Staten Island forms one of New York City’s five boroughs (districts). It lies in New York Bay, about 5 miles (8 kilometers) southwest of Manhattan Island. Staten Island has a population of 495,747. It is about 14 miles (23 kilometers) long and 71/2 miles (12 kilometers) across at its widest point.
St. George, on the northeast tip of Staten Island, serves as the downtown section of the borough. It is the site of the Staten Island Ferry Terminal. The ferry links the island with Manhattan. The Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge connects Staten Island with Brooklyn. Three other bridges connect the island with New Jersey. Parks and beaches line the southeastern and southern coasts of the island.
Like Manhattan Island, Staten Island was purchased by the Dutch from Indigenous (native) residents in the 1600’s. In 1683, the English changed the name from Staten Island to Richmond, after the Duke of Richmond. Historic Richmond Town, in the center of Staten Island, dates from the 1690’s. Exhibits there show how the community developed during the centuries that followed. The completion of the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge in 1964 spurred the development of housing and industry on the island. The island was officially renamed Staten Island in 1975. In 1993, Staten Islanders voted to secede from New York City. The secession measure, however, failed to gain the required approval of the New York State Legislature.
See also New York City (Staten Island); Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge.
