Graniteville, Staten Island facts for kids

Graniteville is a neighborhood located in Staten Island, which is one of the five boroughs of New York City. It's a busy area with a mix of homes and shops.

History of Graniteville

Graniteville wasn't always called that! It was first known as Bennett's Corners and Fayetteville. From 1841 to 1896, there were quarries in the area. Quarries are places where rocks are dug out of the ground. These quarries dug out a type of rock called trap rock. Because of these quarries, the community's name was changed to Granite Village, and then to Graniteville.

Interestingly, a geologist named Alan Benimoff from the College of Staten Island found out something cool. He discovered that the rock in the quarry wasn't actually granite! Granite is made of a mineral called potassium feldspar. The rock found there is made of sodium feldspar. He also found a very rare mineral called Trondhjemite at the site. So, the name "Graniteville" is a bit of a mistake!

For a long time, Graniteville was mostly countryside. In March 1942, there was a big fire at a fireworks company on Richmond Avenue. Five workers sadly lost their lives in an explosion.

Today, Graniteville is split from east to west by the Staten Island Expressway. New York State Route 440 forms its eastern border. A well-known spot in Graniteville is Baron Hirsch Cemetery. This is a large Jewish cemetery that opened in the late 1800s and is still used today. In 2001, mosquitos carrying the West Nile virus were found in this cemetery and a few other places on Staten Island.

After the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge opened in November 1964, more and more homes were built in Graniteville. Now, Graniteville is at the start of a busy shopping area along Richmond Avenue. This shopping area goes for about 4 miles (6 km) all the way to the Staten Island Mall. It's one of the busiest roads for cars on Staten Island.

Who Lives in Graniteville?

Based on the 2010 census, here's a look at the people living in Graniteville:

• About 37.4% of residents were White.
• About 16.6% were Black.
• About 29.9% were Hispanic.
• About 13.1% were Asian.
• About 3% were from other backgrounds.

These numbers are based on the areas called Census Tracts 303.01 and 303.02.

Schools in Graniteville

Most students living in Graniteville go to public schools like P.S. 861 (The School of Civic Leadership), P.S. 60, and P.S. 22. For middle school, they often attend I.S. 51 (Markham Intermediate School) or I.S. 72 (Rocco Laurie Intermediate School). Many high school students go to Port Richmond High School.

The John W. Lavelle Preparatory Charter School opened in September 2009. This was the first charter school on Staten Island. A charter school gets public money but is run by a private group. Also, The Staten Island School of Civic Leadership (P.S./I.S. 861) opened in September. This is the first school on Staten Island that teaches students from kindergarten all the way to 8th grade.

Graniteville doesn't have its own public library. Residents use nearby branches of the New York Public Library, such as Port Richmond, Todt Hill-Westerleigh, and Mariners Harbor.

Getting Around Graniteville

Graniteville has many bus routes that help people travel around.

• On Forest Avenue, you can catch the S48, S98, SIM30, SIM33, SIM34, and SIM35 buses.
• On South Avenue, buses include the S40, S46, S48, S90, S96, S98, SIM33, and SIM34.
• Along Richmond Avenue, you'll find the S44, S59, S89, S94, SIM3, SIM4, SIM8, and SIM8X buses.

Parks and Nature

Right next to the neighborhood is the Graniteville Swamp. This natural area is a great place to explore local wildlife and plants.

Images for kids

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  A residential street in Graniteville.