Staten Island Neighborhood Profile: Richmond Valley

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In 1788, Staten Island was officially separated by towns. These towns were known as Northfield, Southfield, Westfield, and Castleton. Within these towns, villages were established. In the town of Westfield, which is actually Staten Island's South Shore, a village known as Bentley was created. This village later became known as Tottenville, which encompassed most of Staten Island's South Shore.

On April 23, 1860, the Staten Island Railroad Company opened a railroad line of about one dozen stations, which led from Clifton to Eltingville. By June 2, 1860, the line, which was known as the South Beach Branch of the Staten Island Railway, was extended to Tottenville and a few more stations were constructed along the way.  Some of these stations were named after the villages they were located within. If a village had more than one station, they would usually be named for the street on which they were located.

Two stops before the Tottenville Station, you had the Richmond Valley Station. This station was named for the street it was built on. While another station had been built during the twentieth century between this station and its preceding station, its intersecting streets are still Richmond Valley Road and Amboy Road.

As mentioned above, most of the Island's South Shore was referred to as being a part of Tottenville. This was due to the fact that people would often refer to their neighborhoods by the name of whatever station of the Staten Island Railroad line was closest. As a result of this, a few of the stations that were named for the streets they were on have communities spring up around them, which would bear the name of the station.  Richmond Valley was one of these communities.

Like most of Staten Island, Richmond Valley was originally mostly undeveloped farmland.  However, with the opening of the railroad station, the community grew.  Soon houses, churches, and small stores populated the vicinity, with much wooded area surrounding it.

There are currently two buses that service the neighborhood of Richmond Valley. The local s78, which travels along Hylan Boulevard, will take you to the St. George Ferry Terminal or to the Bricktown Shopping Centre. The x22 express bus will take you along Annadale Road, over the Goethals Bridge, and into Midtown Manhattan.  Of course, you can't forget about the train station mentioned above, which is the reason the neighborhood even exists. Aside from these, the Richmond Parkway is above the neighborhood, with the Outerbridge Crossing very close by.

There are a number of schools, which are located near the community. For public schools, students may attend P.S. 6, at 55 Page Avenue; P.S. 3, at 80 South Goff Avenue; I.S. 34, at 528 Academy Avenue; and Tottenville High School, at 100 Luten Avenue. The nearest Catholic schools are the Our Lady Help of Christians School, at 23 Summit Street, and the St. Joseph/St. Thomas School, at 50 Maguire Avenue. There are also a few private schools in the area. These include Gateway Academy, at 200 Boscombe Avenue; the Staten Island Montessori School, at 500 Butler Boulevard; and Yeshiva of Staten Island, at 1870 Drumgoole Road East.

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