Land Of Location

The sister communities of Douglaston and Little Neck anchor the northeast corner of the borough, and have features usually associated with “Club-Country” in Connecticut or the “Gold Coast” of Long Island.
With the Cross Island Parkway and the Alley Pond wetlands making up the western boundary, Long Island Sound to the north and the Grand Central Parkway to the south, visitors to the area marvel at the terrain, from sea level woodlands to some of the highest ground on Long Island. Many ask, “Are you sure this is still New York City?”
It’s easy to be fooled. Houses costing up to $6 million can list boat mooring and beach rights among their amenities. In the $800,000 range, cozy Tudors on tiny lots with manicured front yards and towering street trees appear to be in a country hamlet.
Winding roads and block after block of named rather than numbered streets blur the line between Nassau and Queens Counties.
And that may be why it’s one of the most sought-after parts of the five boroughs - its location, location, location.
Homes in Douglaston and Little Neck are located in School District 26, which boasts quality public education and highly-regarded Catholic schools.
St. Anastasia’s Roman Catholic School is located at 245th Street and Alameda Avenue, next to the Church which serves the local community.
P.S. 98, the Douglaston School, is located just north of the Long Island Rail Road’s Douglaston Station, and its classic New York City schoolhouse construction fits in with the look and feel of the community.
P.S. 94, the David Porter School is located on Little Neck Parkway, near the intersection of Marathon Parkway.
P.S. 221, the North Hills School, is located at Marathon Parkway and 57th Avenue, on some of the highest ground in Queens.
In addition to these highly-rated elementary schools, M.S. 67, the Louis Pasteur Middle School, is a magnet school which is also considered one of the best in the city.
Many homes are “walking distance” from a Long Island Rail Road station, and the commute to Manhattan is roughly a half-hour.
For those who want the location but not the lawn, small co-ops can be found for about $175,000 to $250,000.
Northern Boulevard, the area’s “Main Street” features its own “Restaurant Row,” where you can sample everything from pizza or Chinese food to French cuisine with a North-African flair, Northern or Southern Italian, seafood (cooked by Greeks or raw, by Japanese, Koreans or both) and oh, yes - a McDonald’s.
The area boasts not one, but two historic districts; Douglas Manor and Douglaston Hill. The latter is the older development, having peen parceled out in the late 1850’s and is one of the earliest examples of the planned suburb.
The Manor, the private estate of William Douglas, was reforested with exotic trees during the 19th century, and has a feature unique to New York City communities - the waterfront around the point is owned by the Douglas Manor Association, to which all the residents of Douglas Manor belong.
The Association operates the beach and boat basin on the western side and parkland on the eastern side of the Manor. The boat basin is the home of the Douglaston Yacht squadron, which operates out of the Douglaston Club, in the original Van Zandt, later Douglas, mansion.
“The club” features dining and bar facilities, indoor bowling alleys, tennis courts and a swimming pool. Members can elect to participate in the pool and tennis.
“It’s essentially a privately-owned, family-oriented, neighborhood social club with most of the membership coming from Little Neck and Douglaston,” said club President Larry Akers, who has been living in the area since 1980.
Douglaston also features a public golf course considered the jewel of city links, on the site of the former North Hills Country Club.
For those who are aren’t up for a round of golf, there’s a driving range with 36 holes of miniature golf on Northern Boulevard, between the Cross Island and Douglaston Parkways.
Those who prefer more sedentary entertainment can take advantage of the movie multi-plex in the Douglaston Shopping center, or theater productions at the Zion and Community Churches.
As the neighborhood has attracted a larger Asian community, the commercial strip south of the Long Island Expressway at Marathon Parkway is being more fully developed, to accommodate a large Asian Market.