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67-593: On May 8, 1902, the Actors Fund opened a home for retired entertainers on Staten Island , a borough of New York City , New York . In 1928, the New York City government took the property using eminent domain to enlarge an adjacent city park. That year, the residents were moved to the former mansion of American businesswoman Hetty Green in Englewood. The mansion was razed in 1959, and a modern facility

134-655: A "temporary landfill" in 1947, the Fresh Kills Landfill was a repository of trash for the city of New York. The landfill, once the world's largest man-made structure, was closed in 2001, but it was briefly reopened for the debris from Ground Zero following the September 11 attacks in 2001. It is being converted into a park almost three times the size of Central Park and the largest park to be developed in New York City in over 100 years. Plans for

201-551: A compromise that established the maritime boundary in the middle of the Hudson River and gave Staten Island to New York. Ellis Island and Bedloe's Island , both uninhabited at the time, also became controlled by New Jersey. From 1800 to 1858, Staten Island was the location of the largest quarantine facility in the United States. Angry residents burned down the hospital compound in 1858 in a series of attacks known as

268-486: A local chronicler in Staten Island, was responsible for originating the legend in the mid-1800s. In 1683, the colony of New York was divided into ten counties. As part of this process, Staten Island, as well as several minor neighboring islands, was designated as Richmond County . The name derives from the title of Charles Lennox, 1st Duke of Richmond , an illegitimate son of King Charles II . In 1687 and 1688,

335-579: Is currently not only Italian-American and Irish-American , but Russian-American , Polish-American , and Albanian-American . There is also an emerging Chinese-American population, centered in Arrochar . The commercial core of the East Shore can be found in New Dorp, at the region's geographic center, which is close to New Dorp Lane . Hylan Boulevard , a major commercial boulevard, connects all

402-448: Is extremely sparse, however, and most historians conclude that it is entirely apocryphal. In 2007, The New York Times addressed the issue in a news article, which concluded that this event was heavily embellished over the years and almost certainly originated in local folklore. YouTuber CGP Grey addressed the story of the Staten Island race and its historical discrepancies in a 2019 video, in which he concluded that Gabriel Disosway,

469-703: Is frequently applied to a series of neighborhoods along the Lower New York Bay and the Raritan Bay and within New York City's borough of Staten Island . Precise parameters vary, but the most commonly used definition of the East Shore is that it stretches from the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge and the Staten Island Expressway , or some line slightly south of this, on the north, to the southern property lines of

536-405: Is home to the 2 + 1 ⁄ 2 -mile (4-kilometer) FDR Boardwalk , the world's fourth-longest boardwalk . The South Shore , site of the 17th-century Dutch and French Huguenot settlement, developed rapidly beginning in the 1960s and 1970s and is now very suburban. The West Shore is the island's least populated and most industrial part. Motor traffic can reach the borough from Brooklyn by

603-523: Is separated from the adjacent state of New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull and from the rest of New York by New York Bay . With a population of 495,747 in the 2020 Census , Staten Island is the least populated New York City borough but the third largest in land area at 58.5 sq mi (152 km ); it is also the least densely populated and most suburban borough in

670-485: Is the largest pre-European burial ground in New York City. Bodies have been reported unearthed at Burial Ridge from 1858 onward. After conducting independent research, which included unearthing bodies interred at the site, ethnologist and archaeologist George H. Pepper was contracted in 1895 to conduct paid archaeological research at Burial Ridge by the American Museum of Natural History . The burial ground today

737-492: Is the only borough without a New York City Department of Correction major detention center. The construction of the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge , along with the other three major Staten Island bridges, created a new way for commuters and tourists to travel from New Jersey to Brooklyn, Manhattan, and areas farther east on Long Island . The network of highways running between the bridges has effectively carved up many of Staten Island's old neighborhoods. The bridge opened many areas of

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804-637: Is the third-smallest county in New York by land area and fourth-smallest by total area. Although Staten Island is a borough of New York City, the island is geographically part of New Jersey. Staten Island is separated from Long Island by the Narrows and from mainland New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull. Staten Island is positioned at the center of New York Bight , a sharp bend in

871-544: Is unmarked and lies within Conference House Park . The first recorded European contact on the island was in 1524 by Italian explorer Giovanni da Verrazzano who sailed through The Narrows on the ship La Dauphine and anchored for one night. The Dutch did not establish a permanent settlement on Staaten Eylandt for many decades. Its name derived from the Staten Generaal , the parliament of

938-877: The Hudson River in Palisades Interstate Park . The sill extends southward beyond the cliffs in Jersey City beneath the Upper New York Harbor and resurfaces on Staten Island. The Palisades sill date from the Early Jurassic period, 192 to 186 million years ago. Staten Island has been at the southern terminus of various periods of glaciation . The most recent, the Wisconsin glaciation , ended approximately 12,000 years ago. The accumulated rock and sediment deposited at

1005-414: The Kill Van Kull was frozen over, Lord Stirling led an unsuccessful Patriot raid from New Jersey on the western shore of Staten Island. It was repulsed in part by troops led by British Commander Francis Rawdon-Hastings, 1st Marquess of Hastings . In June 1780, Wilhelm von Knyphausen , commander of Britain's Hessian auxiliaries , led many raids and a full assault into New Jersey from Staten Island with

1072-529: The New York City Board of Estimate , which had given equal representation to the five boroughs. Dinkins and the city government opposed a non-binding secession referendum, contending that the vote should not be permitted by the state unless the city issued a home rule message supporting it, which the city would not. Governor Mario Cuomo disagreed, and the vote went forward in 1993. Ultimately, 65% of Staten island residents voted to secede through

1139-628: The Republic of the Seven United Netherlands . From 1639 to 1655, Cornelis Melyn and David de Vries made three separate attempts to establish one there, but each time the settlement was destroyed in conflicts between the Dutch and the local tribe. In 1661, the first permanent Dutch settlement was established at Oude Dorp (Dutch for "Old Village") by a small group of Dutch, Walloon , and French Huguenot families, just south of

1206-671: The Rose and Crown Tavern , near the junction of present New Dorp Lane and Richmond Road. There the representatives of the British government reportedly received their first notification of the Declaration of Independence . In August 1776, the British forces crossed the Narrows to Brooklyn and outflanked the American forces at the Battle of Long Island , resulting in the British control of

1273-476: The Southern States . This factor has contributed to the East Shore becoming the most politically conservative locality on Staten Island, and for that matter, in all of New York City. Since the early 2000s the trend has been for white Americans of Eastern European ancestry to immigrate to the community. Today, thriving communities of Russians , Poles , and Albanians exist on the East Shore. The area

1340-665: The Staten Island Quarantine War . In 1860, parts of Castleton and Southfield were made into a new town, Middletown . The Village of New Brighton in the town of Castleton was incorporated in 1866, and in 1872 the Village of New Brighton annexed all the remainder of the Town of Castleton and became coterminous with the town. An 1887 movement to incorporate Staten Island as a city ended up resulting in nothing. The towns of Staten Island were dissolved in 1898 with

1407-659: The Unami division of the Lenape . In Lenape , one of the Algonquian languages , Staten Island was called Aquehonga Manacknong , meaning "as far as the place of the bad woods", or Eghquhous , meaning "the bad woods". The name is spelled as Eghquaons in the deed to Lubbertus van Dincklage for the purchase of Staten Island, 1657. The area was part of the Lenape homeland known as Lenapehoking . The Lenape were later called

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1474-665: The Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge and from New Jersey by the Outerbridge Crossing , Goethals Bridge and Bayonne Bridge . Staten Island has Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) bus lines and an MTA rapid transit line, the Staten Island Railway , which runs from the ferry terminal at St. George to Tottenville . Staten Island is the only borough not connected to the New York City Subway system. The free Staten Island Ferry connects

1541-527: The city government and the media. It has also been referred to as the "borough of parks" due to its 12,300 acres of protected parkland and over 170 parks. The North Shore —especially the neighborhoods of St. George , Tompkinsville , Clifton , and Stapleton —is the island's most urban area. It contains the designated St. George Historic District and the St. Paul's Avenue-Stapleton Heights Historic District, which feature large Victorian houses. The East Shore

1608-524: The "Delaware" by the English colonists because they inhabited both shores of what the English named the Delaware River . The island was laced with Native American foot trails, one of which followed the south side of the ridge near the course of present-day Richmond Road and Amboy Road . The Lenape did not live in fixed encampments but moved seasonally, using slash and burn agriculture. Shellfish

1675-513: The Charleston section of the island. Various Clovis artifacts have been discovered since then, on property owned by Mobil Oil . The island was probably abandoned later, possibly because of the extirpation of large mammals on the island. Evidence of the first permanent Native American settlements and agriculture are thought to date from about 5,000 years ago, although early archaic habitation evidence has been found in multiple locations on

1742-475: The Declaration of Independence, and the conference ended without an agreement. On August 22, 1777, the Battle of Staten Island occurred between the British forces and several companies of the 2nd Canadian Regiment fighting alongside other American companies. The battle was inconclusive, though both sides surrendered over a hundred troops as prisoners. The Americans finally withdrew. In early 1780, while

1809-559: The Dutch settlements, the English resurveyed Oude Dorp (which became known as 'Old Town') and expanded the lots along the shore to the south. These lots were settled primarily by Dutch families and became known as Nieuwe Dorp (meaning 'New Village'), which later became anglicized as New Dorp . Captain Christopher Billopp , after years of distinguished service in the Royal Navy, came to America in 1674 along with

1876-504: The East Shore in the 1950s, with the rate of new home construction accelerating rapidly after the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge , which links Staten Island with Brooklyn , opened in November 1964. The opening of the bridge brought a wave of transplants from Brooklyn, especially from neighborhoods such as Flatbush , which many white (especially Italian-American ) families sought to leave because African-Americans were relocating there from

1943-603: The East Shore neighborhoods with each other. Points of interest located on the East Shore include Historic Richmond Town , the nearby Tibetan Museum on Lighthouse Hill , Moravian Cemetery (where members of the Vanderbilt family are buried) and a significant portion of the Staten Island Greenbelt . The East Shore Seawall , also known as Staten Island Multi-Use Elevated Promenade, is 5.2 miles (8.4 km) long combined seawall and walkway proposed for

2010-521: The East Shore, although all of Arrochar and most of South Beach and Grasmere do not qualify using the telephone company's criteria. Sometimes the communities of Rosebank , Shore Acres , and Fort Wadsworth are also described as East Shore neighborhoods. Like all of Staten Island except for the North Shore , the East Shore was mostly farmland until residential home construction burgeoned after World War II . Many small, one-family homes sprung up on

2077-678: The East Staten Island Central Office), which has served this part of the island since the 1920s (the northern boundary of this office's territory is situated, on average, about ¾ mile south of the Staten Island Expressway, built in the early 1960s). Such Staten Island neighborhoods as Arrochar , South Beach , Grasmere , Dongan Hills , Grant City , Midland Beach , New Dorp , Oakwood , Old Town , Richmondtown , and Bay Terrace , along with part of Todt Hill , are usually reckoned as belonging to

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2144-469: The English divided the island into four administrative divisions based on natural features: the 5,100-acre (21 km ) manorial estate of colonial governor Thomas Dongan in the northeastern hills known as the "Lordship or Manor of Cassiltown", along with the North, South, and West divisions. These divisions later evolved into the four towns of Castleton , Northfield , Southfield , and Westfield . In 1698,

2211-598: The Narrows near South Beach. Many French Huguenots had gone to the Netherlands as refugees from the religious wars in France, suffering persecution for their Protestant faith, and some joined the emigration to New Netherland. At one point nearly a third of the residents of the Island spoke French. The last vestige of Oude Dorp is the name of the present-day neighborhood of Old Town adjacent to Old Town Road. Staten Island

2278-578: The Staten Island Unit of the Gateway National Recreation Area (formerly known as Great Kills Park ) and United Hebrew Cemetery on the south, and from the Lower New York Bay on the east to the western boundaries of ZIP Codes 10304, 10305 and 10306, on the west. Not only the term "East Shore," but the very concept is often attributed to New York Telephone 's East Shore Central Office (now officially known as

2345-546: The aim of defeating George Washington and the Continental Army . Although the raids were successful in the Newark and Elizabeth areas, the advance was halted at Connecticut Farms (Union) and the Battle of Springfield . British forces remained on Staten Island for the remainder of the war. Most Patriots fled after the British occupation, and the sentiment of those who remained was predominantly Loyalist . Even so,

2412-673: The approval of a new city charter making Staten Island an independent city , but implementation was blocked in the State Assembly . In the 1980s, the United States Navy had a base on Staten Island called Naval Station New York . It had two sections: a Strategic Homeport in Stapleton and a larger section near Fort Wadsworth , where the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge enters the island. The base

2479-464: The borough to Manhattan across New York Harbor . It provides views of the Statue of Liberty , Ellis Island , and Lower Manhattan . As in much of North America, human habitation appeared on the island fairly rapidly after the Wisconsin glaciation . Archaeologists have recovered tool evidence of Clovis culture activity dating from about 14,000 years ago. This evidence was first discovered in 1917 in

2546-431: The borough to residential and commercial development from the 1960s onward, especially in the central and southern parts of the borough, which had been largely undeveloped. Staten Island's population doubled from 221,991 in 1960 to 443,728 in 2000. Nevertheless, Staten Island remained less developed than the rest of the city. A New York Times article in 1972 stated that despite the borough having 333,000 residents, parts of

2613-458: The captain could circumnavigate it in one day, which he did. This story is most likely untrue, due to conflicting information on the time Christopher Billopp took to complete the race and whether he received a personal prize or not. Mayor Michael Bloomberg perpetuated the myth by referring to it at a news conference in Brooklyn on February 20, 2007. Reliable historical documentation of the event

2680-583: The city. A home to the Lenape Native American's, the island was settled by Dutch colonists in the 17th century. It was one of the 12 original counties of New York state. Staten Island was consolidated with New York City in 1898 . It was formerly known as the Borough of Richmond until 1975, when its name was changed to Borough of Staten Island. Staten Island has sometimes been called "the forgotten borough" by inhabitants who feel neglected by

2747-541: The collision zone and now forms the oldest bedrock strata of Staten Island, the serpentinite . This strata of the Lower Paleozoic (approximately 430 million years old) consists predominantly of the serpentine minerals, antigorite , chrysotile , and lizardite ; it also contains asbestos and talc . At the end of the Paleozoic era (248 million years ago) all major continental masses were joined into

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2814-655: The colonies, residents of the island were so uninterested that no representatives were sent to the First Continental Congress , the only county in New York to not send anyone. This had economic repercussions in the months up through 1776, where New Jersey towns such as Elizabethport, Woodbridge , and Dover instituted boycotts on doing business with islanders. On March 17, 1776, the British forces under Sir William Howe evacuated Boston and sailed for Halifax, Nova Scotia . From Halifax, Howe prepared to attack New York City, which then consisted entirely of

2881-613: The consolidation of the City of Greater New York , as Richmond County became one of the five boroughs of the expanded city. Although consolidated into the City of Greater New York in 1898, the county sheriff of Staten Island maintained control of the jail system, unlike the other boroughs, which had gradually transferred control of the jails to the Department of Correction. The jail system was not transferred until January 1, 1942. Staten Island

2948-675: The continent of Laurentia and the plate containing the continent of Gondwanaland were converging, the Iapetus Ocean that separated the two continents gradually closed, and the resulting collision between the plates formed the Appalachian Mountains . During the early stages of this mountain building known as the Taconic orogeny , a piece of ocean crust from the Iapetus Ocean broke off and became incorporated into

3015-469: The course of the Hudson River have placed it alternatively through the present course of the Raritan River , south of the island, or through present-day Flushing Bay and Jamaica Bay . According to the U.S. Census Bureau , Richmond County has a total area of 102.5 square miles (265 km ), of which 58.5 square miles (152 km ) is land and 44.0 square miles (114 km ) (43%) is water. It

3082-569: The eastern edge of New Jersey was located at the Hudson River 's shoreline during high tide, which would give New York control of all the docks and wharves on the Hudson River. New Jersey argued that the maritime boundary should be down the middle of the Hudson River and then continue out to the Atlantic Ocean, which would give New Jersey control of the docks and wharves as well as Staten Island. Vice President Martin Van Buren negotiated

3149-542: The family of Canadian historian Peter Fisher , John Dunn, who founded St. Andrews, New Brunswick , and Abraham Jones , fled to Canada, and their estates were subdivided and sold. Staten Island was occupied by the British longer than any single part of the Thirteen Colonies. On July 4, 1827, the end of slavery in New York state was celebrated at Swan Hotel, in the West Brighton neighborhood. Rooms at

3216-439: The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary (Short Subject) . 40°54′41″N 73°58′32″W  /  40.91129°N 73.97551°W  / 40.91129; -73.97551 Staten Island Staten Island ( / ˈ s t æ t ən / STAT -ən ) is the southernmost borough of New York City , coextensive with Richmond County and situated at the southernmost point of New York . The borough

3283-552: The harbor and the capture of New York City shortly afterwards. Three weeks later, on September 11, 1776, Sir William's brother, Lord Howe , received a delegation of Americans consisting of Benjamin Franklin , Edward Rutledge , and John Adams at the Conference House on the southwestern tip of the island on the former estate of Christopher Billopp. The Americans refused a peace offer from Howe in exchange for withdrawing

3350-422: The hotel were reserved months in advance as local abolitionists, including prominent free blacks, prepared for the festivities. Speeches, pageants, picnics, and fireworks marked the celebration, which lasted for two days. In the early 19th century, New Jersey and New York disputed the location of their maritime boundary. The original charters were of no help because they were worded ambiguously. New York argued that

3417-408: The island still maintained a bucolic atmosphere with woods and marshes. Throughout the 1980s, a movement to secede from the city steadily grew in popularity, notably championed by longtime New York state senator and former Republican Party mayoral nominee John J. Marchi . The campaign reached its peak during the mayoral term of David Dinkins (1990–1993), after the U.S. Supreme Court invalidated

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3484-648: The island. Rossville points are distinct arrowheads that define a Native American cultural period from the Archaic period to the Early Woodland period , dating from about 1500 to 100 BC. They are named for the Rossville section of Staten Island, where they were first found near the old Rossville Post Office building. At the time of European contact, the island was inhabited by the Raritan band of

3551-512: The islanders found the demands of supporting the troops to be heavy. The British army kept headquarters in neighborhoods such as Bulls Head . Many buildings and churches were destroyed for their materials, and the military's demand for resources resulted in an extensive deforestation by the end of the war. The British army again used the island as a staging ground for its final evacuation of New York City on December 5, 1783. After their departure, many Loyalist landowners, such as Christopher Billop ,

3618-431: The newly appointed royal governor of New York and the Jerseys Sir Edmund Andros, in charge of a company of infantry. The following year, he settled on Staten Island, where he was granted a patent for 932 acres (3.8 km ) of land. According to one version of an oft-repeated but apocryphal tale, Captain Billopp's seamanship secured Staten Island to New York, rather than to New Jersey: the island would belong to New York if

3685-403: The park include a bird-nesting island, public roads, boardwalks, soccer and baseball fields, bridle paths, and a 5,000-seat stadium. Today, freshwater and tidal wetlands, fields, birch thickets, and a coastal oak maritime forest, as well as areas dominated by non-native plant species, are all within the boundaries of Fresh Kills.   During the Paleozoic Era , the tectonic plate containing

3752-463: The population was 727. The government granted land patents in rectangular blocks of 80 acres (320,000 m ), with the most desirable lands along the coastline and inland waterways. By 1708, the entire island had been divided up in this fashion, creating 166 small farms and two large manorial estates, the Dongan estate and a 1,600 acres (6.5 km ) parcel on the southwestern tip of the island belonging to Christopher Billopp. The first county seat

3819-466: The promised goods for the land a few months later. At the end of the Second Anglo-Dutch War in 1667, the Dutch ceded New Netherland to England in the Treaty of Breda , and the Dutch Staaten Eylandt , anglicized as "Staten Island", became part of the new English colony of New York . In 1670, the Native Americans ceded all claims to Staten Island to the English in a deed to Governor Francis Lovelace . In 1671, in order to encourage an expansion of

3886-412: The shoreline between New Jersey and Long Island. The region is considered vulnerable to sea-level rise. On October 29, 2012, the island experienced severe damage and loss of life along with the destruction of many homes during Hurricane Sandy . In addition to the main island, the borough and county also include several small uninhabited islands: East Shore, Staten Island The term East Shore

3953-502: The southern end of Manhattan Island . General George Washington led the entire Continental Army to New York City in anticipation of the British attack. Howe used the strategic location of Staten Island as a staging ground for the invasion. Over 140 British ships arrived over the summer of 1776 and anchored off the shores of Staten Island at the entrance to New York Harbor. The British soldiers and Hessian mercenaries numbered about 30,000. Howe established his headquarters in New Dorp at

4020-412: The supercontinent of Pangaea . The Palisades Sill has been designated a National Natural Landmark , being "the best example of a thick diabase sill in the United States". It underlies a portion of northwest Staten Island, with a visible outcropping in Travis , off Travis Road in the William T. Davis Wildlife Refuge . This is the same formation that appears in New Jersey and upstate New York along

4087-416: The television sitcom Gilligan's Island (1964–1967), who left $ 1.5 million to the Actors Fund after her death. In 2003, it was named in honor of Lillian Booth, a philanthropist who donated $ 2 million to the facility. (year of birth–year of death; sorted by year of death) The facility was the subject of the short documentary film Curtain Call (2000), directed by Charles Braverman ;

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4154-408: The terminus of the glacier is known as the terminal moraine present along the central portion of the island. The evidence of these glacial periods is visible in the remaining wooded areas of Staten Island in the form of glacial erratics and kettle ponds . At the retreat of the ice sheet, Staten Island was connected by land to Long Island, as the Narrows had not yet formed. Geologists' reckonings of

4221-442: Was a staple of their diet, including the Eastern oyster ( Crassostrea virginica ) abundant in the waterways throughout the present-day New York City region. Evidence of their habitation can still be seen in shell middens along the shore in the Tottenville section, where oyster shells larger than 12 inches (300 mm) are sometimes found. Burial Ridge , a Lenape burial ground on a bluff overlooking Raritan Bay in Tottenville ,

4288-424: Was closed in 1994 through the Base Realignment and Closure process because of its small size and the expense of basing personnel there. Fresh Kills and its tributaries are part of the largest tidal wetland ecosystem in the region. Its creeks and wetlands have been designated a Significant Coastal Fish and Wildlife Habitat by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation . Opened along Fresh Kills as

4355-460: Was erected in 1961. In 1975, the facility was merged with the Percy Williams Home on Long Island , New York. The facilities were expanded in 1988 with a 50-bed nursing home . In the same year, the Edwin Forrest wing was created at the nursing home after a merger with the Edwin Forrest Home in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania . In 1993, a wing was named in honor of actress Natalie Schafer , notable for her role as Eunice "Lovey" Wentworth Howell on

4422-536: Was established in New Dorp in what was called Stony Brook at the time. In 1729, the county seat was moved to the village of Richmond Town, located at the headwaters of the Fresh Kills near the center of the island. By 1771, the island's population had grown to 2,847. Staten Islanders were solidly supportive of the Crown, and the island played a significant role in the American Revolutionary War . General George Washington once called Islanders "our most inveterate enemies". As support of independence spread throughout

4489-412: Was not spared the bloodshed that culminated in Kieft's War . In the summer of 1641 and in 1642, Native American tribes laid waste to Old Town. On July 10, 1657, the Native Americans signed a deed to Lubbertus van Dincklage, attorney of Henrick van der Capelle tho Ryssel, for the purchase of all indigenous lands on Staten Island. However, this deed was annulled when the Dutch purchasers failed to deliver

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