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EspañolSTATEN ISLAND
(Redirected from Richmond County, New York)
'Staten Island' (IPA: ) is a borough of New York City. Situated on an eponymous island, Staten Island is the most geographically separate and least populated of the five boroughs.
The Borough of Staten Island is with 'Richmond County', the southernmost county in the state of New York. Until 1975 the borough was officially named the Borough of Richmond.[1]
With a population of about 477,377, Staten Island is sometimes called "the forgotten borough," as it is less well-known than other boroughs, namely Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens and The Bronx. While Staten Island may not have the claim to fame of other boroughs, the Staten Island Ferry is a large tourist attraction and thus provides out-of-towners with some frame of reference for Staten Island. It is the third largest borough in area at 59 sq. mi. (approx. 153 km²).
Staten Island is considered the most suburban of the five boroughs of New York City. The North Shore of the island (especially neighborhoods of St. George, Tompkinsville, and Stapleton) is the most urban, with the South Shore accommodating more suburban-style residential neighborhoods. Historically, the central and southern sections of the island were once dominated by dairy and poultry farms, the last of which disappeared in the 20th Century. The borough's steady rise in population since the opening of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge has added to a sharp increase in traffic. To date, Staten Island only has one MTA train line, which is essentially a railroad older than the Verrazano Narrows Bridge (running North-South along the Eastern side), and MTA bus service.
Staten Island has also historically been known for the Fresh Kills Landfill, the city of New York's former repository of trash. The landfill's closure was imminent at the turn of the millennium, but Fresh Kills became the home of the debris from Ground Zero following 9/11. The landfill was officially closed in 2001,[2] and there is already a plan in place to revitalize the land for park use in the years ahead.
The bedrock of the island is a diabase formed during the volcanic eruptions that created much of the bedrock of northern New Jersey, including the New Jersey Palisades, approximately 200 million years ago. As an island, Staten Island was formed in the wake of the last ice age. In the late Pleistocene between 20,000 and 14,000 years ago, the ice sheet that covered northeastern North America reached to as far south as present day New York City, to a depth of approximately the same height as the Empire State Building. At one point, during its maximum reach, the ice sheet precisely ended at the center of present day Staten Island, forming a terminal moraine on the existing diabase sill. The central moraine of the island is sometimes called the Serpentine ridge because it contains large amounts of that particular mineral.
At the retreat of the ice sheet, Staten Island was connected by land to Long Island because The Narrows had not yet formed. Geologists' reckonings of 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.
As in much of North America, human habitation appeared in the island fairly rapidly after the retreat of the ice sheet. Archaeologists have recovered tool evidence of Clovis culture activity dating from approximately 14,000 years ago. The island was probably abandoned later, possibly because of the extinction of large mammals on the island. Evidence of the first permanent American Indians settlements and agriculture date from about 5,000 years ago (Jackson, 1995).
In the Sixteenth Century, the island was part of a larger area known as Lenapehoking that was inhabited by the Lenape, an Algonquian American Indians people also called the Delaware. The band that occupied the southern part of the island was called the Raritan. To the Lenape, the island was called ''Aquehonga Manacknong'' and ''Eghquaons'' (Jackson, 1995). The island was laced with 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. The staples of their diet included shellfish, including the oysters that are native to both Upper New York Bay and Lower New York Bay.
The first recorded European contact with the island was in 1524 by Giovanni da Verrazzano, who sailed through The Narrows. In 1609, Henry Hudson established Dutch trade in the area and named the island ''Staaten Eylandt'' after the ''Staten-Generaal'', the Dutch parliament.
Although the first Dutch settlement of the New Netherlands colony was made on nearby Manhattan in 1620, ''Staaten Eylandt'' remained uncolonized by the Dutch for many decades. From 1639 to 1655, the Dutch made three separate attempts to establish a permanent settlement on the island, but each time the settlement was destroyed in the conflicts between the Dutch and the local tribes.
In 1661, the first permanent Dutch settlement was established at ''Oude Dorp'' (Dutch for "Old Town"),[3] just south of the Narrows near ''South Beach'', by a small group of Dutch Walloon and Huguenot families.
At the end of the Second Anglo-Dutch War in 1667, the Dutch ceded New Netherlands colony to England in the Treaty of Breda, and what was now 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 Gov. Francis Lovelace. In 1671, in order to encourage an expansion of 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 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 in charge of a company of infantry. The following year, he settled on Staten Island, where he was granted a patent for 932 acres of land. According to one version of an oft-repeated but inaccurate myth, Capt. Billopp's seamanship secured Staten Island to New York, rather than to New Jersey: the Island would belong to New York if the captain could circumnavigate it in one day, which he did, according to the myth. Mayor Michael Bloomberg perpetuated the myth by referring to it at a news conference in Brooklyn on February 20, 2007.[4]
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, were designated as ''Richmond County''. The name derives from the title of an illegitimate son of King Charles II.
In 1687 and 1688, the English divided the island into four administrative divisions based on natural features: the 5100 acre (21 km²) manorial estate of colonial governor Thomas Dongan in the central hills known as the "Lordship or Manner of Cassiltown," along with the North, South, and West divisions. These divisions would later evolve into the four townships Castleton, Northfield, Southfield, and Westfield.
The government granted land patents in rectangular blocks of eighty acres (320,000 m²), 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 1600 acre (6.5 km²) parcel on the southwestern tip of the island belonging to Christopher Billop (Jackson, 1995).
In 1729, a county seat was established at the village of Richmond Town, located at the headwaters of the Fresh Kills near the center of the island.
The island played a significant role in the American Revolutionary War. In the summer of 1776, the British forces under William Howe evacuated Boston and prepared to attack New York City. Howe used the strategic location of Staten Island as a staging ground for the attack. Howe established his headquarters in New Dorp at the Rose and Crown tavern near the junction of present New Dorp Lane and Amboy Road. It is here that the representatives of the British government reportedly received their first notification of the Declaration of Independence.
The following month, in August 1776, the British forces crossed the Narrows to Brooklyn and routed the American forces under George Washington at the Battle of Long Island, resulting in the British capture of New York. Three weeks later, on September 11, 1776, the British 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 (known today as Tottenville) on the former estate of Christopher Billop. The Americans refused the peace offer from the British in exchange for the withdrawal of the Declaration of Independence, however, and the conference ended without an agreement.
On August 22, 1777, the Battle of Staten Island occurred here between the British and several companies of the 2nd Canadian Regiment fighting alongside other American companies. While the battle was inconclusive, with both sides surrendering over a hundred troops as prisoners, the Americans withdrew.
British forces remained on Staten Island throughout the war. Although local sentiment was predominantly Loyalist, the islanders found the demands of supporting the troops to be onerous. Many buildings and churches were destroyed, and the military demand for resources resulted in an extensive deforestation of the island by the end of the war. The British again used the island as a staging ground for their final evacuation of New York City on December 5, 1783. After the war, the largest Loyalist landowners fled to Canada and their estates were subdivided and sold.
On July 4, 1827, the end of slavery in New York state was celebrated at Swan Hotel, West Brighton. Rooms at the hotel were reserved months in advance as local abolitionists and prominent free blacks prepared for the festivities. Speeches, pageants, picnics, and fireworks marked the celebration, which lasted for two days.
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. New Brighton became the summer home of President Lincoln.
These towns and villages were dissolved in 1898 with the consolidation of the City of Greater New York, with Richmond as one of its five boroughs.
Except for the areas along the harbor, however, the borough remained relatively underdeveloped until the building of the Verrazano Narrows Bridge in 1964, which is considered the watershed event in the history of the borough, since it opened up the island to explosive suburban development by giving it direct road access to Brooklyn. The Verrazano, 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 further east on Long Island. The network of highways running between the bridges has effectively carved up many of the borough's old neighborhoods. This road expansion was planned initially by Robert Moses.
Some of the island's open space and historic areas were incorporated in 1972 into Gateway National Recreation Area, part of the National Park System. The Staten Island Unit of Gateway NRA is joined by the Jamaica Bay Unit in Brooklyn and Queens and the Sandy Hook Unit in New Jersey. The Staten Island Unit is comprised of Great Kills Park, Miller Field, Fort Wadsworth, Hoffman Island, and Swinburne Island.
Throughout the 1980s, a movement to secede from the city steadily grew in popularity, reaching its peak during the mayoral term of David Dinkins. The movement largely evaporated with Rudolph Giuliani's election as mayor in 1993, although some pro-secession sentiment remains.
In the 1980s, the United States Navy had a base on Staten Island called Naval Station New York. It was composed of two sections: a home port in Stapleton and a larger section around Fort Wadsworth, where the Verrazano Narrows Bridge enters the island. Originally, this base was to be the home port for the battleship USS ''Iowa'' (BB-61), but an explosion in one of the ship's turrets led to the vessel's decommissioning. A number of other vessels, including the frigates USS Donald B. Beary FF 1085 and USS Ainsworth FF 1090 and at least one cruiser, the USS Normandy (CG-60), were based there. The base was closed in 1994 through the Base Realignment and Closure process because of its small size and the expense of basing personnel there. A subsequent plan to use the site as a movie studio headed by actor and New York native Danny Aiello faltered due to money problems. It was recently announced that the property will be converted into a mixed-use waterfront neighborhood with an announced completion date of 2009.
For the last half of the twentieth century, Staten Island was arguably best known as the site of the Fresh Kills Landfill, the primary destination for garbage from the five boroughs of New York City and the largest single source of methane pollution in the world. The landfill was closed in early 2001 but was temporarily reopened later that year to receive the ruins of the World Trade Center after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and serve as a crime lab for police investigators searching for human remains..
Staten Island suffered a large proportion of the fatalities in the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, as nearly 300 of the fatalities were Staten Island residents, many of whom were firefighters or office workers in the World Trade Center.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough-county has a total area of 265.5 km² (102.5 mi²). Land comprises 151.5 km² (58.5 mi²) and water 114.0 km² (44.0 mi²) of it (42.95%).
Staten Island is separated from Long Island by the Narrows and from mainland New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull. It is connected to New Jersey via the Bayonne Bridge, the Outerbridge Crossing, the Goethals Bridge, and to Brooklyn by the Verrazano Narrows Bridge. The Staten Island Ferry connects the island to lower Manhattan. The Staten Island Railway traverses the island from its northeastern tip to its southwestern tip. Staten Island is the only borough in New York City that does not share a land border with another borough (Marble Hill in Manhattan is contiguous with the Bronx).
In addition to the main island, the borough and county also include several small uninhabited islands:
★ The Isle of Meadow (at the mouth of Fresh Kills)
★ Pralls Island (in the Arthur Kill)
★ Shooters Island (in Newark Bay; part of it belongs to New Jersey)
★ Swinburne Island (in Lower New York Bay)
★ Hoffman Island (in Lower New York Bay)
The highest point on the island, the summit of Todt Hill, elevation 410 ft (125 m), is also the highest point in the five boroughs, as well as the highest point on the Atlantic Coastal Plain south of Great Blue Hill in Massachusetts and the highest point on the coast proper south of Maine's Mount Desert Island.
In the late 1960s the island was the site of important battles of open-space preservation, resulting in the largest area of parkland in New York City and an extensive Greenbelt that laces the island with woodland trails.
★ Hudson County, New Jersey - north
★ Union County, New Jersey - west
★ Middlesex County, New Jersey - west
★ Kings County, New York - northeast
★ Monmouth County, New Jersey - south
★ Queens County, New York - southeast
Main articles: Government of Staten Island
Since New York City's consolidation in 1898, Staten Island has been governed by the New York City Charter that provides for a "strong" mayor-council system. The centralized New York City government is responsible for public education, correctional institutions, libraries, public safety, recreational facilities, sanitation, water supply, and welfare services on Staten Island.
The office of Borough President was created in the consolidation of 1898 to balance centralization with local authority. Each borough president had a powerful administrative role derived from having a vote on the New York City Board of Estimate, which was responsible for creating and approving the city's budget and proposals for land use. In 1989 the Supreme Court of the United States declared the Board of Estimate unconstitutional on the grounds that Brooklyn, the most populous borough, had no greater effective representation on the Board than Staten Island, the least populous borough, a violation of the Fourteenth Amendment's Equal Protection Clause pursuant to the high court's 1964 "one man, one vote" decision.[5]
Since 1990 the Borough President has acted as an advocate for the borough at the mayoral agencies, the City Council, the New York state government, and corporations. Staten Island's Borough President is James Molinaro, a member of the Conservative Party elected in 2001 and reelected in 2005 with the endorsement of the Republican Party. Molinaro is the only Republican-supported borough president in New York City.
A mainly white (largely Italian American), Roman Catholic borough that is suburban in character, Staten Island's politics differ considerably from New York City's other boroughs. Although in 2005 44.7% of the borough's registered voters were registered Democrats and 30.6% were registered Republicans, the Republican Party holds a small majority of local public offices. Staten Island is the base of New York City's Republican Party in citywide elections. In the 2001 mayoral election, borough voters chose Republican Michael Bloomberg, with 75.87% of the vote, over Democrat Mark Green, with 21.15% of the vote. Since Green narrowly lost the election citywide, Staten Island provided the margin of Bloomberg's victory. The main political divide in the borough is demarcated by the Staten Island Expressway; areas north of the Expressway tend to be more liberal while the south tends to be more conservative. Local party platforms center on affordable housing, education and law and order.
In national elections Staten Island is not the Republican stronghold it is in local elections, but it is also not the a Democratic stronghold the rest of New York City is. The borough is a Republican-leaning swing county, though like the New York suburbs in Long Island and Westchester County it has become increasingly Democratic since the 1990s.
Each of the city's five counties (coterminous with each borough) has its own criminal court system and District Attorney, the chief public prosecutor who is directly elected by popular vote. Daniel Donovan, a Republican, has been the District Attorney of Richmond County since 2004. Staten Island has three City Council members, two Republicans and one Democrat, the smallest number among the five boroughs. It also has three administrative districts, each served by a local Community Board. Community Boards are representative bodies that field complaints and serve as advocates for local residents.
Staten Island has voted for a Democratic presidential nominee only three times since 1952: in 1964, 1996, and 2000. In the 2004 presidential election Republican George W. Bush received 57% of the vote in Staten Island and Democrat John Kerry received 42%. By contrast, Kerry outpolled Bush in New York City's other four boroughs by a cumulative margin of 77% to 22%.
The flag is on a white background in the center of which is the design of a seal in the shape of an oval. Within the seal appears the color blue to symbolize the skyline of the borough, in which two seagulls appear colored in black and white. The green outline represents the countryside of the borough with white outline denoting the residential areas of Staten Island.
Below is inscribed the words "Staten Island" in gold. Below this are five wavy lines of blue to symbolize the water that surrounds the island borough on all sides. Gold fringe outlines the flag.[6]
Main articles: Demographics of Staten Island
As of 2006, there were 464,573 people, 256,341 households, and 214,128 families residing in the borough/county. The population density was 2,929.6/km² (7,587.9/mi²). There were 163,993 housing units at an average density of 1,082.7/km² (2,804.3/mi²). The racial makeup is 77.60% White, 9.67% Black, 0.25% Native American, 5.65% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 4.14% from other races, and 2.65% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 12.07% of the population.
As of 2000 the population represented several European ancestries:[7]
★ Italian: 37.7%
★ Irish: 16.0%
★ German: 6.3%
★ English: 2.2%
Since the 2000 census, a rather large Russian community has been growing on Staten Island, particularly in the Rossville, South Beach, and Great Kills area.
The vast majority of the island's African American and Hispanic residents live north of the Staten Island Expressway, or Interstate 278. In terms of religion, the population is largely Roman Catholic. The Jewish community is large enough that it would be significant in most other parts of the country, but it is relatively small compared to other parts of the New York Metropolitan Area.
There were 156,341 households out of which 35.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.0% are married couples living together, 13.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.0% were non-families. Individuals occupied 23.2% of all households, and 8.4% of households had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.78 and the average family size was 3.31.
The population is spread out with 25.5% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 30.9% from 25 to 44, 23.4% from 45 to 64, and 11.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 93.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.6 males.
The median income for a household is $55,039, and the median income for a family was $64,333. Males had a median income of $50,081 versus $35,914 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $23,905. About 7.9% of families and 10.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.2% of those under age 18 and 9.9% of those age 65 or over.
Staten Island is home to a variety of cultural centers and historical sites: the Alice Austen House Museum, the Conference House, the Garibaldi-Meucci Museum, Historic Richmond Town, Jacques Marchais Museum of Tibetan Art, the Noble Maritime Collection, Sandy Ground Historical Museum, Snug Harbor Cultural Center, the Staten Island Children's Museum, and the Staten Island Museum. It has also been selected to become the future site of the National Lighthouse Museum. Additionally, the island is home to the Staten Island Zoo, which recently opened a newly refurbished reptile exhibit.
Movies filmed partially or wholly on Staten Island include ''The Godfather''; ''Working Girl''; ''War of the Worlds''; ''Sorry, Wrong Number''; ''Sisters''; ''Splendor in the Grass''; ''GoodFellas''; ''Donnie Brasco''; ''Shamus''; ''School of Rock''; ''Two Family House''; ''He Knows You're Alone''; ''Analyze This''; ''Big Daddy''; ''The Astronaut's Wife''; ''Scent of a Woman''; ''Toxic Avenger''; and ''Easy Money''. Also independent films ''The Atomic Space Bug'' (1999), '' (2002) and ''A Conversation with Norman'' (2005) were filmed on Staten Island and directed by Jonathan M. Parisen as well as ''Combat Shock'' (1986) and ''No Way Home'' (1996) by Staten Island director Buddy Giovinazzo.
Working Girl starring Melanie Griffith is all about the 80's lifestyle of a Staten Island girl working in Manhattan.
A lot of scenes were shot in Stapleton Staten Island and St George,Staten Island.
The movie The Godfather was shot predominately on Staten Island. Todt Hill. Mt Loretto church.
The movie ''School of Rock'' starring Jack Black was filmed all over Staten Island, including Wagner College, St. George Theater, Cargo Cafe, etc.
Donnie Brasco was filmed in the Great Kills Harbor area of Staten Island.
Staten Island is mentioned in the movie Barefoot in the Park. Robert Redford, Jane Fonda and Charles Boyer leave Manhattan and venture to Staten Island for some late night
partying.
In the movie "Saturday Night Fever" the Verrazano Bridge which connects from Brooklyn to Staten Island is shown in
some key scenes in the movie.
The movie ''Joe the King'' was filmed in the area of New Dorp in Staten Island. It was filmed in several places including Miller Field and Staten Island Technical High School.
The horror movie "Maniac" 1980 starring Joe Spinell was filmed on Staten Island.
''Sisters'', the 1973 Brian de Palma thriller starring Margot Kidder and Jennifer Salt, takes place on Staten Island and was largely filmed there.
In the movie, ''How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days'', the character Ben takes Kate Hudson's character to visit his family on Staten Island.
The music video for the song "Papa Don't Preach" by Madonna was shot at various Staten Island locations, including the stairs leading up to the Stapleton train platform and the white picket fenced house on Ward Hill is on Edgar Terrace. Also, the "You Get What You Give" video by the New Radicals was partially filmed at the Staten Island Mall.
In the song I'll Take Manhattan. The opening lyrics are "I'll take Manhattan, The Bronx and
Staten......Island too".
Television series shot partially or wholly on Staten Island include ''The Education of Max Bickford'' and ''The Book of Daniel''.
FOX and WB sitcom ''Grounded for Life'' is about a family living in Staten Island.
The characters of the NBC sitcom ''Will & Grace'', have traveled to Staten Island in two episodes:
★ In the second-season episode ''Terms Of Employment'', Karen and Jack attempt to film an employee training video in a studio in Staten Island. Karen makes a reference to the Fresh Kills Landfill (closed since 2001), and the population of largely working-class families.
★ In the eighth-season episode ''The Old Man And The Sea'', Grace brings Karen and Malcolm with her on a blind date in Staten Island. Major thoroughfares such as Victory Boulevard and Richmond Avenue are mentioned.
The NBC Crime Drama Law & Order and its spin-offs have used Staten Island locations in many episodes. In an episode of , the detectives go into a fictionalized parking garage in the Staten Island Mall. There is no garage at the Staten Island Mall.
Banishment to Staten Island was once a common threat in the New York City uniformed services, and is reflected in both film and television. In ''Arsenic and Old Lace'' an officer is threatened with walking a beat on Staten Island. On ''Law & Order,'' Detective Mike Logan (played by Chris Noth) is sent to Staten Island for punching a councilman. The title character in ''Barney Miller'' dreaded the thought of being transferred to Staten Island. On ''The Honeymooners'' Ralph resists being reassigned to a Staten Island bus route. And Denis Leary's character, Tommy Gavin, on ''Rescue Me'' also does time working in a firehouse on Staten Island. This theme was also used on other TV shows such as The Odd Couple, Car 54 Where Are You?, Welcome Back Kotter, Sex in the City, Seinfeld, All in the Family and even the Andy Griffith Show. The Sopranos also used some areas of Staten Island and Staten Island Academy to film certain scenes.
In a Welcome Back Kotter episode Washington is worried about his girlfriend Verna Jean moving to Staten Island
because he fears he will loose her to some Staten Island dude. In another episode Barbarino imitates a how a drug addict
acts while they loiter around the Staten Island Ferry
Primary taping for the documentary "A Walk Around Staten Island with David Hartman and Historian Barry Lewis" was completed in August 2007 to premiere locally on Thirteen/WNET in December 2007. [1]
The Elegants featuring Vito Picone are from Staten Island they had a #1 song in 1958 called "Little Star". The song was recorded in a South Beach Staten Island recording studio.
John Lennon's ''Live in New York City'' album was a live recording of his "One to One" concert at Madison Square Garden on August 30, 1972. The concert was a fundraiser for the mentally-challenged children, inspired by the horrid conditions at Willowbrook State School. The album also features Staten Island guitar player Earl Slick. The Willowbrook issue was initially exposed by the Staten Island Advance and brought to Lennon's attention by his friend and broadcast journalist Geraldo Rivera who covered the story for WABC-TV, New York.
★ Christina Aguilera - Pop singer. Born on Staten Island.
★ Jeff Ahearn - producer/director/writer for MTV Cribs
★ Armand Assante - Actor, resided in Staten Island.
★ Teddy Atlas - Boxing trainer
★ Rich Aurilia - All Star Shortstop, San Francisco Giants grew up on Staten Island.
★ Alice Austen - Photographer, lived all of her life on Staten Island. A Staten Island Ferry is named for her
★ Joan Baez - folk singer, born on Staten Island
★ Renaldo Balkman - New York Knicks 2006 First Round Draft Pick, Born on Staten Island
★ Vito Bratta - guitarist for White Lion lives on Staten Island
★ Jerry Butler - real name Paul Seiderman - famous adult film star.
★ Cynthia von Buhler - Artist, children's book author. Currently resides in Staten Island.
★ Marcia Clark - Famed Prosecutor, was involved in the famous O.J. Simpson trial, graduated from Susan E. Wagner High School
★ Bobby Darin - singer, his family had a summer home as a child in South Beach, Staten Island.
★ Evan Dorkin - Cartoonist and creator of ''Milk & Cheese'' is a long time resident of Staten Island
★ Clem Caserta - actor and Eltingville, Staten Island resident. Jimmy Whispers in ''A Bronx Tale'', also was in ''GoodFellas'', ''The Untouchables''.
★ Paul Castellano- Gambino Crime Boss, lived in the Todt Hill, Staten Island section
★ Joe Causi - Disc Jockey, raised in Brooklyn, currently lives on Staten Island
★ Roy Clark - Country singer, ''Hee Haw'' star, and guitarist, actually grew up in Great Kills, Staten Island
★ Eric Close - Actor who plays "Martin Fitzgerald" on the CBS drama ''Without a Trace''
★ Ichabod Crane, a Colonel in the US Army during the War of 1812 and the nominal inspiration for the fictional protagonist in Washington Irving's ''Legend of Sleepy Hollow'', who is buried in Staten Island, New York
★ Ron Dante lead singer for The Archies, big hit was the number 1 song Sugar Sugar.
★ John Dehner - Television and movie actor born on Staten Island. A notable and one of Hollywoods best character actors, Dehner played Doris Day's boss Sy Bennett on the Doris Day Show. He appeared in three classic Twilight Zone episodes and other movies and television shows. Western fans came to know Dehner as "Paladin" on radio's "Have Gun, Will Travel" in his radio days.
★ Steven Duren - Better known as Blackie Lawless, lead singer of the 1980s heavy metal band W.A.S.P. Lawless, who is a friend of fellow Staten Islander David Johansen, replaced Johnny Thunders in the New York Dolls when he was 18.
★ Eamon Doyle rapper, born and raised on Staten Island
★ Judge William Emerson, brother of poet Ralph Waldo Emerson, resided on what is now known as Emerson Hill.
★ Jennifer Esposito - actress ''Spin City'', ''Summer of Sam'' attended Moore Catholic High School
★ Joey Faye vaudeville comic and character actor lived in Great Kills for years.
★ Force MD's born and raised on Staten Island had a top ten song Tender Love in 1986, produced by longtime Janet Jackson producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis
★ John Franco - Former New York Mets pitcher
★ Giuseppe Garibaldi - 19th century Italian revolutionary and statesman, lived for a time on Staten Island, and worked as a candle-maker
★ Sandy Gennaro - famed drummer
★ Ghostface Killah - rapper born on Staten Island.
★ Buddy Giovinazzo - Actor/Director/Writer who directed the cult films ''Combat Shock'' and ''No Way Home''
★ Carmine Giovinazzo - Actor who plays Detective Danny Messer on the CBS drama ''. He is a cousin of director Buddy Giovinazzo.
★ Sammy "The Bull" Gravano - mob turncoat lived on Staten Island
★ David Guida - Television writer/producer, professional gamer
★ Brian Guzman - actor born in West Brighton, St. Peters High School
★ Larry Harmon- Bozo the Clown lived on Staten Island
★ Patti Hansen - Famous model and wife to The Rolling Stones' Keith Richards
★ George Harrison of the Beatles briefly lived in Staten Island near Staten Island University Hospital while being treated for cancer there.
★ Allen Jenkins - famed Hollywood character actor, voice of cartoon ''Top Cat's Officer Dibble was born on Staten Island.
★ David Johansen (aka Buster Poindexter) of the New York Dolls
★ Hassan Johnson - Actor, featured in ''The Wire'', ''Belly'', etc.
★ Sukanya Krishnan - Home Delivery host and news anchor for WB11 Morning News grew up on Staten Island and graduted from New Dorp High School.
★ Lil' Suzy, freestyle singer
★ Paul Land actor Spring Break, The Idolmaker
★ Robert Loggia - Actor (''Scarface'', ''The Sopranos'', ''Big'', etc.) New Dorp High School graduate.
★ Vito LoGrasso - WWE wrestler hails from Staten Island
★ Ki Longfellow, novelist, born on Staten Island.
★ Madonna - lived in the Stapleton area briefly. Her video "Papa Don't Preach" was filmed there. Madonna chose the location herself. She said the neighborhood was perfect premise for the video story.
★ Oleg Maskaev - Heavyweight Boxing Champion
★ Method Man- Clifford Smith - Rapper/Wu-Tang Clan member (aka Method Man) was born and raised on Staten Island
★ Antonio Meucci - disputed inventor of the telephone, immigrated to Staten Island, settling in the Clifton area in 1850, where he would live for the remainder of his life.
★ Alyssa Milano - Actress, she was raised on Staten Island.
★ Sudsy Monchik- 5-Time Pro World Champion racquetball player.
★ Paul Newman - lived on Staten Island in St. George, Staten Island
★ Adewale Ogunleye- Chicago Bears Defensive End, formerly played for Indiana University and Tottenville High School
★ Chris Paciello - famous Miami nightclub owner, was raised on Staten Island . Best selling book and soon to be a movie, tells of his life growing up in Eltingville.
★ Jonathan M. Parisen - Filmmaker, was born and raised on Staten Island
★ Darren Passarello- Also know as Nitro G. On the first Season Of the TV show Who Wants to Be a Superhero?
★ Edward Platt - born on Staten Island. Actor who played the famous character "The Chief" on the 1960s TV show ''Get Smart''
★ A.J. Pero - drummer for Twisted Sister
★ Joe Pistone - FBI agent aka Donnie Brasco lived in Staten Island for a brief period.
★ Thommy Price - former Patty Smyth and Scandal and Billy Idol drummer
★ Robin Quivers- radio personality from the Howard Stern show lives on Staten Island
★ Larry Romano - actor ''The King of Queens'', ''NYPD Blue''
★ Kevin Rooney former manager of Mike Tyson lived on Staten Island
★ Gianni Russo - Actor was raised on Staten Island. Gianni played Carlo Rizzi in ''The Godfather''
★ Randy Savage - Former Professional wrestler known as "Macho Man" now resides in Staten Island
★ Glenn Scarpelli - child actor from ''One Day at a Time'' born and raised in Staten Island
★ Francesco Scavullo - famous photographer. born on Staten Island.
★ Steven R. Schirripa - Bobby Bacala from ''The Sopranos''
★ Rick Schroder - Actor who played "Ricky Stratton" on the 1980s NBC sitcom ''Silver Spoons'' and "Detective Danny Sorenson" on the ABC drama ''NYPD Blue'', and has recently played "Mike Doyle" on "24". Currently appearing as "Dr. Dylan West" on the Lifetime drama ''Strong Medicine''
★ Steven Seagal - Actor, lived on Staten Island
★ Raymond Serra - Actor, ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' movies, ''Gotti''
★ Martin Sheen - lived on Staten Island in St. George
★ Gene Simmons - Kiss bass player, went to Richmond College St. George
★ Earl Slick - famous guitarist Phantom,Rocker and Slick played with John Lennon
★ Peter Steele - Lead singer and bassist for the gothic-doom band Type O Negative
★ Theodore Sturgeon - Science fiction author
★ Kasim Sulton - musician. Bass player for Utopia. Was one of the Blackhearts, from Joan Jett and the Blackhearts. Now is a member of The New Cars
★ Henry David Thoreau spent his longest time away from Concord, Massachusetts on Staten Island in the 1840s. While on the island, he tutored the children of Judge William Emerson and penned several letters to Ralph Waldo Emerson. Emerson himself spent a significant amount of time on the island as well.
★ Daniel D. Tompkins, was the sixth Vice President of the United States, an entrepreneur, jurist, Congressman, Governor of New York, and established Tompkinsville in Staten Island and the Staten Island Ferry.
★ Courtney Trevino - Director/Producer, born on Staten Island
★ Cornelius Vanderbilt - 19th century shipping and railroad magnate and patriarch of the Vanderbilt family, was born, and lived most of his life on, Staten Island. He is buried in the family vault in the Moravian Cemetery at New Dorp on Staten Island.
★ Lenny Venito - actor ''Murmur from The Sopranos'', ''Gigli'', ''War of the Worlds''
★ Wu Tang Clan - Hip-hop group; 4 of the 9 are from Staten Island. Credited with giving Staten Island the nickname 'Shaolin'
★ Paul Zindel - Novelist and playwright
★ Staten Island Yankees, New York-Penn League baseball, Class A Minor League affiliate to the New York Yankees
★ Staten Island Yankees who made it to the big leagues: Jason Anderson, Andy Phillips, Melky Cabrera, Brandon Claussen, Wily Mo Pena, Robinson Cano, Chien-Ming Wang, Brad Halsey, John-Ford Griffin
★ The New York Metropolitans of the American Association played baseball on Staten Island from April 1886 through 1887. Erastus Wiman, the developer of St. George, brought the team to Staten Island where they played in a stadium near the site of the current-day Staten Island Yankees stadium and the Staten Island Ferry terminal.
★ Wagner College participates in Division I athletics.
★ Former NBA Basketball coach P.J. Carlesimo coached the Wagner College Basketball team the "Seahawks".
★ Terry Crowley baseball player, member of the 1970 World Champs Baltimore Orioles
★ Matt Galante - former baseball coach for New York Mets and Houston Astros lives in Annadale, Staten Island
★ Staten Island formerly had a professional football team which was a member of the NFL called the Staten Island Stapes. They were based in Stapleton. Their stadium was called Thompson's Stadium which was located on the site of present Berta A. Dreyfus Intermediate School 49 and the Stapleton Houses. They faced many other teams that still exist today. Football Hall of Famer Ken Strong played for the Stapes.
★ New York Predators Semi Pro football team calls Staten Island it's home since it's inception in 1998 owned by Bill Simo [2] plays most homes games in Alumni Stadium on the grounds of Monsignor Farrell H.S.
★ George Bamberger, a baseball player and manager. He spent most of his playing career pitching in the Minor Leagues. He spent only three seasons in the Major Leagues with the New York Giants (1951-1952), and with the 1959 Baltimore Orioles. He had a record of 458–478 as manager of the Milwaukee Brewers (1978-1980, 1985-1986) and the New York Mets (1982-1983). Bamberger as a pitching coach for the Baltimore Orioles would teach his famed pitch "The Staten Island Sinker".
★ Bill Britton - Pro golfer was born and raised on Staten Island. Graduate of Monsignor Farrell High School.
★ Johnny "The Heat" Verderosa - former pro boxer
★ Silvia Fontana, Italian figure skater in the 2002 and 2006 Winter Olympic Games, was born in Staten Island on December 3, 1976.
★ Gary Stark Jr. - Pro Boxer
★ Rich Kotite - former Philadelphia Eagles and New York Jets head coach, and New York Giants player lives in West Brighton, Staten Island.
★ Hank Majeski - MLB infielder. Born and raised in Staten Island
★ Pete Mikklesen - New York Yankee and Los Angeles Dodgers relief specialist.
★ There was a controversial plan by the International Speedway Corporation to build a speedway on the island that would host NASCAR races by 2010. ISC abandoned the plan in 2006, citing financial concerns.
★ Jason Marquis, starting pitcher for the Chicago Cubs, went to Tottenville High School in Staten Island.
★ Nick Fotiu was the first player ever from Staten Island to play hockey for the hometown New York Rangers.
★ Pro Bowlers Johnny Petraglia and Mark Roth both resided in Staten Island.
★ In 1964 Staten Island's Mid Island Little League won the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania
★ Mookie Wilson - New York Mets outfielder lived on Staten Island
★ Joe Andruzzi - Cleveland Browns Offensive Lineman. Has 3 Super Bowl rings with the New England Patriots.
★ Mike Siani - standout wide receiver for Villanova and number 1 draft choice for the Oakland Raiders was born and raised on Staten Island.
★ The Mid-Island Little League from Staten Island advanced to the 2006 Little League World Series and won the LLWS in 1964.
★ Dino Mangiero - Defensive Tackle for the Kansas City Chiefs in the 80's.
★ Dennis McKnight - Graduated from Susan Wagner H.S. played 9 seasons in the NFL mostly with the San Diego Chargers in the 80's. Now serves as the Specials teams aOffensive line coach at the University of Hawaii
★ William Shakespeare (football) - Halfback at Notre Dame and member of College Football Hall of Fame
★ Adewale Ogunleye - #93 for the Chicago Bears, went to Tottenville High School
★ Frank Ferrara - New Dorp H.S., Played for the New York Giants for four seasons and Philadelphia Eagles. Now Plays for the Arena team New York Dragons after a stint in the CFL
★ James Jenkins - Curtis H.S., Rutgers, and TE for the Washington Redskins for 10 seasons
★ Frank Menichino - Susan Wagner H.S., Alabama , 10 seasons MLB most notably for the Oakland Athletics
★ Sean Madigan - Founder and creator of BIG JKD. Certified in Jeet Kune Do by Bruce Lee student Steve Golden.
★ Billy Donovan - coach of the Florida Gators played AAU basketball on Staten island. The team was the Staten Island Stallions,
★ Jennifer Derevjanik- Plays for the pheonix Mercury in the WNBA, former ST. Peters player
★ Freddie Santana- Plays for Holy Cross football, played for New Dorp High School.
★ John Wolyniec - forward for MLS side Red Bull New York
★ Staten Island University Hospital
★ Richmond University Medical Center
Education in Staten Island is provided by a number of public and private institutions. Public schools in the borough are managed by the New York City Department of Education, the largest public school system in the United States.
The College of Staten Island is one of four "hybrid colleges" of the City University of New York (CUNY). The college offers both associate's and bachelor's degrees, hence it is a "hybrid" of a traditional four-year college and a two-year community college. The College of Staten Island is one of two such CUNY colleges which also offers graduate-level study.
Wagner College is a coeducational private liberal arts college with an enrollment of 1,900 undergraduates and 400 graduate students. The college is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
St. John's University has a campus on Staten Island. It is a private, coeducational Roman Catholic university.
Twelve branches of the New York Public Library serve the borough. The Library offers free computer instruction and English classes for speakers of other languages.
1. New York Public Library Staten Island Timeline, accessed January 16, 2006
2. Fresh Kills: Landfill to close
3. The Epic of New York City, Ellis, Edward Robb, , , Old Town Books, 1966,
4.
5. Cornell Law School Supreme Court Collection: Board of Estimate of City of New York v. Morris, accessed June 12, 2006
6. http://www.sichamber.com/reginfo.html
7. Richmond County Ancestry, United States Census, 2000. Accessed June 23, 2007.
★ Kenneth T. Jackson (editor); ''The Encyclopedia of New York City''; Yale University Press; ISBN 0-300-05536-6 (1995).
★ John Waldman; ''Heartbeats in the Muck''; ISBN 1-55821-720-7 The Lyons Press; (2000)
★ Famous Staten Islanders page at the New York Public Library site:
★ History of Staten Island in the Photo
★ Staten Island - Office of the Borough President
★ Timeline of Staten Island History on the New York Public Library site
★ Staten Island Live Everything Staten Island, from News to Entertainment to Dining and More
★ Baby-Bombers - Fan site for the Staten Island Yankees started to keep the players' families up to date on the season.
★ Save Staten Island- a site dedicated to fighting the negative image Staten Island is given in the media
'Staten Island' (IPA: ) is a borough of New York City. Situated on an eponymous island, Staten Island is the most geographically separate and least populated of the five boroughs.
The Borough of Staten Island is with 'Richmond County', the southernmost county in the state of New York. Until 1975 the borough was officially named the Borough of Richmond.[1]
With a population of about 477,377, Staten Island is sometimes called "the forgotten borough," as it is less well-known than other boroughs, namely Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens and The Bronx. While Staten Island may not have the claim to fame of other boroughs, the Staten Island Ferry is a large tourist attraction and thus provides out-of-towners with some frame of reference for Staten Island. It is the third largest borough in area at 59 sq. mi. (approx. 153 km²).
Staten Island is considered the most suburban of the five boroughs of New York City. The North Shore of the island (especially neighborhoods of St. George, Tompkinsville, and Stapleton) is the most urban, with the South Shore accommodating more suburban-style residential neighborhoods. Historically, the central and southern sections of the island were once dominated by dairy and poultry farms, the last of which disappeared in the 20th Century. The borough's steady rise in population since the opening of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge has added to a sharp increase in traffic. To date, Staten Island only has one MTA train line, which is essentially a railroad older than the Verrazano Narrows Bridge (running North-South along the Eastern side), and MTA bus service.
Staten Island has also historically been known for the Fresh Kills Landfill, the city of New York's former repository of trash. The landfill's closure was imminent at the turn of the millennium, but Fresh Kills became the home of the debris from Ground Zero following 9/11. The landfill was officially closed in 2001,[2] and there is already a plan in place to revitalize the land for park use in the years ahead.
History
The bedrock of the island is a diabase formed during the volcanic eruptions that created much of the bedrock of northern New Jersey, including the New Jersey Palisades, approximately 200 million years ago. As an island, Staten Island was formed in the wake of the last ice age. In the late Pleistocene between 20,000 and 14,000 years ago, the ice sheet that covered northeastern North America reached to as far south as present day New York City, to a depth of approximately the same height as the Empire State Building. At one point, during its maximum reach, the ice sheet precisely ended at the center of present day Staten Island, forming a terminal moraine on the existing diabase sill. The central moraine of the island is sometimes called the Serpentine ridge because it contains large amounts of that particular mineral.
Staten Island Nature
As in much of North America, human habitation appeared in the island fairly rapidly after the retreat of the ice sheet. Archaeologists have recovered tool evidence of Clovis culture activity dating from approximately 14,000 years ago. The island was probably abandoned later, possibly because of the extinction of large mammals on the island. Evidence of the first permanent American Indians settlements and agriculture date from about 5,000 years ago (Jackson, 1995).
In the Sixteenth Century, the island was part of a larger area known as Lenapehoking that was inhabited by the Lenape, an Algonquian American Indians people also called the Delaware. The band that occupied the southern part of the island was called the Raritan. To the Lenape, the island was called ''Aquehonga Manacknong'' and ''Eghquaons'' (Jackson, 1995). The island was laced with 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. The staples of their diet included shellfish, including the oysters that are native to both Upper New York Bay and Lower New York Bay.
Staten Island
The first recorded European contact with the island was in 1524 by Giovanni da Verrazzano, who sailed through The Narrows. In 1609, Henry Hudson established Dutch trade in the area and named the island ''Staaten Eylandt'' after the ''Staten-Generaal'', the Dutch parliament.
Although the first Dutch settlement of the New Netherlands colony was made on nearby Manhattan in 1620, ''Staaten Eylandt'' remained uncolonized by the Dutch for many decades. From 1639 to 1655, the Dutch made three separate attempts to establish a permanent settlement on the island, but each time the settlement was destroyed in the conflicts between the Dutch and the local tribes.
In 1661, the first permanent Dutch settlement was established at ''Oude Dorp'' (Dutch for "Old Town"),[3] just south of the Narrows near ''South Beach'', by a small group of Dutch Walloon and Huguenot families.
Richmond County
Historic Richmondtown museum complex is located in the heart of Staten Island
At the end of the Second Anglo-Dutch War in 1667, the Dutch ceded New Netherlands colony to England in the Treaty of Breda, and what was now 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 Gov. Francis Lovelace. In 1671, in order to encourage an expansion of 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 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 in charge of a company of infantry. The following year, he settled on Staten Island, where he was granted a patent for 932 acres of land. According to one version of an oft-repeated but inaccurate myth, Capt. Billopp's seamanship secured Staten Island to New York, rather than to New Jersey: the Island would belong to New York if the captain could circumnavigate it in one day, which he did, according to the myth. Mayor Michael Bloomberg perpetuated the myth by referring to it at a news conference in Brooklyn on February 20, 2007.[4]
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, were designated as ''Richmond County''. The name derives from the title of an illegitimate son of King Charles II.
In 1687 and 1688, the English divided the island into four administrative divisions based on natural features: the 5100 acre (21 km²) manorial estate of colonial governor Thomas Dongan in the central hills known as the "Lordship or Manner of Cassiltown," along with the North, South, and West divisions. These divisions would later evolve into the four townships Castleton, Northfield, Southfield, and Westfield.
Richmond town is rich in natural beauty
The government granted land patents in rectangular blocks of eighty acres (320,000 m²), 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 1600 acre (6.5 km²) parcel on the southwestern tip of the island belonging to Christopher Billop (Jackson, 1995).
In 1729, a county seat was established at the village of Richmond Town, located at the headwaters of the Fresh Kills near the center of the island.
The Revolution and Nineteenth Century
The island played a significant role in the American Revolutionary War. In the summer of 1776, the British forces under William Howe evacuated Boston and prepared to attack New York City. Howe used the strategic location of Staten Island as a staging ground for the attack. Howe established his headquarters in New Dorp at the Rose and Crown tavern near the junction of present New Dorp Lane and Amboy Road. It is here that the representatives of the British government reportedly received their first notification of the Declaration of Independence.
The following month, in August 1776, the British forces crossed the Narrows to Brooklyn and routed the American forces under George Washington at the Battle of Long Island, resulting in the British capture of New York. Three weeks later, on September 11, 1776, the British 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 (known today as Tottenville) on the former estate of Christopher Billop. The Americans refused the peace offer from the British in exchange for the withdrawal of the Declaration of Independence, however, and the conference ended without an agreement.
On August 22, 1777, the Battle of Staten Island occurred here between the British and several companies of the 2nd Canadian Regiment fighting alongside other American companies. While the battle was inconclusive, with both sides surrendering over a hundred troops as prisoners, the Americans withdrew.
British forces remained on Staten Island throughout the war. Although local sentiment was predominantly Loyalist, the islanders found the demands of supporting the troops to be onerous. Many buildings and churches were destroyed, and the military demand for resources resulted in an extensive deforestation of the island by the end of the war. The British again used the island as a staging ground for their final evacuation of New York City on December 5, 1783. After the war, the largest Loyalist landowners fled to Canada and their estates were subdivided and sold.
On July 4, 1827, the end of slavery in New York state was celebrated at Swan Hotel, West Brighton. Rooms at the hotel were reserved months in advance as local abolitionists and prominent free blacks prepared for the festivities. Speeches, pageants, picnics, and fireworks marked the celebration, which lasted for two days.
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. New Brighton became the summer home of President Lincoln.
Consolidation with New York City
The Verrazano Narrows Bridge connected the island to Brooklyn and accelerated a new era of development. It is currently under repair.
These towns and villages were dissolved in 1898 with the consolidation of the City of Greater New York, with Richmond as one of its five boroughs.
Except for the areas along the harbor, however, the borough remained relatively underdeveloped until the building of the Verrazano Narrows Bridge in 1964, which is considered the watershed event in the history of the borough, since it opened up the island to explosive suburban development by giving it direct road access to Brooklyn. The Verrazano, 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 further east on Long Island. The network of highways running between the bridges has effectively carved up many of the borough's old neighborhoods. This road expansion was planned initially by Robert Moses.
Some of the island's open space and historic areas were incorporated in 1972 into Gateway National Recreation Area, part of the National Park System. The Staten Island Unit of Gateway NRA is joined by the Jamaica Bay Unit in Brooklyn and Queens and the Sandy Hook Unit in New Jersey. The Staten Island Unit is comprised of Great Kills Park, Miller Field, Fort Wadsworth, Hoffman Island, and Swinburne Island.
Throughout the 1980s, a movement to secede from the city steadily grew in popularity, reaching its peak during the mayoral term of David Dinkins. The movement largely evaporated with Rudolph Giuliani's election as mayor in 1993, although some pro-secession sentiment remains.
In the 1980s, the United States Navy had a base on Staten Island called Naval Station New York. It was composed of two sections: a home port in Stapleton and a larger section around Fort Wadsworth, where the Verrazano Narrows Bridge enters the island. Originally, this base was to be the home port for the battleship USS ''Iowa'' (BB-61), but an explosion in one of the ship's turrets led to the vessel's decommissioning. A number of other vessels, including the frigates USS Donald B. Beary FF 1085 and USS Ainsworth FF 1090 and at least one cruiser, the USS Normandy (CG-60), were based there. The base was closed in 1994 through the Base Realignment and Closure process because of its small size and the expense of basing personnel there. A subsequent plan to use the site as a movie studio headed by actor and New York native Danny Aiello faltered due to money problems. It was recently announced that the property will be converted into a mixed-use waterfront neighborhood with an announced completion date of 2009.
For the last half of the twentieth century, Staten Island was arguably best known as the site of the Fresh Kills Landfill, the primary destination for garbage from the five boroughs of New York City and the largest single source of methane pollution in the world. The landfill was closed in early 2001 but was temporarily reopened later that year to receive the ruins of the World Trade Center after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and serve as a crime lab for police investigators searching for human remains..
Staten Island suffered a large proportion of the fatalities in the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, as nearly 300 of the fatalities were Staten Island residents, many of whom were firefighters or office workers in the World Trade Center.
Geography
Staten Island, shown in an enhanced satellite image.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough-county has a total area of 265.5 km² (102.5 mi²). Land comprises 151.5 km² (58.5 mi²) and water 114.0 km² (44.0 mi²) of it (42.95%).
Staten Island is separated from Long Island by the Narrows and from mainland New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull. It is connected to New Jersey via the Bayonne Bridge, the Outerbridge Crossing, the Goethals Bridge, and to Brooklyn by the Verrazano Narrows Bridge. The Staten Island Ferry connects the island to lower Manhattan. The Staten Island Railway traverses the island from its northeastern tip to its southwestern tip. Staten Island is the only borough in New York City that does not share a land border with another borough (Marble Hill in Manhattan is contiguous with the Bronx).
In addition to the main island, the borough and county also include several small uninhabited islands:
★ The Isle of Meadow (at the mouth of Fresh Kills)
★ Pralls Island (in the Arthur Kill)
★ Shooters Island (in Newark Bay; part of it belongs to New Jersey)
★ Swinburne Island (in Lower New York Bay)
★ Hoffman Island (in Lower New York Bay)
The highest point on the island, the summit of Todt Hill, elevation 410 ft (125 m), is also the highest point in the five boroughs, as well as the highest point on the Atlantic Coastal Plain south of Great Blue Hill in Massachusetts and the highest point on the coast proper south of Maine's Mount Desert Island.
In the late 1960s the island was the site of important battles of open-space preservation, resulting in the largest area of parkland in New York City and an extensive Greenbelt that laces the island with woodland trails.
Adjacent Counties
★ Hudson County, New Jersey - north
★ Union County, New Jersey - west
★ Middlesex County, New Jersey - west
★ Kings County, New York - northeast
★ Monmouth County, New Jersey - south
★ Queens County, New York - southeast
Government
Main articles: Government of Staten Island
Since New York City's consolidation in 1898, Staten Island has been governed by the New York City Charter that provides for a "strong" mayor-council system. The centralized New York City government is responsible for public education, correctional institutions, libraries, public safety, recreational facilities, sanitation, water supply, and welfare services on Staten Island.
The office of Borough President was created in the consolidation of 1898 to balance centralization with local authority. Each borough president had a powerful administrative role derived from having a vote on the New York City Board of Estimate, which was responsible for creating and approving the city's budget and proposals for land use. In 1989 the Supreme Court of the United States declared the Board of Estimate unconstitutional on the grounds that Brooklyn, the most populous borough, had no greater effective representation on the Board than Staten Island, the least populous borough, a violation of the Fourteenth Amendment's Equal Protection Clause pursuant to the high court's 1964 "one man, one vote" decision.[5]
Since 1990 the Borough President has acted as an advocate for the borough at the mayoral agencies, the City Council, the New York state government, and corporations. Staten Island's Borough President is James Molinaro, a member of the Conservative Party elected in 2001 and reelected in 2005 with the endorsement of the Republican Party. Molinaro is the only Republican-supported borough president in New York City.
A mainly white (largely Italian American), Roman Catholic borough that is suburban in character, Staten Island's politics differ considerably from New York City's other boroughs. Although in 2005 44.7% of the borough's registered voters were registered Democrats and 30.6% were registered Republicans, the Republican Party holds a small majority of local public offices. Staten Island is the base of New York City's Republican Party in citywide elections. In the 2001 mayoral election, borough voters chose Republican Michael Bloomberg, with 75.87% of the vote, over Democrat Mark Green, with 21.15% of the vote. Since Green narrowly lost the election citywide, Staten Island provided the margin of Bloomberg's victory. The main political divide in the borough is demarcated by the Staten Island Expressway; areas north of the Expressway tend to be more liberal while the south tends to be more conservative. Local party platforms center on affordable housing, education and law and order.
In national elections Staten Island is not the Republican stronghold it is in local elections, but it is also not the a Democratic stronghold the rest of New York City is. The borough is a Republican-leaning swing county, though like the New York suburbs in Long Island and Westchester County it has become increasingly Democratic since the 1990s.
Each of the city's five counties (coterminous with each borough) has its own criminal court system and District Attorney, the chief public prosecutor who is directly elected by popular vote. Daniel Donovan, a Republican, has been the District Attorney of Richmond County since 2004. Staten Island has three City Council members, two Republicans and one Democrat, the smallest number among the five boroughs. It also has three administrative districts, each served by a local Community Board. Community Boards are representative bodies that field complaints and serve as advocates for local residents.
Flag of Staten Island
Staten Island has voted for a Democratic presidential nominee only three times since 1952: in 1964, 1996, and 2000. In the 2004 presidential election Republican George W. Bush received 57% of the vote in Staten Island and Democrat John Kerry received 42%. By contrast, Kerry outpolled Bush in New York City's other four boroughs by a cumulative margin of 77% to 22%.
Staten Island Flag
The flag is on a white background in the center of which is the design of a seal in the shape of an oval. Within the seal appears the color blue to symbolize the skyline of the borough, in which two seagulls appear colored in black and white. The green outline represents the countryside of the borough with white outline denoting the residential areas of Staten Island.
Below is inscribed the words "Staten Island" in gold. Below this are five wavy lines of blue to symbolize the water that surrounds the island borough on all sides. Gold fringe outlines the flag.[6]
Demographics
Main articles: Demographics of Staten Island
| Staten Island Compared | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 Census | Staten Island | NY City | NY State |
| Total population | 443,728 | 8,008,278 | 18,976,457 |
| Population density | 7,587.9/mi² | 26,403/mi² | 402/mi² |
| Median household income (1999) | $55,039 | $38,293 | $43,393 |
| Per capita income | $23,905 | $22,402 | $23,389 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 27% | 27% | 24% |
| Foreign born | 16% | 36% | 20% |
| White | 78% | 45% | 68% |
| Black | 10% | 27% | 16% |
| Hispanic (any race) | 12% | 27% | 14% |
| Asian | 6% | 10% | 6% |
As of 2006, there were 464,573 people, 256,341 households, and 214,128 families residing in the borough/county. The population density was 2,929.6/km² (7,587.9/mi²). There were 163,993 housing units at an average density of 1,082.7/km² (2,804.3/mi²). The racial makeup is 77.60% White, 9.67% Black, 0.25% Native American, 5.65% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 4.14% from other races, and 2.65% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 12.07% of the population.
As of 2000 the population represented several European ancestries:[7]
★ Italian: 37.7%
★ Irish: 16.0%
★ German: 6.3%
★ English: 2.2%
Since the 2000 census, a rather large Russian community has been growing on Staten Island, particularly in the Rossville, South Beach, and Great Kills area.
The vast majority of the island's African American and Hispanic residents live north of the Staten Island Expressway, or Interstate 278. In terms of religion, the population is largely Roman Catholic. The Jewish community is large enough that it would be significant in most other parts of the country, but it is relatively small compared to other parts of the New York Metropolitan Area.
| Staten Island population | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| By town, by census' | |||||||
| Census | Castleton | Middletown | Northfield | Southfield | Westfield | Total | |
| 1790 | 805 | N/A | 1,021 | 855 | 1,154 | 3,835 | |
| 1800 | 1,056 | N/A | 1,377 | 932 | 1,198 | 4,563 | |
| 1810 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
| 1820 | 1,527 | N/A | 1,980 | 1,012 | 1,616 | 6,135 | |
| 1830 | 2,204 | N/A | 2,171 | 975 | 1,734 | 7,084 | |
| 1840 | 4,275 | N/A | 2,745 | 1,619 | 2,326 | 10,965 | |
| 1850 | 5,389 | N/A | 4,020 | 2,709 | 2,943 | 26,026 | |
| 1860 | 6,778 | 6,243 | 4,841 | 3,645 | 3,985 | 25,492 | |
| 1870 | 9,504 | 7,589 | 5,949 | 5,082 | 4,905 | 31,029 | |
| 1880 | 12,679 | 9,029 | 7,014 | 4,980 | 5,289 | 38,991 | |
| 1890 | 16,423 | 10,577 | 9,811 | 6,644 | 8,258 | 51,713 | |
| 1900 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 67,021 | |
| 1910 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 85,969 | |
| 1920 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 116,531 | |
| 1930 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 158,346 | |
| 1940 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 174,441 | |
| 1950 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 191,555 | |
| 1960 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 221,991 | |
| 1970 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 295,443 | |
| 1980 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 352,029 | |
| 1990 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 378,977 | |
| 2000 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 443,728 | |
| 2006 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 464,573 | |
★ N/A = not available ★ 1810 Census was not broken out by towns. ★ Source: 1790–1890 — The Encyclopedia of New York City. ★ Source: 1900–2005 | |||||||
There were 156,341 households out of which 35.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.0% are married couples living together, 13.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.0% were non-families. Individuals occupied 23.2% of all households, and 8.4% of households had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.78 and the average family size was 3.31.
The population is spread out with 25.5% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 30.9% from 25 to 44, 23.4% from 45 to 64, and 11.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 93.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.6 males.
The median income for a household is $55,039, and the median income for a family was $64,333. Males had a median income of $50,081 versus $35,914 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $23,905. About 7.9% of families and 10.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.2% of those under age 18 and 9.9% of those age 65 or over.
Culture
Museums
Staten Island is home to a variety of cultural centers and historical sites: the Alice Austen House Museum, the Conference House, the Garibaldi-Meucci Museum, Historic Richmond Town, Jacques Marchais Museum of Tibetan Art, the Noble Maritime Collection, Sandy Ground Historical Museum, Snug Harbor Cultural Center, the Staten Island Children's Museum, and the Staten Island Museum. It has also been selected to become the future site of the National Lighthouse Museum. Additionally, the island is home to the Staten Island Zoo, which recently opened a newly refurbished reptile exhibit.
Media
Movies filmed partially or wholly on Staten Island include ''The Godfather''; ''Working Girl''; ''War of the Worlds''; ''Sorry, Wrong Number''; ''Sisters''; ''Splendor in the Grass''; ''GoodFellas''; ''Donnie Brasco''; ''Shamus''; ''School of Rock''; ''Two Family House''; ''He Knows You're Alone''; ''Analyze This''; ''Big Daddy''; ''The Astronaut's Wife''; ''Scent of a Woman''; ''Toxic Avenger''; and ''Easy Money''. Also independent films ''The Atomic Space Bug'' (1999), '' (2002) and ''A Conversation with Norman'' (2005) were filmed on Staten Island and directed by Jonathan M. Parisen as well as ''Combat Shock'' (1986) and ''No Way Home'' (1996) by Staten Island director Buddy Giovinazzo.
Working Girl starring Melanie Griffith is all about the 80's lifestyle of a Staten Island girl working in Manhattan.
A lot of scenes were shot in Stapleton Staten Island and St George,Staten Island.
The movie The Godfather was shot predominately on Staten Island. Todt Hill. Mt Loretto church.
The movie ''School of Rock'' starring Jack Black was filmed all over Staten Island, including Wagner College, St. George Theater, Cargo Cafe, etc.
Donnie Brasco was filmed in the Great Kills Harbor area of Staten Island.
Staten Island is mentioned in the movie Barefoot in the Park. Robert Redford, Jane Fonda and Charles Boyer leave Manhattan and venture to Staten Island for some late night
partying.
In the movie "Saturday Night Fever" the Verrazano Bridge which connects from Brooklyn to Staten Island is shown in
some key scenes in the movie.
The movie ''Joe the King'' was filmed in the area of New Dorp in Staten Island. It was filmed in several places including Miller Field and Staten Island Technical High School.
The horror movie "Maniac" 1980 starring Joe Spinell was filmed on Staten Island.
''Sisters'', the 1973 Brian de Palma thriller starring Margot Kidder and Jennifer Salt, takes place on Staten Island and was largely filmed there.
In the movie, ''How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days'', the character Ben takes Kate Hudson's character to visit his family on Staten Island.
The music video for the song "Papa Don't Preach" by Madonna was shot at various Staten Island locations, including the stairs leading up to the Stapleton train platform and the white picket fenced house on Ward Hill is on Edgar Terrace. Also, the "You Get What You Give" video by the New Radicals was partially filmed at the Staten Island Mall.
In the song I'll Take Manhattan. The opening lyrics are "I'll take Manhattan, The Bronx and
Staten......Island too".
Television series shot partially or wholly on Staten Island include ''The Education of Max Bickford'' and ''The Book of Daniel''.
FOX and WB sitcom ''Grounded for Life'' is about a family living in Staten Island.
The characters of the NBC sitcom ''Will & Grace'', have traveled to Staten Island in two episodes:
★ In the second-season episode ''Terms Of Employment'', Karen and Jack attempt to film an employee training video in a studio in Staten Island. Karen makes a reference to the Fresh Kills Landfill (closed since 2001), and the population of largely working-class families.
★ In the eighth-season episode ''The Old Man And The Sea'', Grace brings Karen and Malcolm with her on a blind date in Staten Island. Major thoroughfares such as Victory Boulevard and Richmond Avenue are mentioned.
The NBC Crime Drama Law & Order and its spin-offs have used Staten Island locations in many episodes. In an episode of , the detectives go into a fictionalized parking garage in the Staten Island Mall. There is no garage at the Staten Island Mall.
Banishment to Staten Island was once a common threat in the New York City uniformed services, and is reflected in both film and television. In ''Arsenic and Old Lace'' an officer is threatened with walking a beat on Staten Island. On ''Law & Order,'' Detective Mike Logan (played by Chris Noth) is sent to Staten Island for punching a councilman. The title character in ''Barney Miller'' dreaded the thought of being transferred to Staten Island. On ''The Honeymooners'' Ralph resists being reassigned to a Staten Island bus route. And Denis Leary's character, Tommy Gavin, on ''Rescue Me'' also does time working in a firehouse on Staten Island. This theme was also used on other TV shows such as The Odd Couple, Car 54 Where Are You?, Welcome Back Kotter, Sex in the City, Seinfeld, All in the Family and even the Andy Griffith Show. The Sopranos also used some areas of Staten Island and Staten Island Academy to film certain scenes.
In a Welcome Back Kotter episode Washington is worried about his girlfriend Verna Jean moving to Staten Island
because he fears he will loose her to some Staten Island dude. In another episode Barbarino imitates a how a drug addict
acts while they loiter around the Staten Island Ferry
Primary taping for the documentary "A Walk Around Staten Island with David Hartman and Historian Barry Lewis" was completed in August 2007 to premiere locally on Thirteen/WNET in December 2007. [1]
The Elegants featuring Vito Picone are from Staten Island they had a #1 song in 1958 called "Little Star". The song was recorded in a South Beach Staten Island recording studio.
John Lennon's ''Live in New York City'' album was a live recording of his "One to One" concert at Madison Square Garden on August 30, 1972. The concert was a fundraiser for the mentally-challenged children, inspired by the horrid conditions at Willowbrook State School. The album also features Staten Island guitar player Earl Slick. The Willowbrook issue was initially exposed by the Staten Island Advance and brought to Lennon's attention by his friend and broadcast journalist Geraldo Rivera who covered the story for WABC-TV, New York.
Notable Natives and Residents
★ Christina Aguilera - Pop singer. Born on Staten Island.
★ Jeff Ahearn - producer/director/writer for MTV Cribs
★ Armand Assante - Actor, resided in Staten Island.
★ Teddy Atlas - Boxing trainer
★ Rich Aurilia - All Star Shortstop, San Francisco Giants grew up on Staten Island.
★ Alice Austen - Photographer, lived all of her life on Staten Island. A Staten Island Ferry is named for her
★ Joan Baez - folk singer, born on Staten Island
★ Renaldo Balkman - New York Knicks 2006 First Round Draft Pick, Born on Staten Island
★ Vito Bratta - guitarist for White Lion lives on Staten Island
★ Jerry Butler - real name Paul Seiderman - famous adult film star.
★ Cynthia von Buhler - Artist, children's book author. Currently resides in Staten Island.
★ Marcia Clark - Famed Prosecutor, was involved in the famous O.J. Simpson trial, graduated from Susan E. Wagner High School
★ Bobby Darin - singer, his family had a summer home as a child in South Beach, Staten Island.
★ Evan Dorkin - Cartoonist and creator of ''Milk & Cheese'' is a long time resident of Staten Island
★ Clem Caserta - actor and Eltingville, Staten Island resident. Jimmy Whispers in ''A Bronx Tale'', also was in ''GoodFellas'', ''The Untouchables''.
★ Paul Castellano- Gambino Crime Boss, lived in the Todt Hill, Staten Island section
★ Joe Causi - Disc Jockey, raised in Brooklyn, currently lives on Staten Island
★ Roy Clark - Country singer, ''Hee Haw'' star, and guitarist, actually grew up in Great Kills, Staten Island
★ Eric Close - Actor who plays "Martin Fitzgerald" on the CBS drama ''Without a Trace''
★ Ichabod Crane, a Colonel in the US Army during the War of 1812 and the nominal inspiration for the fictional protagonist in Washington Irving's ''Legend of Sleepy Hollow'', who is buried in Staten Island, New York
★ Ron Dante lead singer for The Archies, big hit was the number 1 song Sugar Sugar.
★ John Dehner - Television and movie actor born on Staten Island. A notable and one of Hollywoods best character actors, Dehner played Doris Day's boss Sy Bennett on the Doris Day Show. He appeared in three classic Twilight Zone episodes and other movies and television shows. Western fans came to know Dehner as "Paladin" on radio's "Have Gun, Will Travel" in his radio days.
★ Steven Duren - Better known as Blackie Lawless, lead singer of the 1980s heavy metal band W.A.S.P. Lawless, who is a friend of fellow Staten Islander David Johansen, replaced Johnny Thunders in the New York Dolls when he was 18.
★ Eamon Doyle rapper, born and raised on Staten Island
★ Judge William Emerson, brother of poet Ralph Waldo Emerson, resided on what is now known as Emerson Hill.
★ Jennifer Esposito - actress ''Spin City'', ''Summer of Sam'' attended Moore Catholic High School
★ Joey Faye vaudeville comic and character actor lived in Great Kills for years.
★ Force MD's born and raised on Staten Island had a top ten song Tender Love in 1986, produced by longtime Janet Jackson producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis
★ John Franco - Former New York Mets pitcher
★ Giuseppe Garibaldi - 19th century Italian revolutionary and statesman, lived for a time on Staten Island, and worked as a candle-maker
★ Sandy Gennaro - famed drummer
★ Ghostface Killah - rapper born on Staten Island.
★ Buddy Giovinazzo - Actor/Director/Writer who directed the cult films ''Combat Shock'' and ''No Way Home''
★ Carmine Giovinazzo - Actor who plays Detective Danny Messer on the CBS drama ''. He is a cousin of director Buddy Giovinazzo.
★ Sammy "The Bull" Gravano - mob turncoat lived on Staten Island
★ David Guida - Television writer/producer, professional gamer
★ Brian Guzman - actor born in West Brighton, St. Peters High School
★ Larry Harmon- Bozo the Clown lived on Staten Island
★ Patti Hansen - Famous model and wife to The Rolling Stones' Keith Richards
★ George Harrison of the Beatles briefly lived in Staten Island near Staten Island University Hospital while being treated for cancer there.
★ Allen Jenkins - famed Hollywood character actor, voice of cartoon ''Top Cat's Officer Dibble was born on Staten Island.
★ David Johansen (aka Buster Poindexter) of the New York Dolls
★ Hassan Johnson - Actor, featured in ''The Wire'', ''Belly'', etc.
★ Sukanya Krishnan - Home Delivery host and news anchor for WB11 Morning News grew up on Staten Island and graduted from New Dorp High School.
★ Lil' Suzy, freestyle singer
★ Paul Land actor Spring Break, The Idolmaker
★ Robert Loggia - Actor (''Scarface'', ''The Sopranos'', ''Big'', etc.) New Dorp High School graduate.
★ Vito LoGrasso - WWE wrestler hails from Staten Island
★ Ki Longfellow, novelist, born on Staten Island.
★ Madonna - lived in the Stapleton area briefly. Her video "Papa Don't Preach" was filmed there. Madonna chose the location herself. She said the neighborhood was perfect premise for the video story.
★ Oleg Maskaev - Heavyweight Boxing Champion
★ Method Man- Clifford Smith - Rapper/Wu-Tang Clan member (aka Method Man) was born and raised on Staten Island
★ Antonio Meucci - disputed inventor of the telephone, immigrated to Staten Island, settling in the Clifton area in 1850, where he would live for the remainder of his life.
★ Alyssa Milano - Actress, she was raised on Staten Island.
★ Sudsy Monchik- 5-Time Pro World Champion racquetball player.
★ Paul Newman - lived on Staten Island in St. George, Staten Island
★ Adewale Ogunleye- Chicago Bears Defensive End, formerly played for Indiana University and Tottenville High School
★ Chris Paciello - famous Miami nightclub owner, was raised on Staten Island . Best selling book and soon to be a movie, tells of his life growing up in Eltingville.
★ Jonathan M. Parisen - Filmmaker, was born and raised on Staten Island
★ Darren Passarello- Also know as Nitro G. On the first Season Of the TV show Who Wants to Be a Superhero?
★ Edward Platt - born on Staten Island. Actor who played the famous character "The Chief" on the 1960s TV show ''Get Smart''
★ A.J. Pero - drummer for Twisted Sister
★ Joe Pistone - FBI agent aka Donnie Brasco lived in Staten Island for a brief period.
★ Thommy Price - former Patty Smyth and Scandal and Billy Idol drummer
★ Robin Quivers- radio personality from the Howard Stern show lives on Staten Island
★ Larry Romano - actor ''The King of Queens'', ''NYPD Blue''
★ Kevin Rooney former manager of Mike Tyson lived on Staten Island
★ Gianni Russo - Actor was raised on Staten Island. Gianni played Carlo Rizzi in ''The Godfather''
★ Randy Savage - Former Professional wrestler known as "Macho Man" now resides in Staten Island
★ Glenn Scarpelli - child actor from ''One Day at a Time'' born and raised in Staten Island
★ Francesco Scavullo - famous photographer. born on Staten Island.
★ Steven R. Schirripa - Bobby Bacala from ''The Sopranos''
★ Rick Schroder - Actor who played "Ricky Stratton" on the 1980s NBC sitcom ''Silver Spoons'' and "Detective Danny Sorenson" on the ABC drama ''NYPD Blue'', and has recently played "Mike Doyle" on "24". Currently appearing as "Dr. Dylan West" on the Lifetime drama ''Strong Medicine''
★ Steven Seagal - Actor, lived on Staten Island
★ Raymond Serra - Actor, ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' movies, ''Gotti''
★ Martin Sheen - lived on Staten Island in St. George
★ Gene Simmons - Kiss bass player, went to Richmond College St. George
★ Earl Slick - famous guitarist Phantom,Rocker and Slick played with John Lennon
★ Peter Steele - Lead singer and bassist for the gothic-doom band Type O Negative
★ Theodore Sturgeon - Science fiction author
★ Kasim Sulton - musician. Bass player for Utopia. Was one of the Blackhearts, from Joan Jett and the Blackhearts. Now is a member of The New Cars
★ Henry David Thoreau spent his longest time away from Concord, Massachusetts on Staten Island in the 1840s. While on the island, he tutored the children of Judge William Emerson and penned several letters to Ralph Waldo Emerson. Emerson himself spent a significant amount of time on the island as well.
★ Daniel D. Tompkins, was the sixth Vice President of the United States, an entrepreneur, jurist, Congressman, Governor of New York, and established Tompkinsville in Staten Island and the Staten Island Ferry.
★ Courtney Trevino - Director/Producer, born on Staten Island
★ Cornelius Vanderbilt - 19th century shipping and railroad magnate and patriarch of the Vanderbilt family, was born, and lived most of his life on, Staten Island. He is buried in the family vault in the Moravian Cemetery at New Dorp on Staten Island.
★ Lenny Venito - actor ''Murmur from The Sopranos'', ''Gigli'', ''War of the Worlds''
★ Wu Tang Clan - Hip-hop group; 4 of the 9 are from Staten Island. Credited with giving Staten Island the nickname 'Shaolin'
★ Paul Zindel - Novelist and playwright
Sports
★ Staten Island Yankees, New York-Penn League baseball, Class A Minor League affiliate to the New York Yankees
★ Staten Island Yankees who made it to the big leagues: Jason Anderson, Andy Phillips, Melky Cabrera, Brandon Claussen, Wily Mo Pena, Robinson Cano, Chien-Ming Wang, Brad Halsey, John-Ford Griffin
★ The New York Metropolitans of the American Association played baseball on Staten Island from April 1886 through 1887. Erastus Wiman, the developer of St. George, brought the team to Staten Island where they played in a stadium near the site of the current-day Staten Island Yankees stadium and the Staten Island Ferry terminal.
★ Wagner College participates in Division I athletics.
★ Former NBA Basketball coach P.J. Carlesimo coached the Wagner College Basketball team the "Seahawks".
★ Terry Crowley baseball player, member of the 1970 World Champs Baltimore Orioles
★ Matt Galante - former baseball coach for New York Mets and Houston Astros lives in Annadale, Staten Island
★ Staten Island formerly had a professional football team which was a member of the NFL called the Staten Island Stapes. They were based in Stapleton. Their stadium was called Thompson's Stadium which was located on the site of present Berta A. Dreyfus Intermediate School 49 and the Stapleton Houses. They faced many other teams that still exist today. Football Hall of Famer Ken Strong played for the Stapes.
★ New York Predators Semi Pro football team calls Staten Island it's home since it's inception in 1998 owned by Bill Simo [2] plays most homes games in Alumni Stadium on the grounds of Monsignor Farrell H.S.
★ George Bamberger, a baseball player and manager. He spent most of his playing career pitching in the Minor Leagues. He spent only three seasons in the Major Leagues with the New York Giants (1951-1952), and with the 1959 Baltimore Orioles. He had a record of 458–478 as manager of the Milwaukee Brewers (1978-1980, 1985-1986) and the New York Mets (1982-1983). Bamberger as a pitching coach for the Baltimore Orioles would teach his famed pitch "The Staten Island Sinker".
★ Bill Britton - Pro golfer was born and raised on Staten Island. Graduate of Monsignor Farrell High School.
★ Johnny "The Heat" Verderosa - former pro boxer
★ Silvia Fontana, Italian figure skater in the 2002 and 2006 Winter Olympic Games, was born in Staten Island on December 3, 1976.
★ Gary Stark Jr. - Pro Boxer
★ Rich Kotite - former Philadelphia Eagles and New York Jets head coach, and New York Giants player lives in West Brighton, Staten Island.
★ Hank Majeski - MLB infielder. Born and raised in Staten Island
★ Pete Mikklesen - New York Yankee and Los Angeles Dodgers relief specialist.
★ There was a controversial plan by the International Speedway Corporation to build a speedway on the island that would host NASCAR races by 2010. ISC abandoned the plan in 2006, citing financial concerns.
★ Jason Marquis, starting pitcher for the Chicago Cubs, went to Tottenville High School in Staten Island.
★ Nick Fotiu was the first player ever from Staten Island to play hockey for the hometown New York Rangers.
★ Pro Bowlers Johnny Petraglia and Mark Roth both resided in Staten Island.
★ In 1964 Staten Island's Mid Island Little League won the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania
★ Mookie Wilson - New York Mets outfielder lived on Staten Island
★ Joe Andruzzi - Cleveland Browns Offensive Lineman. Has 3 Super Bowl rings with the New England Patriots.
★ Mike Siani - standout wide receiver for Villanova and number 1 draft choice for the Oakland Raiders was born and raised on Staten Island.
★ The Mid-Island Little League from Staten Island advanced to the 2006 Little League World Series and won the LLWS in 1964.
★ Dino Mangiero - Defensive Tackle for the Kansas City Chiefs in the 80's.
★ Dennis McKnight - Graduated from Susan Wagner H.S. played 9 seasons in the NFL mostly with the San Diego Chargers in the 80's. Now serves as the Specials teams aOffensive line coach at the University of Hawaii
★ William Shakespeare (football) - Halfback at Notre Dame and member of College Football Hall of Fame
★ Adewale Ogunleye - #93 for the Chicago Bears, went to Tottenville High School
★ Frank Ferrara - New Dorp H.S., Played for the New York Giants for four seasons and Philadelphia Eagles. Now Plays for the Arena team New York Dragons after a stint in the CFL
★ James Jenkins - Curtis H.S., Rutgers, and TE for the Washington Redskins for 10 seasons
★ Frank Menichino - Susan Wagner H.S., Alabama , 10 seasons MLB most notably for the Oakland Athletics
★ Sean Madigan - Founder and creator of BIG JKD. Certified in Jeet Kune Do by Bruce Lee student Steve Golden.
★ Billy Donovan - coach of the Florida Gators played AAU basketball on Staten island. The team was the Staten Island Stallions,
★ Jennifer Derevjanik- Plays for the pheonix Mercury in the WNBA, former ST. Peters player
★ Freddie Santana- Plays for Holy Cross football, played for New Dorp High School.
★ John Wolyniec - forward for MLS side Red Bull New York
Hospitals
★ Staten Island University Hospital
★ Richmond University Medical Center
Education
Education in Staten Island is provided by a number of public and private institutions. Public schools in the borough are managed by the New York City Department of Education, the largest public school system in the United States.
The College of Staten Island is one of four "hybrid colleges" of the City University of New York (CUNY). The college offers both associate's and bachelor's degrees, hence it is a "hybrid" of a traditional four-year college and a two-year community college. The College of Staten Island is one of two such CUNY colleges which also offers graduate-level study.
Wagner College is a coeducational private liberal arts college with an enrollment of 1,900 undergraduates and 400 graduate students. The college is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
St. John's University has a campus on Staten Island. It is a private, coeducational Roman Catholic university.
Twelve branches of the New York Public Library serve the borough. The Library offers free computer instruction and English classes for speakers of other languages.
Notes
1. New York Public Library Staten Island Timeline, accessed January 16, 2006
2. Fresh Kills: Landfill to close
3. The Epic of New York City, Ellis, Edward Robb, , , Old Town Books, 1966,
4.
5. Cornell Law School Supreme Court Collection: Board of Estimate of City of New York v. Morris, accessed June 12, 2006
6. http://www.sichamber.com/reginfo.html
7. Richmond County Ancestry, United States Census, 2000. Accessed June 23, 2007.
References
★ Kenneth T. Jackson (editor); ''The Encyclopedia of New York City''; Yale University Press; ISBN 0-300-05536-6 (1995).
★ John Waldman; ''Heartbeats in the Muck''; ISBN 1-55821-720-7 The Lyons Press; (2000)
★ Famous Staten Islanders page at the New York Public Library site:
External links
★ History of Staten Island in the Photo
★ Staten Island - Office of the Borough President
★ Timeline of Staten Island History on the New York Public Library site
★ Staten Island Live Everything Staten Island, from News to Entertainment to Dining and More
★ Baby-Bombers - Fan site for the Staten Island Yankees started to keep the players' families up to date on the season.
★ Save Staten Island- a site dedicated to fighting the negative image Staten Island is given in the media
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