John F. Kennedy International Airport, better known as JFK, is located in the borough of Queens in New York City.
It sits on the southeastern edge of Queens, mainly in the neighborhood of Jamaica, with parts extending toward Howard Beach and the Rockaways.
Key facts
- Borough: Queens
- Neighborhood: Jamaica
- Distance to Manhattan: ~15–18 miles
- Opened: 1948 (originally Idlewild Airport)
- Why Queens? NYC’s major airports, JFK, LaGuardia, and even nearby Newark, are geographically positioned around the city, but JFK is NYC’s primary international gateway and Queens offers the large land footprint necessary for major runways.
Quick takeaway
If someone asks, “What borough is JFK in?”
The answer is simple: Queens.