Staten Island is a borough of New York City, New York, United States, located in the southwest part of the city. Staten Island is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull, and from the rest of New York by New York Bay. With a population of 487,407, Staten Island is the least populated of the five boroughs but is the third largest in area at 59 sq mi (153 km2). The Borough of Staten Island is coextensive with Richmond County, the southernmost county in the state of New York. Until 1975, the borough was officially named the Borough of Richmond. Staten Island has been sometimes called "the forgotten borough" by inhabitants who feel neglected by the city government. Staten Island is overall the most suburban of the five boroughs of New York City. The North Shore, especially the neighborhoods of St. George, Tompkinsville, Park Hill, and Stapleton, are the most urban part of the island; it contains the officially designated St. George Historic District and The St. Paul’s Avenue-Stapleton Heights Historic District, which feature large Victorian homes. The South Shore has more suburban-style residential neighborhoods and is home to the two and one-half mile long F.D.R. Boardwalk, the fourth longest in the world. Historically, the central and southern sections of the island were once dominated by dairy and poultry farms, almost all of which disappeared in the 20th century.
BP Molinaro Urges Staten Islanders to Give the “Gift of Life”
In response to a critically low blood supply following February’s snowstorms, Borough President James P. Molinaro urged Staten Islanders to roll up their sleeves and give the “gift of life” at a blood drive at Borough Hall. Since Molinaro took office in 2003, his blood drives have collected a total of 6,750 pints. Each year, the Borough President’s Office sponsors five blood drives, in addition to the annual 9/11 Memorial Blood Donor Drive in September, which seeks to collect 275 pints for each Staten Island victim of the terrorist attack. Molinaro said, “Health care is an issue of paramount importance to my administration, to my family, and to me. As Borough President, I am in a unique position to help get the message out that by giving blood, the life you save may be that of your neighbor, your friend, your relative, or even your own.”