By: Teresa Roca

Staten Island is New York City’s most suburban and slow-paced borough. The most historic and tourist-friendly location on the island is the East Shore. The East Shore is home to the towns of Arrochar, Clifton, Concord, Dongan Hills, Egbertville, Fort Wadsworth, Grant City, Grasmere, Emerson Hill, Midland Beach, New Dorp, New Dorp Beach, Oakwood, Oakwood Beach, Ocean Breeze, Richmondtown, Rosebank, Shore Acres, South Beach and Todt Hill. Although the East Shore preserves its history through Historic Richmondtown, a majority of the neighborhood has modernized through school openings, local businesses and new construction.

Throughout the years, Staten Island’s population has increased. According to the Census Bureau, the estimated amount of people living on the island increased by .37 percent from 468,730 in 2010 to 470,467 in 2011. In regards to race, data from the 2011 census confirmed that 77.9 percent of Staten Island’s population was white, 11.7 percent was black, 7.9 percent was Asian, and 0.6 percent was American Indian and Alaskan. During 2006-2010, 20.8 percent of the population was foreign born and 29.6 percent spoke another language other than English.

After years of overcrowding in Staten Island schools, the city is finally addressing this problem. Public schools in Staten Island are managed by the New York City Department of Education, which is the largest public school system in the United States. According to greatschools.org, there are 154 preschools, 95 elementary schools, 57 middle schools and 35 high schools. In an effort to relieve overcrowding at PS 48, a new kindergarten through eighth grade school is under construction in the Concord area. This school will accommodate up to 844 students, and is one of three new schools that will open on Staten Island. The Census Bureau reported that from 2006-2010, 87.5 percent of Staten Islanders graduated high school and 28.5 percent of residents received a Bachelor’s degree or higher.

It is impossible to walk down a Staten Island street without seeing a pizzeria or bakery. Despite many pizzeria and bakery openings throughout the years, Denino’s Pizzeria and Holtermann’s Bakery have managed to stay in business. Denino’s Pizzeria and Tavern is not only a Staten Island favorite, but is also the oldest pizzeria on the island. The business has been passed down from generation to generation since 1937. Holtermann’s Bakery, established in 1930, is Staten Island’s oldest bakery. According to the Census Bureau, there were 37,844 firms in 2007. In regard to sales, merchant wholesalers sold $1,320,074, retail businesses sold $3,850,133, and accommodation and food services sold $401,558.

The real estate market in Staten Island has been doing well. According to the real estate website Trulia.com, the average listing for a Staten Island home is currently $482,793. This is a 0.6 percent increase from the week of September 5^th, 2012. The average price per square foot is now $251, a 7.3 percent increase from last year. There are currently 3,162 homes on the market in Staten Island.

Like all boroughs, Staten Island has its share of problems, especially on the East Shore. Staten Island has only one railroad line, forcing commuters who live far from the train to commute to and from the city on overcrowded buses. Mayor Bloomberg addressed this problem by providing islanders with select-bus service on September 2^nd, 2012. This 22-stop line replaced the old S79 line that made 75 stops. Although this is a blessing for many commuters because travel time will reduce by 20 percent, this new line may be causing more harm than good. The bus lane, which runs through most of the East Shore, has been causing traffic among drivers, especially during rush hour. This lane is also causing problems for parents at St. Dorothy’s School in Grasmere. With the bus lane directly in front of the school entrance, parents and yellow school buses are unable to pick-up and drop-off students. The Department of Transportation stated that parents and school buses could use the bus lane before 3 p.m. and after 7 p.m., when the select-buses are not in service. The entire lane, however, was recently roped off to allow only select-buses to enter the lane, forcing parents and school buses to pick up children from farther locations. Unfortunately, this isn’t the only issue. A recent accident in New Dorp at the intersection of Edison Street and Bache Avenue are causing residents and commuters to fight harder for stop signs or traffic lights on this dangerous road.

Although the East Shore of Staten Island can be peaceful and historically intriguing, it does have its problems like every other neighborhood.