Location and History
Many diverse religious and ethnic groups live within the Forest Hills and Rego Park sections of Queens and together these areas encompass an upscale community. Rego Park is only slightly to the north of Forest Hills and both are located in the center part of the borough.
The neighborhoods are bordered to the east by Kew Gardens and the Grand Central Parkway and to the west by Middle Village. The history of this area dates back to the early 1900s when Forest Hills was founded as a place to build low-income housing for the working class. Today, Forest Hills and Rego Park are home to mostly upper middle class residents.
Transportation
The Queens Boulevard subway line provides commuters with service through Forest Hills and Rego Park. The E, F, M and R trains serve Forest Hills at the 67th Avenue, Forest Hills – 71st Avenue and 75th Avenue stations. The E, M and R trains stop at the 63rd Drive and Queens Boulevard stations in Rego Park. The Long Island Railroad has a station in Forest Hills that provides service between Eastern Long Island and Manhattan. Several MTA express buses run from Forest Hills and Rego Park to locations in Manhattan.
Education
The New York City Department of Education (DOE) operates several public schools in Forest Hills and Rego Park. Schools in this area include The Edward Mandel School, The Horace Harding School, The Lynn Gross Discovery School, The William Sidney Mount School, The Rego Park School, School in the Gardens and The Jeromus Remsen School. Rego Park is also home to three private elementary schools, including Our Lady of the Angelus, Resurrection-Ascension School and Our Saviour Lutheran School.
Forest Hills High School has students from both Forest Hills and Rego Park, but since the DOE no longer zones high schools in New York City, many students apply to schools in other areas of Queens and other boroughs of the city. The main campus of Bramson ORT College, an undergraduate institution operated by the Jewish charity World ORT, is located in Forest Hills.
Crime
Forest Hills and Rego Park are considered relatively safe, low crime areas. Both neighborhoods are served by the 112th Precinct of the New York City Police Department (NYPD). This year to date there have been three rapes, one murder, 95 robberies, 46 cases of felony assault, 104 burglaries and 305 cases of grand larceny, according to statistics released by the NYPD.
The 112th Precinct’s Community Council meets on the third Wednesday of each month at 7:30 p.m. at 68-40 Austin Street.
Houses of Worship
Forest Hills and Rego Park are home to a large Jewish community, with more than 10 synagogues in the area. One of the largest synagogues, The Forest Hills Jewish Center, is a traditional, conservative congregation located just off Queens Boulevard. Over 600 families from the surrounding area are members of that center, which offers various services, including daily minyanim, nursery school, Jewish education through the high school level, youth programs and senior programs.
Another major congregation in the area is The Reform Temple of Forest Hills. This house of worship, located on 112th Street, emphasizes learning, growing and fostering a sense of community. The Reform Temple of Forest Hills has its own religious school that teaches students from pre-kindergarten through high school. The religious school covers the study of Jewish holidays, Hebrew, history, Israel, and Jewish values
Restaurants and Shopping
Austin Street and the surrounding area in Forest Hills boasts restaurants that serve a variety of different cuisines, including Italian, Thai, Chinese, Japanese and French. The restaurants range from casual dining, such as pizzeria Uno’s Chicago Grill on 70th Road, to more upscale establishments, like the Wine Gallery Restaurant on Austin Street. UPDATE: This establishment is no longer open.
The Rego Center in Rego Park is a 277,000-square-foot shopping mall that features four levels of shops and a multilevel parking garage for convenient access. Newly opened in 2010, the shopping mall is located right off the Long Island Expressway at Junction Boulevard and 62nd Drive.
