The 16th century Florentine explorer Giovanni Da Verrazano is commonly
considered to be father of Staten Island (Richmond County) because he
sailed into New York Harbor in 1524 and landed on the Island. In 1687
the Duke of York offered the island as a prize in a sailing competition
which the team from Manhattan won. Since that time, Manhattan has claimed
the island as its own. Until 1713, when the first public ferry was started
to the island, there was no way to get back and forth unless you had
a boat. Finally, in 1964 the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge was built by Othmar
Amman. The bridge made it relatively easy to travel back and forth.
"From the meeting of Lord Howe, John Adams, and Benjamin Franklin
to the British occupation or the solid defense of the harbor during
the Civil War, Staten Island is a place steeped in the annals of history.
Great men have inhabited the island. Vanderbilt grew up on the island
and Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson both spent much time
on the island. They praised the beauty of the landscape, calling Staten
Island 'a little piece of the country in the city'."
Staten Island real estate (general)
Staten Island History
Staten Island Statistics
Staten Island Community Information
Staten Island Attractions (part
1)
Staten Island Attractions (part
2)
Areas of interest in Staten Island: (click for information)
Clay Pit Ponds
Clove Lakes Park
South Beach & FDR Boardwalk
Great Kills Park
Latourette Park & Golf Course
Silverlake Park
South Shore Golf Course
Tottenville Beach
Wildlife Refuge
Wolfe's Pond Beach & Park
Alice Austen House
Garibaldi-Meucci Museum
Jacques Marchais Museum of Tibetan Art
Noble Maritime Collection
Sandy Ground Historical Society
Staten Island Children's Museum
Staten Island Institute of Arts &
Sciences
Conference House
Fort Wadsworth
Historic Richmond Town
Staten Island Botanical Garden
Staten Island Zoo