Astoria

LOCATION

Astoria is located in Western Queens. As one would expect with a popular neighborhood, its borders are often defined quite liberally by real estate brokers. Most commonly, the southern border is assumed to be 36th avenue. To the west Astoria is bounded by the East River, to the east - by Steinway Street.

CHARACTER AND FEEL

Astoria is a wonderfully mixed neighborhood that combines some of the best things found in New York - proximity to Manhattan, relatively safe, multi-cultural and multi-ethnic environment, relatively affordable rents, abundance of dining options and even a budding arts scene. Its elevated "N" train line will surely remind of you of Chicago and you can easily walk to the waterfront where the views would probably rival those of Second City.

APARTMENTS & REAL ESTATE

Compared to Manhattan, the rents are reasonable. In Astoria, you can expect to rent a decent 1-bedroom apartment for about $1,600, a 2-bedroom for about $1,900, etc.

Generally, the same comment applies to the price of home ownership. The area is not immune to luxury condo development, however. Several condo buildings have sprung up with price tags exceeding half a million dollars. Supposedly, real estate developers are eyeing the old industrial buildings across from Socrates Sculpture Park and the area along the East River waterfront.

Currently (2007) new condos fetch around $600 per square foot which is noticeably lower than in Manhattan and even Long Island City 37-25 81st Street

Selected Rental Buildings:

• new! 22-73 41st street (22-73 41st street, Astoria) - Walk-up building.
• 27-37 27th street (27-37 27th street, Astoria)
• 32-06 47th street (32-06 47th street, Astoria) - Elevator building.
• 32-42 33rd street (32-42 33rd street, Astoria)
• 35-16 34th street (35-16 34th street, Astoria) - Elevator building.

See all Astoria Rental Apartment Buildings

Selected No-Fee Rental Listings:

• new! $1,745 Studio at 27-37 27th street (available May 13, 2008) posted 05/13/08.
• $1,700 2-Bedroom at 22-73 41st street (available June 1, 2008) posted 04/16/08.

See all Astoria No Fee Rental Apartments (13 total)

Condo Buildings:

• Astoria Windsor (30-80 21st street, Astoria)
• Hoyt Terrace (25-47 23rd street, Astoria)
• Ionian Condo (32-70 41st street, Astoria)

See all Astoria Condo Apartment Buildings

POPULATION AND DEMOGRAPHICS

Mixed nationalities and income levels. Astoria has traditionally been considered one of the most heavily "Greek" areas outside of Greece and Cyprus. In addition, a number of Italians live here, not to mention the Irish, the Asians, the Eastern Europeans, the Mexicans, the Arabs and many others.

TRANSPORTATION AND ACCESSIBILITY

Astoria is located in Western Queens. The neighborhood's location is very convenient for those working in Manhattan. The N (or the W) train runs pretty much every 10-15 mins and on average, it will take you only about 12-15 mins to get from the 30th avenue stop in Astoria to Lexington Ave in Manhattan. During rush hours, however, your chances of getting a seat aren't that great.

As far as cab rides are concerned: ever since the taxi fare were raised in 2004, a typical SoHo-Astoria trip will set you back about $20 (including the tip). Midtown East-Astoria would, naturally, be cheaper. Tell the driver to go across Queensboro Bridge on the upper level and exit at 21st street, then turn right. In most cases, taxi drivers won't need these instructions because so many of them either live in Astoria/LIC or have their cars serviced there.

If you're going to Manhattan and need a cab, some good spots to look for cabs are 31st street (under the subway tracks) and Crescent Street (cabs returning to Manhatan will happily pick you up there). Grey limos are available, although as always, you're better off calling a service instead of trying to stop one on the street. The prices are typically just a few dollars higher than in a yellow cab.

We would love to recommend a particular car service, but unfortunately, in our experience, they all tend to have problems - like rude operators and clueless drivers. Grab the yellow pages - your guess is as good as ours.