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Staten Island, New York City — Area Guide & Where to Stay
Ferries cross New York Harbor to Staten Island, the southernmost and greenest of New York City's boroughs, known for Historic Richmond Town.
About Staten Island
Where to stay in Staten Island
Where you base yourself shapes the visit — here's the character of each area.
Staten Island rewards visitors who want a calmer base within reach of New York City, and its quarters differ sharply. The north shore around the ferry terminal puts you closest to New York Harbor and the free boat across to Manhattan, the most practical base for day trips into the rest of the city. Transit thins farther out.
The center of the borough gathers around Historic Richmond Town and St. Andrew's Church, where colonial lanes and the LaTourette House give a village feel far from the harbor bustle. The hills hold their own draws. The Jacques Marchais Museum of Tibetan Art sits above the greenbelt, near quiet residential streets that suit travelers after woodland walks over harbor views.
Stay near the ferry for the city. If you prefer the half-rural side, the streets around Historic Richmond Town suit you, while walkers gravitate toward the hillside near the Jacques Marchais Museum of Tibetan Art.
About Staten Island
What are the main landmarks in Staten Island?
Staten Island keeps its landmarks in colonial villages and hillside museums, set across New York Harbor from Manhattan. Historic Richmond Town preserves a whole cluster of early buildings, among them the Voorlezer's House, the Lake-Tysen House, and the Stephens-Black House. The ferry is the classic arrival.
Faith left its own marks. St. Andrew's Church and St. Patrick's Church served the old parishes, while the Jacques Marchais Museum of Tibetan Art holds a rare Himalayan collection above the greenbelt. This quieter, half-rural borough of New York City is bounded by the tidal straits of Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull.
What is the history of Staten Island?
Staten Island entered the colonial record in 1683 as Richmond County, one of New York's original divisions across New York Harbor. Farming shaped it early. Dutch and English settlers cleared the land, raised the parish of St. Andrew's Church, and built the timber houses that survive at Historic Richmond Town, including the Voorlezer's House and the Lake-Tysen House.
For centuries the island stayed rural while the city grew across the water. Consolidation folded Richmond County into New York City at the close of the nineteenth century. Even so, the borough kept its half-rural cast.
The greenbelt spared much of its interior, the colonial village at Historic Richmond Town became a living museum, and the ferry across New York Harbor remained the island's lasting link to Manhattan and the rest of the city.
Where is Staten Island?
Staten Island lies at the southernmost point of New York State and is coextensive with Richmond County. It is the southernmost of New York City's five boroughs. Straits set it apart.
The tidal Arthur Kill and Kill Van Kull separate it from New Jersey, while New York Bay divides it from the rest of the city across New York Harbor.
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Updated July 2026