New Dorp, Staten Island
Encyclopedia
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
for New Village – is a neighborhood in Staten Island, one of the five boroughs of New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The community lies near the foot 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...
, with 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:...
immediately to its north, 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...
bordering to the south, and New Dorp Beach
New Dorp Beach
New Dorp Beach is along the shore of the neighborhood of New Dorp, on the south shore of Staten Island, one of the five boroughs of New York City.It is between Midland Beach and Oakwood Beach.-History:...
bordering on the east. Formerly one of the most important towns on the island before suburbanization, it was the center of much activity during the American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
. Despite surrounding development, the neighborhood has retained its distinct character as a town, and is one of the most thriving commercial centers on the Island.
Like all of Staten Island, the area of New Dorp was populated by American Indians going back over 10,000 years. At the time of the arrival of the European
European ethnic groups
The ethnic groups in Europe are the various ethnic groups that reside in the nations of Europe. European ethnology is the field of anthropology focusing on Europe....
s in the 17th Century, it was inhabited primary by the Raritans
Raritan (tribe)
Raritan was the name given to the Lenape Native American by Europeans who colonized the region around the Raritan River and its bay in northerneastern New Jersey and Staten Island, New York, in the seventeenth century....
and other subgroups of the Lenape
Lenape
The Lenape are an Algonquian group of Native Americans of the Northeastern Woodlands. They are also called Delaware Indians. As a result of the American Revolutionary War and later Indian removals from the eastern United States, today the main groups live in Canada, where they are enrolled in the...
tribe.
The first recorded Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an settlement of the area was in 1671. The English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, after having taken over the New Netherland
New Netherland
New Netherland, or Nieuw-Nederland in Dutch, was the 17th-century colonial province of the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands on the East Coast of North America. The claimed territories were the lands from the Delmarva Peninsula to extreme southwestern Cape Cod...
colony from the Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, expanded the previous Dutch settlements along the South Shore
South Shore, Staten Island
The South Shore is a geographical term applied to the area in the New York City borough of Staten Island, south and east of the island's ridge of hills along the waterfront and adjacent areas from the Narrows to the mouth of the Arthur Kill, although many observers prefer to restrict its scope to...
at Oude Dorp ("Old Village") which had been established ten years earlier. In the late 19th century, it became the home to members of the prominent 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...
, many of whom are buried here in the Moravian Cemetery. The Vanderbilt farm was later used by the U.S. Army, as Miller Air Field and in the 1970s became part of 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...
.
Today, the neighborhood's population is a majority Italian-American, Irish-American , 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:...
, Polish-American and Russian-American ancestry.
Education
New Dorp is zoned to Public School (P.S.) 41: New Dorp and Intermediate School (I.S.) 2: George L. Egbert. Several high schools are located in the area, including Staten Island Technical High SchoolStaten Island Technical High School
Staten Island Technical High School , is one of the nine specialized public high schools in New York City. It is located in the New Dorp neighborhood of Staten Island. The school is operated by the New York City Department of Education...
, New Dorp High School
New Dorp High School
New Dorp High School, administered by the New York City Department of Education, is a public school located on the East Shore of the New York City borough of Staten Island in the New Dorp neighborhood. The school is located at 465 New Dorp Lane next to Miller Field, an army airport turned park,...
, and Richmondtown Preparatory High School. Private elementary schools include Our Lady Queen of Peace Parish Elementary School, New Dorp Christian Academy, and St Margaret Mary.
Public libraries
The New York Public LibraryNew York Public Library
The New York Public Library is the largest public library in North America and is one of the United States' most significant research libraries...
operates the New Dorp Branch at 309 New Dorp Lane.
Public services
New Dorp is the home of Engine Company 165 (nicknamed "The Toxic Avengers") and Ladder Company 85 (nicknamed "The Monster Truck") of the Fire Department of New York. Engine 165 is the only Engine Company in Staten Island that has clothing to deal with hazardous materials, and it also has extra hazmatHazmat
Hazmat, HazMat and similar terms can refer to:* Hazardous materials and items—see Dangerous goods** Hazchem—a system of hazardous chemical classification and firefighting modes** A hazmat suit is a type of protective clothing...
training.
New Dorp is served by the Staten Island Railway
Staten Island Railway
The Staten Island Rapid Transit Operating Authority, publicly known as MTA Staten Island Railway or SIR, is the operator of the lone rapid transit line in the borough of Staten Island, New York City, USA...
's station on New Dorp Lane/Railroad Avenue, as well express buses along Hylan Blvd. It is also served by the S78/S79 on Hylan Blvd and the S74/S76 on Richmond Road.