Hollis

Formerly called East Jamaica, Hollis is a quiet residential area that is divided into two main subsections: Hollis and Holliswood. The population of Hollis is predominantly African American, but more Asian and Hispanic people have been moving there in recent years. There are lots of childcare facilities and adult day care or assisted living facilities because this is a working class neighborhood, so there are few stay at home parents and caretakers. Public transportation options aren't exactly diverse: a couple of buses and a Long Island Rail Road line run through Hollis, but the vast majority of the residents in Hollis own cars. As others have stated, this town takes pride in the quality of some of its notable former residents. It is the hometown of numerous rappers, Mario Cuomo, and Colin Powell. Most of the "action" in Hollis takes place on Jamaica and Hillside avenues, but even those main arteries are pretty low key. There are primarily fast food restaurants and diners, and very few chic or trendy restaurants. There is a pretty well equipped library that has diverse materials to serve the diverse population. This is a quiet, low key residential neighborhood, suitable for families and retirees. It's not really a trendy place for young singles.

Hollis is a neighborhood in the southeastern section of Queens and is surrounded by communities like St. Albans, Queens Village, Jamaica Estates, and Jamaica. Hollis is small compared to its neighbors and is considered to be within the St. Albans postal district. The Hollis postal district extends to the north to Union Turnpike and covers all of “Holliswood” and parts of what many locals consider Jamaica Estates.

Hollis was originally settled by the Dutch in the 17th century and was a site for part of the Battle of Long Island during the American Revolutionary War. The area had remained rural until the late 1800s when developers moved in and took over. Those developers turned 136-acres into homes, and the area today is still primarily developed with single family houses.

The neighborhood is a hotspot for the rap and hip-hop community. It is a well known fact that Russell Simmons (hip-hop producer and clothing icon) is from Hollis. Among rap acts that have evolved out of this community include Run DMC (including Rev Run - Russell Simmons’ brother), LL Cool J, Young MC (the first Grammy winner for any hip-hop album), and Ja Rule.

A few other famous people from the neighborhood of Hollis include Al Sharpton (civil rights activist), Colin Powell, and Mario Cuomo.

If you want to leave this Queens neighborhood, you have few options. You can either jump on the Q2 bus, or you can leave via the Long Island Railroad (your only other option of course being to have your own car…or bicycle). The neighborhood is generally populated with single family homes, making it an option for families, though a family wouldn’t want to be without a car way out here. It’s a pretty middle class place, and of course very residential (as in, you won’t find too many trendy places to eat or shop – the tourist amenities are sparse).