Forest Hills

A spot of suburban paradise within the city limits, Forest Hills, with its spacious houses and, yes, lawns, might be the city’s most family-friendly neighborhood -- if you can afford it.

Prices have risen dramatically since the real-estate boom, as buyers priced out of hipper neighborhoods learned they could get more house for their money in Forest Hills. (Plus, it’s a simple commute to Midtown via the subway or LIRR.)

The most desirable part of the nabe is Forest Hills Gardens -- known locally as "the Gardens" -- where suburban-style streets are lined with large homes with even larger lawns. (Expect to pay well over $1 million for a home that needs work.) Elsewhere in Forest Hills are townhouses, and north of Queens Boulevard -- the wide commercial street that bisects the area -- large apartment complexes dominate.

As this upscale ’hood turned even more so, luxury condos followed. In 2004, sales began on the Windsor (112-01 Queens Blvd.), a 95-unit building where one-bedrooms began at $510,000. In 2007, sales began at Novo 64 (64-05 Yellowstone Blvd.), where studios go for $400,000 on up to $1.45 million for the three-bedroom penthouse.