East Shore, Staten Island
Encyclopedia
The term East Shore is frequently applied to a series of neighborhoods along the Lower New York Bay
and the Raritan Bay
and within New York City's borough of Staten Island
.
Precise parameters vary, but the most commonly used definition of the East Shore is that it stretches from the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge
and the Staten Island Expressway, or some line slightly south of this, on the north, to the southern property lines of the Staten Island Unit of the Gateway National Recreation Area
(formerly known as Great Kills Park) and United Hebrew Cemetery on the south, and from the Lower New York Bay
on the east to the western boundaries of ZIP Code
s 10304, 10305 and 10306, on the west. Not only the term "East Shore," but the entire concept itself, is often attributed to New York Telephone
's East Shore Central Office (now officially known as the East Staten Island Central Office), which has served this part of the island since the 1920s (the northern boundary of this office's territory is situated, on average, about ¾ mile south of the Staten Island Expressway, which was not built until the early 1960s). Such Staten Island neighborhoods as Arrochar
, South Beach
, Grasmere
, Dongan Hills
, Grant City
, Midland Beach
, New Dorp
, Oakwood
, Old Town
, Richmondtown
, and Bay Terrace
, along with part of Todt Hill
, are usually reckoned as belonging to the East Shore, although all of Arrochar and most of South Beach and Grasmere do not qualify using the telephone company's criteria. Sometimes the communities of Rosebank
, Shore Acres, and Fort Wadsworth
are also described as East Shore neighborhoods.
Like all of Staten Island except for the North Shore
, the East Shore was mostly farmland until residential home construction burgeoned after World War II
. Many small, one-family homes sprung up on the East Shore in the 1950s, with the rate of new home construction accelerating rapidly after the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, which links Staten Island with Brooklyn
, opened in November 1964. The opening of the bridge brought a wave of transplants from Brooklyn, especially from neighborhoods such as Flatbush
, which many white (especially Italian-American) families sought to leave because African-Americans were relocating there from the Southern States. This factor has contributed to the East Shore becoming the most politically conservative
locality on Staten Island, and for that matter, in all of New York City. Since the early 2000s the trend has been for white Americans of Eastern European ancestry to immigrate to the community. Today, thriving communities of Russians
, Poles
, and Albanians
exist on the East Shore. The area is currently transitioning from Italian-American and Irish-American to Russian-American, Polish-American, and Albanian-American
. There is also an emerging Chinese-American population, which is centered in Arrochar.
The commercial core of the East Shore can be found in New Dorp, at the region's geographic center, which is close to New Dorp Lane
. Hylan Boulevard
, a major commercial boulevard, connects all the East Shore neighborhoods with each other. Points of interest located on the East Shore include Historic Richmond Town, the nearby Tibetan Museum on Lighthouse Hill
, Moravian Cemetery (where members of the Vanderbilt family
are buried) and a significant portion of the Staten Island Greenbelt
. Also the beautiful woodcutters estates.
Lower New York Bay
Lower New York Bay is that section of New York Bay south of the Narrows, the relatively narrow strait between the shores of Staten Island and Brooklyn. The southern end of the bay opens directly to the Atlantic Ocean between two spits of land, Sandy Hook, New Jersey, and Rockaway, Queens, on Long...
and the Raritan Bay
Raritan Bay
Raritan Bay is a bay located at the southern portion of Lower New York Bay between the U.S. states of New York and New Jersey and is part of the New York Bight. The bay is bounded on the northwest by New York's Staten Island, on the west by Perth Amboy, New Jersey, on the south by the Raritan...
and within New York City's borough of Staten Island
Staten Island
Staten Island is a borough of New York City, New York, United States, located in the southwest part of the city. Staten Island is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull, and from the rest of New York by New York Bay...
.
Precise parameters vary, but the most commonly used definition of the East Shore is that it stretches from the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge
Verrazano-Narrows Bridge
The Verrazano-Narrows Bridge is a double-decked suspension bridge that connects the boroughs of Staten Island and Brooklyn in New York City at the Narrows, the reach connecting the relatively protected upper bay with the larger lower bay....
and the Staten Island Expressway, or some line slightly south of this, on the north, to the southern property lines of the Staten Island Unit of the Gateway National Recreation Area
Gateway National Recreation Area
Gateway National Recreation Area is a National Recreation Area in the Port of New York and New Jersey. Scattered over Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island, New York and Monmouth County, New Jersey, it provides recreational opportunities that are rare for a dense urban environment, including ocean...
(formerly known as Great Kills Park) and United Hebrew Cemetery on the south, and from the Lower New York Bay
Lower New York Bay
Lower New York Bay is that section of New York Bay south of the Narrows, the relatively narrow strait between the shores of Staten Island and Brooklyn. The southern end of the bay opens directly to the Atlantic Ocean between two spits of land, Sandy Hook, New Jersey, and Rockaway, Queens, on Long...
on the east to the western boundaries of ZIP Code
ZIP Code
ZIP codes are a system of postal codes used by the United States Postal Service since 1963. The term ZIP, an acronym for Zone Improvement Plan, is properly written in capital letters and was chosen to suggest that the mail travels more efficiently, and therefore more quickly, when senders use the...
s 10304, 10305 and 10306, on the west. Not only the term "East Shore," but the entire concept itself, is often attributed to New York Telephone
New York Telephone
The New York Telephone Company was organized in 1896, taking over the New York City operations of the American Bell Telephone Company.-Predecessor companies:...
's East Shore Central Office (now officially known as the East Staten Island Central Office), which has served this part of the island since the 1920s (the northern boundary of this office's territory is situated, on average, about ¾ mile south of the Staten Island Expressway, which was not built until the early 1960s). Such Staten Island neighborhoods as Arrochar
Arrochar, Staten Island
Arrochar is a neighborhood in northeastern Staten Island in New York City in the United States. It is located directly inland of Fort Wadsworth and South Beach, on the east side of Hylan Boulevard south of the Staten Island Expressway; the community of Grasmere borders it on the west...
, South Beach
South Beach, Staten Island
South Beach is the name of a neighborhood located on the East Shore of Staten Island, one of the five boroughs of New York City, USA. It is situated immediately to the south of the Staten Island side of the Verrazano Narrows Bridge...
, Grasmere
Grasmere, Staten Island
Grasmere is the name of a neighborhood located on the East Shore of Staten Island, one of the five boroughs of New York City.Grasmere although crossed by major roads has retained its quiet suburban character. The area and adjoining Concord was dotted with lakes and ponds similar to the English...
, Dongan Hills
Dongan Hills, Staten Island
Dongan Hills is a neighborhood located within New York City, USA's borough of Staten Island. It is on the Island's East Shore.The neighborhood was originally known by two separate names, the western half being called Hillside Park and the eastern half Linden Park...
, Grant City
Grant City, Staten Island
Grant City is the name of a neighborhood located on the East Shore of Staten Island, New York, USA. The island comprises one of the five boroughs of New York City.-History:...
, Midland Beach
Midland Beach, Staten Island
Midland Beach is a Staten Island neighborhood. It lies along the east-central coast of the island, in the area known locally as the "Mid-Island, Staten Island," or, according to some, the "East Shore." To its immediate west is Grant City, south lies New Dorp Beach with Graham Beach and South Beach...
, New Dorp
New Dorp, Staten Island
New Dorp – an anglicization of Nieuwe Dorp, Dutch for New Village – is a neighborhood in Staten Island, one of the five boroughs of New York City, United States. The community lies near the foot of Todt Hill, with Grant City immediately to its north, Oakwood bordering to the south, and...
, Oakwood
Oakwood, Staten Island
Oakwood is the name of a neighborhood located in east central Staten Island, one of the five boroughs of New York City, USA. It lies near the southern shore, and is bordered by Ebbitts Street ; the Atlantic Ocean ; Great Kills Park ; and the Staten Island Railway...
, Old Town
Old Town, Staten Island
Old Town is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Staten Island, located on its East Shore. Old Town was established in August 1661 as part of New Netherland, and was the first permanent European settlement on Staten Island...
, Richmondtown
Historic Richmond Town
Historic Richmond Town is a living history village and museum complex in the neighborhood of Richmond, Staten Island, in New York City. It is located near the geographical center of the island, at the junction of Richmond Road and Arthur Kill Road....
, and Bay Terrace
Bay Terrace, Staten Island
Bay Terrace is the name of a street, which in turn gave its name to a neighborhood, on the East Shore of Staten Island, one of the five boroughs of New York City, USA...
, along with part of Todt Hill
Todt Hill
Todt Hill [elevation 410 ft ] is a hill formed of serpentine rock on Staten Island, New York. It is the highest natural point in the five boroughs of New York City and the highest elevation on the entire Atlantic Coastal Plain from Florida to Cape Cod., The summit of the ridge is largely covered...
, are usually reckoned as belonging to the East Shore, although all of Arrochar and most of South Beach and Grasmere do not qualify using the telephone company's criteria. Sometimes the communities of Rosebank
Rosebank
Rosebank can refer to:* Rosebank, Gauteng in South Africa** Rosebank , a rapid transit station in Rosebank, Gauteng* Rosebank, Cape Town in South Africa** Rosebank railway station, a commuter rail station in Rosebank, Cape Town...
, Shore Acres, and Fort Wadsworth
Fort Wadsworth
Fort Wadsworth is a former United States military installation on Staten Island in New York City, situated on The Narrows which divide New York Bay into Upper and Lower halves, a natural point for defense of the Upper Bay and Manhattan beyond. Prior to closing in 1994 it claimed to be the longest...
are also described as East Shore neighborhoods.
Like all of Staten Island except for the North Shore
North Shore, Staten Island
The term North Shore is frequently applied to a series of neighborhoods within New York City's borough of Staten Island, USA.- Boundaries :...
, the East Shore was mostly farmland until residential home construction burgeoned after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Many small, one-family homes sprung up on the East Shore in the 1950s, with the rate of new home construction accelerating rapidly after the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, which links Staten Island with Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, opened in November 1964. The opening of the bridge brought a wave of transplants from Brooklyn, especially from neighborhoods such as Flatbush
Flatbush, Brooklyn
Flatbush is a community of the Borough of Brooklyn, a part of New York City, consisting of several neighborhoods.The name Flatbush is an Anglicization of the Dutch language Vlacke bos ....
, which many white (especially Italian-American) families sought to leave because African-Americans were relocating there from the Southern States. This factor has contributed to the East Shore becoming the most politically conservative
Conservatism
Conservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism...
locality on Staten Island, and for that matter, in all of New York City. Since the early 2000s the trend has been for white Americans of Eastern European ancestry to immigrate to the community. Today, thriving communities of Russians
Russians
The Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....
, Poles
Poles
thumb|right|180px|The state flag of [[Poland]] as used by Polish government and diplomatic authoritiesThe Polish people, or Poles , are a nation indigenous to Poland. They are united by the Polish language, which belongs to the historical Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages of Central Europe...
, and Albanians
Albanians
Albanians are a nation and ethnic group native to Albania and neighbouring countries. They speak the Albanian language. More than half of all Albanians live in Albania and Kosovo...
exist on the East Shore. The area is currently transitioning from Italian-American and Irish-American to Russian-American, Polish-American, and Albanian-American
Albanian-American
Albanian Americans are United States citizens of full or partial Albanian ancestry. Although according to data from a 2008 Survey of the United States Government, there are 201,118 Americans of full or partial Albanian descent.-Emigration History:...
. There is also an emerging Chinese-American population, which is centered in Arrochar.
The commercial core of the East Shore can be found in New Dorp, at the region's geographic center, which is close to New Dorp Lane
New Dorp Lane
New Dorp Lane is a northwest - southeast street in New York City in the neighborhood of New Dorp in Staten Island, New York. While it is not an especially long or wide avenue , the segment west of Hylan Boulevard is one of the densest, busiest commercial districts on the island, comparable to parts...
. Hylan Boulevard
Hylan Boulevard
Hylan Boulevard is a major northeast-southwest boulevard in the New York City borough of Staten Island. It is approximately long , and runs from the North Shore neighborhood of Rosebank to the South Shore neighborhood of Tottenville....
, a major commercial boulevard, connects all the East Shore neighborhoods with each other. Points of interest located on the East Shore include Historic Richmond Town, the nearby Tibetan Museum on Lighthouse Hill
Lighthouse Hill, Staten Island
Lighthouse Hill is the name of a hill, and the neighborhood situated thereon, in the New York City borough of Staten Island.Formerly known as Richmond Hill , Lighthouse Hill acquired its present name when the Staten Island Range Light, towering 141 feet above the Lower New York Bay, was built...
, Moravian Cemetery (where members of the Vanderbilt family
Vanderbilt family
The Vanderbilt family is an American family of Dutch origin prominent during the Gilded Age. It started off with the shipping and railroad empires of Cornelius Vanderbilt, and expanded into various other areas of industry and philanthropy...
are buried) and a significant portion of the Staten Island Greenbelt
Staten Island Greenbelt
The Staten Island Greenbelt is a system of contiguous public parkland and natural areas in the central hills of the New York City borough of Staten Island...
. Also the beautiful woodcutters estates.