Northern Staten Island vs. Southern Staten Island (Brighton, Springville: apartment complexes, crime)

[Japanfan1986]

I've been reading about Staten Island for a while now, but more about the island generally. I recently heard that southern Staten Island is much safer than northern Staten Island. Is this true?

If so what neighborhoods on Staten Island would people recommend as a place to live? Better still if anyone knows any particularly good apartment complexes that could be really helpful. I used to live in NYC, but when I did I lived in Harlem and though I've been to Staten Island, I haven't been there enough to make distinctions between all of the many very different neighborhoods.

Thanks in advance to anyone who can help I'm applying to jobs at the moment and hoping to move back to NYC at some point. Currently working out of state in the same field I am applying to jobs for. Only going to move if I can get a job first of course

[Airborneguy]

Pretty much any where south of the Staten Island Expressway will be one of the safest neighborhoods in the city. Mine is rated #2. Great Kills seems to be the center of a heroin/pill problem, but I'm there almost daily and rarely see anything near what I see in the city every day at work. Most problems on the south shore of SI are kept inside.

[ErnieG]

Originally Posted by Japanfan1986

I've been reading about Staten Island for a while now, but more about the island generally. I recently heard that southern Staten Island is much safer than northern Staten Island. Is this true?

If so what neighborhoods on Staten Island would people recommend as a place to live? Better still if anyone knows any particularly good apartment complexes that could be really helpful. I used to live in NYC, but when I did I lived in Harlem and though I've been to Staten Island, I haven't been there enough to make distinctions between all of the many very different neighborhoods.

Thanks in advance to anyone who can help I'm applying to jobs at the moment and hoping to move back to NYC at some point. Currently working out of state in the same field I am applying to jobs for. Only going to move if I can get a job first of course

Some parts of the South Shore of Staten Island are safer. However, here lately I would have to wonder. Greatkills is open air market drug dealing. A lot of these areas have gone to the drug dealers and users. Lots of areas on the SS are, but the same applies to the North Shore. The drug dealing and using is extremely high on the South Shore. This also depends on where you go (blocks/nitches). No way you can say the entire South Shore is better.

As for the North Shore, it has its problems. Nevertheless, there are some truly beautiful areas of the North Shore that don't get their just due. Westerleigh is beautiful and safe. Dongan Hills Colony, Sunnyside all are decent and safe. Parts of Todt Hill (not all); Manor Heights, Ward Hill, Grymes Hill can all be considered fairly safe and decent. There are just a few areas on the North Shore that give the entire side a bad name. Even some parts of West Brighton are nice.

The North Shore doesn't suffer power outages as much as the mid Island and South Shores when bad whether comes around. I'd never recommend anyone go to any of the "beach areas." Midland Beach, South Beach, Oakwood Beach. They were hit hard by Superstorm Sandy. All the shacks are gone and some people are rebuilding.

[jkub101]

I grew up in St.George, Staten Island. Years ago (mid to late 90s) this neighborhood was pretty bad. Drugs, hookers, gang fights, shootings, stabbings, huge school rivalries (fights) of about 100vs100 (mckee vs curtis) were very common at all times during the day. The same can be said for New Brighton, West Brighton, Port Richmond and Marines Harbor. Bloods vs crips vs latin kings vs tre pound ... the list goes on. There used to be flags posted on every street corner - the colors would alternate.

Nowadays, every single one of these neighborhoods have become MUCH safer. The demographics have changed very little, it's just much safer. St.George gives off a Williamburgh-y vibe to me today. I kind of liked it better the way it was before.

As for the South Shore...

Where there's money, there's drugs (north shore)
Where there's more money, there's more drugs (south shore)

The South Shore is more wealthy, more white, but it is very similar to the North Shore IMO. Whites don't fight as much - everything is under the radar.

[ErnieG]

Originally Posted by jkub101

I grew up in St.George, Staten Island. Years ago (mid to late 90s) this neighborhood was pretty bad. Drugs, hookers, gang fights, shootings, stabbings, huge school rivalries (fights) of about 100vs100 (mckee vs curtis) were very common at all times during the day. The same can be said for New Brighton, West Brighton, Port Richmond and Marines Harbor. Bloods vs crips vs latin kings vs tre pound ... the list goes on. There used to be flags posted on every street corner - the colors would alternate.

Yes! These are the North Shore areas that give the other parts a bad name by being lumped in with them. There are gangs in Rosebank too.

Nowadays, every single one of these neighborhoods have become MUCH safer. The demographics have changed very little, it's just much safer. St.George gives off a Williamburgh-y vibe to me today. I kind of liked it better the way it was before.

Yes, they've become safer (operative word) safe(r).

As for the South Shore...

Where there's money, there's drugs (north shore)
Where there's more money, there's more drugs (south shore)

The South Shore is more wealthy, more white, but it is very similar to the North Shore IMO. Whites don't fight as much - everything is under the radar.

The South Shore is not more wealthy. It's simply less minorities there. Most of Staten Island works for some sort of city, state agency. They live beyond their means unless they have "other things" going on. Lots of folk from that side have embezzlement, drug charges and the like against them. The South Shore has crime (high rate of domestic abuse and more). It just doesn't have the element of "street crime" that the North Shore has. In other words, crime is committed behind closed doors. If it had less crime there would be no need for the precincts.

South Shore isn't all its cracked up to be. That's an illusion to keep some people out.

[StatenIslandStrong_57]

I was born and grew up in Mariner's Harbor (North Shore), and have lived in West Brighton (also North Shore) and am now living in New Springville (Mid-Island with easy access to both parts of the Island). The North Shore is often refereed to as "bad" due to the high concentration of African Americans on that part of the Island. Aside from the North Shore, blacks are pretty non-existent on Staten Island. Although the North Shore is pretty suburban with the exception of Port Richmond Avenue, Richmond Terrace, and Saint George. The South Shore is very suburban, almost like New Jersey. It has a very big drug problem to my knowledge.

[edubz]

I wouldn't call the South Shore actual wealth, it's more like new money. Like ErnieG mentioned it's mostly city workers living in McMansions driving BMWs.

[checkmatechamp13]

Originally Posted by ErnieG

The South Shore is not more wealthy.

Stats would beg to differ.

Most South Shore residents aren't "wealthy", more like upper-middle class, or even middle classes in a lot of areas. But the average South Shore resident has a higher income and wealth than the average North Shore resident.

Originally Posted by edubz

I wouldn't call the South Shore actual wealth, it's more like new money. Like ErnieG mentioned it's mostly city workers living in McMansions driving BMWs.

Not even. There's a lot of townhouses and regular-sized houses down there as well.

[edubz]

Originally Posted by checkmatechamp13

Stats would beg to differ.

Most South Shore residents aren't "wealthy", more like upper-middle class, or even middle classes in a lot of areas. But the average South Shore resident has a higher income and wealth than the average North Shore resident.



Not even. There's a lot of townhouses and regular-sized houses down there as well.

That's true, the area I'm referring to is approximately the Hylan - Amboy corridor from Richmond Av to Tottenville. The stereotypical South Shore. The Amboy-Arthur Kill corridor has many townhouses and small semi attached homes, but you will still find a lot of $60k cars parked in the driveway of $270k townhouses.

[ErnieG]

[quote=checkmatechamp13;38628133]Stats would beg to differ.

Most South Shore residents aren't "wealthy", more like upper-middle class, or even middle classes in a lot of areas. But the average South Shore resident has a higher income and wealth than the average North Shore resident.





I don't think so. If you want to put some of the older nice established North Shore area up against any of the South Shore areas you'd see it's pretty much the same in wealth. Plenty of nice north share areas with homeowners who aren't house poor. This is if you take into account that the North Shore has more than Mariner's Harbor and Stapleton in it. I'm not talking about "perceived wealth."

Todt Hill
Westerleigh
Dongan Hills Colony