Westerleigh, Staten Island
Westerleigh is a residential neighborhood in the north-western part of Staten Island in New York City.
Geography
Westerleigh is in the north-west quadrant of the borough and is bordered by Castleton Corners to the east at Jewett Avenue, by Graniteville to the west at Stewart Avenue, by Meiers Corners to the south at Victory Boulevard, and by Port Richmond to the north at Forest Avenue.Westerleigh occupies high ground on Staten Island. While not as high as Todt Hill, from certain vantage points Westerleigh affords views of Newark, New Jersey, and farther afield on a clear day. The neighborhood has an abundance of coniferous and deciduous trees; including acacia, blue spruce, cedar, chestnut, elm, honey locust, paulownia, pin and royal oak, sweet gum, sycamore, tulip poplar, yew and many types of pine, some of which reach 75 feet or more in height. On the neighborhood's southern side near the Staten Island Expressway is Ingram Woods, a remnant of a larger forest that has been preserved as an undeveloped park.
History
Westerleigh attracted notice when a temperance group, the National Prohibition Campground Association, bought 25 acres of land there in 1877, and named the property Prohibition Park — noted chiefly today for the fact that the official climate records for Staten Island are compiled at the site. Many of the local streets are named after early leaders of the Prohibition movement, or for states that supported anti-liquor laws.Some of Westerleigh's earliest residents excelled in letters including Isaac K. Funk, co-founder of Funk and Wagnalls, and poet Edwin Markham. Heiress Amy Vanderbilt also once lived there.
The neighborhood gained much local attention for the abundance of patriotic decorations festooned on its homes in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks.
One of the oldest Boy Scouts of America groups, Troop #2, was formed in 1912 and operates out of the Immanuel Union Church on Jewett Avenue.
Westerleigh is also home to the oldest tennis club in the US, tennis having been introduced to the US at the home here of Mary Ewing Outerbridge. She played the first game in the US at the Staten Island Cricket Club on an hourglass shaped court. The location, on College Avenue, still sports a tennis court.
The Peter Houseman House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.
Demographics
For census purposes, the New York City Department of City Planning classifies Westerleigh as part of a larger Neighborhood Tabulation Area called Westerleigh-Castleton Corners SI0105. This designated neighborhood had 31,458 inhabitants based on data from the 2020 United States Census. This was an increase of 1,642 persons from the 29,816 counted in 2010. The neighborhood had a population density of 17.9 inhabitants per acre.The racial makeup of the neighborhood was 62.8% White (Non-Hispanic), 4.1% Black (Non-Hispanic), 19.8% Asian, and 3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 10.4% of the population.
According to the 2020 United States Census, this area has many cultural communities of over 1,000 inhabitants. This include residents who identify as Mexican, Puerto Rican, English, Polish, German, Irish, Italian, and Chinese.
The largest age group was people 50-64 years old, which made up 21.5% of the residents. 71.8% of the households had at least one family present. Out of the 11,386 households, 53.8% had a married couple, 3.9% had a cohabiting couple, 16.1% had a single male, and 26.1% had a single female. 31.4% of households had children under 18. In this neighborhood, 27.6% of non-vacant housing units are renter-occupied.