Sitting Down With Residents

Welcome to the interviews page, where we get to tell you what the people of Jackson Heights have to say about the beautiful neighborhood in which they live. We asked a range of questions, from how long they’ve lived here to their feelings about the past, present and future of Jackson Heights. We also had a variety of people interviewed, which seemed only right for a neighborhood as diverse as this.

Everyone we interviewed has lived in Jackson Heights for at least 20 years, and they all say that there is no other place like it. They love the diversity of people and how everyone is friendly towards each other. One person said, “Every place where I would go, I would recognize faces. Many people know each other here in the community.” They also love the convenience. There are buses that can take you wherever you want to go, and the subway stations are right there. As one person put it, “Jackson Heights, if you look closely, is the midpoint of New York City. If you ever want to go anywhere, it is only 20 minutes away.”

Of course, not every neighborhood is perfect. This neighborhood has its share of problems: noise from the cars and people, overcrowding, and lack of parking because of the lack of private housing with a private garage. In the case of Jackson Heights, however, good outweighs the bad, and it is definitely the place to live for anyone who wishes to truly live as an American. Jackson Heights is a neighborhood that welcomes anyone and everyone; it is the true American melting pot. As Rudolph Greco, the president of the Jackson Heights Beautification Group, put it, “Edward Archibald McDougall built Jackson Heights as a restricted neighborhood (no colored people and no Jews). He must be rolling around in his grave right now. Ah, the irony.”

This is the list of people we interviewed:
Mr. & Mrs. Chan
The Ngo family
Mrs. Chincha
Rudolph Greco, Jr.