Jackson Heights is a progressive community with top-notch food and beautiful architecture in its historic district. People from all over the world make Jackson Heights their home, and have shown the world how it’s possible—and glorious—to have all kinds of people living harmoniously together. Following the northern Queens pattern, the area was marsh and farmland, bought in 1906 and developed in 1916 by the Queensboro Corporation. The neighborhood, named after John Jackson, one of the first European settlers of the area, was imagined to be an oasis from the city, centered on apartment complexes built around courtyards and parks: the “garden apartment” model. These apartments were, however, long limited to white Anglo-Saxon Protestants. After decades of challenges and an influx of immigrants from all over the world, along with white flight to the suburbs, Jackson Heights has earned the moniker of “Diversity Plaza” (which is also the name of a real plaza just off Roosevelt Avenue). There is food from everywhere here! Take your pick of South Asian, Latin American, East Asian, or even “all-American” cuisine, and it’s likely you’ll be able to find it at a cart or a restaurant of any size.

The buildings vary from gorgeous neo-Tudor or neo-Romanesque apartment buildings and rowhomes to classic walkup buildings and detached one or two-family houses. There are a handful of condo buildings but the majority of housing here is co-ops, with some rental buildings mixed in. This is another reason why buyers love Jackson Heights: you can find space and affordability here, with an easy commute to Manhattan—and so many trains to choose from!

Jackson Heights is home to groups devoted to social activism, from immigrant rights to street vendors’ rights to queer liberation—in fact, the Queens Pride Parade, started in 1993, passes through Jackson Heights every June, the result of organizing by local community members, and brings the community together in celebration.