4.7 out of 10

Broad Channel

40.6041574891608 -73.8213156281278
Great for
  • Peace & Quiet
  • Clean & Green
  • Neighborly Spirit
  • Parking
  • Childcare
Not great for
  • Public Transport
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
Who lives here?
  • Families with kids
  • Retirees
  • Professionals
  • Singles
  • Beach Lovers

Reviews

3/5 rating details
  • Neighborly Spirit 4/5
  • Safe & Sound 3/5
  • Clean & Green 4/5
  • Pest Free 3/5
  • Peace & Quiet 5/5
  • Eating Out 3/5
  • Nightlife 3/5
  • Parks & Recreation 3/5
  • Shopping Options 3/5
  • Gym & Fitness 3/5
  • Internet Access 3/5
  • Lack of Traffic 3/5
  • Parking 4/5
  • Cost of Living 3/5
  • Resale or Rental Value 3/5
  • Public Transport 2/5
  • Medical Facilities 3/5
  • Schools 3/5
  • Childcare 3/5
2yrs+

"Small & quiet island in the Rockaways"

Broad Channel is a small island development that’s about a mile long. It has parks, the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, and a lovely beach. Like many other communities in the Rockaways, it has access to the A train, but it’s still quite a trek to Manhattan, so it probably isn’t the best choice for someone who has to commute to the city every day. At the same time, however, many of its residents like Broad Channel because it is so isolated. You’ll see a lot of retirees and some families with children. There’s a small elementary school and the library is tiny, but it’s part of the Queensborough Public Library System, meaning that if you don’t find what you need, they can put in an interlibrary loan order to borrow it from one of the other libraries in Queens. The two main parks in Broad Channel are Broad Channel Park and Gene Gray Park. Gene Gray is older, but it’s lovely. Broad Channel has lots of sporting facilities – a baseball field, basketball courts, etc. Broad Channel is a nice place to live if you are looking for something apart from the city without actually leaving the city. However, it does get a bit boring and you should be aware that flooding and other damage from storms are common occurrences here.
Pros
  • Peaceful
  • Strong sense of community
Cons
  • Isolated
  • Boring
  • Often hit by storms
Recommended for
  • Families with kids
  • Retirees
  • Beach Lovers
2/5
2yrs+

"Broad Channel, a small island community"

Broad Channel is located in Queens, New York. It is an interesting neighborhood, built upon landfill, but has a rich present, and is home to families and more established people. The island is connected by bridges to other parts of Queens.

Though it eventually became somewhat of a summer escape for city dwellers through development of summer homes and retreats. Today, it is a mainly residential neighborhood with a strong community. In many ways, this neighborhood is disjointed from the city function as a small town, with its own churches, an elementary school, a library, and fire department. The neighborhood also has several community centers and organizations including the Broad Channel Athletic Club with various sports teams and leagues and the Broad Channel Historical Society charged with the task of community engagement in the history of its hallowed streets. The neighborhood also has a park named for the neighborhood with a wonderful array of offerings and activities for residents of the neighborhood. Another park in the neighborhood is Gene Gray Park with beautiful trees and sites.

Transportation: The A & S subway lines stop at the Broad Channel station.
Recommended for
  • Families with kids
  • Retirees
3/5
2yrs+

"Great beach and peaceful neighborhood"

Broad Channel is often referred to as the “Venice of New York,” because of the many canals bringing water to the residents’ property.

Broad Channel is a tranquil island neighborhood that is about a mile long and four blocks wide. It is connected to the Rockaway Peninsula and the mainland by Cross Bay Boulevard and its two bridges.

The island used to be nothing but marsh, but over time development has evolved this area into a tightly knit community of over 3,000 residents and growing with each passing year. Summer homes and bungalows to larger single family homes are bursting out all over the neighborhood.

Great beach access with views that are priceless make this area a nice place to live or vacate.
Recommended for
  • Professionals
  • Singles
  • Families with kids
  • Retirees
wartman
wartman The title of this post is incorrect. Broad Channel has no beaches. It is in the middle of a salt marsh. The area beaches are located on the ocean side of the nearby Rockaway Peninsula.

Also, no canals were dug here. Homes were built on small marshy islands that were reshaped to provide easy small boat access close to the houses.

It's appears very unlikely that this poster has ever been to this community and merely wrote this based on looking at Google Maps.
2yrs+
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3/5
2yrs+

"So close to the city... yet so far"

Broad Channel is a neighborhood out in the middle of Jamaica Bay, a feat cool in itself. However, waterfront property isn’t as high of a demand in New York City as that of say the Upper East Side (unless of course we are talking about a river view from Manhattan), so what you find here is a residential neighborhood set completely apart from the rest of the city. It seems a really bland place to live, and the sort of place a teenager would dream of escaping (so close to the city, and yet so far!). Of New York City it’s really true that the further you get from Manhattan the further you get from the city’s stereotype.
Recommended for
  • Families with kids
  • Retirees

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