New Dorp, Staten Island facts for kids

Quick facts for kids New Dorp
Neighborhood of Staten Island
Wpdms nygis new dorp
Etymology: "new village" in Dutch
Country	United States
State	New York
City	New York City
Borough	Staten Island
Community District	Staten Island 2
Established	1671
Area
• Total	7.46 km2 (2.881 sq mi)
Population  (2011)
• Total	28,225
• Density	3,782.6/km2 (9,796.9/sq mi)
Economics
• Median income	$80,412
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
ZIP Codes	10306
Area code	718, 347, 929, and 917

New Dorp is a neighborhood on the East Shore of Staten Island, New York City, United States. New Dorp is bounded by Mill Road on the southeast, Tysens Lane on the southwest, Amboy and Richmond Roads on the northwest, and Bancroft Avenue on the northeast. It is adjacent to Oakwood to the southwest, Todt Hill to the northwest, Dongan Hills and Grant City, and Midland Beach and Miller Field to the southeast. New Dorp Beach, bordering to the east, is often listed on maps as a separate neighborhood from Mill Road to the shore of Lower New York Bay, but is generally considered to be a part of New Dorp.

One of the earliest European settlements in the New York City area, New Dorp was founded by Dutch settlers from the New Netherland colony, and the name is an anglicization of Nieuw Dorp, meaning "New Village" in Dutch. It was historically one of the most important towns on Staten Island, becoming a part of New York City in 1898 as part of the Borough of Richmond. In the 1960s New Dorp ceased to be a distinct town during New York City's suburbanization, where rapid housing development on Staten Island saw the town added to the city conurbation. Despite this, today New Dorp remains one of the main commercial and transport centers on Staten Island.

New Dorp is often associated with the Vanderbilt family, who had a notable presence in the area and many of whom are buried in the neighborhood at the Moravian Cemetery, the largest and oldest active cemetery on Staten Island.

New Dorp is part of Staten Island Community District 2 and its ZIP Code is 10306. New Dorp is patrolled by the 122nd Precinct of the New York City Police Department.

History

Formerly one of the most important towns on the island before suburbanization, it was the center of much activity during the American Revolution. Despite surrounding development, the neighborhood has retained its distinct character as a town, and is one of the most thriving commercial centers on the Island which in the 1960s spread along Hylan Boulevard from New Dorp Lane and led to the construction of five shopping centers, anchored by supermarkets and department stores, with the largest being Hylan Plaza which opened in 1966.

Like all of Staten Island, the area of New Dorp was populated by American Indians going back over 10,000 years. At the time of the arrival of the Europeans in the 17th Century, it was inhabited primary by the Raritans and other subgroups of the Lenape tribe.

The first recorded European settlement of the area was in 1671. The English, after having taken over the New Netherland colony from the Dutch, expanded the previous Dutch settlements along the South Shore at Oude Dorp ("Old Village") which had been established ten years earlier. In the late 19th century, it became the home to members of the prominent Vanderbilt family, many of whom are buried here in the Moravian Cemetery. The Vanderbilt farm was later used by the U.S. Army, as Miller Air Field and in the 1970s became part of Gateway National Recreation Area.

Demographics

Today, the neighborhood's population is a majority Italian-American, Irish-American, Albanian-American, Polish-American and Russian-American ancestry.

Landmarks

One of New Dorp's biggest shopping plazas is Hylan Plaza, home to a few big stores and numerous small shops.

Parks

Dugan Park is a large park in New Dorp. The park was named after Gerard P. Dugan in 1974 when it was renovated. The park is often referred to as Tysens Park since it is right off of Tysens Lane and because it is right across the street from the Tysens Apartments, a large housing complex. The park is usually crowded with people from nearby schools as well as people from the apartments nearby. The park contains a large field with 2 baseball/soft fields where leagues come play almost every weekend during the summer. There are 2 basketball courts, handball courts and jungle gyms for younger kids.

Transportation

New Dorp is served by the Staten Island Railway's New Dorp station at New Dorp Lane and New Dorp Plaza. New Dorp is also served by numerous express and local bus routes. This includes the S57, S74, S76, S78, S84, S86 local and limited buses, the S79 Select Bus Service bus, and the SIM1, SIM5, SIM6, SIM7, SIM9, SIM10, SIM11 express buses.

Popular Culture

One of the most iconic settings in American cinema history, the Corleone family home in Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather, was filmed at 110 Longfellow Ave. on Emerson Hill.

Education

New Dorp and Mid-Island generally have a similar rate of college-educated residents to the rest of the city as of 2018^[update]. While 40% of residents age 25 and older have a college education or higher, 11% have less than a high school education and 49% are high school graduates or have some college education. By contrast, 39% of Staten Island residents and 43% of city residents have a college education or higher. The percentage of New Dorp and Mid-Island students excelling in math rose from 49% in 2000 to 65% in 2011, though reading achievement declined from 55% to 52% during the same time period.

New Dorp and Mid-Island's rate of elementary school student absenteeism is lower than the rest of New York City. In New Dorp and Mid-Island, 15% of elementary school students missed twenty or more days per school year, less than the citywide average of 20%. Additionally, 87% of high school students in New Dorp and Mid-Island graduate on time, more than the citywide average of 75%.

Schools

The New York City Department of Education operates the following public schools near New Dorp:

• PS 41 New Dorp (grades PK-5)
• New Dorp High School (grades 9-12)
• Staten Island Technical High School (grades 9-12)

Library

The New York Public Library (NYPL)'s New Dorp branch is located at 309 New Dorp Lane. The one-story branch opened in 1907 as the New Dorp Community Library. While the NYPL started providing books to the New Dorp branch through its Bookmobile program in 1909, the branch did not become an NYPL branch until 1926. The branch was renovated in 2000.

Notable residents

• Nathaniel Lord Britton, botanist and first director of the New York Botanical Garden, born in New Dorp Beach. The Britton Cottage, a 17th Century house owned by Britton, was relocated from New Dorp Lane and Cedar Grove Avenue and is now preserved at nearby Historic Richmond Town.
• Gustav A. Mayer, confectioner and the inventor of the Nilla wafer, lived in a mansion in New Dorp, on St. Stephens Pl.
• Jacques Reich, portrait etcher, lived in New Dorp.
• Eddie Kaye Thomas, actor, lived in New Dorp growing up.
• George Washington Vanderbilt II, born in New Dorp, a descendant of Cornelius "Commodore" Vanderbilt, who in 1836 began purchasing farmland in New Dorp and owned most of what became Miller Field by 1843; George Vanderbilt II became owner of the property in 1885, and used the "White House" on the land as an occasional residence until his death in 1914.
• Susan Molinari, former city councilwoman and congresswoman

See also

In Spanish: New Dorp (Staten Island) para niños