Categories
Quick searches
St. Albans features beautiful detached homes with a rich African-American cultural heritage. A historically significant neighborhood with strong community ties and LIRR access.
St. Albans features beautiful detached homes with a rich African-American cultural heritage. A historically significant neighborhood with strong community ties and LIRR access.
Did you know?
St. Albans was home to many jazz legends — Count Basie, Lena Horne, James Brown, and Fats Waller all lived within blocks of each other.
Who’s your neighbor?
Housing cost
$462 / sq ft
Commute
Weekday mornings · leaving 7:30–9:00
- FromSt. Albans
- ToNear Bryant Park
Family scores
Show 5 moreShow fewer
Trade-offs
Stands out
- Affordability91/100
Lower costs than most
- Air & Child Health84/100
Cleaner air and better child-health measures
- Safety78/100
Fewer reported crimes, traffic injuries and serious housing violations per resident
To weigh
- Transit18/100
Longer weekday-morning trips to the city's main job centers
- Family-Friendly Vibe32/100
Fewer families with children than most
- 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 St. Albans 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
Schools13 schools
St. Albans offers a deep bench of public schools alongside a handful of charter options and a couple of private alternatives. The zoned elementary schools include P.S. 036 Saint Albans School and P.S. 015 Jackie Robinson, while I.S. 059 Springfield Gardens serves middle schoolers. Families seeking specialized options will find Montessori Progressive for progressive-model learners and Eagle Academy for Young Men III as a single-gender public school — plus three charter campuses including Achievement First Legacy and Riverton Street. The mix gives families real variety in approach and governance, though some corners of the neighborhood are further from their zoned options than others.
Browse all early-ed in this neighborhoodLiving here
Parks & Playgrounds6 places
St. Albans delivers a solid lineup of six playgrounds spread throughout the neighborhood — not a destination for grand parkland, but reliable spots for kids to climb and run. Roy Wilkins Park Playground anchors the area near the recreation center, while Daniel M. O'Connell Playground and Nautilus Playground give families additional options. The playgrounds are well-maintained and feel like genuine neighborhood assets, even if you're not getting Central Park-level green space here.
Nearest large park: Cunningham Park · ~57 min walk (2.2 mi)
Transportation90 stops
St. Albans is a bus-dependent pocket of Queens — there's no subway here, so getting to Manhattan means a bus ride along major corridors like Farmers Boulevard or 120th Avenue, then transferring at the nearest line. The stops along Francis Lewis Boulevard cover the north-south runs, and service runs frequently enough that you're not stranded. Expect that transfer to add time to your commute. It's not the quickest route into the city, but the network is deep and reliable.
Restaurants56 places
St. Albans runs on the heavier side when it comes to quick eats — Linden Blvd and Farmers Blvd anchor a strip of fast food stands, fried chicken spots, and Caribbean takeout that keeps the neighborhood fed without much fuss. There's a deep bench of Jamaican and West Indian spots here, from jerk chicken shacks to proper sit-down joints like Kriss West Indian and Lorna's Fine Dining, plus a handful of pizza parlors and delis scattered along the main drags. The chain presence is modest but includes an IHOP on Springfield Blvd for those pancake breakfast moments. Fine dining this isn't, but the takeout game is strong.
Groceries10 places
For the weekly shop, St. Albans has a solid lineup — you've got a Key Food on Linden Blvd, a Stop & Shop over on Springfield Blvd, and a C-Town on Farmers Blvd alongside a few independents like J & T and John's Farm Market. The neighborhood's got real depth in West African and Caribbean grocers, which is a bonus if you're after specific ingredients. That said, most of these spots are spread along the main drags, so a car definitely makes the bulk run easier — transit's doable but you'll be hoofing it between stops.
Coffee Shops3 places
Coffee shop options in St. Albans are thin — you're really looking at just a handful of spots. There's a single Starbucks on Merrick Blvd that covers the chain coffee fix, while the neighborhood delis and eateries like Boulevard Fish and Chips and Fresh2Go Deli & Grill lean into their food menus. It's sparse, and a dedicated third-wave spot this neighborhood doesn't have, so the coffee-conscious may find themselves wandering slightly farther afield.
Things to Do10 places
St. Albans delivers a solid mix for active kids without much need to travel elsewhere. Dance studios anchor the scene — a deep bench of options from theater-focused programs to coutured performance art — while the park system (Roy Wilkins, St. Albans Memorial) gives sports and outdoor play plenty of room to breathe. A couple of martial arts and music academies round out the enrichment side. The trade-off? Movie theaters and specialized tutoring are sparse, but what's here covers the athletic and creative bases well.
Daycare & informal care3 places
St. Albans leans heavily into the city's universal Pre-K program — most slots sit inside local elementary schools like P.S. 036 and P.S. 118, giving families a solid public pathway without much searching. Private daycares are thinner here, so families needing infant care or non-traditional hours may need to cast a slightly wider net. Morning drop-off around the school zones can get congested, but the sheer number of Pre-K sites spreads that rush across multiple corners of the neighborhood.
Family Resources3 places
St. Albans keeps things simple on the civic front — the St. Albans Library on Linden Boulevard anchors the neighborhood's public resources, and Locust Manor Playground gives kids a solid spot to burn off energy on Lucas Street. The seasonal Farmers Market sets up in the LIRR parking lot, which brings some weekend life to the commercial strip. It's a lean setup, but the basics are covered.
Healthcare5 places
Healthcare in St. Albans clusters around Springfield Boulevard, anchored by Springfield Community Health Center and Springfield Gardens Medical Center — both solid options for families who need hospital-level care. Pediatric services are covered by a couple of providers in the area, and there's one GoHealth urgent care for when the pediatrician's office is closed. The gap here is dental: there are no dentists directly in St. Albans, so families will likely look to neighboring Cambria Heights or Jamaica for that.
Compare with nearby neighborhoods
Best schools in St. Albans
Schools in St. Albans
13
- Achievement First Legacy Charter School
- Cynthia Jenkins School
- Eagle Academy for Young Men III
- I.S. 059 Springfield Gardens
- P.S. 015 Jackie Robinson
- P.S. 036 Saint Albans School
- P.S. 118 Lorraine Hansberry
- P.S. 136 Roy Wilkins
- P.S. 360
- Riverton Street Charter School
- STEPPING STONE OF SOUTHEASTERN QUEEN
- Success Academy Charter School - Springfield Gardens - New York 6
- TRUE DELIVERANCE CHRISTIAN SCHOOL
Early education in St. Albans
18
- Cynthia Jenkins School
- ELMCOR YOUTH & ADULT ACTIVITIES, INC.
- Elmcor Youth And Adult Activities
- Montessori Progressive
- MONTESSORI PROGRESSIVE LEARNING CENTER, INC.
- P.S. 015 Jackie Robinson
- P.S. 036 Saint Albans School
- P.S. 118 Lorraine Hansberry
- P.S. 136 Roy Wilkins
- P.S. 360
- Quick Start Day Care Center
- QUICK START DAYCARE CENTER, INC.
- Raven Early Childhood Education Center, Site Two
- Rehoboth Care Inc.
- STEPPING STONE OF SOUTHEASTERN QUEEN
- Stepping Stone Pre & Grade School
- Sunshine Learning Center, Inc.
- TRUE DELIVERANCE CHRISTIAN SCHOOL
Frequently Asked Questions
- Is St. Albans a good neighborhood for families?
- St. Albans scores 57/100 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 St. Albans for families?
- For families, St. Albans stands out for lower costs than most; cleaner air and better child-health measures; and fewer reported crimes, traffic injuries and serious housing violations per resident. What to weigh: longer weekday-morning trips to the city's main job centers; fewer families with children than most; 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 St. Albans safe?
- St. Albans scores 78/100 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 St. Albans?
- St. Albans has 13 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 St. Albans?
- Middle school: families in St. Albans 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 St. Albans affordable?
- St. Albans scores 91/100 for affordability on Motley — more affordable than most NYC neighborhoods.
- Which borough is St. Albans in?
- St. Albans is a neighborhood in Queens, New York City.
Want personalized insights for your family?
Sign in to get an agentic neighborhood analysis — including safety and cost of living — tailored to your priorities, family size, budget, and commute.