Staten Island
Staten Island is one of the boroughs of New York, ranking third in area and last in terms of permanent population. The island is inhabited by 471 thousand people, such a weak population is due to the remoteness of the area from the center of New York and the presence of a water border.
Staten Island map
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| Staten Island map source: Wikimedia |
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| Staten Island railway Map source: Wikimedia |
Staten Island is located on an area of 151.5 sq. km. land on five islands, and 114.5 sq. km. water surface. Between this island and Long Island is the Narrows Strait, and it borders the state of New Jersey by means of the Arthur Kill and Kill Van Kull. To communicate with this state, three bridges were built - Bayonne, Gotalz and Outerbridge Crossing. The territory of the island is mostly flat, the highest point is Todt Hill, which means "Dead Hill". The Moravian Cemetery is located on the hill. Staten Island is the greenest place in New York due to the large number of forests and places with natural nature. It is even often referred to as the "lungs of New York".
Area features
The most modern and developing part of Staten Island is the north, closest to Manhattan. Also, this area is located near the state of New Jersey. For many years, Staten Island was considered a kind of "dump" of the city, and it was given the least attention. However, with the construction of the Verrazzano Bridge in 1964, the situation changed. This bridge connects the island to Brooklyn and is one of the largest suspension structures in the world. The length of one span, in the middle of the bridge, is 1298 meters. Since then, reconstruction work and the process of urbanization began on the territory.
Before the construction of the Verrazzano Bridge, communication between the island and the mainland was carried out only by means of ferries. However, even today you can take a ride on the orange-blue ferry, enjoying the coastline of the island and the grandeur of the bridge.
The main feature of Staten Island is the high sparseness of the population, which has led to a kind of construction. Unlike other areas of New York, you will not find skyscrapers here, and even just high-rise buildings. The island is dominated by one-story and two-story houses, designed for both one family and several. The distance between residential buildings and the nearest shops is sometimes several kilometer, which made it necessary for each family to have a personal car. The main problems of the region follow from this - most of the time of the population falls on the road, because schools, places of work, hospitals and other facilities are very far from each other.
Public transport on the island is very poorly developed, so when you come to a permanent place of residence in this area, the first thing you need to do is get a personal car. On the territory there are a large number of zoos with exclusive collections of rattlesnakes, museums and parks.
See also: Brooklyn Bridge - story, history, construction & facts
History of Staten Island
Thousands of years ago, before the arrival of Europeans, Native Americans lived in this part of New York. The first European to set foot on this land was an Italian. In 1609, on behalf of the Dutch, the navigator Henry Hudson also arrived here to explore. The area was named after the States General - the Dutch Parliament (in the original Staten Generaal. It took some time before the island began to be settled. This was caused by the resistance of the indigenous population. But after the formation of the Old City, they gradually began to move here. Today, about 500,000 people live here human.
Empire Outlets
New York's only outlet center, Empire Outlets, has opened in Staten Island. Now you can combine a pleasant boat trip with shopping in the afternoon. Incidentally, the Staten Island Ferry Terminal is right next to Empire Outlets. So you can go directly from the ship to the shops. It's also a great place to eat and drink. Empire Outlets has cafes and restaurants including Shake Shack and Starbucks.
Staten Island Ferry
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| Staten Island Ferry image source:Flickr/Shinya Suzuki |
You can get to Staten Island on the free Staten Island Ferry. He passes by the Statue of Liberty. By the way, the view of the center of Manhattan will be simply amazing. The ferry runs twice an hour from the tip of Manhattan. It is definitely worth doing this free boat trip. Many prefer to immediately return to Manhattan. However, there is plenty to do near the ferry terminal. So you can return to the ferry later and see Staten Island first.
See also: Statue of liberty original color | Why is the Statue of Liberty green?
Landmarks of Staten Island
Ferry and Empire Outlets are considered the main attractions of Staten Island. But if you want, you can see other places. There is a small Staten Island Zoo and several museums. For example, visit the National Lighthouse Museum, where you can take a self-guided tour and enjoy beautiful views of the bay. The Staten Island Museum and the Staten Island Children's Museum are open on the grounds of the Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanical Garden. The center itself consists of several historic buildings and beautiful botanical gardens. He deserves attention. Admission to all of these museums is included with the New York Sightseeing Pass.
Staten Island Hotels
Unlike Manhattan and Brooklyn, there are relatively few hotels in the Staten Island area of New York. These are mainly bed and breakfast hotels and rented apartments. When traveling to New York, Staten Island is not the most convenient place to stay. Transportation to Manhattan is by ferry only. There is no subway to other areas. By the way, in Staten Island itself, one subway line is open. In addition, there are mostly city buses. If you still decide to stay on the island, I recommend renting a house near the metro line. Thanks to this, you will quickly get to the ferry terminal and back.
See also: Taxi in New York: how to get a taxi in nyc?
Interesting Facts
Being under the control of New York for more than a hundred years, the island has made many attempts to withdraw from its composition. According to the results of the 1993 referendum, it became known that more than 65% of the population were inclined to secession of Staten Island and secession from New York.
World famous singer Christina Aguilera was born in Staten Island.
During the terrorist attack on September 11 in the New York shopping center, 250 people who lived on the territory of Staten Island were killed.
Staten Island is one of the most populated areas of the Russian-speaking population. More than 20% of the population who speaks Russian lives here. Most of the population are Italians, there are about 167 thousand of them here.
