New York City / Staten Island, New York

The Working Girl

St George Neighborhood
St George Neighborhood
Staten Island Neighborhoods
Staten Island Neighborhoods
Staten Island Zoo
Staten Island Zoo

477,000

Population

Sunny Days: 206
75100 Affordability
80100 Schools
65100 Diversity
95100 Safety

LookyLOO Review of Staten Island

The Ferry

There’s lots to love about Staten Island; the Greenbelt, the amazing pizza, the four bridges (especially the Verrazano-Narrows) but the coolest part about the island has to be the ferry. First off, it’s free. Also, there’s beer, wine, and cocktails. Perhaps most important though are the views. It’s easy to forget the glory of living in NYC but the views from the ferry and the experience of getting places by water are truly one of a kind and a constant reminder of the beauty of the city.

Downsides? Despite early promises the NYC subway system never made it to Staten Island. This means traffic is stacked first thing in the morning until into your night. The density of housing combined with heavy traffic and a culture that rewards expressions of attitude means you’re going to find some serious vibes out on the roads of Staten Island. Our advice? Keep moving and make decisions quickly.

Lifestyle

Staten Island is the least populated of the boroughs but also bigger than most. This means there’s room for homes, yards, and suburban amenities like shopping malls, parks, and kids' ball fields. Most people who live here have a lifestyle much like their counterparts in suburbia. For those looking for a suburban version of liberal Brooklyn though know that it’s more conservative here and so if that’s how your politics run then the island will work well. If on the other hand, you’re looking for progressive NYC then you likely won’t find it here.

If you want to check out what happens on the island throughout the year check out the calendar of events:

Schools

Staten Island has 88 schools, including 55 elementary schools, 13 middle schools, 15 high schools, and 5 alternative schools, all within the New York City Geographic District #31. The District receives an "A" on niche.com.. Plenty of schools in the district receive A's but you'll also find some C's so keep an eye out for performance at the individual school and neighborhood level.

One of the standout schools at the high school level includes Staten Island Technical High School, which is ranked 5th among all public high schools across the five boroughs and receives an "A+" on niche.com.

At the elementary school level there are plenty of A-level schools including; Naples Street Elementary, P.S. 8 Shirlee Solomon, and P.S. 50 Frank Hankinson, all of which are ranked in the top 100 elementary schools in New York.

Why You Should Move Here Now?

NYC Suburbia

If you’re looking for a suburban life, a ferry ride away from Manhattan, that costs a heck of a lot less than most of the rest of the boroughs, then this is a good choice. This is not Brooklyn though, or even Queens, in terms of being an emerging mix of families and young, diverse neighborhoods.

Local Reviews of Staten Island

kanna172014 / Living in Staten Island / Updated 2yr
★★★

Is Staten Island a nice place to live? (outside of a pandemic of course)
It depends where you live. The north shore is a bit more like Brooklyn just in terms of the concentration of people and their proximity to businesses.

If you are living on a residential block in most of the island it's pretty peaceful. Most things are accessible on the Island too. I think being centrally located geographically is ideal due to proximity to Costco, multiple highways, the mall, and multiple hospitals.

If you want to live in Staten Island just to be on the Island and maybe go to other boroughs sometimes, it's a pretty good place. If you live in Staten Island and most of your time and trips are outside of the Island, it becomes a burden. Full Review.

For more reviews of Staten Island from locals check out: The Reviews

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Living in New York City / Staten Island

Neighborhoods in New York City / Staten Island

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New Dorp

Young Professionals/DINKs/SINKs

While Staten Island doesn’t have a wide variety of neighborhoods for youngsters New Dorp is a pretty dense and diverse neighborhood where a young professional should start their search. Hip, historic and with a good walkscore, the neighborhood has an interesting mix of immigrant families and young professionals, and plenty of cool restaurants, bars and shopping options. There is also apartment living here amidst the homes so options for living are aplenty.

  • New Dorp
  • St. George