I recently moved to a 3 bedroom in JH. We could have moved to any neighborhood in Queens, i.e., very large downpayment, very large household income, spouses both have advanced degrees, and no debt. We chose JH because it is way closer to the City than Forest Hills (five or six extra stops on the local line - sometimes the express goes local) and FH is too close to the Boulevard of Death (we have kids). Bayside is nice, but then you have to buy a car and pay for the long Island Rail Road in addition to the MetroCard. Additionally, JH offers far more dining in terms of ethnic restaurants and you don't need a car. (Aside: we had to live in Queens because it was close to extended family who play a role in providing childcare.)
As compared to Astoria and LIC, JH is far less expensive/reasonable and the historic district's character makes it a special place. I wanted a 3-bedroom, but did not want to spend over a million dollars.
LIC is pretty awesome - nice parks and cool bars - but the 3-bedrooms are ridiculously expensive. Astoria is pretty nice, but the housing stock is disorganized and it only has access to local train lines. Sunnyside is pretty awesome, but the 7 train is unreliable.
JH has the best options in terms of housing and transportation and most importantly offers the best bargain - at least for now.
JH's diversity is a big fat plus - it keeps life interesting in terms of people watching and exposure to different culture, i.e., food and entertainment.
On that note, I am not surprised the NY Times did an article on my news neighborhood.
