Talk:Staten Island

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article is within the scope of the following WikiProjects:

This is the talk page for discussing improvements to the Staten Island article.
Article policies
Peer review Staten Island has had a peer review by Wikipedia editors which is now archived. It may contain ideas you can use to improve this article.

The nickname is the land of shaolin? That is crap... —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.168.107.101 (talk) 04:33, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

Another site you may want to check out is Staten Island Chat (http://www.sichat.com), where you can find all kinds of information about the greenest borough of New York City. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.237.29.131 (talk • contribs) 08:39, 15 November 2005

Just spotted this site on the web and thought it might be helpful to know that http://www.statenislandtalk.com/forums provides a forum for former and current Staten Island residents to chat. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 131.107.0.106 (talk • contribs) 13:34, 20 July 2005

Removed ad that used to be here...

This page doesn't follow the same format as Brooklyn, the Bronx, Queens, and Manhattan. I think the map of the county was made by a bot (Anomebot), so I put a message on its owner's page to see if s/he could get the county map. --zandperl 04:39, 22 Mar 2004 (UTC)

The county map is on the page, if you scroll down. It doesn't follow the other boroughs because those pages suck, if you ask me. The county map is particularly poor as it stands, because it seems to show Staten Island as being off the coast of New York, when it is not. Certainly the format could use improvement, but the other boroughs certainly could too. -- Decumanus | Talk 04:42, 22 Mar 2004 (UTC)
oops, my bad! Thanks for pointing out its existance.  :-P --zandperl 04:48, 22 Mar 2004 (UTC)
No problem. My SI pride was showing a little. I'd like to think we can innovate here in this borough. :) -- Decumanus | Talk 04:53, 22 Mar 2004 (UTC)

I added some pictures to show how green Staten Island is. There was a "Nature on Staten Island" picture up that was a highway. That was weird. Also the article was pretty negative all around. I know SI pretty well so I tried to show all sides of it. Hannahgoldstein (talk) 07:15, 21 December 2007 (UTC)Hannah Goldstein (posted Dec 21, 07)

The world did not end in 1898, how about some more recent history such as the battle to close the landfill, the unsuccesful bid to secede from New York City and more importantly why, and notable Staten Islander, eg. Emerson, etc. --K2laz 12:46, 2004 May 19 (UTC)

Good point. There should be a brief notice how NAVSTA New York was on Staten Island in the 80's to early 90's. A minor episode, but it should be noted.--Mtnerd 21:28, 28 Jan 2005 (UTC)

I tried to add some of this. I also added how the landfill is becoming a beautiful park. I did my research on this. It is pretty amazing what they are planning. Hannahgoldstein (talk) 07:15, 21 December 2007 (UTC)Hannah Goldstein aka HG (posted Dec 21, 07)

--Can anyone clarify why, in 1975, the borough was renamed from Richmond to Staten Island? It may seem trivial, but was there a specific reason for this? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 12.75.197.5 (talk • contribs) 02:32, 26 May 2006

Off the island, most New Yorkers had no idea it was ever called Richmond County, any more than they knew that Brooklyn was Kings County. On the island, there had been a huge influx of new residents after the Verazzano bridge opened, and they didn't know either. It was just a modernization. A lot of us who were old island families regarded it as yet another indication that things were changing faster than we liked. RossPatterson 23:19, 26 May 2006 (UTC)
I believe this had something to do with the citywide celebration of the 350th anniversary of the founding of New Amsterdam that year. "Staten Island" is of course the old Dutch name, though it wasn't officially used till 1975.--Pharos 08:48, 5 June 2006 (UTC)
That's entirely possible. The name change would have required an act of the New York City Council, so the motivation should be on record with lots of "whereas this and whereas that" language. I'd look it up, but I don't live in town any more and the Council doesn't have anything online before 1990.
Just as a reminder to future readers, what Pharos means is that Staten Island wasn't officially used as the name of the borough until 1975 (and of course has never been the name of the county). The island has been named Staten Island for hundreds of years. RossPatterson 00:27, 6 June 2006 (UTC)

The image of a typical SI street is blocking part of the section on demographics. Someone should fix it. Sorry, I don't know how. --Boarshevik 01:35, 2004 Oct 10 (UTC)

I removed the picture that infringed upon the Demographics portion of the page. I couldn't read the demographics, so this is the reason I did this. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 198.69.234.93 (talk • contribs) 13:50, 6 November 2004

Contents

[edit] Secession efforts

I question the role that Guiliani played in why secession died. Staten Island residents voted 2-1 in favor of secession in November of 2003. However, the New York Legislature decided that secession could not occur without the consent of New York City because of home rule in the state, and court challenges to that legislative determination were rejected in 1996. Local Government Law, 3rd ed., pp. 412-13. Gerald E. Frug, et al. West Publishing Co., 2001. Is there a source somewhere that says that independent of this legal setback, popular support of secession actually waned because of Guiliani? Regardless, the legal information needs to be included. Postdlf 20:24, 5 Apr 2005 (UTC)

  • The vote wasn't in November 2003, it was in the early ninties (unless there's been another one I'm unaware of). You are definitely right about the legal issues though; please include it in that section. I think the issue has died down both because of the legal impractibility and the greater satisfaction of Staten Islanders with the state of City Hall and the city in general. I have seen absolutely no evidence of a Staten Island secession movement in the last few years.--Pharos 18:20, 20 July 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Democratic (fake?) majority in Staten Island

The politics section of the article shows an interesting paradow about SI voters : they are mainly registered as Democrats, bu vote mainly Republican. I think the explanation is that SI is part of NYC, where the traditional american two-party system doesn't exist : Exept for SI legislative seats and borough president, the only competitive election is always the democratic primary. As a way of consequence, we can state that many swing and republican voters actually register themselves as Democratic, in order to vote in these primaries.

Does somebody disagree ?--Revas 22:16, 12 August 2005 (UTC)

Democrate or Republican, SI'ers tend to be a conservative bunch. None-the-less, the stats in this article acknowledge that in the last four presidential elecitons, they've voted for Democratic and Republican candidates equally. In local elections, they vote for whomever performs for Staten Island. Fact is, Staten Islanders felt shut out of City politics for most of our history as New Yorkers. And when New York was financially in the hole, SI'ers felt particularly ignored -- hence the secession movement. And right or wrong, Staten Islanders really felt that the Dinkins Administration did nothing for SI. The Guiliani camp successfully capitolized on this, and so has the Bloomberg administration. (ie: closing the dump, new ferries and terminals, elimiation of 2-fare zones and ferry fare...) Check out the local council races, and you'll see that the North Shore votes consitantly Democratic and the South Shore consistantly Republican. A relatively even distribution of Dems/Reps and a willingness to vote across lines creates the disconnect that you are referring to. Also, do you really think enough voters are willing to register outside their party? Most parties want the "A" column on the ballot and the numbers to show their support. For so many voters to register outside their party would take a concious conspiracy of massive proportions that would be pretty tough to hide, and probably wouldn't be all that effective.EGregory 15:31, 14 November 2005 (UTC)

Hey! I live on the north shore and there is a democratic majority in randall manor, where i reside. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.23.40.63 (talk • contribs) 23:05, 10 March 2006

[edit] Disambiguation

Does Staten Island really need a dab page? There are only two links there, and Staten Island, New York redirects to this page. Would it be more appropriate to eliminate the dab page and put this at the top of the page?

See Isla de los Estados (Staten Island) for the island off the coast of Tierra del Fuego in Argentina.

EWS23 | (Leave me a message!) 00:41, 12 November 2005 (UTC)

Sounds like a good idea.--Commander Keane 05:29, 15 November 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Famous Staten Islanders? &/or Staten Island in Popular Culture?

Instead of including the reference to the Wu Tang Clan in the opening description of Staten Island, should there be an article on famous Staten Islanders and/or another article on references in pop culture? Famous SI'ers in entertainment would include: David Johanson, aka Buster Poindexter, singer with the proto-punk band New York Dolls and later known for pop songs like "Hot, Hot, Hot" / Wu Tang Clan, mentioned above / Christina Aguellera (sp?) singer. References in pop culture would also include the fact that SI is featured prominently in the works of author/playwright Paul Zindel (The Pigman, The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds...). —Preceding unsigned comment added by 198.63.16.200 (talk • contribs) 14:43, 17 November 2005 Films shot on Staten Island include Working Girl, Splendor in the Grass, The Godfather, Easy Money... EGregory 18:51, 17 November 2005 (UTC) Thanks for adding this info. NYPL has a great list of films shot on S.I. at http://www.nypl.org/branch/staten/index2.cfm?Trg=1&d1=1390&template=StatenIslandFilms EGregory 21:59, 22 December 2005 (UTC)

um i think vanderbuilt, dorthoy day, elisabeth seaton lived here —Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.23.40.63 (talk • contribs) 23:03, 10 March 2006

[edit] Cage fighting?

Can someone verify if this is a legitimate listing. Even so, seems to be filled with opinionated hyperbole. EGregory 20:01, 8 February 2006 (UTC)

[edit] "The Sticks"

In these cases, the Island is oftern referred to as "The Sticks," for the reeds common in wetland areas before the Island became built-up residentally.

Can anyone cite a source for this? "The sticks" was often used as a reference by "sophisticated people" to less urban domains, and I doubt it had anything to do with wetlands. In Manhattan of the 1960s and 1970s I know it often was applied to anyplace rural or undeveloped. RossPatterson 23:46, 28 March 2006 (UTC)

I stand corrected. I've removed the reference to reeds. But I'd feel more comfortable if there was a way to point out that the term was applied to SI when it was much less developed and than it is today. And there is virtually no longer any "rural" presence on the Island outside of protected parklands or properties owned by the SI Historical Society. EGregory 21:26, 30 March 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Manor Heights

Can someone detail the neighborhood of Manor Heights / Lower Todt Hill (North of Brielle Ave. South of 278. East of Bradley Ave. and West of Manor/Todt Hill Road)? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 63.117.201.120 (talk • contribs) 09:52, 11 April 2006

When I lived nearby about 30 years ago, that was all just called Todt Hill, mostly by folks who wished they had some of the pricier properties further up on the ridge. I see that the Meiers Corners article claims the region as well, although we never called it that. Susan Wagner HS occupies a large chunk of the area. RossPatterson 03:57, 12 April 2006 (UTC)
This neighborhood is not meiers corner nor is it a part of todt hill. It is called Manor Heights! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 63.117.201.120 (talk • contribs) 09:26, 12 April 2006
OK, so when you create the Manor Heights article, be sure to update the Meiers Corners article and correct that. Happy editting! RossPatterson 00:33, 13 April 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Ganas

Ganas is not the name of a neighborhood of Staten Island. It is the name of a communal group that resides in Tompkinsville/New Brighton and has been in the news due to attempts by a deranged former member on one of the group's leaders. It can be somewhere in the article, but not listed as a neighborhood. Digit LeBoid 21:25, 15 August 2006 (UTC)

Rebekah Johnson has been captured in Philadelphia and is being brought back to Staten Island to face charges for the shooting.--VNPS 19:34, 29 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Lincoln Reference

I've never heard this before: "New Brighton became the summer home of President Lincoln. The man on the penny!" If this is just vandalism, please remove it. If it is true, tell us more. Digit LeBoid 16:16, 30 October 2006 (UTC)

I'm from Staten Island, and I say that this is a nice article. It had very factual info, and yes, it is sometimes called the forgotten borough (which I sometimes find annoying, but factual nonetheless). I did know that Brooklyn is called Kings County, and Staten Island was called Richmond. I'm very pleased overall with this article. SKREAM 02:06, 4 November 2006 (UTC)SKREAM

There is a house near St. Peter's Cemetery near Clove and Broadway that is said to have been his summer home.--VNPS 19:32, 29 June 2007 (UTC)

I believe the house you are referring to is the Julia Gardiner Tyler House at 27 Tyler Street. Julia, first lady to President John Tyler, was given the house by her parents. However, she did not move into the house until 1868, after her husband's death. This is also after Lincoln's death, so it is not likely that Lincoln would have visited her there. Digit LeBoid 13:44, 26 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Staten Islander commenting

I'm from Staten Island, and I say that this is a nice article. It had very factual info, and yes, it is sometimes called the forgotten borough (which I sometimes find annoying, but factual nonetheless). I did know that Brooklyn is called Kings County, and Staten Island was called Richmond. I'm very pleased overall with this article. Any questions, come to me. I be glad to answer. SKREAM 02:24, 4 November 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Notable Residents

Perhaps this section should be divided and organized. Actors, Artists, Political and Community Leaders,...Digit LeBoid 20:04, 18 January 2007 (UTC)

Not to mention it should be alphabetized by surname, not first name. I'll get to it later if I have time. Ddawn23 20:45, 31 March 2007 (UTC)

I fixed this. Hannahgoldstein (talk) 07:15, 21 December 2007 (UTC)HG (Dec 21,07)

[edit] Most remote borough of New York City. Remote from where?

most remote borough of New York City

According to which criteria? Sure, S.I. is the borough most remote from Manhattan, but it is less remote from the U.S. mainland than Brooklyn, e.g. --ThorstenNY 03:05, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

It can be argued that it is more remote than the other boroughs are from each other -- five miles or so from Lower Manhattan and about a mile from Brooklyn. The other boroughs are relatively close to each other. Brooklyn and Manhattan or Manhattan and Queens are much closer to each other than Brooklyn and Staten Island. Brooklyn and Queens touch each other. And, technically speaking, Manhattan (NY County) and The Bronx actualy touch each other at Marble Hill (a small community across the Harlem River from the rest of Manhattan). Digit LeBoid 13:49, 26 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Very few accurate photos!

Why are all the photos of streets that look like they border forests? There are very few streets on SI that look like this, to be fair. Someone ought to include images of a typical street, (townhouses, anyone?) As well as of many of the old beautiful houses on the North Shore. Or perhaps some of the commercial hubs - Forest Avenue comes to mind. The images are very misleading.

I added better, more accurate photos. Some of those photos looked like there was a dark gloomy cloud overhead. Like smog in LA. Those were weird. I have never seen that on SI. I think they were just bad pictures. And the nature picture was of a highway-like road? Fixed it. Cheers,Hannahgoldstein (talk) 07:15, 21 December 2007 (UTC)Hannah Goldstein (Dec 21, 07)

MrsKeynes 16:22, 18 June 2007 (UTC)

Many of the photos on this page should be moved or replaced because a lot of them just don't seem to belong where there are. Why is there a photo of the bridge under the "Government" section, or the photo of the beach in the "Sports" section? It's also a little odd that many of the photos on this page are by the same user- Pogrebnoj-Alexandroff. --Lizzysama 00:49, 2 July 2007 (UTC)
Agreed. I removed the irrelevant images.--DLandTALK 01:08, 2 July 2007 (UTC)

There "should be moved or replaced" but not removed! The photo show not only beauty of Staten Island. Who cleans beaches? Who will organise rest zones? Who allocates money for island wildlife management? Who cares of cleaning of a paper, a food waste and the bottles left on a beach you? For you is necessary to think before to undertake any actions. We people, instead of animals who suffice, tear, spoil and destroy everything, that will see. --24.168.39.49 22:59, 5 July 2007 (UTC)

This is an encyclopedia article, not a pamphlet advocating clean beaches. The picture of the beach, along with the others, have no direct bearing on the article. The picture of the bridge has nothing to do with Government, the picture of the beach has nothing to do with sports, and the picture of the shopping area has nothing to do with education! What you can do is add a link to Category:Staten Island at Wikimedia Commons - where the pictures belong.--DLandTALK 00:15, 6 July 2007 (UTC)

I fixed this as well. The photos now correspond to the text more. Although I didn't have any old history photos. I did my best. The beaches on SI are actually pretty clean. At least South Beach where I shot some of my pictures. Hannahgoldstein (talk) 07:15, 21 December 2007 (UTC)Hannah Goldstein, Dec 21, 07

[edit] Tractor Photo?

Why is there a photo of a tractor near the notable residents section of this article? Is it a photo of the former landfill? If so, it should be identified, and should be near discussion of the landfill, not where it is now. Even if it is, it doesn't add much. There is a page on the former landfill, perhaps it belongs there instead. Digit LeBoid 16:16, 26 June 2007 (UTC)

  • That photo showed care of workers of a park zone to a city beach.

[edit] Worth to note

Staten island is apparently the largest man made structure on Earth. 83.109.82.139 22:08, 30 June 2007 (UTC)

No, the landfill on Staten Island is... seen QI as well?? =P

[edit] Photos

  • The photos placed in the present article correspond to the text and show beauty of Staten-Island.--24.168.39.49 22:40, 5 July 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Least POPULATED?

In the article it states that Staten Island is the least populated of New York's boroughs, and then just a few lines down it says "it is the smallest of the five boroughs in population". Shouldn't the second statement be deleted?Qwertyuiopmaster 16:40, 16 July 2007 (UTC)Qwertyuiopmaster

[edit] 20th Century

The history section of this article ends in the 19th century. A 20th century section is required, which should include such information as the cure for tuberculosis (Seaview Home and Hospital), and the Willowbrook State School.

[edit] Willowbrook

This is a historical reference not a cultural reference. It belongs in the history section. Also, the scandal refers to the incidents at the State School, not the neighborhood.

[edit] Non Media Culture

This article already includes some non-media culture in the museums section. Perhaps someone can write a section on the arts, including the Hudson River School on Staten Island, famous SI artists, and other art and arts institutions like the ballet and chamber music orchestra.

I added museums, theater, attractions and fine art. I will keep adding to this section. Yes, it was too focused on pop culture. It still has a lot of that but I wanted to improve it not delete too much. Hannahgoldstein (talk) 07:15, 21 December 2007 (UTC)Hannah G, Dec 21, 07

Congratulations Hannah, the culture section is much more rounded now. It would be great if someone could get some info together on the Hudson River School's representation on the island. I know the folks at the Staten Island Museum have a great selection of Hudson River works painted on SI, and often by Staten Islanders. Jasper Cropsey, Edward Moran... Not strong enough on the details. If i get at chance to confirm details, I'll throw some items up, but maybe someone can really fill this out. Digit LeBoid (talk) 15:45, 21 December 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Real Estate Website

Should the link to Appleseed Agency be removed. It is a commercial website, not informational. 19:57, 8 November 2007 (UTC) Digit LeBoid 19:57, 8 November 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Photos and Residents

  • There are way too many photos on this article, especially at the top. --Dan LeveilleTALK 05:00, 21 December 2007 (UTC)
  • Notable natives and residents should probably be moved into a separate article? --Dan LeveilleTALK 05:00, 21 December 2007 (UTC)

I separated the notables into groups. I did my best with it. It was very messy and unorganized. At least it is now organized. It still needs to be more consistent. Sometimes the sentences are capitalized and other times not. Periods at the end and other times not. I got tired. This article was a real mess and I I think I did a good job cleaning it up. It took me 2 days. Maybe someone else can tidy it up or move this part into a new article as you mention. I don't know much about sports and that section is poorly written and inconsistent. Anybody out there want to help with that section? Hannahgoldstein (talk) 06:56, 21 December 2007 (UTC)Hannah Goldstein aka HG

I like the photos though. I'm a visual person. Too many Wiki articles don't have enough photos. I think it adds interest but I'll take another look and try to cut a few out or make them smaller. What do other people think? Do you like the photos? Thanks for the input Dan!Hannahgoldstein (talk) 06:59, 21 December 2007 (UTC)Hannah Goldstein aka HG

I made the top pictures smaller and took out one below. Does anyone know how to get rid of the word MOTTO: at the top of the right hand section? I could not figure out out to get rid of that word. Thanks. I'm done. 07:31, 21 December 2007 (UTC)HG, Dec 21, 07 —Preceding unsigned comment added by Hannahgoldstein (talk • contribs)

  • Support The rather unwieldy list of notables has been improved by its reorganization, but would be more readily maintainable as its own separate article. Alansohn (talk) 13:21, 14 January 2008 (UTC)

[edit] MAIN PIC NEEDS TO GO!

the main pic of the ferry really needs to go.. its almost degrading to the article —Preceding unsigned comment added by Dogma5 (talk • contribs) 16:54, 17 January 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Film, Music, Television Fluff

The film, music, and television subheadings of "Culture" look almost entirely non-notable and completely unlike the facts reported in most other articles. I began to delete the more obviously tangential cultural references, but would like some input as to whether or not this is best. These do seem to be factual statements, and I would hate to 'streamline' out someone's hard work unless necessary. Ipsenaut (talk) 00:02, 24 February 2008 (UTC)

Yes. Many movies have been set in Brooklyn and even more in Manhattan, but the cultural sections of their articles only list half a dozen truly notable ones. That's the right way to do it. Jim.henderson (talk) 21:32, 29 February 2008 (UTC)