Where: At the northernmost tip of Queens sits Whitestone, bordered by College Point to the west, Bayside and Utopia Parkway to the east, Bowne Park and 25th Avenue to the south and the East River to the north.
Housing: As arguably the borough’s most affluent neighborhood, Whitestone can be broken up in four ways. There are the large homes and even larger lots of Beechhurst, located in the northeastern part of Whitestone. There is also Malba and Whitestone Woods, considered the most expensive areas in the borough. Whitestone Woods’ price-range, in fact, begins at $1 million.
The southern half of the neighborhood may not be as flashy or expensive, but still keeps the neighborly Whitestone atmosphere. Located here you’ll find parlors “The Village,” at 150th Street and 14th Avenue. Because of its age-old tailors, pizza parlors and bakeries, it retains a warm and welcoming feeling. Also, on Cross Island Parkway and 154th Street are the Whitestone Shopping Center and the Waldbaum’s Shopping Center, located in Beechhurst at 154th Street and 10th Avenue.
The neighborhood as a whole has become a popular destination because “No. 1, it is very safe; No. 2, it has the best schools in the city; and No. 3, it’s very friendly,” said Whitestone native Frank Macchio, the Vice Chair of Community Board 7 and the President of the Construction Services Associates. Made up of mainly single-family homes, the average price of which are in the $700,000 range, with some escalating to as high as $4 million in Malba and Whitestone Woods, this area is booming.
Schools: Part of District 25, Whitestone is home to P.S. 193 in Beechhurst; P.S. 209, 185 and 79 in Whitestone; and Junior High School 194. Most high school students attend nearby schools such as public high schools like Bayside, Flushing or Benjamin Cardozo or Catholic schools like St. Francis Prep in Fresh Meadows or Holy Cross in Bayside.
Recreation: Whitestone is home to two of the most popular and well organized youth sports organizations, the Dwarf Giraffe Athletic League and the De Phillips Athletic Club, which each offer basketball, baseball and football.
Furthermore, there is Whitestone Park, located underneath the Whitestone Bridge, with a great bocce ball court, and Little Bay Park, with a great view of Little Neck Bay and the Long Island Sound. The park has a roller hockey rink and a shoreline bicycle path and includes two football/soccer fields, a baseball field, and sitting areas along the shore.
Uniformed Services: Whitestone is served by the 109th Precinct, the largest in Queens, and Engine Company 295, located at 149th Street. There is also the Whitestone Volunteer Ambulance Corps, which has been around helping neighbors since 1947.
Commute: The one negative for this beautifully landscaped area is the lack of public transportation. The closest subway is the 7 train, accessible by the Q 15 bus. Express bus service is also an option for public transportation to Manhattan. The QM 2 runs from Beechhurst through the rest of the area, making its away along the Cross Island Parkway and Whitestone Expressway, and the QM 2A passes through Whitestone on Utopia Parkway and makes stops along Sixth Avenue in the city.
With its close proximity to the Whitestone and Throgs Neck bridges, one can get to “everything in New York City, Nassau County and Westchester” quickly, according to Macchio. “You can have lunch in Greenwich, Connecticut and be back in a half an hour.”
