Old Town, Staten Island

Welcome to Old Town sign, corner of Old Town Road and North Railroad Avenue

Old Town is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Staten Island, located on its East Shore. Old Town was established in August 1661 as part of New Netherland, and was the first permanent European settlement on Staten Island.[1] Originally described as "Oude Dorpe" ('old village' in Dutch), much of its original territory makes up what is present-day South Beach, with parts of Midland Beach and Dongan Hills. The area was settled by a group of Dutch, Walloon (from what is now southern Belgium and its borders with France) and French Protestants (Huguenots) led by Walloon Pierre Billiou.

Staten Island Railway's Old Town Powerhouse at 145 Tacoma Street and North Railroad Avenue. This structure, built in the 1980s, replaced an earlier structure that had been destroyed by fire.

Present-day Old Town is typically described as the neighborhood bordered by Grasmere to the north, Dongan Hills to the south, South Beach to the east, and Concord to the west. The neighborhood is served by the Old Town station of the Staten Island Railway. Old Town is also served by the S78 and S79 SBS local buses on Hylan Boulevard and the S74, S84, S76 and S86 local buses on Richmond Road. Express bus service is provided by the SIM1 and SIM5 on Hylan Boulevard and the SIM15 on Richmond Road.[2]

  1. ^ Staff. "HUGUENOTS WILL STAGE STATEN ISLAND FETE; Will Celebrate Today Settlement of Old Town in 1661-- Gov. Roosevelt Invited.", The New York Times, June 28, 1931. Accessed November 13, 2008.
  2. ^ "Staten Island Bus Map" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. January 2020. Retrieved December 1, 2020.