Long Island City, situated in western Queens and not far from Midtown Manhattan, has emerged as a key business center in recent years. It’s convenient location, affordable office space and trendy appeal make it a great alternative to both Manhattan and Brooklyn.
The neighborhood already boasts major companies such as JetBlue Airways and Brooks Brothers. Although it may lack the prestige of Midtown and Lower Manhattan and the trendiness of Downtown Brooklyn, Long Island City is still a great place to do business, making up for its lack of cosmopolitan appeal with many positive factors. Here’s a quick look at just a few of its advantages.
Excellent Transportation Options
One of the neighborhood’s key advantages is its superb transportation options that make getting to both the rest of New York City and many suburbs fairly easy and straightforward. The neighborhood is conveniently located and well served by the New York City Subway, offering access to the N, W, 7, <7>, F, E, M, R and G trains. Access to the Long Island Rail Road is available at the Hunters Point station while Metro-North rail at Grand Central Terminal is just a brief subway ride away. The East River Wharf also offers commuter ferry access as well. In addition to all of this, the community also offers fairly close proximity to JFK International Airport and LaGuardia Airport. These transit options, as well as the Long Island Expressway and the Queens-Midtown Tunnel, make the neighborhood very easy to get to.
Affordable and Flexible Office Space
The neighborhood enjoys commercial rents well below most neighborhoods in Manhattan. Thanks to its abundance of older industrial and warehouse buildings, Long Island City is ideal for companies in sectors such as tech, media, entertainment and manufacturing, as they can take advantage of the neighborhood’s wealth of open floor, affordably-priced buildings.
Trendy Appeal
Once an aging industrial hub, the neighborhood has become quite trendy in recent years. This makes it an affordable alternative for companies that seek a creative location on the cutting edge, especially tech firms and media production companies.
