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City Living: Elmhurst

March 9, 2006

Walk down any of the main shopping streets in Elmhurst and experience a mix of cultures that is unprecedented even for Queens, a borough known for its multi-ethnicity.

Stroll along Broadway or Roosevelt Avenue and it's not uncommon to see a Japanese cosmetics store, a Halal meat market, an Ecuadorian restaurant and a Korean movie rental shop in one block's space.

And the pedestrians bustling along the sidewalks reflect the diversity of the shops and restaurants.

The neighborhood had its beginnings as a melting pot. After Native Americans pushed British colonists out of Maspeth, the Brits headed to a small town where Dutch colonists already lived. The two groups formed Newtown in honor of getting along.

Newtown is now known as Elmhurst, and it's also a modern day example of cultures getting along. Elmhurst's zip code is known as the most diverse zip code in the country.

TO FIND IT:

Elmhurst is roughly the 11373 zip code, which is bounded by Roosevelt Avenue in the north, Eliot Avenue in the south, 74th Street to the west and Junction Street to the east.

TO BUY/RENT:

Brick pre- and post-war apartment buildings, many are one- and two-family homes, dominate the landscape. But plenty of older wood-framed single and two-family homes also dot the area, lending a suburban feel. But recently, more and more developers are building multiple-family condo and apartment buildings. Here's a sampling of what it will cost you:

To rent:
-$750-$800 to rent a studio 624 sq.-foot or less
-$700-$1,200 to rent an approx. 624 sq.-foot one-bedroom
-$1,300-$2,000 to rent an approx. 1,000 sq.-foot two-bedroom

To buy:
-$250,000 to buy a 624 sq.-foot one-bedroom
-$365,000 to buy a 1,000 sq.-foot two-bedroom
-$750,000 to buy a two-family home on an 18-foot by 40-foot lot

Recently Sold:
-Feb. 9: $365,000, 1,000 sq.-foot condo, 40-35 Ithaca St., Apt. 3-D.
-Jan. 17: $392,000, 1,003 sq.-foot apartment, 94-02 45th Ave., #3883.