Briarwood, Queens

Briarwood
Neighborhood of Queens
Homes on Normal Road, a residential street
Country	United States
State	New York
County	Queens
Named for	Briarwood Land Company
Population (2000)
• Total	53,877
Ethnicity
• White	26.7%
• Black	33.3%
• Hispanic	29.3%
• Asian	14.4%
• Other	16.8%
Economics
• Median income	$50,157
ZIP Code	11435
Area code(s)	718, 347, 917

Briarwood is a middle class neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens. It is located northwest of Jamaica and roughly bounded by Queens Boulevard, Parsons Boulevard, Union Turnpike, and Hillside Avenue. The neighborhood is part of Queens Community Board 8. It lies in the northern half of the 11435 ZIP Code.

The neighborhood is named for the Briarwood Land Company, headed by Herbert O'Brien, which built housing there beginning in 1905. However, the company quickly went bankrupt and the area was largely empty until the 1920s. The New York Life Insurance Company and the United Nations constructed housing in the 1940s; United States diplomat Ralph Bunche and feminist writer Betty Friedan have lived there.

The lack of major landmarks in the neighborhood coupled with its small size have caused Briarwood to remain relatively unknown. The local ZIP Code 11435 is actually designated as Jamaica. Parkway Village, a garden apartment complex initially built for United Nations employees is also in Briarwood and, in years past, lent the area a very international flavor, with families from all over the world living there and attending the local public schools.

Briarwood is a very diverse community, according to 2010 census data that groups Briarwood with neighboring Jamaica Hills, the population consists of Asian-Americans (36.1%), White (21.5%), Hispanics (24.7%), and African Americans (11.5%). This is a marked change from the post-war period (1950s–1980s) when the neighborhood was almost exclusively white, with a large and active Jewish community. Economic activity is mostly confined to small restaurants, delis, markets, and other small businesses.