The Borough of Staten Island is coextensive with Richmond County, the southernmost county in the state of New York. Until 1975, the borough was officially named the Borough of Richmond. Staten Island has been sometimes called "the forgotten borough" by inhabitants who feel neglected by the city government.
Staten Island is overall the most suburban of the five boroughs of New York City. The North Shore, especially the neighborhoods of St. George, Tompkinsville, Park Hill, and Stapleton, is the most urban part of the island; it contains the officially designated St. George Historic District and The St. Paul’s Avenue-Stapleton Heights Historic District, which feature large Victorian homes. The South Shore has more suburban-style residential neighborhoods and is home to the two and one-half mile long F.D.R. Boardwalk, the fourth longest in the world. Historically, the central and southern sections of the island were once dominated by dairy and poultry farms, almost all of which disappeared in the 20th century.
The borough is accessible to Brooklyn via the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge and to New Jersey via the Goethals Bridge, Outerbridge Crossing, and Bayonne Bridge. Staten Island has Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) bus service and an MTA rapid transit line, the Staten Island Railway, which runs from the ferry terminal at St. George to Tottenville. The free Staten Island Ferry connects the borough to Manhattan and is a popular tourist attraction, providing views of the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island and lower Manhattan.
According to the 2008 estimates of the United States Census, 487,407 people live on Staten Island. Staten Island has a population density of 7,650.5 per square mile (2,954 per sq. km).
According to the 2005-2007 American Community Survey Estimates, the borough's population was 76.6% White (67.4% non-Hispanic White alone), 10.6% Black or African American (9.5% non-Hispanic Black or African American alone), 0.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 7.6% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, 6.0% from some other race and 1.1% from two or more races. 14.7% of the total population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. [12]
20.9% of the population were foreign born and another 1.8% were born in Puerto Rico, U.S. Island areas, or born abroad to American parents. 29.5% spoke a language other than English at home and 27.1% had a Bachelor's degree or higher. [13]
As of 2000, 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/sq mi). There were 163,993 housing units at an average density of 1,082.7/km² (2,804.3/sq mi). The racial makeup is 77.60% White, 9.67% Black, .25% Native American, 5.65% Asian, .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:
† estimate by the Census Bureau; * = not available
Staten Island (Richmond County) has a higher percentage of Italian-Americans than any other county in the United States. Since the 2000 census, a large Russian community has been growing on Staten Island, particularly in the Rossville, South Beach, and Great Kills area. There is also a significant Polish community mainly in the South Beach and Midland Beach 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 is a growing presence of Egyptian Copts, the vast majority of whom are members of the Coptic Orthodox Church.
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.
The Staten Island Ferry is the only direct transportation network from Staten Island to Manhattan, at approximately a 30 minute ride and free of toll. The 55 year old St. George ferry terminal recently underwent a $130 million dollar renovation and now features floor-to-ceiling glass for panoramic views of the harbor and incoming ferries.
Staten Island is connected to Brooklyn via the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge using I-278, the Staten Island Expressway. Once in Brooklyn, I-278 becomes the Gowanus Expressway and then the Brooklyn Queens Expressway, providing access to Manhattan through various tunnels and bridges.
Staten Island is connected to New Jersey via three vehicular bridges and one railroad bridge. The Outerbridge Crossing to Perth Amboy, New Jersey is at the southern end of Route 440 and the Bayonne Bridge to Bayonne, New Jersey is at the northern end of Route 440, which continues into Jersey City, New Jersey. From the New Jersey Turnpike, the Goethals Bridge using I-278 connects to the Staten Island Expressway. The Arthur Kill Vertical Lift Railroad Bridge carries freight between the northwest part of the island and Elizabeth, New Jersey.
The Staten Island Railway traverses the island from its northeastern tip to its southwestern tip. Staten Island is the only borough not serviced by the New York City Subway. As such, express bus service is provided by NYC Transit throughout Staten Island to lower and midtown Manhattan.
Beginning September 4th, 2007, the MTA began offering bus service from Staten Island to Bayonne, NJ over the Bayonne Bridge via the S89 Bus. It allows passengers to connect to the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail 34th St. Station, giving Staten Island residents a new route into Manhattan. It is notably, despite Staten Island's proximity to New Jersey, the only route directly into New Jersey from Staten Island via public transportation.