If Manhattan and Brooklyn have always been the talk of the town in terms of real estate development, it’s time for Queens and the Bronx to step into the limelight.

Backed up by strong demand and low vacancies, construction activity has been picking up in less hyped areas of New York City, with major new developments reshaping old neighborhoods including Long Island City and Flushing in Queens, and Melrose in the Bronx.

Although not as opulent as the sky-high masterpieces popping up on the Manhattan horizon, the new projects that went up in NYC’s less glitzy boroughs in the last decade each have their own appeal. Here are some of the most impressive buildings that contributed to the amazing growth of both Queens and the Bronx, provided by our friends at RENTCafé.

Simply drag the arrow bar back-and-forth to view the old and the new images.

1. 2 Gotham Center, Linc LIC, 27 on 27th – Long Island City, Queens

2. Q41 Apartments, Crescent Club, Packard Square – Long Island City, Queens

3. Vista Condominium, 26-14 Jackson Avenue, 26-20 Jackson Avenue, The Vere – Long Island City, Queens

4. The Powerhouse Yard, Gantry Park Landing, Hunters Point South – Hunters Point, Queens

5. Sky View Parc – Flushing, Queens

6. 26-20 21st Street, The Exo – South Astoria, Queens

7. El Jardin de Selene – Melrose, The Bronx

8. Via Verde Residences – Melrose, The Bronx

9. Courtlandt Corners I and II (a.k.a. The Upton)- Melrose, The Bronx

10. Boricua College Vertical Campus, The Residences at Northrose – Morrisania, The Bronx

11. Roscoe C. Brown, Jr. Apartments, Lindenguild Hall – Claremont Village, The Bronx

Check out more nifty before-and-after sliders to compare the vertical growth in both Queens and the Bronx from 2007 to 2014 on RENTCafé.

What is your favorite change to the streetscape of New York City?