Everyone mentions the prices in NYC and Brooklyn, but living in the often forgotten borough Staten Island I pay $800 for a 1 bedroom apartment right at the water, with a Manhattan bound bus minutes away. I have the luxury of privacy since I don't need a roommate, and things are a lot more quiet and peaceful here and for me personally, I enjoy coming home to that after spending 12 hours coding away in the city - I have unwinding time on the bus and then just relax without all the city noise.
I found this apartment via craigslist.org - I think that will be the easiest route to go without dealing with an overpriced realtor.
Since this is being brought up, and since even most New Yorkers don't know this (and therefore Staten Island is the brunt of many jokes) -
The Fresh Kills Landfill, which consists of 2,900 acres and includes the Richmond Avenue Truckfill, the Brookfield Landfill, the Isle of Meadows and parts of the William T. Davis Wildlife Refuge. This was a city planned land reclamation and waste management engineering project which would convert swamp and creek ground to habitable ground in the future. The landfill itself had daily covering over all new garbage dumped, and when it was closed, a 2 foot final cover was put on top of it.
The Fresh Kills Landfill project lasted 55 years in total from the start to the final dump; however that did not include all portions of the Landfill project. The Brookfield Landfill specifically (since that is what I am commenting on) was open from 1966 to 1980, and in it's 14 years of operation, there was unfortunately a scandal where there was illegal dumping of toxic waste at these grounds - at one point a sanitation supervisor was convicted for taking bribes for looking the other way. The Brookfield Landfill covers 132 acres of the 2,900 acres that was the Fresh Kills Landfill.
Since closing they have monitored all the landfill from this project for safety, and environmental impact and are currently transforming the grounds to the largest park in the 5 boroughs - even bigger than central park. In the 9 years I have lived on Staten Island, I have had no complaints about smells, etc. The landfill itself (as far as the portion bordered by Richmond Ave, Arthur Kill and LaTourette) is grassy and there is plenty of wildlife living there. Ecologically speaking, it is thriving.
It is unfortunate that there was illegal dumping - but the ground was not an illegal toxic dumping ground for 20 years. I am more concerned about illegal dumping of toxic waste in water ways.
As for it still being cleaned up; as I mentioned, the Fresh Kills Landfill is currently in a 30 year project to convert it in to the largest park in the 5 boroughs - and remediation of the Brookfield Landfill started last year, it was the last of the landfill grounds in the project to commence remediation. The ground is safe, and the only reason the residents that lived next to the Brookfield Landfill property line were sueing was to force remediation of the property so that it wouldn't just be overgrown land, and could also be turned in to a recreational area for the community.
Please don't just spew out things about the Landfill unless you actually know the background and what is being done. I didn't grow up on Staten Island, and I don't care about the jokes, so I have really no care in the world what people say - I just want informed discussions taking place.
Some sources of information for numbers and stuff I wanted to confirm while responding:
It depends on where you are trying to get to and where on the island you live. If you live near the ferry you can be in Manhattan within 30/40 minutes. If you live on the south shore of the island like me, it generally takes from an hour and a half to two hours. When I lived more towards the center of the island, my commute was door to door an hour and a half. The bus is like the tour buses, with reclining seats and overhead reading lights so it's really not that bad plus it's more time I generally spend reading a book or even doing work on my netbook.
The south shore is nicer in terms of houses and area, while the north shore is more convenient - but definitely a different type of neighborhood.
Comments
Everyone mentions the prices in NYC and Brooklyn, but living in the often forgotten borough Staten Island I pay $800 for a 1 bedroom apartment right at the water, with a Manhattan bound bus minutes away. I have the luxury of privacy since I don't need a roommate, and things are a lot more quiet and peaceful here and for me personally, I enjoy coming home to that after spending 12 hours coding away in the city - I have unwinding time on the bus and then just relax without all the city noise.
I found this apartment via craigslist.org - I think that will be the easiest route to go without dealing with an overpriced realtor.
That might be because the Brookfield Landfill on Staten Island was an illegal toxic dumping ground for 20 years and is still being cleaned up. http://earthjustice.org/our_work/cases/2008/brookfield-landf...
Since this is being brought up, and since even most New Yorkers don't know this (and therefore Staten Island is the brunt of many jokes) -
The Fresh Kills Landfill, which consists of 2,900 acres and includes the Richmond Avenue Truckfill, the Brookfield Landfill, the Isle of Meadows and parts of the William T. Davis Wildlife Refuge. This was a city planned land reclamation and waste management engineering project which would convert swamp and creek ground to habitable ground in the future. The landfill itself had daily covering over all new garbage dumped, and when it was closed, a 2 foot final cover was put on top of it.
The Fresh Kills Landfill project lasted 55 years in total from the start to the final dump; however that did not include all portions of the Landfill project. The Brookfield Landfill specifically (since that is what I am commenting on) was open from 1966 to 1980, and in it's 14 years of operation, there was unfortunately a scandal where there was illegal dumping of toxic waste at these grounds - at one point a sanitation supervisor was convicted for taking bribes for looking the other way. The Brookfield Landfill covers 132 acres of the 2,900 acres that was the Fresh Kills Landfill.
Since closing they have monitored all the landfill from this project for safety, and environmental impact and are currently transforming the grounds to the largest park in the 5 boroughs - even bigger than central park. In the 9 years I have lived on Staten Island, I have had no complaints about smells, etc. The landfill itself (as far as the portion bordered by Richmond Ave, Arthur Kill and LaTourette) is grassy and there is plenty of wildlife living there. Ecologically speaking, it is thriving.
It is unfortunate that there was illegal dumping - but the ground was not an illegal toxic dumping ground for 20 years. I am more concerned about illegal dumping of toxic waste in water ways.
As for it still being cleaned up; as I mentioned, the Fresh Kills Landfill is currently in a 30 year project to convert it in to the largest park in the 5 boroughs - and remediation of the Brookfield Landfill started last year, it was the last of the landfill grounds in the project to commence remediation. The ground is safe, and the only reason the residents that lived next to the Brookfield Landfill property line were sueing was to force remediation of the property so that it wouldn't just be overgrown land, and could also be turned in to a recreational area for the community.
Please don't just spew out things about the Landfill unless you actually know the background and what is being done. I didn't grow up on Staten Island, and I don't care about the jokes, so I have really no care in the world what people say - I just want informed discussions taking place.
Some sources of information for numbers and stuff I wanted to confirm while responding:
http://earthjustice.org/news/press/2010/staten-island-reside...
http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcp/pdf/fkl/about_fkl.pdf
http://www.silive.com/news/index.ssf/2009/04/city_to_discuss...
How long is the bus ride?
It depends on where you are trying to get to and where on the island you live. If you live near the ferry you can be in Manhattan within 30/40 minutes. If you live on the south shore of the island like me, it generally takes from an hour and a half to two hours. When I lived more towards the center of the island, my commute was door to door an hour and a half. The bus is like the tour buses, with reclining seats and overhead reading lights so it's really not that bad plus it's more time I generally spend reading a book or even doing work on my netbook.
The south shore is nicer in terms of houses and area, while the north shore is more convenient - but definitely a different type of neighborhood.