMACULATE CONCEPTION CATHOLIC ACADEMY
- P.S./ IS 178 HOLLISWOOD
- QUEENS CHEDER MRM
- SUMMIT SCHOOL- ELEM-JR HIGH
Frequently Asked Questions
- Is Jamaica Estates-Holliswood a good neighborhood for families?
- Jamaica Estates-Holliswood scores 48/100 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 Jamaica Estates-Holliswood for families?
- For families, Jamaica Estates-Holliswood 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 Jamaica Estates-Holliswood safe?
- Jamaica Estates-Holliswood scores 64/100 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 Jamaica Estates-Holliswood?
- Jamaica Estates-Holliswood has 8 schools mapped inside its boundary and scores 37/100 for schools — toward the lower end citywide.
- How do middle and high school admissions work from Jamaica Estates-Holliswood?
- Middle school: families in Jamaica Estates-Holliswood 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. District 26's 14 middle school programs admit by method: 6 zoned, 5 screened and 3 unscreened. 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 Jamaica Estates-Holliswood affordable?
- Jamaica Estates-Holliswood scores 83/100 for affordability on Motley — more affordable than most NYC neighborhoods.
- Which borough is Jamaica Estates-Holliswood in?
- Jamaica Estates-Holliswood is a neighborhood in Queens, New York City.
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