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Oakland Gardens-Hollis Hills features spacious homes, quiet streets, and proximity to Cunningham Park. A family-oriented area with strong schools and a suburban character.
Oakland Gardens-Hollis Hills features spacious homes, quiet streets, and proximity to Cunningham Park. A family-oriented area with strong schools and a suburban character.
Did you know?
Oakland Gardens was originally part of a 19th-century estate called "Oakland" because of its abundant oak trees — several of the original oaks still stand.
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Housing cost
$423 / sq ft
Commute
Weekday mornings · leaving 7:30–9:00
- FromOakland Gardens-Hollis Hills
- ToNear Bryant Park
Family scores
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Trade-offs
Stands out
- Safety96/100
Fewer reported crimes, traffic injuries and serious housing violations per resident
- Air & Child Health81/100
Cleaner air and better child-health measures
- Affordability80/100
Lower costs than most
To weigh
- Family-Friendly Vibe18/100
Fewer families with children than most
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 Oakland Gardens-Hollis Hills 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
Schools7 schools
Oakland Gardens-Hollis Hills offers a solid mix of public zoned schools and a couple of private options. P.S. 205 Alexander Graham Bell and J.H.S. 074 Nathaniel Hawthorne are the neighborhood's main public elementary and middle schools, while P.S. 046 Alley Pond serves the eastern side. A pair of private schools — Interdisciplinary Center Springfield and Yeshiva Rlk ti Primary — add some governance diversity for families seeking alternatives. The public bench runs deep here, with several zoned elementary options feeding into the neighborhood's middle school.
Browse all early-ed in this neighborhoodLiving here
Parks & Playgrounds4 places
Alley Park anchors the northern stretch with a reliable playground, and Tall Oak Playground and Telephone Playground fill in scattered spots across the neighborhood. It's a modest lineup — three playgrounds spread across a pretty residential area — but they cover the essentials for families wanting a place to let kids run. There's no waterfront or splash pads to write home about, just solid, functional play space.
2 playgrounds within a 10-min walk
Nearest large park: Alley Pond Park · ~4 min walk (0.2 mi)
Transportation28 stops
Oakland Gardens and Hollis Hills are bus-first neighborhoods — there's no subway here, so getting to Manhattan means either catching an express bus from Horace Harding Expressway or taking a local down to the Q46 on Union Turnpike. The good news is the local bus network is robust: the Q27 and Q88 run along Springfield Boulevard, and you can grab a bus at nearly every major intersection. It adds time to the commute, but the trade-off is quieter, tree-lined streets and more space for the money.
Restaurants44 places
Oakland Gardens and Hollis Hills deliver a surprisingly deep bench of options along Springfield Boulevard and Union Turnpike, where you'll find a strong mix of Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese takeout alongside solid pizza parlors and family-run diners. The bagel scene is unexpectedly robust — locals argue about which shop hits right. Thai, Japanese, and a few Persian spots add variety, though the corridor leans casual and takeout-heavy. Date-night this isn't, but families will find reliable haunts.
Groceries4 places
Key Food anchors the neighborhood with a couple of locations — one on Bell Boulevard and another near the LIE service road — giving you options for the basics without crossing the neighborhood. There's also a SuperFresh on Springfield Blvd that rounds things out. It's a workable selection for filling the fridge, though families doing a major stock-up might still find themselves heading to a bigger store outside the area.
Coffee Shops8 places
Coffee culture here skews practical — a pair of Starbucks and three Dunkin' locations means you're never far from a caffeine fix, though the independent options are thin. A handful of independent cafes and boba spots add some variety beyond the chains, but this isn't really a third-wave destination. For the morning run or a quick stop, though, coverage is solid.
Things to Do12 places
Oakland Gardens-Hollis Hills keeps active families busy with a deep bench of aquatic options — four pools and swim clubs dot the area, making this a particularly strong spot for lap swim lessons and summer splash time. Sports fields and courts cluster around Cunningham and Alley Pond parks, while a couple of tutoring and enrichment options round out the mix. A single movie theater adds a low-key option for rainy days. The lineup leans athletic, with swimming as the clear standout.
Daycare & informal care
Oakland Gardens and Hollis Hills deliver a strong public Pre-K lineup — the neighborhood schools (P.S. 046, P.S. 188, P.S. 205, and P.S. 213 all offer UPK) give families solid, free options with the built-in benefit of familiarizing kids with their eventual elementary campus. A few standalone Pre-K sites add variety, but traditional daycares are thin on the ground here — if you need infant/toddler care or a center with longer hours, you'd be looking slightly afield. For Pre-K aged kids, the public system does the heavy lifting.
Family Resources5 places
Families here lean on a solid lineup of playgrounds — Seven Gables Playground and Telephone Playground are reliable standbys for weekend energy expenditure — plus the small but useful Windsor Park Library off Bell Boulevard. Alley Park offers more open space for kids who need to spread out. The recreation scene is deeper than the library scene, which is thin but adequate for holds and quiet afternoon reading. It's a neighborhood that prioritizes outdoor play over indoor programming.
Healthcare8 places
Oakland Gardens and Hollis Hills offer solid pediatric coverage with a couple of practices along the 73rd Ave corridor, but families should know there's no hospital in the immediate area and urgent care is sparse — the nearest ERs and urgent care centers are a short drive into Bayside or farther afield. On the upside, dental options are surprisingly deep, from general practices to a kids-focused studio, so routine cleanings and pediatric dental care are convenient. For anything beyond routine pediatrics or dental, plan for a bit of a trek.
Compare with nearby neighborhoods
Best schools in Oakland Gardens-Hollis Hills
Schools in Oakland Gardens-Hollis Hills
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Early education in Oakland Gardens-Hollis Hills
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Frequently Asked Questions
- Is Oakland Gardens-Hollis Hills a good neighborhood for families?
- Oakland Gardens-Hollis Hills scores 65/100 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 Oakland Gardens-Hollis Hills for families?
- For families, Oakland Gardens-Hollis Hills stands out for fewer reported crimes, traffic injuries and serious housing violations per resident; cleaner air and better child-health measures; and lower costs than most. What to weigh: fewer families with children than most. 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 Oakland Gardens-Hollis Hills safe?
- Oakland Gardens-Hollis Hills scores 96/100 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 Oakland Gardens-Hollis Hills?
- Oakland Gardens-Hollis Hills has 7 schools mapped inside its boundary and scores 74/100 for schools — ahead of most NYC neighborhoods.
- How do middle and high school admissions work from Oakland Gardens-Hollis Hills?
- Middle school: families in Oakland Gardens-Hollis Hills apply in 5th grade through the citywide middle school application. 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 Oakland Gardens-Hollis Hills affordable?
- Oakland Gardens-Hollis Hills scores 80/100 for affordability on Motley — more affordable than most NYC neighborhoods.
- Which borough is Oakland Gardens-Hollis Hills in?
- Oakland Gardens-Hollis Hills is a neighborhood in Queens, New York City.
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