st. george staten island
I am about to buy this house in St. George Staten Island, but am mixed about whether i should go the full way. What do you all think about St. george? will my brownstoner name soon be StGeorgeSucks?
I am about to buy this house in St. George Staten Island, but am mixed about whether i should go the full way. What do you all think about St. george? will my brownstoner name soon be StGeorgeSucks?
Don’t call me a racist when you don’t even know me.Now, I’m offended. I stated that there is a lot of crime in those particular projects. I base that statement on crime statistics. I made no mention of anyone’s race, color, creed, sex, etc. YOU DID and that’s racist!
Good schools are based on test scores. Read the tests scores for those areas and tell me what a bad or good school is. AGAIN I made no mention of anyone’s color, skin, creed, sex, YOU DID. That’s racist.
Personally, if you knew me, you would never call me a racist. Yes, my screen name is Italiana. Being proud of your nationallity doesn’t make you hate others. Appently Demanding Respect from people does.
peace,
Stefania
Dude, her screen name is “italiana.” She is using racist code words, and you accuse ME of racist overtones? Yeau….OK.
By the way, I don’t need your explanations about NYC schools. I attended them as white people were heading for the white hills. Now, I am a Princeton Grad, a law student, and I am still a victim of racism.
You want to get along with the communities that you people are invading? Stop telling us what to do, and stop with the code words.
I have a feeling that there can be some good dialogue on this board if people like you are willing to stop talking down to hispanics. It might be too late for italiana.
Cant we skip the discussion of racist overtones every time the quality of schools are discussed?
With few exceptions, NYC does a bad job of educating poor kids. These kids are overwhelmingly members of a minority group. For the kids stuck in those schools, it really sucks b/c it makes getting a good education much harder. For parents with better options, it’s an important factor in making school decisions.
>>>>>But, schools will be an issue. I’m not sure of any good schools in that area. There are some housing projects not far from St. George where most of the crime in Staten Island happens called Park Hill.<<<<<
Hey italiana, this was a nice, not so subtle way of letting this person know that he might be forced to endure (gasp!) Hispanics and African Americans, no?
“Good schools?” Don’t you mean WHITE SCHOOLS? Code words such as this were out in the 70’s, dontcha think?
I am of the opinion that you owe me, and the other Hispanics on this board an apology.
Don’t get me started.
I lived in Staten Island until I was 32. I lived in St. George the last 6 years of that time, on St. Mark’s Place, dragging my wife (then girlfriend) out there from Forest Hills in Queens against her will.
The talk of St. George becoming the “new Williamsburg” or “new East Village”, etc. has been going on FOREVER and has NEVER happened.
Real estate boom after real estate boom has come and gone with no lasting positive affect on that area or any part of the borough.
I go to Staten Island to visit relatives often and sometimes drive through my old neighborhoods (I’m from New Dorp originally).
Seeing it now, at 39, it upsets me that I waited so long and spent so much of my life there.
Every once in a while I take someone to SI who has never been and they are invariably taken by its tree-lined streets and hills and neighborhood feel, but you have to spend time there to appreciate the special brand of attitude that goes along with living on SI.
Staten Islanders are uniquely territorial and confrontational. You don’t need more evidence than to look up the stories of people who’ve had their tires slashed or the occasional shooting over one person parking in front of another’s house overnight or the nearly-weekly bias crimes committed by the teens and 20-somethings of the full 2/3-majority Italian population.
Driving around the island is frustrating as the many single-lane roads were simply not built to accommodate the hundreds of new track houses in old neighborhoods with their multiple-car households. That frustration is evident in the constant horn blaring and finger giving all around you as you make your way.
So…..
I could go on. Most of my friends are ex-Staten Islanders who “got out” as we say and are now Brooklyn and Manhattanites.
We have this conversation often and compare notes and laugh about how our lives and attitudes have improved since our departures, but what we all agree on is that St. George is as good as it gets on The Rock as far as culture is concerned.
St. George is also the ONE place where you could conceivably get away without a car. And diversity actually works in that one neighborhood as opposed to the resistance it meets in the southern sections.
There are truly beautiful homes there and the views of Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty and bridges are really special.
The convenience of the Staten Island Ferry is excellent but the schedule kind of sucks.
You can do worse, but know what Staten Island is before making a move like this.
My sister and Mom live down the street from Snug Harbor and it is nice. My sister belongs to the Unitarian church on Clinton Ave., good people. Artsy and chill, it’s a very nice vibe there.
Still, ya need a car. And the schools kinda suck. But if your kid is bright, things look up once they go to high school. You got choices. My nephew is commuting to a high school in Manhattan for music, for example.
Sailor Snug Harbor has artist studios where artists work, classes, and regular exhibitions. It actually does have a thriving arts community on the North Shore. You can get a lot of space there. I agree that it is much better than living in other suburbs, like parts of NJ, because taxes are low, low, low. If you have school age kids, that is a challenge if you don’t want to go to Catholic school, but there are a few private schools. Also there is a special public school for exceptional students, Petrides, and it accepts both gifted students and learning challenged students with a very progressive kind of orientation. I am also like Italiana71 – I go there all the time to see family — I also moved away in my early 20s to live in Manhattan, then Brooklyn. When in my 20s, I was oh so sophisticated and had to get the hell out of there, but in my current who gives a shit phase of life, I actually really love it.
I grew up in Staten Island. I lived there for 24 years and headed to NYC, then to Brooklyn. We lived on the North Shore. To me it is the best area in Staten Island. I loved St. George. It is the best area for resturants, culture (yes there is a bit of an art scene), there is a green market there on Saturdays, and very close to the ferry. The New York Times did an article about St. George saying that it’s become a starving artists haven because no one can afford Williamsburg any more. St. George also has its own historic distric with beautiful homes.
There was talk of a trolley running back and forth along Richmond ave to take people back and forth to the ferry. Also there is a group of people in St. George trying to form a food coop. St. George was always known as where the artsy fartsy people hang out.
But, schools will be an issue. I’m not sure of any good schools in that area. There are some housing projects not far from St. George where most of the crime in Staten Island happens called Park Hill.
I do know that the council members are trying to pour some money into the areas because of its potential.
My husband and I always said that if we have to move back to “the rock” (a S.I. nickname) we would look in St. George or the North Shore. Good luck in whatever you decide.
Feel free to ask any questions about the rock as I still find myself there once a weel to visit family.
It seems like SI is a better option than moving to a true suburb like NJ.