The South Shore is a geographical term applied to the area in the New York City borough of Staten Island, south and east of the island's ridge of hills (and Richmond Creek and Fresh Kills south of Historic Richmond Town) along the waterfront and adjacent areas from the Narrows to the mouth of the Arthur Kill, although many observers prefer to restrict its scope to the neighborhoods located between the shoreline of Raritan Bay on one side and Richmond Creek and Fresh Kills on the other, thus encompassing the neighborhoods of Great Kills to Tottenville only. Those who use this narrower definition of the "South Shore" prefer to assign the communities that lie along the Lower New York Bay, and inland for approximately 2 to 2½ miles, from Bay Terrace and Richmondtown to as far north as Grasmere and Concord, as belonging to the East Shore.
Geologically, the area is the outwash plain formed from the edge of the terminal moraine, and continues as an underwater shoal into Lower New York Bay, where it was a prime oystering ground in the 19th century.
Prior to the 1960s, the South Shore was widely undeveloped, however after the building of the Verrazano Narrows Bridge, its population rose sharply.
However territorially defined, the South Shore is noted for the rapid urbanization that took place in the area during the 1960s and 1970s. Its population is predominantly white, but according to census data has been growing more heterogeneous in recent years. Many residents are of Italian, Irish, German, Russian and Jewish descent, with a hugh boom to the Italian population in the 1980s, 1990's and 2000s in Arden Heights and spread out among all the various south shore towns.[1] The area generally has a low crime rate except for car thefts. Truancy, however, is a recurring problem.[2]
Commerce was previously dominated by small businesses despite the presence of Hylan Boulevard running along the eastern boundary of the South Shore. However, a number of shopping centers have been built over the last decade. The area is still known for small businesses, including 24-hour delis, pork stores, pizzerias, cafes, gourmet food shops, and a number of independently-owned pharmacies, florists, hair and nail salons, paint stores, and car repair shops.
Staten Islanders on the South Shore have the longest average commute of anyone in New York City.[3] Commuters to Manhattan have the option of express buses, which run along Hylan Boulevard, Richmond Avenue, and New York State Route 440, or the Staten Island Railroad (formerly SIRT.) Express train service cuts the commute time to and from the Staten Island Ferry. Morning express trains make all local stops to New Dorp, and then express to the St. George station. In the evening, express trains travel from St. George to Great Kills, then make all local stops until Tottenville. Local trains make all stops to Great Kills.
The Charleston Bus Depot opened in January 2011 at Arthur Kill Road in Charleston.