The Community

A quiet historic waterfront neighborhood, College Point offers tranquil small-town living within easy reach of Manhattan. Comprised mostly of multi family homes and condominiums, this affordable, middle class residential community in northwest Queens has become a desirable place to live with its views of the East River and Bronx-Whitestone Bridge. College Point offers the perfect combination of city conveniences and suburban community living. Nearby shopping malls, a waterfront park and schools, along with easy access to highways and transportation make it an ideal community.

Once named for St. Paul’s College (a seminary founded in 1835 that later closed around 1850), the town name remained with the communities of Strattonport and Flammersberg uniting to form College Point in 1867. Today, on one of College Point’s main streets – College Point Boulevard – a special monument stands that pays tribute to Conrad Poppenhusen, a wealthy, local industrialist responsible for expanding the town in the 1850s and turning it into a thriving community. Poppenhusen converted the area’s farm fields to a rubber product factory, and connected College Point to Flushing by the Flushing and North Side Railroad, later called the Whitestone Branch. Also responsible for creating the first free kindergarten in America, Poppenhusen donated land for a church and school, and provided vocational training at the Poppenhusen Institute – an educational beacon of College Point that still offers a variety of low-cost or free educational, cultural, and social programs and doubles as a community center today. Once a center for breweries and day trip resorts, the community later shifted toward airplane parts manufacturing during the Prohibition.

The Area

Located in the New York City borough of Queens and on Flushing Bay and the East River, College Point is separated from its closest neighbor, Whitestone, by the Whitestone Expressway. College Point also borders on Flushing, and is separated from the rest of the borough by the College Point Corporate Park, north of the Whitestone Expressway. College Point is also convenient and close by Malba, Bayside, Forrest Hills, Astoria, and Brooklyn. Queens is also the gateway to Long Island and is convenient to Westchester.

A member of the Queens Community Board, a local governmental advisory board in New York City, College Point remains part of Community District 7.

Educational and Cultural Facilities

College Point is home to two public elementary schools, P.S. 129 and P.S. 29, as well as three religious elementary schools for grades K to 8 – St. Fidelis Catholic School, St. Paul’s Episcopal School and St. John’s Lutheran School. Children can choose to continue their education at either J.H.S. 185 or J.H.S. 194 and then at Flushing High School, or the St. Agnes Catholic High School for girls located right in College Point. Several cultural and educational facilities are also available in the surrounding area including Queens Public Library, the Poppenhusen Institute, College Point Arts Center and several different churches serve the community’s various religious congregations.

Recreational Facilities

An ideal location for recreation, College Point offers a myriad of facilities with breathtaking views. McNeil Park features a waterfront view, full playground, basketball/handball courts, and baseball fields where annual marathons, concerts and other events are commonly held. Poppenhusen Playground is perfect for primary school aged children, with College Point Park (formerly P.S. 27) offering basketball and handball courts, with an occasional hot dog vendor onsite. Powell’s Cove Park is an environmental waterfront park that lies on the border of College Point and Malba, providing great views of the Bronx-Whitestone Bridge. Frank Golden Memorial Park, located on 14th Avenue, features four baseball fields used by local leagues. College Point is home to a newly reconstructed hockey rink on Ulmer Street in College Point Sports Park, complete with floodlights and bleachers for the Roller Hockey League and baseball fields for the Little League.

Nearby you can easily find Shea Stadium/Citifield and the U.S. Tennis Center/Arthur Ashe Stadium where the US Open is played annually. Flushing Meadows Corona Park (home to the 1939 & 1964 World’s Fair), beautiful Flushing Botantical Gardens, Whitestone Lanes and Spa Castle offer additional recreational destinations.

Shopping & Entertainment

Conveniently located within the neighborhood are multiple retail stores along 20th Avenue offering clothing, electronics, sports and office supplies. Empire Market on College Point Boulevard has offered German meats and groceries since 1920, as well as a wide variety of candy that is popular spot for the kids. College Meat Center is a family owned and operated, serving local residents for over 40 years. Nearby malls, in addition to shopping in Downtown Flushing, is also close by. For entertainment, the College Point Multiplex Cinema offers 12 movie screens for viewing, as well as a mini-arcade. Additional retail stores such as Toys R Us can be found in the immediate proximity.

Transportation 

Receiving its name only in 1969 when three other streets were combined to form it, College Point Boulevard remains the main street of College Point and one of the few primary roads in the neighborhood. 14th and 20th Avenues and Linden Place/Ulmer Street serve as secondary routes for travel. In typical Queens fashion, College Point has no 16th or 17th Avenues, skipping from 15th to 18th to 20th Avenues, etc.

Located right at Powell Cove Estates, is the Q25 Public Bus Stop for easy commuting. One can take the Q25 or Q65 to Flushing Main Street Subway Station and then hop on the #7 train to Manhattan. Air travel is available through LaGuardia Airport, under 7 miles away.