Sunnyside North or South?
Question from a prospective resident.
“Is there a disagreement in Sunnyside as to what’s the better place to live in? I’m looking to rent a house there and individual listings state ‘north of the blvd.’ Is it safer/quieter in the north?”
Thoughts, anyone?
There is a racial and class divide in Sunnyside though it is rarely discussed in the open.
North of the boulevard is more upscale, whiter and less diverse. it includes the now landmarked brick homes of Sunnyside Gardens and a couple of better restaurants on Skillman Ave.
The South side of the boulevard has more Hispanic residents and businesses. The rents are slightly lower. Both sections are relatively safe but some people do not feel comfortable around diversity, they don’t like to see signs in languages other than English etc.
Sometimes the south side is considered to begin below Greenpoint Ave which is actually Woodside.
the north rules.
There is a bit of a rivalry, but regardless of which side you favor, your choice of dwelling may dictate which side you end up on. The north mostly consists of coop apt buildings and individual houses. The south has more rental apt buildings.
The north side may have fewer native speakers of Spanish but it is plenty diverse: Romanian, Armenian, Turkish, Korean, Irish, Russian, several South Asian languages, and some Spanish in the mix too. Agreed–Sunnyside Gardens development adds to the upscale feel and rents are likely higher on the the North side of Queens Blvd. My sense is that the North is safer (less crime) but that has nothing to do with the language of the signs–maybe because of the greater affluence of more of the residents??
I’d lived on the south side for four years before getting a place in the Gardens, which is in the North. The north just has a reputation for nicer places, greener space, and few more hip restaurants than the south. That being said, the south is the golden spot for great hidden food gems, cheap groceries, and less expensive beer.
I think it’s just an illusion that the north side is safer … some of the more recent crimes I’ve heard about, including rape, happened on the north side. I believe Sunnyside is a great neighborhood to live in, whether you live on the north side or south side!
Full disclosure: we bought a co-op six years ago on the south side.
AGree with sunnysideFC – the south side has more “hidden gems”. Totally disagree with redluv – the both the south and north have has lots of co-op and rental buildings. And I would say it’s not a racial/class divide, and it’s at least 74.3% perception vs fact!
The rental properties on 40th street south of QB appear to have lower income residents, and same can be said north of about 43rd st and south of greenpoint, but otherwise the south side feels a lot like the north (outside of Sunnyside Gardens).
One of the big differences is the zoning for schools – the north side is zoned for PS 150 (very good reputation) whereas the south is PS 199 (improving, but still not viewed as good as 150). but if you don’t have kids – why pay extra?
The proposed city zoning changes would allow new higher development on Greenpoint which may ultimately change this whole perception, but given the pace these things move at, I’m not holding my breath!
North vs South. It is like a tale of two separate areas .with Greenpoint ave being the dividing line. You can see the distinct changes in both areas when you walk through this town of Sunnyside. The stores, population,the language. In fact on Saturday their was a strreet fair on Greenpoint ave. 90% of the vendors between language and music and nationality were spanish. It is amazing that we live in a very small town of two countries, but very different. that is why when are kids go to school it is hard to do a xmas show because of the many cultures that like among us
The North Side is more residential, but I prefer living on the South Side, which has much better and more diverse shopping facilities, as well as a post office (usually over-crowded) and a recently renovated branch of the Queens Public Library with a good circulating collection of books and video and music recordings. I think that both sides of Sunnyside have too many banks, and wonder where all the money comes from to support them.
I like living on the North Side because of Sunnyside Gardens. However, I think its reputation for being more affluent might actually attract crime, as Southsider suggested. Our car has been broken into twice. It’s just a matter of remembering that you live in NYC and not getting lulled into a false sense of security. We certainly attract more trick-or-treaters at Halloween, which is a fun benefit of the single and two-family houses vs big apartment buildings. I also agree with Marilyn’s point about diversity–I love the variety of nationalities and backgrounds in our neighborhood.
I’d agree Northside is “fancier”, but as a Southside resident, I probably paid much less for my apartment!