About Queens CB12

Download the American Community Survey (ACS) Demographic and Housing Estimates for 2011-2015

Community Board 12 is the second largest Community Board in Queens, covering the largest area of the borough. Comprised of districts 28, 29 and part of 27, Community Board 12’s northern boundary is Hillside Avenue; eastern boundaries are Francis Lewis Blvd. and Springfield Blvd.; southern boundary is the Southern State Parkway and western boundary is the Van Wyck Expressway.

Downtown Jamaica serves as one of New York City’s major regional retail, employment and transportation hubs; is home to educational, theatre/arts, governmental and civic facilities, including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Regional Laboratory, Social Security Administration offices, Queens Family, Civil, and Supreme Courts, York College-CUNY, Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning and The Jamaica Performing Arts Center.

• Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning (JCAL) uses art to enrich the lives of women, men, children and senior citizens, accomplished artists and aspiring beginners. Serving over 28,000 people annually, offering artistic and cultural programs designed to inspire, entertain and educate. Hands-on art workshops, thought provoking visual arts exhibitions and dynamic performances, highlight JCAL’s foothold as a vital resource for discovery, creativity and self-expression.

• The Jamaica Performing Arts Center (JPAC) located in the heart of Jamaica, Queens, is a premier performance complex. Housed in a renovated 1858 landmark building, the former First Reformed Dutch Church of Jamaica, Jamaica Performing Arts Center features a 400-seat multipurpose performance space offering a variety entertainment, including classical ballet, jazz and gospel.

• The York College Performing Arts Center is one of the finest state-of-the-art facilities in New York City, with a main stage theater that seats 1,437, and a Little Theater that seats 152. Recent performances have ranged from theatrical to traditional flamenco music and groups like the Ritz Chamber Players, the nation’s first chamber music ensemble comprised solely of accomplished musicians spanning the African-American Diaspora. York College PAC has also hosted international dignitaries including Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, President of Liberia.

Parks in Community Board 12 are rich in history and culture. King Manor Museum and Park was once the home of Rufus King, a distinguished lawyer and statesman who served as a member of the Confederation Congress where he introduced a plan that prevented the spread of slavery into the Northwest Territories and made his most famous contribution to American history as a framer and signer of the Constitution. Today, the landmarked site hosts a myriad of events including, sports games, concerts, tours and movies. The 54-acre Southern Queens-Roy Wilkins Park with its mission to enhance the quality of life of residents in southern Queens, and park users is far more than an ordinary park or recreation center. Named after the famed civil rights leader and former NAACP president, this unique public space is a cultural touchstone for many. The park's 425-seat theater is home to its own troupe, the Black Spectrum Theatre. The theater isn't the park's only innovation—a 4-acre vegetable garden gives children and adults the opportunity to grow produce. Roy Wilkins Park is well-known for other features as well, including football, track and field, handball, basketball, and tennis courts. Swimmers use its indoor pool year-round.