Jackson Heights: Queens’ Most Delicious Neighborhood

Jackson Heights is home to thousands of New Yorkers of Asian and Latin American descent. In this Queens neighborhood, the smell of fresh tortillas mingles with the smell of curry.

An easy way to see it is by riding the 7 subway line, which runs above Roosevelt Avenue, the main drag of Jackson Heights.

What to do in Jackson Heights

The shopping strip runs along 37th Avenue from 72nd Street to Junction Boulevard.

As you walk around the neighborhood, you'll notice Spanish is the language of the street, and you'll feel right at home.

There are so many Colombian, Ecuadorian, and Mexican businesses that at times you forget you're in New York. It feels like a downtown street in any Latin American city.

So much so that the Colombian TV network RCN has its offices in Jackson Heights.

Little India in Queens

Between 37th Avenue and Northern Boulevard, the population changes completely.

Some people call this area Jaikishan Heights, for the number of residents from India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Pakistan who live here.

The Indian food here is fantastic. You'll find delicious, cheap Indian buffets if you want to eat well without spending much.

You'll also see shops where saris sit side by side with Bollywood DVDs. Fascinating stuff.

This part of New York gets few tourists, which is a shame, because it's a genuine showcase of its residents' home cultures.

A Neighborhood of Gardens

This was one of the first neighborhoods in the country to put green space at the center of its design, which is why many parts of Jackson Heights are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Jackson Heights Historic District itself sits between Roosevelt and 34th Avenues and 70th and 90th Streets.

It's said to have the highest concentration of private gardens per resident in the country.

You can see many of them from the elevated 7 subway line, which runs the length of Roosevelt Avenue.

History of the Neighborhood

Jackson Heights was originally settled by Jewish, Polish, Irish, and Russian families, but its character today comes from arrivals from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, China, and Korea, along with Latin Americans from Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, the Dominican Republic, and Mexico.

How to get to Jackson Heights

7 line. 74th St-Broadway station
E, F, G, R, V lines. Jackson Heights-Roosevelt Ave station