Port Ivory, Staten Island facts for kids
Port Ivory is a special area located in the northwest part of Staten Island, New York City. It sits right on the water, next to Newark Bay. This spot is important because it's close to where two waterways, the Kill van Kull and the Arthur Kill, meet.
Port Ivory is surrounded by other neighborhoods. To its east is Arlington, and to the south is Old Place. The northern border is Newark Bay, and the western border is the Arthur Kill.
The Story Behind the Name
This area was first known as Milliken. But it became famous as Port Ivory because of a very well-known product: Ivory Soap. The company that makes Ivory Soap, Procter & Gamble, had a large factory here. This factory operated for many years, from 1907 until 1991. After that, the soap-making moved to Mexico.
Right next to Port Ivory is the Howland Hook Marine Terminal. This is a big port where ships bring and pick up goods. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey manages this facility. They are building a new rail yard on part of the old Ivory Soap factory land. This new yard will help move goods easily from ships to trains. This process is called intermodal transport, meaning it uses different types of transportation.
Trains and Transportation
Another important way to move things in Port Ivory is by train. The North Shore branch of the Staten Island Railway runs through here. It crosses the Arthur Kill on a special bridge called the Arthur Kill Vertical Lift Bridge. This bridge is right next to the Goethals Bridge. The railway line eventually reaches Cranford Junction in New Jersey.
Passenger trains used to stop at the Port Ivory station (which was also called Milliken). However, passenger service stopped completely on this line in 1953. For many years, freight trains also rarely used the line. But in 2006, efforts to bring back freight service were completed. The Arlington Yard was rebuilt and connected to a new terminal called ExpressRail at the marine terminal. This helps move goods more efficiently.
Life in Port Ivory
The Staten Island Expressway is sometimes seen as the southern edge of Port Ivory. This area is mostly industrial, meaning it has many factories and businesses. It's not a place where many people live.
However, there is one unique residential area here. New York City's only mobile home park is located on Goethals Road North. This road is a service road for the expressway. Besides the mobile home park, only a few older homes exist a short distance to the east, along Forest Avenue.
