|
Rego Park is an neighborhood in central Queens, New York. It is bordered to the north by Elmhurst and Corona, the east and south by Forest Hills and the west by Middle Village.
A swath of farmland until the early 20th century, the area that came to be called Rego Park was once populated by Chinese farmers who sold their produce to merchants in New York's Chinatown. The name "Rego Park" came from the Real Good Construction Company, which began development of the area in 1925.
Like its neighbor, Forest Hills, Rego Park has long had a significant Jewish population, with a number of synagogues and kosher restaurants. Cartoonist Art Spiegelman grew up in Rego Park and made it the setting for significant scenes involving his aged father in Maus, his graphic novel about the Holocaust. Even as many Jews have departed for further-flung suburbs over the years, they have been replaced by Jewish immigrants from the former Soviet Union. Today the neighborhood has a strong Russian character, with many signs visible in Cyrillic script. Immigrant populations from Israel, Romania, Iran, India, Colombia and South Korea are also well-represented.
Though some areas populated largely by immigrants fall victim to high crime rates and low property values, Rego Park, long a diverse immigrant community, has remained one of the safer and more-desirable neighborhoods in Queens. Real-estate prices are some of the highest in the borough, in part because of easy access to Manhattan via several subway lines.
Along Queens Boulevard, Rego Park is home to some of Queens' most popular shopping destinations, including the Rego Park Center, a retail complex with large Sears, Bed Bath & Beyond and Circuit City locations. The Queens Center mall, the borough's largest, lies just across the border with Elmhurst.
|
