Local Living · Queens

Hollis Hills: The Queens Neighborhood That Feels Like a Well-Kept Secret

Roughly 1,500 homes, two of the borough's best parks, winding tree-lined streets, and almost no inventory. Now one of its brick colonials is coming to market, with the first open house Sunday, July 19.

Integrity Core Realty  |  Long Island · Queens · NYC Metro  |  July 2026  |  7 min read

There's a corner of Queens where the streets curve instead of following the grid, where the Grand Central Parkway hums somewhere behind a wall of trees, and where most New Yorkers have never set foot. Locals like it that way.

Hollis Hills is one of the quietest, greenest, most tucked-away neighborhoods in the borough, wrapped in parkland on the eastern edge of Queens. If you've been searching for space, character, and a real yard without giving up your Manhattan commute, this is a name worth knowing. Let's start with the neighborhood, because in Hollis Hills, the neighborhood is the story.

Where Is Hollis Hills, Exactly?

Hollis Hills sits in northeastern Queens, bordered by the Grand Central Parkway, with Cunningham Park to its west and Alley Pond Park within easy reach. On paper it's part of the broader Fresh Meadows and Oakland Gardens area. In practice, residents will tell you it has an identity all its own, and they're right.

Development here took shape from the pre-war years through the 1950s, and it shows in the best way. Winding roads like Kingsbury Avenue, Richland Avenue, and Hollis Hills Terrace follow the natural contours of the land rather than a rigid city grid. Brick colonials and Tudors sit on generous lots under mature trees. There's almost no commercial intrusion inside the neighborhood itself, which is exactly why walking these streets feels more like a Nassau County village than New York City.

~1,500Homes in the entire neighborhood, which is why inventory is so scarce

360Acres of parkland next door at Cunningham Park, one of the largest parks in Queens

1 SeatExpress bus ride from Union Turnpike directly into Midtown Manhattan

Hollis Hills is one of the few places in NYC where zoning protections and an active civic association have kept the neighborhood's original character intact for decades. What you see today is very close to what residents fell in love with generations ago.

Life Between Two of Queens' Great Parks

Ask anyone who lives here what they love most and the parks come up fast. Cunningham Park sits right at the neighborhood's doorstep with ballfields, tennis, playgrounds, picnic areas, and forested trails, including mountain biking paths on its northern side.

Then there's the Vanderbilt Motor Parkway, a piece of living history. Once an early 20th-century automobile raceway, it's now a car-free greenway for biking and walking that links Cunningham Park toward Alley Pond Park, where glacier-formed terrain creates wetlands, meadows, and forest trails that feel worlds away from the city. For runners, cyclists, dog owners, and weekend picnickers, this stretch of eastern Queens is genuinely hard to beat.

The Commute: Better Than You'd Guess

A leafy enclave usually means a painful commute. Hollis Hills breaks that rule.

Express buses pick up along Union Turnpike and run directly into Midtown Manhattan, a one-seat ride from your own neighborhood. Prefer the subway? The Q46 bus connects to the Union Turnpike-Kew Gardens station for the E and F trains. Drivers have the Grand Central Parkway and Long Island Expressway close at hand, and the Long Island Rail Road at Bayside puts Penn Station and Grand Central within reach. Off-peak, Manhattan by car can take as little as 20 minutes.

Everyday errands stay simple too. Shopping and dining cluster along Union Turnpike, around 212th Street and near Springfield Boulevard, with supermarkets, pharmacies, restaurants, and the small neighborhood businesses that keep daily life easy.

The Homes: Brick, Character, and Staying Power

Housing in Hollis Hills is dominated by detached single-family homes, brick colonials, Tudors, and mid-century designs built with a level of craftsmanship that's hard to replicate today. Because the neighborhood is small and turnover is low, homes here tend to stay in families for decades. When one comes to market, buyers who know the area move quickly.

Which brings us to why we're writing this now.

Coming Soon · First Open House Sun, July 19 · 12:00–2:00 PM

8026 217th Street, Hollis Hills, NY 11427

Don't judge this one from the curb. Inside, the home lives far larger than it looks: three bedrooms on the first floor including one with its own ensuite bath, a living room anchored by a wood-burning fireplace, a formal dining room, and an eat-in kitchen. Upstairs, two large bedrooms share a flexible connecting space that works as a media room, lounge, or private sitting area. The walk-in lower level, accessible directly from the garage, includes a full bathroom and laundry, a natural fit for multi-generational living or a private guest suite. The home needs updating throughout, and that's the opportunity: a genuine blank canvas in a neighborhood where homes rarely change hands, less than two blocks from express bus service into Manhattan.

View the Full Listing, Photos & Virtual Tour →

$1,498,000 · 5 Bedrooms · 3 Full Baths + 1 Half · Brick Colonial · Listed by Patsy Tiu, Integrity Core Realty

Who Hollis Hills Is Perfect For

If you're a move-up buyer who has outgrown an apartment or attached home, Hollis Hills delivers the space and quiet of the suburbs while keeping you inside the city. If you're a multi-generational household, layouts like the one at 8026 217th Street, with bedrooms on multiple levels and a finished walk-in lower level, solve problems most Queens housing simply can't. And if you're a buyer with vision, a home that needs updating in a neighborhood this established is one of the smartest ways to build equity on Long Island's doorstep.

"Neighborhoods like this don't advertise. They don't need to. But every so often, a door opens."

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Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Hollis Hills located?

Hollis Hills is a residential enclave in northeastern Queens, bordered by the Grand Central Parkway and adjacent to Cunningham Park, near the Nassau County line. It's part of the broader Fresh Meadows and Oakland Gardens area but maintains a distinct neighborhood identity.

How do you commute from Hollis Hills to Manhattan?

Express buses along Union Turnpike run directly into Midtown Manhattan. The Q46 bus connects to the E and F trains at Union Turnpike-Kew Gardens, the LIRR at Bayside reaches Penn Station and Grand Central, and drivers use the Grand Central Parkway or Long Island Expressway. Off-peak, driving to Manhattan can take as little as 20 minutes.

What types of homes are in Hollis Hills?

Almost entirely detached single-family homes, primarily brick colonials, Tudors, and mid-century designs built from the pre-war years through the 1950s, on generous lots along tree-lined, winding streets. With roughly 1,500 homes in the entire neighborhood, inventory is limited and turnover is low.

When is the open house at 8026 217th Street?

The first public open house is Sunday, July 19, 2026, from 12:00 to 2:00 PM. The home is listed at $1,498,000 by Patsy Tiu of Integrity Core Realty. Private showings require 24-hour notice.

Is a home that needs updating a good buy in Hollis Hills?

In established neighborhoods with limited inventory, a home that needs cosmetic updating often represents strong long-term value. You buy the location and structure at a relative discount, then renovate to your own taste and build equity as you go. Our team can walk you through renovation budgeting as part of the buying conversation.

Integrity Core Realty · Eastern Queens & Long Island

See It Before the Open House Crowd Does

Whether you want a private showing at 8026 217th Street or you're just starting to explore eastern Queens and the Long Island border neighborhoods, our team knows these streets and the strategy it takes to win in a low-inventory market.

Explore the Listing Call (516) 200-1202

How Integrity Core Realty Can Help You

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Disclaimer: Listing information for 8026 217th Street, Hollis Hills, NY (OneKey MLS #1021999) is provided by the seller and deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Property details, pricing, and open house schedules are subject to change; please confirm current status before visiting. Neighborhood information is based on publicly available sources and is provided for general informational purposes only. Integrity Core Realty, 100 Jericho Quadrangle, Suite 235, Jericho, NY 11753. Equal Housing Opportunity.