The Next Hottest Neighborhood In NYC Is... Jamaica, Queens?

Real estate agents have been screaming in our ears about how Queens is the new Brooklyn for the last year. Now it appears the city's HOTTEST BOROUGH houses the HOTTEST NEW 'HOOD, which is...Jamaica. Yes, Jamaica, Queens. Home of St. John's University! Jamaica Center! Queens Supreme Court! The unique vegetarian Smile of the Beyond diner! This cute pond! It's home to thriving Caribbean, Sri Lankan, Bangladeshi, and African-American communities, and it's enviably close to JFK airport, too.

According to real estate site StreetEasy, in 2016 Jamaica will see the greatest increase in demand among renters and buyers alike, thanks to its low prices and easy access to both the subway and the Long Island Railroad. Fellow Queens brethren Jamaica Estates, Woodside, Elmhurst, and Kew Gardens Hills will also see a major spike in demand, as will Coney Island and Midwood in Brooklyn, and Pelham Parkway; Parkchester, and Bedford Park in the Bronx.

This is not to say that Jamaica is the new Williamsburg, though anything's possible. But with Brooklyn set to become the city's most rent-burdened borough, per StreetEasy's report, and prices in both Upper Manhattan and Western Queens on the rise, it's not insane to think someone who might have previously rented in, say, Prospect Lefferts Gardens might be attracted to a less cool but still Midtown-accessible 'hood in Queens.

"It is of no surprise that Queens’ neighborhoods will lead among the City’s hottest markets," Borough President Melina Katz said in a statement yesterday. "The strong growth is a testament to the borough's appeal, especially for families." On the flipside, of course, once a neighborhood gets hot, it's in danger of getting WAY TOO HOT: "While the growth is necessary and encouraged, the challenge for government will be to aggressively expand affordable housing stock to meet the ever-growing demand. When we do, however, it must be done right," Katz said.

Anyway, it's just a matter of time until an artisanal mustard shop opens on Hillside Avenue, so enjoy the cheap rent while you still can.