Prall's Island

Chelsea is a small neighborhood located on the West Shore of Staten Island in New York City. It is bordered on the north by South Avenue, on the east by the William T. Davis Wildlife Refuge, on the south by Meredith Avenue, and on the west by the Arthur Kill.The area was originally named Pralltown after a family that was granted land there in 1675. During the Revolutionary period it was called Peanutville due to the storage there of quantities of peanuts for the passengers using the ferries to travel between New York and New Brunswick. In the 1950s, there were plans for Consolidated Edison to build a massive electric plant on 100 acres (40 ha) of land that it owned in Chelsea.Chelsea is mostly open marsh and is relatively undeveloped, although there are some businesses and one-family houses. It borders on the Teleport and is the site of Staten Island's West Shore Plaza and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's Meredith Avenue Bus Depot. Chelsea is served by the S46, S96, S62 and S92 local buses and the SIM32 express bus.

Piles Creek is a stream in Union County, New Jersey. It empties in the Arthur Kill tidal strait in Linden on the Chemical Coast between the mouth of Morses Creek and the mouth of the Rahway River just below the Linden Generating Station, a power plant. It is one of several tributaries of the Arthur Kill along with other rivers and streams including the Elizabeth River, Rahway River, Morses Creek, Fresh Kills, and, via Newark Bay, the Passaic River and the Hackensack River. Rutgers University ecology scientists have documented the bizarre transformations to Piles Creek marine species caused by contamination and toxicity. The creek was extended as part of wetlands mitigation project for the expansion of the New Jersey Turnpike. GAF Materials Corporation was once located along the creek. Public Service Enterprise Group (PSE&G) opened a solar farm on a brownfield site along the shore of the creek in 2014.

On February 10, 1973, a gas explosion occurred inside a Texas Eastern Transmission Pipeline tank storing liquefied natural gas in the Bloomfield neighborhood of Staten Island, New York City, while 42 workers were cleaning the tank. The tank had supposedly been completely drained ten months earlier, but ignition occurred, causing a plume of combusting gas to rise. Two workers near the top felt the heat and rushed to the safety of scaffolding outside, while the other 40 workers died as the concrete cap on the tank rose 20 to 30 feet (6.1 to 9.1 m) in the air and then came crashing back down, crushing them to death. The incident was the worst industrial accident in Staten Island's history. It resulted in a moratorium on liquefied natural gas storage facilities in New York state.

West Shore refers to the section of the New York City borough of Staten Island that borders the Arthur Kill, between the Staten Island Expressway and the Fresh Kills. The Arthur Kill shoreline north of the expressway—most commonly called Port Ivory—is considered part of the North Shore, while the land along the Arthur Kill south of Fresh Kills is generally included within the South Shore. While only one residential neighborhood—Travis—can actually be found on the West Shore, other place names are used to identify locations to the north of Travis, chief among them Bloomfield and Chelsea. A study by the New York City Department of City Planning also identified Howland Hook/Arlington, Rossville, Woodrow, Charleston and Tottenville as being part of the West Shore, along with Fresh Kills Park.The West Shore Expressway, which connects the Staten Island Expressway with the Richmond Parkway at the Staten Island terminus of the Outerbridge Crossing, is the area's principal north-south thoroughfare, while the western end of Victory Boulevard, in Travis, is its main east-west road. Through the late 20th century, land use in the West Shore was dominated by industrial activities (Travis was once named "Linoleumville" as a consequence of a linoleum factory having once been built there), most notably oil refining and construction; in the latter example, much property in the region is devoted to the storage of heavy equipment, such as cement mixers. These have led to some incidents, such as the 1973 Staten Island gas explosion, which killed 40 people. In addition, a few horse stables and riding academies exist in the area, which is the least densely populated section of Staten Island. Many species of migratory birds can be found in the area, especially on nearby Prall's Island. In the 1980s, a string of large office complexes were built along South Avenue, which begins in Mariners Harbor on the North Shore, and ends in Travis; other businesses arrived later, including several hotels, Hilton Garden Inn in 2001, Hampton Inn & Suites in 2007, Comfort Inn and Holiday Inn Express in 2010. A large Con Edison electrical plant stands at the site of the former linoleum factory in Travis, which is also the home of the Teleport, a high-tech industrial park built in the early 1980s, mostly to house companies engaged in the communications industry. In Fall of 2018 the Matrix Global Logistics Park opened in Bloomfield, which is distribution center for companies such as Amazon and Ikea, bringing more than 2,000 jobs and development to the West Shore. In January, 2020 Amazon announced it will expand its footprint on Staten Island, leasing a 450,000 square foot warehouse next to its existing 855,000 sq. ft. fulfillment center.The West Shore's vast expanses of unused land has made it the focus of many ambitious and controversial development proposals at the start of the 21st century. The most prominent of these involves the possible building of a NASCAR racetrack there — a plan that has engendered spirited debate in Staten Island political circles. A 2004 proposal included a 2.5-mile (4.0 km) oval track that would be constructed on a largely unused 440-acre (1.8 km2) site.

Marshes Creek is a tidal tributary of the Rahway River in Linden, New Jersey, United States.The land surrounding Marshes Creek is largely industrial except for the residential Tremley Point neighborhood at the headwaters of Marshes Creek. Severe flooding from the creek is common; rainfall is one factor, with impaired storm water runoff and insufficient conveyance capacity The area is also susceptible to tidal flooding, exacerbated by low lying elevation, sea level rise and loss of historic coastal wetlands. In 2012 Hurricane Sandy produced a 15-foot tidal surge in Tremley Point. Homes and roads were destroyed and hazardous material washed up. Beginning in 2014, using HUD funding, New Jersey started buying out Tremley Point homes in flood prone areas. "Where retreat is the only option," demolished homes will be replaced by open spaces. The plan is to restore 190 acres of degraded tidal salt marshes and floodplain forest and meadow, so they might be a buffer against storm surges

Oceanic H&L Co.No.1 INC is a volunteer fire department located in the Travis neighborhood of Staten Island in New York City. It works in cooperation with the New York City Fire Department. Oceanic was formed April 17, 1881. The firehouse was moved by horse from its original location at 29 Meredith Avenue in 1902 to its current location at 4010 Victory Boulevard.Typically the department responds in addition to the initial assignment dispatched by the FDNY. The department is fully trained and operational with the apparatus and equipment they have. Therefore, when they arrive on a scene first, or when needed, they will implement their operations alongside FDNY as applicable. Oceanic currently operates three pieces of apparatus, Engine 1, a 1997 Seagrave (formerly FDNY Engine 40), and the Brush Unit, a 1959 Dodge M37/1975 Scat. Brush Unit, a 1993 M35A3WW (with winch) AM General.Eastern Surplus modified the apparatus by shortening the chassis and removing one of the rear axles, converting the unit to four wheel-drive. It is equipped with a skid with a 24-ton winch, 75 GPM pump, 300-gallon water tank and 12-gallon foam tank. This Brush truck was part of a 100,000.00 grant 50,000.00(truck) and 50,000.00 (building maintenance) provided by Assemblyman Michael Cusick. Oceanic is the oldest of the two currently existing volunteer fire companies in the county. Richmond Engine Co. 1 was founded in 1903. They are dispatched by the FDNY Staten Island Communications Office and operate on the FDNY Staten Island frequency. Oceanic has a roster of 38 Active members headed by Captain James Wakie. Metropolitan Fire Explorer Company was founded in 1976. They are located on the grounds of Seaview Hospital in Willowbrook. While Metro Fire operates two fire engines, they respond primarily to rescue calls, search and rescue, event standbys, and perform fire patrols.

Travis is a residential and industrial neighborhood in west-central Staten Island, one of the five boroughs of New York City. It is bounded on the north by Meredith Avenue and Victory Boulevard, on the east by the William T. Davis Wildlife Refuge, on the south by the Fresh Kills, and on the west by the Arthur Kill. Some local geographers classify Travis as being part of the island's West Shore, while others reckon it as a Mid-Island neighborhood.

Bloomfield is the name of a neighborhood on the West Shore of the New York City borough of Staten Island. It lies immediately to the north of Travis-Chelsea and to the west of Bulls Head. Prall's Island is situated in the Arthur Kill off its coast. Originally named Daniell's Neck when first settled in the 17th century, it was later called Merrell Town after a local farmer. Its present name first appeared on a local map in 1874.

Mid-Island is frequently applied to a series of neighborhoods within the New York City borough of Staten Island. Under the definition most commonly adhered to, Mid-Island comprises all of the communities whose ZIP Code is 10314, plus Sunnyside within ZIP Code 10301, along with the western slope of Todt Hill. Mid-Island communities thus include Graniteville, Bulls Head, Willowbrook, and New Springville, Sometimes the localities situated along the Arthur Kill between the Staten Island Expressway and the Fresh Kills — Bloomfield, Chelsea and Travis — are said to be on the island's West Shore; otherwise they too would fall within Mid-Island as their ZIP Code is 10314. Like all of Staten Island except for the North Shore, farms dominated the Mid-Island region until the 1960s, when new home construction began to rise sharply. The opening of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge in 1964 did much to stimulate this construction, but the effects of this phenomenon were first seen most profoundly on the East Shore, not spreading inland until nearly the end of the decade. In addition to starting somewhat later, the population boom experienced in Mid-Island also exhibited some important demographic differences from that which took place to the east, as in Mid-Island Jewish transplants (from Queens as well as Brooklyn) tended to predominate, in contrast to the heavily Italian-American influx experienced on the East Shore. These demographic differences are not present today with mostly Italian-Americans dominating the area. The ZIP Code 10314, which covers much of the Mid-Island area has the largest percentage of Asians of any ZIP Code on Staten Island, at 13.3% Non-hispanic Asian.The Mid-Island region's character was transformed dramatically in 1973, when the Staten Island Mall opened in New Springville, on a site that was originally used as an airport. This led to the Richmond Avenue corridor, from New Springville to Graniteville, becoming the island's liveliest commercial strip, spawning much traffic congestion in the area; even during midday hours on weekdays, traffic is typically moderate to heavy along Richmond Avenue and Victory Boulevard, which intersects Richmond Avenue in Bulls Head. Besides the Staten Island Mall, other prominent landmarks found within Mid-Island include the former Willowbrook State School (now a campus of the City University of New York), St. Francis Seminary (on the property of which the highest point on Staten Island is located), and the former New York City Farm Colony adjacent to Sea View Hospital and Home, a city-run nursing home. Most of Mid-Island lies within the NYPD's 122nd Precinct, headquartered in the East Shore community of New Dorp, a considerable distance away; however, in 2005 the city approved plans to build a fourth police precinct on the island (which presently has three), with the new precinct's station house to be built at 974 Richmond Avenue, near Forest Avenue and the Baron Hirsh Cemetery. The MTA has the Yukon Avenue Bus Depot in New Springville.

The Teleport is a suburban-style 100-acre business park east of New York State Route 440 and west of the Bulls Head neighborhood of Staten Island in New York City. It includes five Class A office and specialized buildings totaling 700,000 square feet, as well as additional development-ready sites.The Teleport was developed in the mid-1980s by the government of New York City and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ), which manages it under contract to the city, focusing on new technologies and offering high-speed voice, data and video services via satellite and fiber optic connectivity.In 2001 AT&T, the Teleport's biggest tenant, moved 4,000 employees out of two office buildings on the site. They were sold in 2009 to the Nicotra Group, LLC and renamed Corporate Commons, with a major tenant being the St Paul's School of Nursing.The New York City Economic Development Corporation and the PANYNJ retain control over the available development acreage.The campus was expanded with additional office and medical space and a rooftop farm in 2017.

The Goethals Bridge () is the name of a pair of cable-stayed bridge spans connecting Elizabeth, New Jersey, to Staten Island, New York, in the United States. The spans cross a strait known as Arthur Kill, and replaced a cantilever bridge span built in 1928. The bridge is operated by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. The original cantilever span was one of the first structures built by the Port Authority. The New Jersey side is about 2.5 miles (4.0 km) south of Newark Liberty International Airport. The bridge was grandfathered into Interstate 278, and named for Major General George Washington Goethals, who supervised construction of the Panama Canal and was the first consulting engineer of the Port Authority. In 2013, two new cable-stayed crossings, running parallel to the old cantilever bridge and replacing it, were approved. The new eastbound span opened on June 10, 2017, at which time the original span was closed. The old cantilever span was dismantled in January 2018 and the new westbound span opened on May 21, 2018.

The Arthur Kill Vertical Lift Railroad Bridge is a rail vertical-lift bridge connecting Elizabethport, New Jersey and the Howland Hook Marine Terminal on Staten Island, New York, United States. The bridge was built by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad in 1959 to replace the Arthur Kill Bridge, a swing bridge opened in 1890. It contains a single track that is used mainly to carry garbage out of New York City, as well as to transport freight to destinations in western Staten Island. The bridge parallels the Goethals Bridge, which carries Interstate 278. It has the longest lift span of any vertical-lift bridge in the world, with two 215-foot (66 m) towers and a 558-foot (170 m) truss span that allows a 500-foot (152 m) channel. It clears mean high water by 31 feet (9.45 m) when closed and 135 feet (41 m) when lifted.