New York City / Queens, New York

Queens is the most ethnically diverse urban area in the world. Repeat: the most ethnically diverse place in THE WORLD! That diversity isn’t just about the population but also the experiences. The neighborhood of Little India has a beautiful, annual celebration of Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights. Jackson Heights is an amazing neighborhood where 167 languages are spoken and hosts the Queens Pride Parade & Festival. There’s also Little Guyana, which not shockingly, is home to a large Guyanese population and full of cool Indian boutiques and Chinese-Guyanese eateries.

One tricky aspect of Queens is that it is massive, nearly 110 square miles (San Francisco is 7), and the subway only covers a small portion of the total borough. That means you’re going to need to drive, take a cab/rideshare, or figure out a combination of buses, trains, etc. Getting from one neighborhood to another, like Far Rockaway to Astoria, can take up to two hours by public transportation. Oh, and parking is a bitch so factor that into the ride as well.

For many Queens is a suburb – sleepy, kid-friendly, and a community for raising a family, without the insanity of some of the other boroughs. Queens is also the jumping social scene of Jackson Heights or Astoria, which are filled with clubs and bars for your nightlife pleasure. Queens is also kind of the new Brooklyn, where younger people are moving to escape the costs of the most expensive boroughs so you can expect to see junior hipsters (or zoomers I think we’re calling them now) emerging in the active areas. For families making their homes here and singles and couples who enjoy the outdoors, Queens has Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, even larger than Central Park, and an oasis amidst the dense blocks of housing. Queens truly is its own city, with every kind of lifestyle you could want to live here.

If you want to know what happens in Queens then check out the calendar of events.

Queens schools have an average math proficiency score of 48% (versus the New York public school average of 47%) and a reading proficiency score of 55% (versus the 49% statewide average). Schools in Queens County have an average ranking of 9/10, which is in the top 20% of New York public schools. Collectively the schools perform well, individually, it's hit or miss, so look closely.

Many parents try to get their children on the gifted and talented path from elementary up through the gifted and talented high school programs or the specialized high schools like Stuyvesant, Bronx Science, or locally, the Queens High School for Sciences.