Summers on Staten Island

Staten Island is one of New York City's five BOROUGHS, and it sits at the southwestern tip of the city where the Hudson River meets the Atlantic Ocean. Unlike Manhattan or Brooklyn, Staten Island has a much more SUBURBAN feel — wide streets, single-family homes, and quieter neighborhoods stretch across its hills. The island is connected to Brooklyn by the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, one of the longest suspension bridges in the United States. Staten Island is also home to more than 500,000 people, making it a city in its own right even though it is often overlooked by tourists. Understanding where you live on a MAP — including its geography, water features, and connections to other places — is a core skill in geography and even in careers like urban planning and civil engineering.