Staten Island

Staten Island ( STAT-ən) is the southernmost of the five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County and situated at the southernmost point of the State of New York. The borough is separated from the adjacent state of New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull and from the rest of New York by New York Bay. A home to the Lenape Native Americans, the island was settled by Dutch colonists in the 17th century. It was one of the 12 original counties of New York State. Staten Island was consolidated with New York City in 1898. Almost always colloquially called 'Staten Island' historically (anglicized from the original Dutch Staaten Eylandt), it was formerly legally known as the Borough of Richmond until 1975, when its name was officially changed to Borough of Staten Island. Staten Island has sometimes been called "the forgotten borough" by inhabitants who feel neglected by the city government and the media. It has also been referred to as the "borough of parks" due to its 12,300 acres of protected parkland and over 170 parks. With a population of 495,747 in the 2020 census, Staten Island is the least populated New York City borough but the third largest in land area at 58 sq mi (152 km2); it is also the least densely populated and most suburban borough in the city. Notably, due to New York City's extreme population density, this means Staten Island's population density is still higher than that of the City of Los Angeles and its total population is larger than independent, internationally well-known American cities such as New Orleans, Miami, or St. Louis. The North Shore—especially the neighborhoods of St. George, Tompkinsville, Clifton, and Stapleton—is the island's most urban area. It includes the designated St. George Historic District and the St. Paul's Avenue-Stapleton Heights Historic District, both of which feature large Victorian houses. The East Shore is home to the 2+1⁄2-mile (4-kilometer) FDR Boardwalk, the world's fourth-longest boardwalk. The South Shore, site of the 17th-century Dutch and French Huguenot settlement, developed rapidly beginning in the 1960s and 1970s and is now very suburban. The West Shore along the protected waters of the kills (waterways) has the island's fewest residents but the most industrial development. Motor traffic can reach the borough from Brooklyn by the Verrazzano–Narrows Bridge and from New Jersey by the Outerbridge Crossing, Goethals Bridge, and Bayonne Bridge. Staten Island has Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) bus lines and an MTA rapid transit line, the Staten Island Railway, which runs from the ferry terminal at St. George to Tottenville. Staten Island is the only borough not connected to the New York City Subway system. The free Staten Island Ferry connects the borough to Manhattan across New York Harbor. It provides views of the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, and Lower Manhattan.