Queen vs Sylvester and others
Queens are more susceptible to damage from cold, and will grow taller faster. My unprofessional opinion is that Sylvesters are more likely to attract and house rodents and/or snakes, but are far more appealing, and yes, far more expensive.
There are enough very old Queen Palms around to know that cold doesn't kill every Queen, but the more out in the open, away from houses and other trees, the more likely they will be damaged by cold. I've noticed here that especially the villa neighborhoods, because the houses are all crammed together and there's so much concrete, that a micro-climate seems to be created. We've had numerous nights in the last 3 years where the area temperature was 28 or less and all of the tropical stuff in our neighborhood (Haciendas of Mission Hills) survived just fine.
Other decorative cold hardy palms to consider are Ribbon Palms, European Fan Palms (not as tall, more of an accent piece), Pindo Palms, and Mule Palms. Mexican Fan palms are cold-hardy, but grow 4 ft./yr and get too tall fast. The State Tree, the Sabal Palm, is also cold-hardy and relatively cheap.
Good luck!
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