West New Brighton, Staten Island

West New Brighton is a neighborhood of New York City, USA situated along the central North Shore of Staten Island. The neighborhood borders New Brighton to the east, Port Richmond to the west, the waters of the Kill Van Kull to the north, and the communities of Sunnyside and Castleton Corners to the south.

History
Originally known as "Factoryville," Islanders now commonly refer to the area as West Brighton. Some parts of the neighborhood closer to the shoreline are referred to as "Livingston" and or "Randal Manor". The neighborhood was originally Italian, mostly from the town of Monacilioni (see External links below) from the, what was then called the, Abruzzi e Molise region of Italy. Now the neighborhood is made up of working class families of Irish and German descent.

The neighborhood was transformed in the years following World War II. Two large public housing developments were built. The first, the Markham Homes, was originally built to house the families of shipyard & defense workers. The West Brighton Houses followed. Starting in 2004 tenants in The Markham Homes were evicted, so the site might be redeveloped. As of 2007 all tenants had been relocated. While claims had been made that many residents would be able to return into the redeveloped area, few have been able to at this point as a result of the attempts to gentrify the area.

Since the late 90's the area has seen a reduction in some crime rates. Richmond Terrace, which is the main thoroughfare along the Kill Van Kull waterfront, is home to several shipyards and tugboat companies. The area south of Delafield Avenue, Brighton Heights, continues to be home to some of West Brighton's more affluent residents including politicians, lawyers, judges and professionals.

Demographics
As of 2000 U.S. Census, there were 22,852 people living in West New Brighton. The demographics were 61.7% White, 21.7% African American, 3.8% Asian, 0.3% Native American, 3.8% of the population were of two or more races, 8.6% of the population were other and 19.4% were Hispanic or Latino. The top 5 ancestries were 22.0% Italian, 18.3% Irish, 10.4% Puerto Rican, 7.4% German and 3.8% Polish.

Landmarks
Notable landmarks include the Staten Island Zoo, and several small abandoned cemeteries in which members of some of the island's founding families are interred. Snug Harbor is also located in West Brighton. It holds baseball fields, a children's museum, a Chinese garden, botanical gardens, the Art Lab and the Staten Island Conservatory of Music. St. Peter's Cemetery, which is still properly maintained and is the oldest Roman Catholic cemetery on Staten Island (opened in 1848), is also located here.

The former St. Vincent's Medical Center, now known as Richmond University Medical Center is located in West Brighton. While most of the buildings on the RUMC campus date from the late 1960s or more recent, the Garner Mansion goes back to the 19th Century. It at one time was used for the St. Austin's Military School, now defunct.

Location
West New Brighton's ZIP Code is 10301, and the territory served by this zip code is virtually coterminous with the boundaries of the neighborhood itself (such boundaries not officially existing for any neighborhoods within New York City). The neighborhood is roughly defined as the area around and to the northeast of the intersection of Jewett Avenue and Forest Avenue, one of the major east-west thoroughfares on the island.

Public libraries
New York Public Library operates the West New Brighton Branch at 976 Castleton Avenue at North Burgher Avenue.

Transportation
West New Brighton is well served by public transportation. It is served by buses along Castleton Avenue, Richmond Terrace, Forest Avenue, Broadway, and Cary/Post Avenues. It was served by the West New Brighton station of the North Shore branch of the Staten Island Railway until March 31, 1953.