Charleston

Staten Island is known for its densely packed neighborhoods and crowded housing subdivisions. It's one of the features of the borough that gives some house hunters pause, especially those who like the idea of having views of the spectacular Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge or access to beaches. "Here's why Charleston is such an appealing neighborhood," says Kevin Bryant, licensed real estate salesperson with Compass. "It's located one neighborhood removed from the southern tip of Staten Island, and it's one of the most sparsely populated communities in the borough."

Bryant, a lifelong Staten Island resident and member of the Joe Tirone Team, says that Charleston is about 33% residential, 33% business and industrial, and the remaining land is open space and parks. North Mount Loretto State Forest is the center of the neighborhood, and Butler Manor Woods is on the island's eastern side and down the coast from the Princess Bay Lighthouse and Dorothy Fitzpatrick Fishing Pier­­­. Clay Pit Ponds State Park is on the community's north side, and even more greenspaces are found alongside and under the Outerbridge Crossing.

Compared to other neighborhoods on Staten Island, homes in Charleston can be expensive—often because these are unattached single homes with yards, and some (but not all) have garages. You can still find semi-detached and town houses in the neighborhood—after all, it is Staten Island. Homes in Charleston list for about $600,000 to $900,000 or more. A condo in a mature-living community near the water ranges from $725,000 to $800,000. "Inventory in Charleston is very low," says Bryant. "When people move here, they tend to stay." The fact that people stick around for years on end is what makes it such a tight-knit community. If you live on the same block with your neighbors for one or two decades, chances are you'll know each other's names, and their kids and grandkids, too.

On Staten Island, which is in District 31, neighborhood boundaries do not always coincide with NYC Department of Education school zones. P.S. 62 Kathleen Grimm School for Leadership, P.S. 6 Corporal Allan F. Kivlehan School and I.S. 34 Tottenville middle school get an A-plus from Niche for teacher performance and an A-minus for academics. GreatSchools ranks test scores at P.S. 6 an 8/10, which is above average, and the Kathleen Grimm School ranks 9/10. P.S. 3 Margaret Gioiosa School gets an A for academics and teachers. The public elementary and junior high schools on this end of the island filter into Tottenville High School, which gets an A-minus. One of the more unique schools in the district is P.S. 62 because it's a Net Zero Energy institution, meaning that the facility, which has nearly 2,000 solar panels generating electricity from sunlight, uses and produces an equal amount of energy.

Residents across Staten Island know about Charleston for two main reasons. It was the location of the first Target store in the borough (now there are three) and the Bricktown Centre at Charleston shopping plaza. On the north side of the mall is Fairview Park, which has tennis courts, pickleball courts, and athletic fields. Next to the park is Charleston Library, one of the city's newest branches. In an interview with a local newspaper, Advance/SILive, the chief operating officer of the NYPL described the new branch as "innovative and stunning." The feature some visitors find delightful is separate rooms for children, teens and adults, plus a flexible space for community and school events.

Across the street is a strip mall with a ShopeRite grocery store, a post office and numerous restaurants. Z-Two Restaurant & Lounge at South Shore Commons is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. They have a cocktail menu, serve a pre-fixe brunch on weekends and host Kid's Night on Tuesdays, wherein kids eat free with the purchase of an adult entrée. Perhaps check out the Oreo and chocolate chips pancakes with cannoli cream or any of the eatery's 10 parmigiana main courses.

Charleston may be one of the farthest points on Staten Island from Manhattan, making a daily commute to the city a little more arduous than central or northern neighborhoods. Still, you can't beat the views, the wide-open spaces and all of the conveniences.

Written By

Riki Markowitz

Photography Contributed By

Sean Madden

Video By

Austin Lewis