Briarwood
Briarwood is a middle-class neighborhood located right in the very center of Queens. Briarwood is surrounded by the neighboring towns of Jamaica, Richmond Hill, Kew Gardens, and Kew Garden Hills. It is a community of around 2,000 single and multi-family homes and 100 apartment buildings mostly constructed in the “garden-style.” There are also very rare Tudor, Ranch, and Colonial styled homes as well. The neighborhood is named after the Briarwood Land Company, who built the first homes there in 1905. The owner of the Briarwood Land Company was Herbert A. O’Brien and it was his wife who came up with the name Briarwood after the woods and the briars, thick prickly plants and shrubs, which covered much of the area. Unfortunately the company went bankrupt and much of the area stayed empty until the 1920s when the area was auctioned off. The United Nations and the New York Life Insurance Company built a development there called Parkway Village in the 1940s to house their employees. Today it is now a co-op.
Because Briarwood is right in the middle of Queens, it is very close to Grand Central Parkway, Van Wyck Expressway, Jackie Robinson Expressway, and Long Island Expressway. Briarwood is less than fifteen minutes from John F. Kennedy Airport. Also, Briarwood has access to the F and E trains and the Long Island Railroad as well, making it an easy commute to Manhattan. Further, because Briarwood is located right in the middle of Queens it is quick and convenient to travel to the many of nearby attractions.
Located nearby is Resorts World Casino in Jamaica. It was a built in 2011 and has become a popular destination since then. Resorts World Casino was the first casino built in the United States by the Malaysian company Genting who owns 51 casinos around the world in three continents. The casino has over 4,000 slot machines and 450 electronic gaming tables to choose from. For a more family friendly hangout, there is Flushing Meadows-Corona Park which is only a mere 10 minute drive from Briarwood. Flushing Meadows-Corona Park is the fourth largest park in the whole New York City area. The park includes the Queens Theater, the Queens Zoo, and the Queens Museum of Art, a gigantic ice rink, a golf course, and a skate park. Flushing Meadows- Corona Park is also home to Citi Field Stadium where the MLB baseball team The Mets competes. Additionally, Flushing Meadows-Corona Park is where the US Open Tennis Championships are held annually every summer. The park also has a 93-acre man-made lake that has boating and fishing. It is a wonderful park to be enjoyed throughout every season of the year. Furthermore, located near Briarwood is the Queens Center Mall and Rego Park Center Mall located in Rego Park and Elmhurst. It would only take a short 10 minute drive to get there.
Locally, Briarwood has a few main streets, such as Main Street, Parson Boulevard, and Queens Boulevard, filled with local eateries and a slew of small shops. Many of the restaurants in Briarwood are mostly take-out food and are very casual. Along Manton Street sits 5 acres deemed Hoover Park which includes playgrounds, lounge areas, and handball and basketball courts. Briarwood is part of the NYC Geographic District #28. District #28 consists of 50 schools both public and private. New York Hospital Queens and the Queens Hospital Center are also the closest hospitals located near Briarwood.
