Richmond Hill

Richmond Hill is a large, diverse neighborhood in south Queens.
Its history is defined by transportation routes. It’s easy to see three zones in the current neighborhood:
North Richmond Hill is the most prosperous part, solidly middle class, with a smattering of beautiful Victorian-style homes.
The central area is more densely populated and home to one of the largest Sikh communities outside of India.
South Richmond Hill is more working class and dominated by Indo-Guyanese and Trinidadian immigrant community.

Main commercial streets in the neighborhood include Jamaica Avenue, Atlantic Avenue and Liberty Avenue. The portion of the neighborhood south of Atlantic Avenue is also known as South Richmond Hill. The Long Island Rail Road provides freight access via the Montauk Branch, which runs diagonally through the neighborhood from northwest to southeast. The ZIP codes are 11418 for the main portion of Richmond Hill and 11419 for South Richmond Hill. Many residents own homes, though some also rent within small apartment buildings.

In Richmond Hill, it’s easy to see a real mix of architecture and conditions, especially in the central and southern sections of the neighborhood. Some blocks and some houses are run down, others are standouts, a few are new multi-families in the “Fedders” style, and still, more are well-maintained, humble abodes.