Astoria, Queens: ‘A Mix of Traditional and Trendy’

Catherine Seaman and Tom Metzger were living in a small, sixth-floor walk-up in the Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan in 2022 when they decided that Mr. Metzger, 33, a construction consultant, would need more space if he were going to work comfortably from home. And if they were going to move, Dr. Seaman, 31, a gynecologist, needed an easy commute to Mount Sinai Hospital on the Upper East Side.

They found their answer across the East River, in Astoria, Queens, where they now pay $3,650 a month — about what they paid in Manhattan — for a one-bedroom that is twice the size of their old place, in a new complex called Astoria West.

Now they also have room for a dog, a Doberman-German shepherd mix named Jake. Dr. Seaman’s commute is half an hour, by ferry and CitiBike. And the couple love Astoria’s laid-back pace.

“When you take a walk, there’s not a million people around,” Dr. Seaman said.

With its two-story brick homes, new multifamily developments and easy commute to Manhattan, Astoria has been attracting renters and buyers who want more space for the money than they can find in Manhattan or Brooklyn. That influx of young residents and new construction has resulted in “a mix of traditional and trendy,” said Adrienne Onofri, a journalist and the author of “Walking Queens,” which maps out walking tours of Astoria and surrounding neighborhoods.