West Shore, Staten Island facts for kids
The West Shore is a special part of Staten Island, which is one of the five main areas, or boroughs, of New York City. It's located along the Arthur Kill, a waterway that separates Staten Island from New Jersey. This area stretches between the Staten Island Expressway and the Fresh Kills.
While the West Shore is mostly known for its businesses and open spaces, it does have one main neighborhood where people live, called Travis. Other important areas in the West Shore include Bloomfield and Chelsea. The New York City Department of City Planning also includes places like Howland Hook, Arlington, Rossville, Woodrow, Charleston, and Tottenville as part of the West Shore. Even Fresh Kills Park, a large park built on a former landfill, is considered part of this area.
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Getting Around the West Shore
The main road that runs north and south through the West Shore is the West Shore Expressway. This highway connects the Staten Island Expressway to the Richmond Parkway. The Richmond Parkway leads to the Outerbridge Crossing, a bridge that connects Staten Island to New Jersey. For traveling east and west, the main road is Victory Boulevard, especially the part that goes through Travis.
History and Industry
For a long time, the West Shore was mostly used for industrial activities. This means there were many factories and businesses that made things or stored heavy equipment. For example, Travis was once called "Linoleumville" because a factory that made linoleum was located there. Other industries included oil refining and construction.
Today, you can still find a large Con Edison electrical plant in Travis, right where the old linoleum factory used to be. The West Shore is also home to the Teleport, which is a special business park built in the 1980s. It was designed to house companies that work with communications and technology.
Modern Development and Jobs
In recent years, the West Shore has seen a lot of new development. In the 1980s, several large office buildings were built along South Avenue. More businesses followed, including several hotels. The Hilton Garden Inn opened in 2001, followed by the Hampton Inn & Suites in 2007, and the Comfort Inn and Holiday Inn Express in 2010.
A big change happened in 2018 when the Matrix Global Logistics Park opened in Bloomfield. This is a huge distribution center that helps companies like Amazon and Ikea move their products. This center brought more than 2,000 jobs to the West Shore. In 2020, Amazon announced it would expand even more, leasing another large warehouse nearby. These new businesses are helping the West Shore grow and create more opportunities for people.
Nature and Future Plans
The West Shore is the least crowded part of Staten Island. It has many open spaces and natural areas. You can even find horse stables and riding academies here. Many different kinds of migratory birds visit the area, especially around Prall's Island, which is nearby.
Because of its large open areas, the West Shore has been the subject of many ideas for future development. One big idea that caused a lot of discussion was building a NASCAR racetrack. A plan from 2004 suggested building a 2.5-mile (4.0 km) oval track on a large, mostly unused 440-acre (1.8 km2) piece of land. These plans show that the West Shore continues to be an important area for growth and change on Staten Island.
