The neighborhood is roughly bounded by the Van Wyck Expressway to the west, Parsons Boulevard to the east, Union Turnpike to the north, and Hillside Avenue to the south.

Briarwood is named for the Briarwood Land Company, headed by Herbert A. O'Brien, who started around 1905 developing the heavily wooded area that gave the neighborhood its name; O'Brien's efforts ended in bankruptcy and development in the area finally started in the 1920s.

It is located approximately between the Van Wyck Expressway (Interstate 678) to the west, Union Turnpike to the north, Parsons Boulevard to the east, and Hillside Avenue (NY 25) to the south.

[6] This is a marked change from the post-World War II period (1950s–1980s) when the neighborhood was almost exclusively white, with a large and active Jewish community.

Some of the school's more famous alumni are New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, actor David Caruso, former New York City Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly, NBA professional basketball players Kenny Smith and Kenny Anderson and professional wrestler Colin Cassady.

[7] The neighborhood is served by the IND Queens Boulevard Line of the New York City Subway at the Briarwood station (E, ​F, and trains).

[9] The Briarwood Land Company went bankrupt soon afterward, however, and the area was largely empty until 1924 when it was divided and sold at auction.

B. Wolosoff, started building Colonial and old English-style homes north of 84th Drive and west of Main Street.

[14] On November 23, 1954, Main Street's extension south to Queens Boulevard opened, and apartments were built in the neighborhood around the same time.