Middle Village, Queens! One of the fastest growing residential community in Queens. Here is a bit of its history. The area was settled around 1816 by people of English descent and was named in the early nineteenth-century for its location as the mid-point between the then towns of Williamsburg and Jamaica on the Williamsburgh and Jamaica Turnpike (now Metropolitan Ave.) which opened in 1816. In 1852, a Manhattan Lutheran church purchased the farmland on the western end of the hamlet that would become the Lutheran Cemetery. The St. John's Roman Catholic Cemetery was laid out on the eastern side of the town in 1879. After the Civil War, the area became predominantly German. Hotels and other services appeared to meet the needs of cemetery visitors. A housing boom which began in the 1920s eventually consumed the surrounding farmland and became continuous with neighboring towns and neighborhoods. Middle Village is served by Juniper Valley Park, a large public park built on what was once called Juniper Swamp (filled in 1915). Homes along the southern side of the park enjoy breathtaking views of the NYC skyline. Today the park is home to numerous sports fields, two newly renovated playgrounds, lots of open green spaces, tons of squirrels and visitors who come to enjoy it form far and near. St John's Cemetery located in Middle Village, holds graves of many famous people including mobsters John Gatti, Joe Gallo and Lucky Luciano. Also buried here are fitness guru Charles Atlas and photographer Robert Mapplethorpe. A large portion of the population in Middle Village is Italian American, although Middle Village has seen an influx of Polish, Irish and Slavic residents over the recent years. Other ethnic groups have been making their home in Middle Village as well. Many of the older families have left Middle Village but have not sold their homes, the result is a neighborhood, especially the southern portion, with a growing population of renters. Middle Village has three excellent schools, PS-IS 128, PS-IS 49 and PS 87. Home prices are the highest close to the park where there is a variety of styles - brick townhouses being the most common. South side of Metropolitan enjoys highest amount of multi-family properties, but home prices on average are lower. Real Estate market in Middle Village has gone through a correction, but now is stable with potential for growth. If you have any questions regarding Middle Village or other fine neighborhoods in Queens, please contact me.
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