While it is the least-populated of New York's boroughs, Staten Island is the third-largest in area and arguably the most suburban in look and feel. And despite this urban sprawl, Staten Island still features hundreds of acres of federal, state, and local parkland.
At the time of earliest European contact, Staten Island was home to the Lenape peoples, who called the area Lenapehoking. Archaeologists have found evidence of Lenape hunting tools, burial grounds, and everyday utensils dating back some 5,000 years.
In 1604 a Dutch expedition, led by European explorer Henry Hudson, sailed into Upper New York Bay. Hudson named Staten Island in honour of the Dutch parliament, known as Staten-Generaal. By 1667, at the end of the second Anglo-Dutch war, Staten Island had become the newest English colony in New York. In 1827, the Swan Hotel in Staten Island's West Brighton neighbourhood hosted NY State's celebrations to mark the abolition of slavery. The partying lasted two days.
Staten Island further played a part in history when a decommissioned landfill site on the Island was temporarily re-opened in 2001 to accommodate debris from the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center. And after a big tourism push in the mid-2000s, Staten Island authorities are now debating how to 'green' the borough, to capitalise on its tidal wetlands, walking trails and wildlife. One option currently being considered is a public park larger than Manhattan's Central Park! We shall see.
