Graniteville, Staten Island
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Graniteville is the name of a neighborhood in
History
Graniteville was originally named Bennett's Corners and Fayetteville. Quarries for trap rock were operated in the area from 1841 to 1896,[1] leading to the community's name being changed first to Granite Village, then Graniteville.
According to College of Staten Island professor, geologist Alan Benimoff, this name is a misnomer, as the quarry actually contained no granite. Granite is made of potassium feldspar. The rock at the quarry is composed of sodium feldspar. Also, professor Benimoff discovered Trondhjemite at the site, a rare mineral.[2]
Largely rural well into the 20th century, Graniteville was the scene of a notable fire in March 1942, when an explosion at the Consolidated Fireworks Company on Richmond Avenue claimed the lives of five employees.
Bisected from east to west by the
Residential development in the area burgeoned soon after the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge opened in November 1964, and today Graniteville stands at the north end of a busy commercial strip along Richmond Avenue; this strip, which extends to the vicinity of the Staten Island Mall approximately 4 miles (6 km) away, is the scene of some of the heaviest automotive traffic on Staten Island.
Demographics
As of the 2010 census, the demographics of Graniteville were roughly as follows:
37.4% White, 16.6% Black, 29.9% Hispanic, 13.1% Asian, 3% Other.[3]
This is defining Graniteville as everything within the boundaries of Census Tracts 303.01 & 303.02.
Education
Public school students in Graniteville are mostly zoned for P.S.861 (The School of Civic Leadership), P.S.60 and
Transportation
Graniteville is served by the
Police and crime
Graniteville and the West Shore are patrolled by the 121st Precinct of the NYPD, located at 970 Richmond Avenue.[4] The 121st Precinct was split from the 120th Precinct in 2013;[5] the latter ranked 12th safest out of 69 patrol areas for per-capita crime in 2010.[6] The 121st Precinct saw one murder, 13 rapes, 86 robberies, 216 felony assaults, 90 burglaries, 397 grand larcenies, and 115 grand larcenies auto in 2022.[7]
Parks
The neighborhood is next to the Graniteville Swamp.[1]
References
- ^ a b "Graniteville Swamp Park". New York City Department of Parks & Recreation. Retrieved 2010-01-26.
- ^ Staten Island news article. Graniteville Quarry Park: A Unique Geological Area Transformed From Dumping Ground To City Park - Interviews With CSI Professor of Geology Alan Benimoff and The Friends of Graniteville Quarry Park Co-Founder Kathy Romanelli
- ^ "Photo by ajedrez1". Photobucket.
- ^ "NYPD – 121st Precinct". www.nyc.gov. New York City Police Department. Retrieved October 3, 2016.
- ^ Stein, Mark (June 14, 2013). "Staten Island's 121st Precinct stationhouse fully operational by July, official says". silive.com. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
- ^ "St. George – DNAinfo.com Crime and Safety Report". www.dnainfo.com. Archived from the original on April 15, 2017. Retrieved October 6, 2016.
- ^ "121st Precinct CompStat Report" (PDF). www.nyc.gov. New York City Police Department. Retrieved July 22, 2018.
External links
- Graniteville, Staten Island Forgotten-NY Guide to Graniteville